Sweetwater

early in the day...I'd fish topwaters over the weeds,then cranks or spinnerbaits, then a senko or trick worm. I'd hit the wood second with the same baits. If nothing happens after awhile, downsize to a smaller bait. there are some posters from Kansas here that may know the local waters better.

Easy answer; Pop-r and buzzbait, bluegill colored shallow crankbait, watermelonseed trickworms deadsticked, senkos, 1/16th ounce jig head with catfish fry colored sassy shad (black top,pearl bottom) But to provide a more detailed answer, I need to know: Where in the US ? Water condition, color, and clarity? Any signs of activity in shallows? Feeder creeks? One possible negative, crappie can have a negative impact on bass fisheries in small bodies of water if population not managed properly on a yearly basis.

Max.... No offense taken. I did not base my opinion on "an article". I based my opinion on the writings of wildlife biologist Greg Grimes, owner of this company.... http://www.lakework.com/ Now let me tell you where your experience led you astray. No amount of bluegill are detrimental to bass. You can manage a pond for; 1. A balance of good bluegill,bass fishing. 2. Trophy bluegill and a sparse population of older,smaller, bass. 3. Trophy bass and smaller bluegill. The only thing that will stunt the growth of bass is over population. If smaller bluegill were deterimental to bass, your scenario would produce a sparse population of older,very well fed bass,not dinks. On the other hand, crappie are very detrimental to a pond bass population. It's all in the timing of the spawn. Crappie spawn first, then bass, then sunnies and cats. By the time bluegill spawn, bass fry have had a good headstart.

I've been thinking about buying one of these myself. Don't know anyone that has bought one yet, but for $86, how can you go wrong? Since you're a fellow falcon fan... Tanner state park, Carrollton. Lower lake. Watermelon seed trick worm. Worth the drive.

I vehemently disagree with those posters claiming bluegill aren't good for bass. Every good bass pond I fish has a nice population of bluegills. Much can be learned about this subject of this site. From here.... http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/forage_bass.html Snip.... "The bluegill is the perfect baitfish, with a mouth smaller than a pencil eraser, so it can not compete with adult bass for food. Like underwater rabbits, bluegill spawn several times a year adding pint-sized food to the system every time. In northern waters, bluegill commonly spawn two to three times before the growing season ends in mid-October or so. In Dixie, the pan-shaped creatures may create little craters in the shallows and spawn as many as four times in a calendar year, depending on the severity of the winter. Bluegill set the table for the success of most bass lakes. Look at numbers. A female bluegill may lay as many as 2,500 eggs per spawn. One brood male has the ability to incubate a nest of eggs that may have been dropped by several females. So, given these spawning dynamics, how can a pond with bluegill ever have skinny bass? Answer.- It takes up to 10 pounds of forage fish for one bass to gain one pound. The more bass you have, obviously the more forage they require. And you want your baitfish to supply forage in a wide variety of sizes. So it becomes a balancing act ... Adult bluegill, too large to be eaten by most bass, cranking out baby bluegill so the buffet line will stay open 24 hours a day. Stocking rate: Use 200 adults per surface acre for a pond with no existing bluegill population." End snip.

shiloh: I fish a C-rig on heavier tackle in less visible water, where the fish prefer a larger bait that produces vibration,like a zoom magnum lizard or old monster. When targeting bass(Usually spots) in clearer water using smaller, quieter, baits, I use a drop shot or split shot.

Bassinchick....... The c-rig can be difficult to cast. In general; The lighter the sinker, the longer the leader, the harder the c-rig is to cast. Some tips: 1. Use a 3/4 ounce sinker minimum. If left unpegged, the fish won't feel the heavier weight. Casting is easier,and feel is improved. 2. At mimimum, use a 7' MH rod. 3. Be smooth during the entire casting motion. I usually pause for just a second at the end of my backswing before starting forward motion. It takes time to get the feel right for casting the c-rig. Like everything else, practice makes perfect. Rouge.... Most of the time, I reel down to the fish and it hangs itself. But use a smooth sweep.

i generally fish a crig in deep(8 feet and deeper) water for bigger bass. I generally target main lake structure such as humps, points, and channels with the crig. My c-rig is always weighted by a 3/4 to 1 ounce sinker, unpegged. If i have to fish a pegged weight, i'll go texas rig, split shot, or weightless trick worm. The heavy weight allows better feel of the bottom. Letting it slide freely allows a more natural presentation, and allows the bass to feel no resistance when they pick up the bait, which lets them hold on to it longer. I can also heave the heavy rig a long distance. With this rig, the following are key points: 1 The single most important thing to remember is; slow down if not catching fish. When you bump something, stop. Don't be afraid to let the bait sit still. Many times I have caught bass after picking out a backlash. 2. Line watching and feel are the two skills most important to c-rigging. If you've ever bottom fished live bait on the bottom for cats, shellcrackers, etc. you've had some experience at line watching. Over time, you'll develop a feel for how the line should look and feel normally while dragging the rig. Most of the time, bites are detected by seeing the line move in an unnatural direction. It'll move to one side or the other, or get tighter/looser, on it's own. Learning to detect bites by pure feel takes more time to develop. My crig rod is a cheap 7' bps graphite rod, i use pline, but I usually feel the bass taking the bait because I've fished a crig for 20 odd years. Always keep a thumb on the spool. When letting the bait sit, take some line in your fingers. Maintain proper line tension, always having loose contact with the bait. 3. Line tension. In order to have proper feel, one must maintain contact with the bait. However, too much tension can cause fish to drop baits early, and also takes away from the natural movement of the plastic bait. Always try to keep a nice bow in the line. Generally, leader length is dictated by water conditions and cover present. Clear, open water calls for a longer leader. Stained water with cover calls for shorter leader. The easiest piece of the puzzle is bait color /type. On larger lakes, the hot plastic is usually well known. But in general, darker colors like junebug, red shad, black, in larger sizes, in vibrating shapes like lizards and twist tail worms for deeper, stained water. Natural colors like watermelon seed, in smaller sizes in straight shapes that produce less vibration(Senko, finese worm, trick worm) for clear, well lit water.

1. Unless you live in gator country, there's nothing to fear by floating the pond. 2. Ducks, geeses, and other migratory birds can spread fish eggs to waters not stocked with fish by man. It's possible that the hole contains bass.

Excellent work RW.

My county has the Chattahoochie river just downstream of Atlanta as a border. Upstream from Atlanta, the "hooch" is a very good trout fishery, and forms Lake Lanier. Downstream from Atlanta, the hooch floods West point, Eufala, and Seminole, some very healthy, productive bass water. Even with the amount of pollution dumped in the hooch in Atlanta, the waters just downstream are productive bass, catfish, and bream waters. Because of the hooch's reputation, the difficult boating and access, this is a severly underfished river. I also fish several feeder creeks that feed the hooch. Most of these waters are slow moving and full of wood. Most of the time, I'm pitching jigs or large plastics in darker colors to blowdowns and shallow wood. The keys to finding river fish is like finding them anywhere else: Current, water temp and color, food, and the presence of cover or structure. 1. If it's hot, the bass will find the coolest water. If it's cold, bass will seek warmer water. That's why feeder creeks off major rivers are good places to fish during extreme temps. 2. Bass will seek areas near current that offer current blocking and concealment. Blowdowns and cuts on the outside river channel bend are good places. 3. Another reason to seek feeder creeks is the presence of food in these creeks. Baitfish, salamanders, crawdads. To me, it's much easier to locate bass in a river or creek than it is in a lake. I usually catch larger fish. The bass bite more consistantly, and turn off less. It's harder and more dangerous than fishing lakes, but to me, the trade off is worth it Here's a link for Georgia river fishing, but the basics should be the same. This site has some excellent info that should help in any river. http://www.georgiariverfishing.com/ BTW....Did I mention the current world record came off an oxbow, or small flooded lake beside a river, in south Georgia.

SCbassin and Road Warrior.... I very much appreciate your comments. It made all the typing worthwhile.

I'm like Rebbasser...I learned deadsticking by mistake. You have to experiment to see what the bass want. I usually fish fast first, then slow down.

I buy my paper ones from local fishing tackle stores. The ones above come right from this very site. http://bassresource.com/maps/maps.html Paper maps have much more detail, but these aren't bad.

On an earlier thread, I read several posts of anglers wanting to become more proficient in topo map reading and electronics. I can help. Topo maps and sonar go hand in hand, one is not as efficient without the other. Topo maps paint a picture of the lake bottom. Electronics paint a very small detailed picture of the lake bottom directly under the boat. The ideal way to use these two vital tools together is to locate possible hotspots on the topo map, programming the GPS coordinates before heading to the lake. Then, the electronics are used to pinpoint the exact location of the hotspots, and to find any possible bass attracting cover on said hotspot. To locate hotspots, look for sudden depth changes locating near current in main river and creekchannels. Deep water that quickly rises to shallow water. This provides bass excellent ambush points for feeding, and provides quick access between two preferred bass habitat. Look for places where main channel current runs into these drop offs. Look for places that provide bass provide bass protection from current while awaiting schools of baitfish. An angler that has the skills to use these two tools has a huge advantage over those that can't. The following is a crossection topo of main lake on one of my favorite large reservoirs to fish, lake West Point in west Georgia. This is a pic of the main channel about mid lake. I got it off this site. Lake West point is a flood control and power generation reservoir. The main river channel is the Chattachoochie, which also floods Seminole and Lanier reservoirs. The green and white areas are land. The purple areas are water, the blue running down the center of the water are river and creek channels, the deepest water, which runs an average of 55' deep through this stretch of lake. The outlines surrounding the shoreline signify changes in elevations or drop offs. The closer these are together, the steeper the drop. The outline closest to the shoreline represents the represents a drop from 10 ft. to 20 ft. approx. The second outline around the shoreline represents the drop from 20-40ft approx. Now for the hotspots.... 1. See the land mass in the top center, Holiday Park? I camped there Memorial day. Follow it's right shoreline, closest to the main river channel. See the first point that juts out towards the main channel? Notice how the two drop offs are close together? Notice how the main channel swings close to this steep drop? Notice how main lake current runs into this point? Find stump fields along this point with the electronics, and shazaam. Hotspot. 2. Follow the same shoreline down to the next point. Same thing, but the river channel swings even closer to this point, and the drop off lines run closer together. Good place for spotted bass. 3. Top right of the pic. See Glass Bridge Park. Look at the water between it and Earl Cook park just downriver. Notice the point coming off Glass bridge downriver where the 10' depth line extends far out into the lake towards Earl Cook? See the road coming out of Earl Cook, pointing toward Glass bridge? Notice how the 10ft. depth lines seem to follow the path of the road between the two shorelines? That is a roadbed. It is an elevated section of lake bottom surrounded by deeper water. Notice the small creek channels crossing the roadbed? Hotspot. 4. Bottom right of the pic. See Bird Creek park? See the four points that jut out towards the channel? See how the river channel runs close to the shoreline? See how the depth lines run close together? Hotspot See the humps in the river channel just off these 4 points? The water goes from 50 ft. and tops out at 12-15ft. on top of those humps. See the point just downriver from the humps? 5. Dead center of the pic, see Wehadkee creek and the junction with the main channel. Notice how the two opposite 20ft. depth lines neck down close to the creek channel, just up from the intersection? See the road that runs downriver from Holiday park towards the shoreline across Wehadkee creek? Notice the 10ft. depth lines? Roadbed. See the shallow flat to the right of the roadbed on the Holiday side? See the "S" turn in the creek channel to the left of the roadbed? Top left of the pic, up Wehadkee creek from the roadbed. See the hump near the creek junctions? To the right of the roadbed, across Wehadkee creek from Holiday, see the point where the creek channel comes close to shore. There is a lighted fishing pier on this point. All hotspots. All these hotspots share some common traits. 1. All are areas of quick transition from shallow to deep water near main lake current. This creates ambush points near known areas Shad will be traveling, while still having close access to shallow water prey such as bream and yearling cats. 2. All are areas where two or more ideal bottom structures are grouped together in one area. 3. From top of the pic to the bottom represents no more than a 5 minute boat ride in a slow rental pontoon. No matter the time of year or conditions, bass can be caught within this area. Season and conditions will dictate whether they are deep or shallow and wind will add another variable to the equation. I can never leave this small section of lake and catch bass year round, but there's more. The topo map site I got this pic from has a feature where you point towards a specfic point with the cursor, and the GPS coordinates are displayed for that spot. See if you can locate the hotspots.. See the roadbed crossing the channel? See the 90 degree turn in the main channel at the top of the pic? Notice the feeder creek flowing right into that bend. See the now flooded pond with the two islands surrounding it? Notice the old pond dam? Really deep water meeting really shallow water. See the railroad trestle crossing the lake. Just downriver of the trestle is the old trestle, whose top reaches 15' below the surface, and crosses the 50' ft. deep channel. This is crappie structure, but will hold bass The proper use of electronics would entail locating the exact edges and boundries of the above structure, locating the sweetspots like stumps and brushpiles on these structures, the bottom composition and presence of baitfish on these structures. I hope this has been a help to those of you who have expressed a desire to make better use of topo maps. I tried to be as clear as possible, and I will be glad to answer any questions.

1. My dad didn't fish. Two older guys in the neighborhood I grew up in, one a very successful local tournament angler, the other just a bass addict, both masters at worm fishing and carolina rigging, spent alot of time at the pond behind my house teaching us young uns how to fish with plastics, and how to throw a baitcaster. 2. Back in 1998, I met one of my favorite current fishing buddies. Before then, I was mostly a small water fisherman. Anything other than a major reservoir. I was also mostly a shallow water fisherman. He fished West Point reservoir for hybrid and LM alot, and has an uncle that fishes it about everyday. Both the uncle and my buddy are excellent at reading electronics, maps, and topography and fishing deep water. Since I started fishing with them, I have become much improved in reading electronics and fishing deeper water. Plus, they got me into buying better tackle. 3. About 10 years ago, I stopped going only to prime waters at prime times, and made the decision to go fishing no matter the weather or water condition. Fishing tough water at tough times makes one a better angler when times get good. And I've caught alot of fish that I otherwise wouldn't of caught. Another thing, fishing new water that nobody fishes and patterning the bass myself. Here in Georgia, that is mostly streams and creeks. I found some real honeyholes this way 4. The single biggest thing that made me a better angler: About 10 years ago, I read an article that discussed becoming a better fisherman by actually learning about bass, instead of learning about bass fishing. I went right to the library and checked out a science book about bass. How they're born, how they grow, when they're adults, how they mate, how they hunt What conditions do they prefer. What water temps produce what behavoirs. This, more than anything else, has improved my bass fishing skills by far, specifically in the finding and patterning department. You got to find them before you can catch them. No lure or rod matters if there's no bass in the water you're fishing. P.S.: There's several posters that said they'd like to improve their ability to read maps and electronics. Here's some tips that I hope will help. 1. Most important is learning how to read a topo map. It's a big plus if you can sit down with a map of water you're gonna fish tomorrow, and pinpoint possible hot spots without launching the boat. A topo map shows a complete and detailed picture of the lake bottom. Channels, bays, humps, old roadbeds, standing timber, water depth, standing buildings, steep drop offs and ledges. Most good topo marks gives GPS coordinates for prime structure. A good fisherman can take a topo map, factor weather and water conditions, and make a good guess where the bass will be. Is it spring or fall transition time? Look for shallow water bays and coves near feeder creek channels, and the middle depth transition areas between these shallow water areas and the deep areas bass habitat in summer winter. Is it summer or winter where bass will be deeper and sitting tight in one general area, look for deep water hotspots. The only large reservoir I fish regularly, lake West Point, bottom structure in 8-20 feet of water near main channel current is good right now. Sitting in my livingroom, I can mark all those locations in my GPS and motor right to them. Then it's time to use the electronics to fine tune the hotspots located on the topo map. Reading one isn't difficult. The lines on a topo map signify areas at the same elevation. Lines closer together signify sharper depth transitions. Lines farther apart signify flatter bottom. All channel ledges are clearly marked. 2. A topo map gives the general location of structure. Electronics tell you when you're exactly on top of the structure located on topo maps. Whether stumps, brushpiles, or baitfish are present. What the bottom compostion is, and exactly where changes in bottom compostion exist. What the water temp is. If baitfish are present. Electronics should not be used to try and locate specific fish. Bass don't show reliably on electronics because they relate tight to cover, and remain still most of the time. Trying to find specific bottom structure with electronics without a topo map is inefficient. Sonar paints a very small picture of lake bottom directly under the boat. It is best served to discern which structure found on the topo map is the best to fish. Locate a hump on the topo map. Find the stumpfield and ledges on that hump using electronics. Matter of fact, there's good topo maps right on this very site. I'll post a thread with a topo cutaway of a section of lake I know well. I'll detail how to read lake bottom, and the hotspots contained within that bottom.

Another post reminded me of something I want to share on this thread. I just turned 39, and started bass fishing at 9. About 10 years ago, I read an artricle in a local mag about becoming a better bass fisherman by actually learning about bass themselves, instead of reading fishing magazines. I went to the local library, and checked out a science book about freshwater fish. That was the single biggest thing I've ever done that improved my fishing skills, and my ability to target larger bass.

Most any water that has smaller bass will have larger bass. To reliably, consistantly catch these fish, you must target different water and different baits than what catches the 2 pounders. Larger, adult bass spend less time actively chasing food in shallow water than younger ones. They generally target different forage, larger bass eat less often, so when they do eat, it must be large enough to justify the energy spent to eat it. Larger bass have seen hundreds more shallow water lures thrown at them during prime fishing times than they have larger, slower lures fished in their deeper haunts when the sun is up. Here in Georgia ponds I fish, the smaller fish target crawdads, small fry bream and catfish, small creek minnows. The larger fish mostly eat yearling bass,bream, and catfish, but they will eat whatever swims in their "kill zone" that they can get their mouths around. Here in Georgia reservoirs I fish, finesse worms catch spots, magnum lizards and zoom old monsters catch the adult bass. The key to catching larger bass is: 1. Find deeper structure that provides the best "ambush points" and current blocking. Adult bass will be on the best, easiest deep water structure to feed on. They are "ambush predators". Unlike a schooling fish like a striper that relies on speed, endurance, and group hunting skills to chase down shad schools in open water, LM bass are "ambush predators" they use concealment, surprise, and a pre-selected "kill zone" where the topography chosen for the attack point gives the prey limited options for escape. Stripers relate to shad schools. LM bass relate to prime structure where shad and other food may come by. Most people I know that fish deep structure require shad be around that structure before they'll fish it. If the structure has the best enviroment for a bass to ambush prey than the other structure nearby, I'll fish it whether baitfish are present or not. For example, let's say one specific section of main lake has several humps close to the main channel. If one of those has stumps on top, and the others don't, that's the one. Finding the deep structure that offers bass their best looking hunting enviroment is my number one priority when seeking adult bass. The prime structure must also: A. Be near current yet provide current blocking. (In larger lakes with shad) B. Be within a reasonable distance of a shallow spawning/feeding ground. Large bass do like to feed shallow on occassion. And they won't hang out too far from the spawning ground. 2. Present a slower, larger, bait in the "kill zone" of these fish. The slower and bigger a bait is, the larger the "kill zone" is for a large bass, the circle where that bait must be placed. It's also very important for the bait to be traveling in the direction the bass are relating to, usually looking upcurrent. If it doesn't look like a sure kill, easy, but filling meal, they ain't gonna eat it. You must work productive deep structure slowly and thoroughly from several different directions with a larger profile bait. This type of fishing isn't a reliable technique for tournament fishing, but it is a high percentage technique for catching the bigger fish. Once you find a productive spot, it should hold multiple fish and should remain consistant for most of the year.

1 If a topo map of the lake is available get one. Find all the bottom structure, such as humps, drop offs, old road beds, or anywhere the bottom elevates quickly from max depth to the 8-20 ft. zone. Highlight them with a marker. If two or more bottom structures are grouped together near current, highlight those in a different color. 2. Ask around and find out what type of forage the fish feed on. 3. If shad is the main course, use your sonar and ride over the previously highlighted bottom structure. Find the ones with baitfish pods nearby. Those are the ones you want to target, even if you aren't marking fish. 4 Using a C-rig, drop shot rig or jigging spoon(Like a flexit), fish both the up current and down current drop offs of the bottom structure. Experiment until you figure out what the fish want.

Without any kind of scouting report about the lake, it's hard to specifically offer any advice. What color is the water? How clear is the water? What is the surrounding topography? What kind of vegetation surrounds the lake? Is it a creek fed lake? Does the lake have a clean bottom? Is it full of wood, weeds, or rocks? What kind of life do you see in the shallows? Any minnows? Small bream? Cruising bass? Without any info whatsoever, it's hard to give an accurate answer to your question, however, if I were to be fishing this lake, I'd first start out early throwing baits for aggressive fish. Topwater first, a pop-r, then a floating rapala. After the sun got up some, I'd try a husky jerk in some form of shiner color. Then I'd go with a weightless worm in a natural color like watermelon seed, first a senko, then I'd go with a Zoom trick worm. If the natural colors didn't work, I'd go with a bright color like bubble gum. If none of those lures drew a strike by lunch, and I noticed no obvious signs of feeding bass on the surface, I'd tie on a 1/2 ounce carolina rig Lizard, and try to locate bottom structure. Weed edges, creek channels, rocks, brushpiles, drop offs, pipes, etc. In a small pond like this one, if there's a lack of structure, even the smallest structure available will draw deep bass like a magnet. You'd be surprised how bass relate to a small ditch channel in an otherwise featureless bottom.

Douglasville, Georgia 20 odd miles west of Atlanta The biggest major reservoir I fish is lake West Point, but Eufala and Logan Martin aren't too far.

If I'm sightfishing the top of the water column, white. But the majority of the time I fish a weightless trick worm or senko, I deadstick it around cover in water up to 12 ' deep. In the majority of lakes and small ponds here in west Georgia, watermelon seed is the color of choice for this type of fishing.

I fish deep water structure 70% of the year. Here's what works for me: I do not look for "fish" on the depth finder. First, I use the sonar to pinpoint the exact locations of underwater structure like humps, points, roadbeds, and creek channels. Anywhere there is an abrupt change in water depth. Second, I use the sonar to locate baitfish near the structure. If there are no baitfish present on or near a certain structure, I generally will not fish it. Third, I use the sonar to pinpoint sweetspots within the overall structure. I.E: A field of stumps along a creek channel bend. The 8' breakline along a point. A rockpile on a hump. ETC.

In muddy water, I'll throw two baits. 1. In heavy cover, A blue black jig and pig with a rattle. I fish it real slowly. 2. In open water, a firetiger crankbait.