bigbill

This is a tough question like Glenn points out. I would read everything here you can get your eyes on. Years ago i even printed the most important articles out so i can read them on my sleepless nights too. I don't have time to offer a lifetime experience but here's some tips. Here's some late 60's / early 70's history of worm fishing; Years ago we only had the creme worms to pick from mainly. We would use the black 6" creme worm rigged with a snelled hook thru the lump on the worm with a large sewing needle. Then we would split shot the loop on the snell leader. I believe back then we only had a few colors to pick from. They were black or brown. I believe that the people at culprit were the next to offer worms of different colors to this day. The purple, the blue ect. with the chartruese color tails surely caught fish too. Then the worm manufactures exploded and offered many different lengths and colors of the rainbow. The rest is history. Of course worm fishing can be a very slow process but very successful. We would cast it in the weeds and let it sit and watch the line for movement. Then about every 5 minutes move it a foot and repeat. For us the black always worked even to today. I noticed one night while fishing I shined the flashlite in the water near the shore and seen the freshwater eels at the shoreline. They were really close to black in color or a really dark brown. I think this is why black works so good. If i had my choice today I would go with a black, red shad, green shad and a natural color to start off with to see what works at your favorite places. I'm sure you will see one color work better than the others if there finiky and color sensitive. Yet i seen one color work in one spot and another work 20 yards away go figure.

Anytime is a good time but the early mornings and late evenings to night fishing is the best time. During the day even with the sun up or cloudy days too but remember the water conditions apply along with the size and color of your topwater bait too. In clear water its smaller sized baits fished faster and in cloudy water/stained its larger baits fished faster. So the size, the color and the presentation is the key to success. Now i can fish any bait topwater by adjusting how fast i reel, how i hold the rod (up) i can make a spinnerbait actually call fish topwater by letting the spinner slap the surface. I also run my minnow baits topwater too. The water clarity and the site line matters too. Sometimes the lure needs to be below the sight line or they won't strike. Then i adjust my lure speed so its just below the sight line out of site. I know its not topwater but sometimes this matters too. Don't forget a pair of polarized glasses too. You could be getting strikes your not hooking up because your not seeing them without the glasses. This tells usto slow down.

I leave them in there orginal package until i use them. After there used they go into a zip lock bag. Then i can reuse them with some scent later. I have also learned to keep all the salted stuff out of my tackle box with crankbaits, hooks and sinkers. The salt will eat at everything sooner or later. I use a seperate tacklebox for plastics. When i get home from a fishing trip i leave my tacklbox open so the lures can dry out this prevents rust too.

Congrats nice catch!!!!!! I always say the smallest places can hold big fish too.

I owe this to my late older brother who passed away a few years ago. I was never really into fishing the way i should of been but i went with him anyway all the time anyway from when i was 6yo. till he passed away. We fished in the rain every chance we got. His Quote; You have to stay going and sooner or later the fish will turn on no matter what stay going. Too bad i found out after he was gone what he was talking about. I fish hours before the rain, during the rain and after the rain stops. I also try to catch it when the rain lets up between the showers. I try to hit the frenzy that happens during the front comming in and while its here. One night while fishing a large swamp with my son I was reeling in a night crawler and had a strike. Seeing this I said you want something moving, i'll give you something moving. I put on a Mepps #3 inline spinner silver blade with a brown tail. By my third bass my son hollers out you have another one of those lures??? I threw him a #3 red and white blade with a brown tail and we caught many doubles that trip it was non stop bass after bass. This was two hours before the rain hit. This is a shallow 4' deep swamp and i'm fishing in the channel were it drains. I went to one of my favorite spots that i fish often and one night when it was between storms for a few hours during a 3day rain period I nailed 19 bass in one spot fishing from shore using a 1/4oz joesfly bass inline spinner that is a glo tiger with some YUM shad scent. This place has flats and drop off's. Another time it was around supper time when it got cloudy just before the rain hit I caught many 2lbers, 3lbers and up to 5lbers plus one crappy the size of a 5 gallon bucket lid it was that big. I was using a Rebel BIG Claw crawfish lure with craw scent. I'm casting along a weedline in a channel about 10" deep. Fishing from shore in these spots I can use my Combo C Lector and check the waters PH. When the fish aren't biting I notice the PH is way off. I figure the bacteria is really high and the bottom is really stirred up. I been still trying to figure out what causes this feeding frenzy so i could time it better. It doesn't happen that often or i'm missing it most of the time. I still fish before, during and after the fronts come thru. I'm thinking about my location where i'm fishing too. I'm into fishing by the moon phases too and i'm thinking the fronts timed with the full moon phases may cause this feeding frenzy too. My brother did say you have to keep on going and sooner or later they will turn on. How right he was.

All the different ways of bass fishing do work from shore too. I'm lucky to have the rocky points, drop off's, the flats and the weedlines in most of the places were i fish from shore. Lets face it, its just done backwards from the shore as it is with a boat. I like trying all the different ways of bass fishing too. Trust me everything that works from a boat will work from the shore too. You can also be more stealthy shore fishing too. I fish 99.99% of the time from shore.

My very first year at bass fishing the weeds stopped me cold then I went to BPS and looked at everything weedless I could get my eyes on and bought a bunch of stuff. Mepps Timber Doodle You drop it into the weed pockets or just work it slow topwater. Its got that wiggle that fish can't resist. My favorite color so far is the silver spoon with the white plastic trailer. I use the 00, the 0 and the number 1 timber doodle. I like the "0" the best. It looks weird but its successful. With the timber doodle in one of my favorite spots i was matching fish for fish with my buddy using livebait. He won't talk about it to this day. I have purchased extra timber doodle trailers to use on my spinnerbaits with success too. Mr twister top prop I really like this weedless topwater bait. I like the firetiger colored one. The bass like it too. You can crank it very slow and use a stop and pause too. Either way they will wack it. Make sure you put a trailer hook on this one too. This is another hot topwater bait too. Scum frogs Buzz baits Any 6" or longer plastic worms Worked really slow topwater and they do offer floating worms too. You can use the weedless hooks too. The hooks stay much cleaner with the weedless spring on them. I use the weedless hooks on all my carolina rigs too. Even a grub with a weedless hook too will work. Never let the weeds stop you because there are so many ways to beat the weeds and still catch fish.

I use the better ball bearing swivels and thru the many years with crankbaits i see a better side to side movement with the ball bearing swivels. I try to stay with the smallest ball bearing swivels that my fingers can operate. I stuck using swivels anyway because i have a hard time trying knots in the dark. Plus it takes too long when changing baits.

I haven't purchased any fishing stuff since my last walmart moved and everything was priced really low. Now there going out of business soon so i'll be ready to strike the fishing department again. I got fly's for trout and bass, fishing line, cranks, reels and rods at such a discount it was silly not to pass it up. I think that Dicks Sporting goods has a 25% off sale right now too. I'm sure by september the sales will get even better.

I haven't had any success using frog lures yet. So whats the trick? I have seen live frogs being fed to bass and when the frog stops moving the bass will strike. Is this the key to using frog type lures? Any tips?

What happened to all the copolymere fishing line? I been using excaliber silver thread but the cost of spooling 10 to 15 rods all the time gets costly. I found out the Cabela's coploymere line to be just as good as the silver thread but much cheaper. I guess they don't offer it anymore. The copolymere line has less stretch over regular mono. I guess its back to excaliber silver thread.

I have two that are going swimming soon. As soon as i can test them i'll post my results with them. There hasn't been too many baits that haven't produced fish that i have tried so far. One time or another it will produce bass. I'd rather see results during the slow bite than during a frenzy.

I just got back to fishing again. I purchased some money minnows from BPS. I went out and had 10 strikes right away and more as the time went on. I had 4 of them hooked up for a while but lost them. I was just sleeping at the controls at 6am. I never expected this action anywhere i threw the money minnow i got hits. I'm switching my med/hvy action rod to a more heavy action stiffer rod. I'm taking too much time to set the hook with the lighter action rod. At first i would just move it fast enough to make the tail swim. Then i was rippin it faster and the fish became more aggressive. I had one tangle line on my reel so i dropped the money minnow in the water and a pickerel hit it while it wasn't even moving. All i can say is this bait is pretty hot. If you remember me from the past here i fish the same smaller places everyday. I like testing new baits and different presentations.

We been using the rebel crawfish crankbaits in the rivers here. I cast it around the rocks and pools were the bass can hide. They go nuts after the rebel crawfish cranks. The smaller ones work the best.

First "luck" is at the casino or finding money on the sidewalk thats luck. The better fisherman you are, its the more skilled you are its all being educated, practicing and honing your fishing skills. I posted this many years ago on this very website; Its not luck in fishing its skill!!!! Now about cahtching BIG bass thats another story. I believe we have big bass all across our country. Your just not fishing for them at the right times and using the right baits(lures) to catch them. I have caught up to 10lb bass but i have even seen larger fish that just seem to swim by. I pulled out a 6lb1oz large mouth once which was tearing up the lilly pads on the surface chasing the baitfish. She was working the pads for a few mornings just out of my reach from shore. She finally got close were i could cast past her and she missed the first pass but turned and hit it again when i stopped my topwater bait. I had her in my hand when i seem the lillies still being torn up by another big bass. My point is there are probably more than one big bass in most smaller ponds. You need to put your time in and fish every day or chance you get. I like to fish the wee hours of the morning just before day break and i will fish from 3:30am until around 8 or 9am. My biggest bass have been caught at sunup.(dusk) In fishing my 3 or 4 small places i have seen big bass in all of them, this leads me to believe we have bigger bass in every place but were not catching them. Its all about what time your fishing and how you fish plus the baits your using. Remember being stealthy is the key to hooking into big bass. Handle your tacklebox and rods very quietly. Any sounds will spook big bass. Even a coff to clear your throat will spook them too have have done this and watched a big wake swim away from me in the shallows. Never talk !!!!!! Be very quiet!!!! Don't step on rocks while walking to the waters edge. There like microphones and send your step thumps into the waters edge. The key thing is stealth so the fish don't know you are there. Once you aquire this stealth and practice it your success will happen sooner or later just keep going. 8-) Focus on your presentation too. Never think about anything else while fishing just focus on your fishing. Its all about having the skill and that leads to success just stay focused : You can achieve anything in life if your willing to put your time in and work for it. Nothing is a given nor free. You can set your goals and go for it!!!!!!!!!!! 8-)

Ok i'll play too we do have big bass in CT i've proved it already. I've seen even bigger bass than my 10lber that i caught too seeing this in this northern state has me thinking every state has to have bigger bass too. There not being caught because there smart, thats how they got to be that big in the first place. I'm fishing from shore too were i can be very stealthy thats the key to hooking one of the larger pigs. Just hit the shore at 4am. when these bigger bass are ambushing the baitfish in the shallows. If the smaller places that i fish have big bass than the larger places that i fish have to have big bass too. Which also makes me think its not the 3, 4, 5, or 6lbers making all these baby bass too keeping these places stocked with bass its the big porkers doing it. Just make sure you return them to continue the bass population. So lets post all our bigger fish(the best ones)???? I been hunting for a new state record anyway. I just took off a few years and now i'm chomping on the bit to get back at it. I fish everyday till i get burned out. I know a new state record is out there i've seen them already. Then move in and out like ghosts they just appear in the water. Make sure you wear polarized glasses all the time and look in the water constantly when reeling in a fish. They follow the smaller fish sometimes. They also eat bluegills and sunfish, they want a meal not a snack. (hint)

I'm not sure it can happen. I mainly fish the smaller places that were once rivers that were dammed for water power well over 100 years ago. I also fish small swamps too. My point is i have caught record sized pickerel and small to large bass without really knowing how they got in there. I'm thinking threw out the year the water flow is very low feeding these smaller places so it has to be the winter run off thats how the fish are getting in there. With out a water flow(river) feeding the body of water it has to be impossible to have fish there unless you stock it yourself.

Recently i switched to longer spinning rods with heavier line. My success in fishing has been way off since i switched. My back is giving me a lot of trouble too. I need to give up the 7' & 6'6" rods and go back to the 5' & 5'5" rods with 6lb & 8lb test again to save my back too. I missed a lot of fishing lastyear because of my back problems after just a few casts. It hurts so bad i can just about make it to the car to leave. I'm lucky to make 10 casts before the pain starts. I would normally fish my favorite spots and make around 1,000 casts per trip if not more using all my baits and practicing my lure presentations if its slow. I haven't used livebait in many years but i think its time to just sit with livebait and read a book or something.

I only need glasses to tie knots, without them it takes me 10 minutes or more to tie on anything. I hate carrying glasses all the time.

I spilled a tackle box about 45 years ago of what is now antique baits. I had the mechanical frogs that moved there legs when you jerked the line and much more. I still miss that old stuff to this day. My most recent lure loss has been when i was rushed to fish in a over grown spot I lost about $40 worth of lures in the trees in a few minutes, really its about as fast as i could tie them on was about as fast as i was losing them. I lost a lot of stuff that year. And some years i don't lose anything go figure....and i fish heavy too. I even use a lure retreiver from shore too were i can. My biggest loss so far has been to large snapping turtles that hide on the bottom and blend in with the rocks.

I always fished with my older brother all the time. I never really caught anything but he always did. Before he passed on he told me you have to stay going and sooner or later the fish will just turn on. I never really knew what he was talking about till one night while fishing with my son. I would only fish the first few days of trout season every year. We were on a small bridge over looking a swamp. We were using night crawlers and while reeling in the worm i had a strike. I put on a mepps #3 silver w/gray/brown tail and started catching small bass one after another. By my 3rd fish my son hollers over do you have another one of those spinners? I thew him a red/white mepps with the gray/brown tail and had success too. I'm not really sure how many doubles we had in that short of time but that night started it all in bass fishing for me. I don't do much trout fishing anymore its bass only now.

Most of my best bass fishing experiences have been in beaver dammed ponds and places were they were dammed for water power many years ago. Its the smaller places that started me off in bass fishing. Throwing a Mepps #1 or #2 is a very good lure of choice. But I mainly throw the #3 most of the time. While your getting good action on the mepps and the action slows down I found at this time the larger fish will come in too see what the action is all about. This puts a stop on the smaller fish bite. I then go to a mepps #4 to go after the bigger fish. Trust me it works. Just fan cast the whole area and work it over slowly. Don't leave out the top water action near the beaver dam too. I like to use the bass pro shops topnocker in a very slow presitation. As the sun comes up i switch to the carolina rigged, wacky senko too. Working the drop offs with the level of a surgeon in the OR again very slowly twitching it. On the cloudy days its the Joesfly's 1/4oz bass size spinflys in firetiger and glotiger. You maybe surprised to find out these smaller places can hold bigger fish too. Remember to wear polarized glasses and watch the area behind your bait too for flashes. And while reeling in fish keep an eye behind them for larger bass too. This is when the big ones will do a swim by to look too. If your out at these beaver dammed places at first sun up you may get a glimse of wild america too. I see fresh water otters at all my favorte fishing places too. I have seen the Doe with her Fawns trying to get a drink when the otters are splashing them with water at the waters edge. It was awesome to see it in person.

Try a small panther martin inline spinner. I like the yellow tail ones the bass like them too. I was fishing a small place were its never been fished with a panther martin and was catching bass after bass. A little baitmate scent works too I like the orginal bass scent.

My best bass fishing has been towards dawn or just before dawn. The place is fished heavily in the evenings so it settles down during the night and early mornings. I find the bass are up against the shore in the shallows ambushing the bait fish. Thats another key to success were the bait fish are thats were the bass are too. The bass are up against the shore during the night and move to deeper cover as the sun comes up. The baitfishes eyes change slower to the light conditions making them easy prey for the bass during sunup it also happens during the evenings too. This is why we have a bass feeding frenzy at dawn and in the evenings. There going after an easy meal. I go out at 3:00am to 4:00am fish.(example) Depending on what time the sun is up, i get out there in the dark. Sometimes i can hear the body slams in the water that sounds like us jumping in the water there that loud. The bass are on a feeding frenzy. Being stealthy is the key and the most important thing too. You can't make a sound we have to be quiet(stealthy). Be quiet with your tackle and tackle box too. The bass are very spooky too. I had to cough once and i watched a big wake swim away from me in the shallows. If your fishing from shore walk softly too and don't step on any rocks they send sounds out into the water too. I like to fish the smaller places from shore. So far my record has been 10lb LMB in one place and a 6lb 1oz LBM at another place. And i have seen bigger fish come into look while i'm catching the smaller bass when its first light. Polarized glasses are very important too. You have to scan the water while your fishing too. I constantly watch behind my lure for flashes(strikes that are misses) that tells me to slow down or change my presentation. I have also learned that when the bite is on and it slows down up size your bait. The bigger fish come in to look at what the smaller fish are doing but they won't hit the smaller baits remember big bait big fish i swear by it. Night fishing isn't hard just be very very stealthy and you will have success too. I have had some fisherman tell me to wait till 10pm the bass will turn on as it gets later. It seems to me the bass turn on as the sun goes down, they turn on gain after dark when the place settles down. Then they turn on at dawn till the sun goes up. Then they move to there deeper cover and haunts during the day. They move almost like the tide in saltwater. Now remember this is what i'm seeing fishing from shore.

I seen a TV show on the full moon once were the crime rates were up when the full moon was present. Now i had a night job pumping gas in the old days and on the full moon nights all the weirdo's seem to come out. There seemed to be more action and traffic on full moon nights. Now what do you think the fish are doing on the full moon? There more active too right? I fished by the maori charts for a few years when i first started bass fishing and I fished from shore. Having a boat is different you can drive to where the fish are. A shore fisherman has to wait for the fish to hit the shallows to feed. I caught more fish in the evenings as the sun went down but they were smaller in size. My biggest bass were caught in the early mornings and when i was going by the maori charts. The weather can also affect this too. Like my older brother always told me you just have to stay going and sooner or later the fish will turn on. I never knew what he mean't but as I got into bass fishing more and more i found out what he said is right. I go anyway were its good or bad but again my better days have been by the moon. Even the guys at Infisherman did a show on how to catch trophy size fish and they fished by the moon phases. During the ful moon phases the aminals(deer) move during the day too. I have seen a lot of deer while fishing during the day. The bottomline is the fish are more active and the deer are too. Lets face it nothings a given. I fish by the moon phases, I watch the waters PH and the weather fronts. I use lures that gives us an advantage too. Like a crankbait with a rattle and add a scent too. Then you cover the bass's sight, sound and smell too. When we do it right we catch fish. We as shore fisherman can have the edge and success too. I have confidence in my lures and fishing by the moon phases too. If your fishing from shore with poor results its time to change what your doing. You can have success too!!!! My biggest improvement was getting a portable fish finder. I use it as a dept finder looking for drop offs, points and holes were i fish. It can help you out a lot as to what lure to use too. Years ago we would drill holes in the ice to learn the smaller places were we fished, there were no topo maps of these small places. I notice this going on while fishing from shore.