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Awesome advice - thanks again all. I am going out again today and will see how it goes with some plastic action. Cheers!

One of the aspects of bass fishing I am trying to understand is the concept of fishing a bait/lure to fins fish and then changing to up the catch rate. For example, fishing cranks to find fish then changing to drop or wacky rigged senko etc. Does this work and if not what is the best approach. I still feel when I go out on the lake that it makes no difference what I throw because they won't bite without luck. How can I decide what to rig as I begin the day and how does that fit into search versus catch rigs?

So, as some of you know I am new to bass fishing this season and have one bass caught on a crank from a boat (about 2lbs) to my record. I have been fishing almost everyday in many different lakes, since I am between contracts at the moment - I fish from shore mostly. I have studied the articles here till my eyes bleed and I feel I have a good idea of what bass are doing etc (theoretically). However, I am becoming mayor of Skunkville, USA. People catch all around me, some bring in hawgs, kids are catching, yet I am utterly lost. The good news is my brand new baitcaster is working out really well and my cast length and lack of backlash is going great. I tend to use cranks all day and maybe switch to spinnerbait in the evening when I am ready to go home. I just can't bring myself to keep changing rigs when I find nothing seems to work anyways. I feel like the fish see me coming like a freight train or they have simply all gone away. These illogical frustration thoughts are leading me to enjoy the sport less and wonder if I am a hopeless case. let's just say I am learning lots about the fishing business from the point of view of marketing to buy baits etc and how to cast, and fix reels etc. As far as actually seeing fish go - sometimes other people ask me to photo their catch - and that's as close as I am coming. :'( So while the world's smallest violin plays can anyone give me some ideas on how to reverse this cycle of frustration? I have in my tackle box the following: Shimano Clarus 7' med-heavy graphite baitcaster Exceler b/c reel roboworms / senkos / brush hogs offset hooks, other hooks etc white and white/chartreuse spinnerbaits various crankbaits shad jerkbait I am open to anything except live bait. I am fishing reservoirs in Northern California that range from 200-1000 acres about. From reports other people are catching plenty and catching from dinks to hawgs. Thanks.

what is backlash - I just got my first bait caster and everyone in the store kept telling me - oh boy get ready for backlash city - what is it, how is it caused and what prevents it? Thanks.

I went back and changed everything out - I know have a med-heavy 7' Shamano Clarus with a Daiwa Exceler b/c lefty reel. I'm excited to get going with it and get comfortable casting. Thanks for all the tips.

I thought about trying it, but I don't think I would have the same level of control over the rod with my left.

Thanks - yea I know its other side up hehe. I think you're right - I can't stand the idea of changing to left hand control of the rod - it's not natural for me. If I had no choice I could, but I would rather use a left hand reel than start to learn from a left side control perspective. Is the left hand reel likely to cost more? Thanks.

Ok so I know, super newb question My spinning rod broke at the tip and I replaced it with a Pfleuger 7' graphite baitcasting rod - with an ambassadeur baitcasting reel. I am super confused right now - it seemed to make sense in the store, but now I have it setup I am lost. I am used to casting - actually moving the rod to cast - in my right hand - I then reel in with my left hand as my right hand guides the rod, jerks the bait whatever. This new setup has me lost - no the handle of the reel is on the right side - how do I cant as normal with my right hand and then reel? How to I work the rod after the cast and bring in slack line etc - this seems obvious I'm sure, but to me its totally back to front. Please help

Guys and gals, I was wondering when one uses a swimbait over other types of lures etc. When is the right time to sue one over say a spinnerbait or t-rig plastic etc. I have read many articles recently and some touch on it but didn't answer it for me. Thanks.

Understood - what other info can I provide to get a better answer?

I usually shore fish here in CA, in reservoirs. Recently weather was 39F in early morning and rose to 75F in afternoon. Last 2 days saw a jump in heat from 51F in morning to 92F in mid afternoon - how does a weather change like this effect bass this time of year? How should I adjust my fishing to match? Thanks.

Thanks again guys. I went back to the same lake today and conditions were the same except the air temp was hitting 92F+ - yikes was getting hot. Water temp was one the rise. I had my daughter with me fishing for trout and she gets bored quickly with no action so it was hard. However, as I cruised the shoreline in about 20+ feet of clear water I was able to actually watch 3 bass cruising along the shoreline back and forth. Sometimes I would lose them. I tried to drop a t-rigged worm a few times, until it got caught up under a tree limb on the bottom (I mistook it for a bite and set it into the tree I think). I was unable to coax them into biting a spinnerbait and just decided to move on given my daughter was becoming bored. I need to fish alone more so I can study, learn and practice and only risk boring myself lol. I can amuse myself for hours just watching the different ways different lures move in the water and feeling the weight on the bottom etc. I am certainly getting good at hitting my target on a cast and am really getting a good feel for worm movements. As yet still no real fish to speak of save that first one a few weeks back and a tiny dink. I am still totally confused on how to up the numbers of fish caught and am unsure how to tell if I am fishing empty water or water with fish in it.

Thanks guys - yea it was really frustrating seeing the 2 big ones swim away beneath the boat :'( I have more learning to do, and I'm a long way from done

So I went to a local lake for the first time recently. It is mostly deep water, even at the banks and is narrow and about 2.5 miles long. The water is so clear you can see the bottom in 20+ feet of water. The bottom is lined will old redwood tree stumps and the banks lined with weeds, fallen trees, amazing cover, dark areas, everything you can think of. The water temp is 60 on top at shallows and 47 in 100+ feet. The lake is stocked with trout and has lots of other bait fish that in turn have massive habitat support. The rangers are awesome and the lake only allows electric boats which they can rent to you. Sounded to me like a perfect bass fishing location. Oh how wrong I was. So, where did I go so horribly wrong? I found that my 4-6ft cranks were too shallow, I found the wind really strong for drop shotting. What really got me the most though was that when I looked down into the water I couldn't see any fish so I felt like I was wasting my time crank and spinning an area where I could see all around me there was nothing. At one time I did see two really nice sized bass swim under me, but I couldn't find them again and fishing the area for an hour got nothing. > The whole situation really confused me and I ended up trolling for trout the rest of the day. What do you guys think is wrong: 1. Was I too impatient? 2. Was I relying on sight too much? 3. Was I using wrong rig? I was fishing bass for at least 5 hours and not even a sniff. Any thought in making sense of this experience would be appreciated, given my research and experience I thought this would have been a prime location, but to be honest I felt utterly confused and thought maybe I would never understand this sport. Thanks in advance for thoughts.

Thanks guys. I caught my second bass today, but so small is barely counts, I caught it on a crank off a point in the shallows - it followed the crank in. After that nothing bit there at all on drop worm or crank or spinner or senko. I am going to try a different lake tomorrow and hope to get something better. What I am trying to understand is how to 1. increase the catch count and 2. increase the size. Any tips are appreciated. I love this site

Now I feel really lame - both my awesome 2 bass caught this year have been between 1/2lbs and 2lbs - where are they..... :-X

I'm in San Jose, CA - so ice is well ;D... Thanks for the input, now I can confidently work on my technique and knowledge year long.

I have been practicing the right way to tie a drop shot rig and have a question. When it is tied and the weight and worm are on should the hook still sit totally horizontal from the line or will it bend down some with the weight of the worm? I can get it to sit straight out without the worm on, but the worm causes it to bend down at a bit of an angle. Is this normal? The pictures all show it totally straight out really tight?

So - now I have caught my first bass - go me I have put some money into basic equipment (not tons but enough to get started). I am now wondering is bass fishing a year round sport, or is it only this "special" spawn time thing in the spring? Can I fish the summer and get fish or do I have to play golf? At this moment I feel like this - bass have to eat all year round, why can't it be what I'm offering all year round? Is this a technique type answer or is it something else? Do you have to have a boat to bass fish year round or can it be done from shore? I also don't want to restrict my fishing to early morning or afternoon. I appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks guys for all the advice it really helped. I boated my first bass yesterday - a guy was at dock and wanted a fishing partner so we hit the water and caught a few over the morning. My little guy was only around the 2lb mark, but it sure was fun. Caught him on a brown/green colored crank in shallow water. I also got a good opportunity to really understand the drop shot and experiment with the worm movement in shallow water where I could see the effect of moving the tip on the worm. I realized I was doing it wrong for some time. I get much much better action from the worm now given the practice. I have some more questions from the experience regarding technique, but I will start them in a more appropriate thread. Thanks all for helping in my first bass catch. Cheers!

Thanks a ton LBH - this is exactly what I wanted to know. My primary concern was in doing something that might accidentally permanently injure the fish. This has helped me understand the correct method - and I had no idea bout the slime - again great info. Sometimes understanding really simple stuff is important. thanks all.

I see many videos and pictures of people holding their catch by the "lip" of the fish - forgive my totally newbie and simple question, but how is this properly done from shore as you bring the fish in? Lol, yes I am a newbie haha.

Thanks a ton - I agree I do over analyze and think myself into a mess sometimes lol. I will report back my findings tomorrow - I am heading out to a well populated lake to try shallow weedless shore, weeded shore and deep water drop shotting and spinnerbait. On the drop I will start with approx 12 inch leader and go less or more from there. I am also using 6" and 7" worms, which are bigger than normal drop shot rigs - we will see. I hope it produces a catch - would be my first

As some of you may know from my others posts I am going out tomorrow to try spinnerbaits, cranks (again) and mostly drop shot rig. So here is my question: Given that drop shot has to be a certain length, to fit both hook and weight, how can you use it to fish shallows? Is it only a deep water rig? In shallow won't the weight just drag along the rocks and weeds and do nothing? Is this too shallow? Am I over-analyzing lol? Can you use spinnerbaits in shallows? I find the concept of shallows fishing highly odd and am struggling to internalize the process. Any help is appreciated.

I will add my 2c since I just converted from trout fishing to Bass and was a deep sea lover when I was younger. I went to Bass (still haven't caught any lol, but thats going to change rapidly, thanks to you guys and my obsession) for several reasons: 1. I love trout fishing but generally in my waters find power bait works the best and I just utterly hate bait fishing this way - its like TV outside - bores me to death. 2. Trout are fun, but in my area they are all planters and only available from late November - June, mostly only from March - June. I want to be able to fish all year round whenever I can. 3. The lake closest to me only has Bass and the larger lakes near me are known for trophy bass that are really tough to catch. Enough of the little stuff. 4. I want to catch fish that fight back - I want to put that fish back in the water thinking - "omg I really need a beer and a massage..." I want to be "in the fighting chair" so to speak for as long as possible, I never want that battle to end. I want to fight the hell out of every catch. 5. I want to see fish landed that are the same size as me someday - big fish sea fishing is high on my to do list. While Bass won't really get that big they do get big enough to get my heart pounding. This rush is what I wait for every time that bait hits the water. 6. Its the most common meaningful competitive fishing done in North America that I am aware of. 7. As I am finding out there is a terrific community around Bass fishing. 8. It is not a simple drop the line and wait game - it takes skill to master and this challenge is the core of the appeal. Hope this adds something to the discussion.