piranha

We are experiencing a heat wave here the last few weeks...was about 80, jumped to 90 - 95 and has remained...with high humidity. The lakes are all shallow here, most are less than 6 feet with a few going to 10 or so in the channel so the fish get hit hard. The fishing is way off for everyone I have talked to on all the lakes. What changes should we make in situations like this? I was thinking that because the fish are feeling stressed, that going smaller and slower in lure presentation might do the trick. Are the fish simply not eating as much or have they gone into areas where we can't find them? I am guessing that they will be finding deeper, cooler water and hiding up under docks and shady areas but have not found a bite there. Any suggestions? Thanks to all. Rick

Great response George! Thank you for that wonderful insight. Rick

Whoa!!! Your avatar is AWESOME! The good ole' US of A and bass fishing...can't beat that! Where did you get that and are there any similar but not the same? (I don't want to steal yours.) Also, the show was pretty cool. I couldn't stop watching. The editing was a little odd though...you'd cast out with one rod and then they would cut to show you setting the hook with a different rod. That isn't a knock on you in any way, just something I noticed. Who was the guy who started the show off, but then ends up filming? Is he the host? Is it an actual television show or internet only?

I don't think I have ever caught anything on a red worm. I haven't even read anyone recommending red worms. Hey R/W, is red "dark"? ;D I have the red culprits. You are telling me they work? How are you fishing them?

I have noticed that the carolina-rigged guys indicate to sweep the rod to the side when setting the hook. I don't see how or why this makes a difference in terms of the hook getting caught in the bass's mouth. If anything, I would think it would increase the chance that the worm would pull straight out of the bass's mouth. Unless I am missing something, you really don't know what position the hook is in when you set it, so why is the side sweep recommended for the c-rig? Why not with t-rig or wacky rig then? Please edumakate me. Thanks. Rick

No, this is not a joke. I realized the other day that I was gripping my spinning rod, versus lust letting dangle in my hands. The reason I do this is that the rod is trememndously tip-heavy, which until recently, I didn't know was a problem. I have to grip the rod to keep it from falling into the water. Will I detect more strikes by letting the rod rest in my hand, as opposed to gripping it? And yes, I am going to try and balance it this weekend after a trip to the hardware store. Think they will mind me bringing a rod in the store? Rick

Great idea KU! So simple, yet so effective. You get a gold star! I'm putting one in my Spongebob backpack/tackle bag today! (Don't ask...all I can say is "fishing on a budget") Rick

I am using a digital scale to weigh my bass. It is one of those that has a dangling "hook" that you put the fish on. My question is, where do you put the hook? I have been putting it under the gill so that it comes up into the mouth. I put it in a spot that doesn't seem to do damage to the gills, it barely touches them, if at all. A worker at the tackle shop told me to put it through the soft spot under the lip, but, since there isn't a hole there (at least not one that I have ever noticed) I feel bad making a hole just to weigh it. Also, I noticed with my old scale, that there was a half-pound difference in weight based on where I hooked the scale on the fish. I have not checked with my new scale. I could never understand why this was the case, but it was. Can anyone explain that for me too? Thanks as always. Rick

Thanks guys. No lightening, thank goodness. Finished 4th out of 14 in my second tournament. Used just what I said and caught - 2 on senko, 1 on buzzbait and 1 on spook. One more fish might have put me in the money (top two places). My goal was top five so I was happy overall. Thanks again for all your help and advice. Before finding this forum, I wouldn't have had any idea what to throw. Rick

I will be fishing in the rain tonight in a 4-hour club tournament. It runs from 5 - 9 PM. I had planned to start out using senkos and then transitioning to a black buzzbait and white zara spook. Since it is raining and the clouds are very low, is this still a good approach or should I try something else? Does the rain throw off a bass's ability to sense the topwaters? Thanks.

What are some ways to fish the fat layer of gunk that builds up on top of the water along the shoreline? I fished on top of it yesterday, dragging the worm across the top and caught two fish, but I knew there were more there. Should I simply work along the edge of where the gunk meets the water? The holes are few and far between and when you find a 6 inch hole and cast into it, you bring back, five or more pounds, yes pounds, of gunk. And the stuff doesn't come off easily. I kept fishing it anyway, figuring the bass were in there somewhere, but I wasn't very successful. Any tactics for this stuff? And does the stuff have a name? Oh, and how does the stuff go from nonexistant to ten feed wide in three days? Thanks. Rick

I fished a new lake today and found a spot, that I targeted due to my observations of the sun, wind, etc, that had thousands upon thousands of baitfish, baby bass and baby sunnies. I have never seen anything like it. It was middle of the day and there wasn't a bass breaking the water in the area so I primarily used a senko in and around the shady areas. I caught one bass nearby that did break the water, but didn't get a hit otherwise, that I was aware of. My question is, when you come upon a situation like that, should you stay there figuring that bass must be nearby because it has food, cover, etc, even though the bass aren't hitting? Would you stay and keep working the area with different lures and approaches, or move to other parts of the lake that don't seem to have the "ideal mix" that you are seeking? I ultimately moved with no success elsewhere either. Maybe the bass were just full from gorging on all the fish!

A few lakes I fished on lately had green water. I am guessing this has something to do with the quickly growing weeds, although it is just that, a guess. Nonetheless, I was curious as to whether you should match the worm color to the water color, or if you should contrast it so it stands out. For example, watermelon in green water to blend in or green pumpkin (or black) to contrast? In muddy water, green pumpkin to blend or dark blue, black or maybe white/silver to contrast? I theorized that if the fish couldn't see it, they would be less likely to find it and strike it so I opted for the contrast color. Or do I want them to not see it? From what I read on here, the general concensus is to go darker in overcast or evening skies, which to me would make it even more difficult to see the bait. A black worm in black sky can't be easy for a bass to see , I know I can't see it. If it is the action of the worm that is causing the strikes, why would you go to a darger color when it is getting darker outside. Wouldn't this make it less likely for them to see the action of the worm? Please enlighten me before my head explodes. A good scientific explanation would be wonderful. Thanks.

Thanks guys. A follow up based on watching bass shows on tv when they are fishing with worms. The angler will say something to the effect, "I have one playing with it." He will then wait, focused intently on the rod and line. Seconds... sometimes minutes go by and he will continue waiting or maybe twitching the worm and then wham!, he sets the hook. What are they feeling initially and why don't they set the hook right away as you indicate? Is it a situational thing? Or maybe a worm specific thing?

Thanks Raul...great post as usual. The majority of the schools of baby bass I have seen have been less than one inch in length. I will try the smallest baby bass swmbaits and cranks I have and see what happens. If the fish were breaking the surface, should I be attempting a top water crank? The follow-up to that is that in the area I saw the bass breaking, the grass has become so thick in just the last few days that it would not be possible to fish cranks there, but I will try as close as possible. Would you recommend another option, like a two-inch bass colored worm? Thanks again.

Raul and R/W - Your posts are always great. The thing I love about this forum is that is helps me to use my observation and turn them into better fish-catching opportunites. Observation has always been my strong suit, but I don't know how to translate those into fish. Like last night, the baitfish and baby bass were breaking the water for the first time this year. I watched when, where and how. I stuck it in my head for future use. I still didn't know what to throw as a result of seeing what I saw. That is where this forum helps me. I never did catch one of the buggers chasing the baitfish but I know that I will with continues study and practice. Keep up the great posts guys!

I have read conflicting information and wanted to get everyone's thoughts. When fishing a senko, or any slow-fished plastic, if you feel a tap-tap, but don't see line movement, do you set the hook? Or do you wait for some significant tension or line movement before setting the hook? Thanks.

I fished my first tourney last night as a co-angler. The only fish the guy caught who owned the boat was a bluegill, yup, on a senko with a 2/0 hook. On a similar odd note, I caught a shiner tonight on a spinner bait. Go figure.

MP - Are you saying that the wind causes the water to be cooler on the side it is blowing towards? Also, as far as food is concerned, is it just plant life that is blown across or do minnows and sunnies blow across as well? Or, I guess, they could be following the plants and the bass are following them. Great info. Thanks.

Muddpuppy - Excellent idea as well. I am using a barrel swivel between my braided line and fluorocarbon so I will try a worm weight above the swivel after the nail trick and compare effectiveness. Thanks again!

Thanks Rebbasser. I started using nails this week to balance the fall of the worm, which actually slowed the fall, so I didn't think of using it for the pads but heavier. I will try it tomorrow and keep you posted. I think I will put nails in both ends for extra weight and to balance the action. That should give it enough weight to break through. Thanks again.

I have read several articles on bass movement post-spawn and they seem to indicate that the bass will move to deeper water as the temperature rises. The lakes (a lot of you guys would call them ponds) in my neck of the woods are only 6 feet in the deepest spots. As a general rule on these types of lakes, do bass bother to go to these few "deep" areas or will they instead find cover for shade and reduced temperatures? Similarly, will they move from one side of the lake to the other as the shade chages direction after noon? Or do they just find something nearby that offers some other form of shade? Before sun-up and after sun-down, will these same bass hold close to the cover they will use during the day or do they move to unshaded areas in search of food? Thanks as always.

No, this isn't about feminine hygiene. ;D If you are fishing lilly pads, with a plastic worm, particularly from the bank, what is the best method for getting the worm to the bottom? Even with a heavy Yamamoto senko, it only hangs a few inches in the water because the line won't slide across the pads. I have tried split shot and barrel weights pegged 6 or more inches above the worm but they pull up to the eye of the hook after a few casts. I have used large, or multiple split shot right at the head of the worm but it does two things (a) detroys the soft floating action of the worm which is one of the things that makes it so effective and ( the weights usually come off after multiple casts after getting caught in the "butt" crack of pads. I have not used a cone weight but expect that it too will cause the senko to nose dive fast through the pads. What are your opinions on adding significant weight to the worm? Does the weight scare off finicky bass or cause them to release the bait prematurely? Have you guys found a good compromise? Thanks.

Here are a few scenarios...if you are catching fish and then they stop, or if you are not catching fish using what you normally use to catch them in your usual spot, when do you switch to something else? 10 minutes...30 minutes...60 minutes? Now, here is the tricky psuedo-philosophical question. If you don't catch them on that bait, or the next bait, when do you switch back for fear that you are missing fish because you are not using what you thought should be catching fish in the first place? Essentially, I am figuring that there are times when fish just aren't interested in eating or attacking anything you throw at them. However, that time period will end eventually and if you aren't throwing what should be working, you may be missing fish. How do you know when they aren't biting anything and when they aren't biting what you are throwing and that you just have to wait it out? Or do you subscribe to a completely different theory about fish activity? Thanks to all.

A minute! I would be so anxious, I would have to eat a sandwich or something to distract myself.