islandbass

Ah, the other kind of Finessing. Light lines definitely have the advantage here, 😝 @Caiden24: I hope you give it a try. You might be very surprised at its effectiveness. A seasoned bass angler should be adept in all techniques suited for their area. For example a soccer or basketball player is only “half” a player if they can only dribble on one side. They need to be good dribblers from the left or right side. Or know both sides of a cassette tape - Power fishing - Side A Finesse fishing Side B And to everyone else, what song is that line from, “And please don’t knock it, until you’ve tried it,” it’s killing me that I can’t recall it and it’s repeating in my head like a broken record.

I think your current perception of what finesse fishing is not accurate. Finesse fishing isn’t a do-nothing style. Far from it. To me, finesse fishing usually involves going down in bait size, line strength or both. Bass aren’t as active as you described 100% of the time. They can be inactive or less active or could be a skittish, cautious state or so pressured by power fishing that they might not be willing to bite on those bigger baits. This is where finesse just might work. We’re offering something different (smaller in scale/size) than recent things they might have grown to be reluctant to bite or snatch. And from that old rap song whose title I have forgotten but there’s that line, “And please don’t knock it, until you try it.” 😎

@GetFishorDieTryin: I love the Sammy. It is so easy to walk the dog with it so while I still haven’t caught anything with it yet, I’m not giving up. 😇😎

@RRocket: As cool as June bug looks, it has only caught 2 bass in 20 years. Here is a short list of lures that have never ever worked for me but I like Bill Lewis Rat l trap Rapala Xrap - despite the brilliant retrieve cadences I’ve devised sn Zara Spook/Lucky Craft Sammie - this one is painful to acknowledge because I like walking the dog. Zoom Fluke Chattetbait With that many lures not working for me in the pacific nw, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m the issue. 🥹

Lol, No problem. They didn’t work for me for over ten years. If you ever get the urge to try them again, perhaps choosing a color that is the same or as close as possible to the most productive color of soft plastic in your waters. This is just a pipe dream but it would be cool to pin on a map the general area we live and note what bait types, sizes and colors have been best for us (and most productive since any lure can work anywhere at any given time) and see what correlations and findings result. Honestly, I think about this just about every winter lol.

@RRocket: I hear you! Senkos never worked for me since I bought my first pack in about 2005 and I started fishing in 2004. I became a master of working it this way and that way, and zero. Zilch. Nada. I was so disappointed and started thinking it’s hype, what a bunch of hooey but at the same time, I thought, come on dude (me), it’s working for so many people so what’s my disconnect with them. I wrote them off by 2007. I am referring to the 4” and 5” senkos. Fast forward to about 2018-19 give or take. I decide to try again. I finally got it. I did some tests with hook type and size, line, casting and spinning. I’ve been catching bass in senkos (and other stick baits) since then. So stick with it. my findings based on my waters hook - 3/0 straight shank hook preferred with no offset. Offset hooks both SS and EWG are nicer to rig but I don’t miss with the SS. I’ve noticed the 4/0 and 5/0 hooks lessen to some extent some of the shimmy. Perhaps because the longer length occupies more of the senko and therefore, reducing the length of the worm that shimmies. line - 8-12# mono or fc. Fortunately, I do not face heavier cover conditions. spinning or casting have been equally productive but the spinning is for more convenient because you don’t need to pull line out. color - baby bass is my primary choice. . Other “green” color schemes of similar tone also work. hope this encourages you to try again. Now go get’em! 😎👍

I too am amazed at the senko but I stopped wondering that and have since learned of all the available colors, only one fools them the most on a lake I fish where the bass are stingy with biting. I have tried other stick baits, yum, etc., but none of them hold a candle to the senko in terms of productivity AND action. The others don’t even come close to action or sink rate. I believe these are the two traits the senko has them beat. Now hold up. It does not mean I fish them exclusively. No way. Their biggest minus is is their durability of lack thereof and their price at most retailers. Not a complaint, at all. But it is what it is. The stik-o, creme, and just recently trying the zman stick baits for the first time also work at times. Not much success on the yum dinger no matter how much I believe they should work. I still use them because it’s better to have and not need than to need and not have. I know I will encounter a time where the bass will prefer it over the senko.

Greatest Strengths: 1) I know how to get skunked and not let it get me down. As a shore angler in Western WA, sometimes the bass catching window is small so getting skunked is more a function of knowing I can’t access them but I still try. 2) Finding that nugget or thing learned or gained each trip and adding it to my memory bank. 3) Writing my reports. I have not been making reports like I used to like when I took seniors fishing fairly regularly. Or when I took my dad fishing for salmon and he caught 2 species in one day. It is one of my most memorable times. He will be 84 this year and now has Alzheimer’s and dementia. 4) Tinkering and making things to improve my fishing experience. I’ve made cranks, jerk baits, and in-line spinners and all of them have caught fish. I also made what I call my rod quiver. And saving money on drop shot weights by using pencil lead. 5) Not giving into the bait monkey. It’s my wallet and I’m the boss … Down boy! Get back in your cage. Weaknesses: 1) Shore angler. If you put me in a boat, I would not even know where to start 2) Was jigs until just recently. 3) Sometimes I can over analyze and get caught in that, “it worked last week” and get stuck on a lure or technique. 4) Sometimes I get messed up when deciding to “stick with something” or knowing when it’s time to change a bait.

My 2-piece shimano compre is a MH spinning rod. It’s pretty much an all arounder. It can easily handle heavier drop shot, crankbaits that dive about 6’ are not an issue. It also easily drives a weightless senko home and it doesn’t sweat a 1/4 oz Trig plastic of any kind. Hard jerk baits and top water poppers too. Not much can’t do, including jig head and a plastic.

@new2BC4bass: We might be twins because I also have a spinning and casting 2 piece rods and they’re also kept in my trunk. Lol. Shimano Spinning MH Compre 6.5’ Cabelas Casting Magtouch 7’ it’s a bit sad that my real one piece bass rods get so little play during the week.

Most 6.5 to 7’ 2 piece rods will not fit in most normal “large” suitcases. So either make sure that your suitcase will accommodate your 2 piece or I would highly recommend getting true travel rod that has more pieces like the already mentioned Ardito. Just speaking from experience. Also, this notion of loss in sensitivity in modern rods is no longer a thing. 😎

@BrianMDTX: Well done! It looks like your bait monkey inspired you to make a Dr. Seuss like poem. I also did earlier today and posted in in the Everything Else section.

As a kid in elementary school, I read just about every Dr. Seuss book I could get my hands on and enjoyed every story. My classmates and I on occasion, were treated to watching animated versions of his books by way of an old school reel-to-reel film projector. I decided to draw back to those school days from which writing poems was an assignment. Here is a poem I wrote this morning, which is tribute to Dr. Seuss and ol'crickety's latest fishing report. One fish, two fish, Red fish, blue fish. Sometimes they’re brown (smallmouth), Sometimes they’re green (largemouth), Sometimes they’re fat, Sometimes they’re lean. Sometimes they’re friendly, Sometimes they’re mean. Some like them baked, Some like them smoked, Some like them fried, Some like them poached. Whether you catch, or if you release, They’ll give you excitement, and they’ll give you peace. -ib 😇

No, but I can see how that can be construed. I suppose you would be Sam, Sam I am. 😇 I reckon I’m the ham because I took nearly 20 years to catch a bass with a jig and trailer. 😞 Luckily Sam, like my name, Alex is a name for male or female. BTW, I used to love reading Dr. Seuss books as a kid. My favorites were The Sneetches and The Lorax.

Well done and great report. Maybe your next book titles could be “Green bass and Ham,” or, “The Basslorax.” 😇

Finally, after nearly 20 seasons (off and on) I landed my first jig-n-pig (trailer) bass. It was 2019 hours (am/pm is for sissies, 😂) when I was in my garage and looked at the sky. Overcast and light rain. The realistic side of me said, “Screw this. You’re going to get wet and cold and you’re going to skunk out with the low pressure coming on.” And I almost went with it until the guts and gusto side of me argued back, “All you need is a hoody and your Columbia rain jacket, and you’ll be fine. It’s a beautiful evening to try the jig-n-pig, don’t you think?” I got to the lake by 2035 and tied on a senko to my spinning rod and a jig to my casting rod. I was fishing by 2040. Started out with the senko (baby bass seems to be their favorite color on this lake) but nothing for the next 15 minutes. I reluctantly grabbed the casting rig and eyed my target, a corner of the old dock. I made the perfect pitch and pulled some line out. I popped the jig pretty sharply when it was on the bottom and followed it with another lesser pop before it touched the bottom and quickly followed it with another pop. As I was about to pop to jig again, my line was getting taut so I cranked the reel handle a couple times and pulled back to set the hook. The largemouth bass surprised me a bit because it never stopped fighting. After I lipped it, my free hand fist pumped a couple times and I took my pictures and released her. I was shouting out loud, “Yeahhhh! Finally! My first jig and pig bass!” Oh, what a night. If you’re still reading this, thanks for bearing with the long-winded post. My partner in crime. Equipment 7’ Cabelas Mag Touch Curado 201d with 15# Pline CX Premium Jig Brand - Don’t recall and can’t identify. Maybe it’s an Arkie jig.

In my experience, June bug is not that productive but I wish it was because I like how it looks. Of all the bass I have ever caught, I don’t think I caught more than 3 bass with it. Western Washington is the location. Color doesn’t matter until it does is so true, 😂

Nice refresher information that was learned long ago but now recalled. 😎 @Glenn: Thanks!

It always sucks when that big one really gets away. Sorry!😰 my mind would torture me by replaying the lost fish over and over like a broken record. My only rule is never ever let the line go slack during a fight. There must be tension in the line at all times. Failure to do that is angler error. You If they’re swimming toward you and don’t pick up that she is, that’s more than enough slack for them to get free. Try not to let them jump. Keeping tension on the line is one way to minimize this. Don’t get mesmerized and hypnotized getting caught with your pants down watching the acrobatics. Establish tension on the line asap and. check the angle of your rod. I believe you get the most power from the rod when it’s at 45 degrees regardless of what plane your rod is in. Don’t succumb to going past that 45.

@12poundbass or maybe the Yakuza 😂 @A-Jay well done and beautiful smallie. Congrats. Even if it isn’t a new pb for you, I know you’re not complaining 😎👍😂

Maybe because they should be smaller and therefore easier to palm? That is too small a size for me with regard to line capacity. I am a shore angler and if I had forced long break off 3-4 times, my reel would no longer be at optimum capacity. I would agree with you that a reel that size better suited to flipping and pitching and what I call close quarter combat and ideally from some floating device. If you get snagged, you can usually get to your lure. More importantly, my reels need to pull double duty for bass and salmon. With that said, I think I would enjoy using a reel that size, it it doesn’t meet my requirements.

Had a good day. Caught a bass, perch, and a trout the evening of 6/6. The Bass was caught on a senko and the latter two fish on the drop shot. Here’s a pic I took before heading home. The sunset looks better through real eyes.

@ButchAWow! That’s a sick pair of pliers with those settings. That takes round bend pliers to the next level. 👍😎

@MunkinMinimally, all you need are a pair of needle nose pliers but round nose pliers like the ones jewelry make the loop look nicer. Fish don’t care. 😎

I like all of the traits braid offers. However, as a shore bound angler, it can be difficult to break off from snagged lures and worse yet, if I’m far from the snag and unable to get close enough to minimize the amount of braid I’d be leaving behind, , I don’t like the possibility of that much line out in nature or the water just waiting for wildlife to get caught up in it. It is the primary reason I refrain from using braid. Lesson learned quickly after a couple of forced break offs. I did like the og power pro in 20-30# test from back in the day.