MrWrinkle

BDR

Thanks guys! Absolutely. That reservoir is lined with weeds and there are a bunch of shallow bays. I used to fish them relentlessly and usually end up with maybe one or two fish, nothing big. It put me off fishing there for a long time. But now I look at it completely differently. There is one particular bit of shore that has a sharp drop-off that I'll fish until about 8am and get some reasonable fish. But after that I'm not getting within 50ft of the shore -- often a lot more than that -- and I am catching so many more fish. Problem is, it seems that if you're 15ft away from the structure in this place, you get nothing. So I find it a bit of a challenge to keep along the productive areas when right out in the middle. Very rewarding when it works though. This is only my 2nd or 3rd year of serious bass fishing so I've got a lot to learn...

Thanks for all the replies! I don't own a single spoon -- looks like an oversight on my part. They've never grabbed my attention. I'll pick up a couple and give them a go.

I feel your pain. When I lose a big fish that I didn't actually see, I convince myself it was just a carp snagged in the dorsal

Thanks for the reply! Yep, that pic pretty much sums it up perfectly! Good idea -- I'll take my ultra-light next week and see if I can catch one of whatever the fish are. Maybe that'll tell me something. The bass must know they're there because I'm getting a lot off the road itself, not far from the bridge. I just can't pull them off the bridge structure. But perhaps I'm being distracted by fish that just aren't my target species.

Advice needed. My local reservoir has a submerged road and bridge. When I fish around it, my electronics show about 18-20ft in the surrounding area, about 11-15ft over the bridge, and a very abrupt drop-off to 32-36ft immediately either side of the bridge (I guess that's creek bed). I see quite a few fish above the bridge but most of the fish seem to hold at about 15-17ft directly above the deep (32-36ft) water, just off to one side of the bridge. They're packed very tightly at that depth range -- I don't see them any deeper than that. So, two questions for the experts: 1) Why are they all holding at that one level? 2) How can I catch them (assuming bass are among them)? I've tried jigs, swimbaits, dropshot, wacky rig, cranks... I can't seem to catch any of those "hovering" fish. I guess it's possible they're all just shad, crappie, etc, but surely there would be some bass nearby? It's an all-you-can-eat fish buffet down there!

So it was only a few weeks back that I excitedly posted about catching my first ever jig fish, learning to catch fish in deep water, and catching in bright sunshine. Well, a lot of water has passed under the boat since then, and I've caught a LOT of fish. Between my local pond (Lake Huntsman, VA) and a more distant reservoir (Beaverdam Res., VA), I have routinely caught lots more bass than I used to, and with a much larger average size. I'd say about 70% of these have been on a jig (3/8 - 3/4oz football head with a chunk trailer). Today was the perfect example out on the reservoir: half a dozen bass (5 on jig, 1 on topwater) mostly from offshore structure, with two over 3lb and one over 4lb. The key for me -- and aside from sharing my happiness, this is the point of this post -- has been confidence and following advice I've read on here. Now when I throw the jig, I'm expecting to catch rather than using it as a last resort. Now I feel like I'm in a whole new world with bass fishing -- it's awesome! So here's today's best three (3lbs 1oz, 3lbs 3oz, 4lbs 3oz)...

I have an Outcast Fishcat 9. That model is out of your price range but I can highly recommend the Outcast brand. Just make sure you get one that can comfortably hold your weight. I saw one guy who was getting his butt wet in his pontoon -- that should not happen! I'm 6'2 and 205 and I sit well up off the water. Make sure you get yourself some fins. The ability to paddle with your feet and fish at the same time is a massive advantage over (e.g.) a kayak. Pontoons are a lot quieter too, and can turn on a dime once you get practiced. Here's my set-up...

Agreed!! This has been my most successful bass year to date, and a great deal of it is due to stuff I've read on here.

Good Job! The catfish in there love cubes of spam if you're looking to go for them. I was the one out on the pontoon on Huntsman this morning. I assume you were the guy I spoke to briefly? If so, nice to meet you! It was tricky in the wind -- had to use my anchor and even then I was occasionally getting dragged. But I managed to get a bunch including one that was an ounce shy of 3lbs. [edited to add picture]

I was on there yesterday on my pontoon until around 1pm. Managed to scrape together half a dozen bass, and dropped a couple, but it was tougher than it has been of late. Nothing over about 1.5lbs. Bit more of a breeze needed, maybe -- it was very flat.

I've taken electronics there. Not a whole lot to see, actually. A few old tree stumps along the south side. Some patches of thin sticky weed, some rockier places. With maybe one exception, the bottom contours can be guessed quite intuitively by looking at the bank contours -- there really aren't many major surprises that I've found. Maximum depth is about 11ft and it gets gradually shallower as you move towards the west end (away from the dam). It can make the fish tricky to find because I suspect they're quite well spread. The bait fish certainly seem to be. I was there a few days ago and there must have been a mid-morning insect hatch, because a ton of small fish were rising aggressively all over the lake for a ~15-min period. Someone needs to plant some pads in there or something. Give us some weeds to fish to!

Good job! What did you catch it on? I've been getting lots of fish at Huntsman lately but nothing over 2lbs.

Good job! Congrats!!

Yeah, when I mentioned Mercer I should've also said it's not for heavy boats because of the walking involved. I see kayaks and the occasional float tube on there fairly often so folks do manage it somehow...

I agree. There's a very large population of turtles and carp in there and I think they help keep it cloudy as they do their thing in the mud. Plus there are a bunch of feeder streams. Lake Mercer, on the other hand, can get very clear. (That one's also well worth a visit too, for you guys new to Huntsman. It's just across the other side of the parkway.)

Good job! It's a tough lake in hot conditions like that -- you should be very happy with that result! Were you fishing to one of the points, or just open water?

I've seen guys use small trolling motors on Huntsman -- I think it's fine. I've never actually seen any park police there either, though... Steve: float tubes are fantastic fun -- highly recommended! I used one for a few years until I upgraded to a pontoon boat (which I actually prefer over a kayak).

Chub and fallfish are actually two very slightly different species of fish (both Cyprinidae family). Fallfish grow a lot bigger but that small one you have there could be either species. Fun to catch!

Like the others have said, if the wind is strong, you will find things tough. You can't "punch" through if you're fishing weightless. But you can pick up a lot of extra yards if you use lighter line, up to maybe 8lbs at most, or braid up to ~15lb. Also, make sure your reel is filled to 1/8" under the lip -- an under-filled spool will kill a cast dead, eve in good conditions. Finally -- and this is mistake I see frequently -- make sure your rod/reel are appropriate for fishing light lures. If you're using something that could double-up as a saltwater outfit, you will always struggle in any condition! I use a 7' ML finesse rod, a fairly small Abu spinning reel (can't recall the exact model) and 15lb power-pro with 8ft of 8lb flourocarbon as a leader. I can cast a weightless worm a long way, even in a moderate headwind.

Thanks guys! I always felt that for me it was just a matter of fishing confidently with jigs... now I think I can. I just have to get back on the water and test them out again! (I think I feel a "sick day" coming on soon... *cough* *sniff* )

Went out yesterday with my new Abu Vendetta/Revo S combo determined to catch my first ever jig fish. Got some small bass early on cranks (still my favorite bait) but then as the sun came up I took to working deep structure with jigs... a brave step for me. In the past, I've always failed miserably: 1) with jigs; 2) in hot, bright sun; and 3) in deep water. Also the new fishing outfit doesn't normally help... But I stuck with the advice I've read here, found a bunch of bass on a old road bed, and fished a blue/black jig with a craw trailer. Biggest fish only went just over 3lbs but it was fantastic to break my jig/deep water/hot weather curses! So now I've had a bunch of fish on them, I'll fish jigs with much more confidence from now on -- and that's always been the key to success for me with fishing. (Oh, and I really liked the Vendetta/Revo combo -- a very nice outfit!) So here's a pic of my first ever jig bass!

Hope this is the right board to post this to... If you order $50 or more (excl. shipping, tax, etc) from Bass Pro, you can use the coupon code "THKYOU10" to get a $10 BPS gift card. I used it this morning and it worked -- at checkout it said the g/c is in the mail (delivered separately from my order). I have no idea when the deal will expire.

Awesome job -- be proud of yourself for working so hard at it! I know what you've been through... A couple of years ago I lost 70lbs with a combination of better eating habits, treadmill, Bowflex and a 100lb punch bag (the latter is amazing cardio, and an awesome stress reliever!). Keep it up -- it's well worth it!

I say catfish too. Take a look at this blue catfish skull: http://www.savalli.us/BIO370/Anatomy/AnatomyImages/CatfishSkullL.jpg The viewing angle is different but I think it has the same "teeth" that yours has.