Chris

There are several bodies of water that I fish where fishermen have given names to bass that live in certain areas. They are almost like pet bass that even after they have been caught and brought to the scale fishermen swear that they catch the same fish over and over from the same spot. What happens is that you have areas that will attract quality bass for one reason or another. Large bass will use these areas from time to time. If you catch that bass and keep it sooner or later that spot will be taken up by another bass because there is something about that spot that the bass likes. The spot might just be used for feeding, spawning, or protection and might just be used for a short time. Roaming bass tend to be bass that might be in transition, or actively looking for food, new hunting area, a new place to call home. Roaming bass might take up an area for a short time but they will be here today gone tomorrow either because food source has moved, fishing pressure, or any number of reasons.

Tom Mann also was fishing a tournament one time and was catching fish hand over fist and told his competitors that he was winning the tournament because he was using a color he invented that no other company had...Motor oil. What is motor oil? purple and chartreuse. What makes it different? In the sunlight it turns colors to a green and the sunlight makes it almost glow or have an iridescence to it under water. Junebug is a great color around vegetation. It is three colors black, purple, green flake. Depending on what color the weeds are depends on which color is seen the most. This means the fish can pick it out easier from the weeds. Watermelon red is another good color in clear water around weeds.. why? The red flake makes it distinctive from the weeds. Some companies also put chartreuse in it also to give it an iridescence. Many other plastics that have a flake or two tone produce because one color will be seen better than the other around cover, depth or water color. Many soft plastics are eye contact lures that don't displace much water or produce a vibration. You got to catch the eye of the bass for it to know it is there and color helps the fish find the lure or be able to depicted the lure from cover. Even if you have a creature lure that does displace a bunch of water on fall if the bass didn't pick it up on the fall it will do a search pattern to find the lure and if you don't move it or if they can't find it because it blends into the cover then they might pass it up. The lure needs to have a slight difference in color for it to stand out from the cover for the bass to investigate. The amount of light reflected off a lure gives the lure its color. This is kinda important because for example in shallow stained water redshad is a great color clear water also. You take the same lure out in deep water where sunlight is more filtered out and it isn't the best option. The color will appear more gray and will not stand out as much as it did in the shallow water. Contrasting colors are important because under different conditions one color will stand out and will help the bass depict the lure from the surrounding cover. Lures that are fished fast or have a constant vibration that the bass can track and locate just by noise color isn't as important but matching size, shape and general color of the hatch is important. The bass don't have enough time to get a good look at it. Same is true with slow worked lures in darker or stained water to a degree the fish can see size, shape, color but not detail. In clear water the fish can see all colors real well so colors are not as important because not many are filtered out..any color will work but natural colors will catch you more fish. When you get around cover then you need to think in terms of which color will stand out from the cover even in clear water.

After the turn over fishing in Illinois north and southern is rather good. You can catch bass all the way till the water freezes if you wanted to. Jig works real well on the bottom, flipping and swimming. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits fished slow will produce ika, senko's, jerkbaits, saltcraw, all work. Early spring right after ice out rattletraps (red) work great also. If you fish any of the warm water lakes you can pick up the pace and catch them speed cranking crankbaits and they will hit topwater lures real well. Last winter I caught fish mostly on crankbaits fishing them just fast enough to tick the bottom mainly bandits and fatfree shads. In warm water lakes I caught them on lucky craft RC cranks, paddletail worm, bandit topwater, and spit'n image. In shallow cold ponds and lakes I caught them mainly on wood cranks, jerkbaits, swimming jig, jig, grub, and small crappie crankbaits. You will be shocked to find that in some lakes you can catch bass shallow most of the winter. A few years ago when we had a mild winter I caught fish in 5ft of water or less most of the winter. Drop shotting can load the boat this time of the year also just target points or any depression areas next to flats. Good luck!

Ahh the color game ;D A bluegill in different water clarity will be different colors. Different species of bluegill will be different also. Some will have a brown, greenpumpkin, dark purple, black, blue hue, green, tan, off yellow, off gray, back. Does color matter? I feel that it does in clear and off color water. If you choose a dark color for off color water there is a reason why you picked that color over a clear lure. In clear water if you are fishing a green or natural color over a fluorescent blue pink polk-a-dotted lure there is a reason. There is a reason why some colors work better than others in different water. Sometimes it is color of baitfish other times some colors are easier to see than others or are more natural. I am by no means saying go buy a rainbow of colors but it does matter.

Another option: I fish it like a worm I cast it out and reel it down and stop the bait then sweep the rod to the side and stop the bait (pause) and reel up the slack then sweep it again. Kinda like fishing a carolina rig.

I got 5 of the old wood ones 1 black 1 white/red 1 bone silver flake 1 coach dog 1 perch/bluegill You want one? They are original wood i'll just mail you one free. drop me a email or PM.

jig crankbait senko on a slip cork jerkbait

*I would swim a light jig 1/4 or 1/8 white with a zoom swim chunk on 10lb line. Why it will force you to slow down to maintain depth. *I would use a wood crankbait small to medium size. Why because it will have a bunch of action even on a slow retrieve. It will also be easier to get through those laydowns. *I would flip and pitch a light jig with a small profile 1/4 oz or less with a pork chunk or a 3x chunk. Why because it will slow down the fall and will force you to slow up. *short arm zorro colo blade spinnerbait with a white pork chunk. Why you can slow it way down and bring it to the ends of the trees and kill it. *dropshot (killer this time of the year) I would target hard wood and rock and anything that is still living. (green stuff) Fish the ends of the trees bass will use them like points this time of the year and position on the ends. Small patches of green stuff will load up with bass and you can fish the edges of it with a dropshot. Drop offs will hold up bass if they are near feeding flats. Those underwater rock ledges should be prime but you might need to bring your lure from the other direction. Bass will position on the deep side waiting for something to dump off the edge. Don't overlook the dead stuff. If the stuff is dead and has broken off the bottom and is stacking up because of wind fish it. If the stuff is still attached to the bottom and has been dead for awhile fish it also because they will move back in and relate to it. They do this a bunch with cattails and pads. You need to pay attention to your lure at all times because the bite will sometimes be nothing more than pressure and if your not paying attention you will miss it. Bass are looking for a highway to deep water and that is kinda what you need to look for. A point, edge, channel, laydown (think of it as a point), are all highways to deep water.

Dropshot was on the list above : Small lure fished in one spot for a long time that is easy to eat yeah it fits the mood of the bass in a front. You can do more with a dropshot then you might think and it has gained a place in my bag of tricks when conditions turn tough. I dropshot a bunch in the fall through winter and some in the summer and spring time bed fishing. Is it a must know technique sure because it will expand you fishing bag of tricks and will put fish in the boat when other techniques fail.

Let me also add that fish that live in running water are also less effected by a front. OK, now for my next question. What do you suggest for really windy days on the lake? Around 20mph winds, etc.? I was thinking spinnerbaits buzzed below the surface of the water to imitate erratic shad but I[ch8217]m thinking deep diving cranks along main points (blocking the wind), or plastic finesse worms around structure and cover. rattletrap-Why reaction strike you can burn it and rip it and force the fish to bite. wood crankbaits-Why because you can crank it real slow and still have tons of action more than a plastic lure. You also have direct contact with the lure so even in heavy wind you can still feel the strike. spinnerbaits-Why you can slow roll the lure and put the bait in sticky areas without fear of loosing it and you have direct contact with the lure. You can also shake and rip it for a reaction or make short roll casts to cover for reaction strikes. heavy jigs-Why reaction strike and you can get it deep in the cover. You can fish the bottom zone and deep water while staying in contact with the lure. Carolina rig- Why you have a heavy weight that will help feel in heavy wind. Heavy dropshot- Why you can feel the weight in heavy wind. Countdown rapala-Why you can count the lure down to any suspending fish and fish the zone they are hanging at.(same with a rattletrap when slow rolled) Jigging spoon- Why you can fish right above deep fish and the fish kinda hook themselves. swimming jig-slow moving you have direct contact with the lure. suspended spoon bill jerkbait- fish it like a worm real slow with short sweeps with the rod Suspended crankbait- fished like a worm ...drag pause drag pause.

Let me explain it like this. Most of your shallow fish will tight to shallow cover and if there is anything that is thick they will be in it. The bass that where relating to the cover either above it to feed or next to it for ambush or comfort will now be in the middle of it for protection. Deep fish will be acting like business as usual because the front will not have a big impact on them. You don't have a mass migration to deep water but if the fish where hanging on a drop they might drop down or suspend deeper along the drop where they are less effected. If no cover is available they will just hug the bottom or hang tight to any bottom structure and become inactive while waiting for conditions to be more favorable. The front does effect the bass to a degree so they will not be actively swimming around looking for forage. The bass will be in an inactive state waiting for conditions to change. It is like a survival response more or less.

Many years ago a guy took a mirror out and started teasing a cat with it. He noticed that the cat would run around and chase a reflected light on the ground even though it didn't look like anything. The guy then had the idea that if he created something that had many small mirrors on it that could be dragged behind the boat that the many reflections would look like a school of baitfish. He then tested his theory by making a soda bottle with glued mirrors on it with something like a fin to make the bottle turn while being dragged and also had a place to tie a lure on the end of it. He found that it did draw the attention of the bass and it did catch fish. The person was Doug Hannon.

I have caught spawning bass on: tube culprit worm plastic crawfish rattletrap jerkbait soft jerkbait horny toad sweetbeaver dropshot senko spinnerbait lizard topwater spook pop R trick worm buzzbait swim bait crankbait jig wacky rig That is a long list huh what is important is the mood of the fish. If the fish is active they will blast a topwater lure in a second. If the water is muddy they will nail a spinnerbait, crankbait, rattletrap, buzzbait. If the water is clear or if the fish is spooky then you need to dig deep in your box and try all kinds of plastics. Sometimes on spooky fish you don't want to see the bed. I stay a good distance away and just shake the lure in the bed. You want to draw attention to your lure with rattles and shaking it. Sometimes you can make the fish react to a lure like with a jerkbait.

He is the way I look at it and this is from fishing in good and bad weather. I am not a fair weather fishermen by far I love bad weather. The three day idea that people go by is it takes about 3 days for a bass to adjust to a front or bad conditions. When a cold front passes through the bass tend to head for deep cover. They will be in the middle of the stuff not on the edge or above it. Deep water bass are less effected by fronts. Some articles that I have read say that the front messes with the bass's swim bladder. When you see them under water they have a hard time staying upright. It is like they are drunk or something. Is it true or not I don't know but I do know that the strike zone gets real small and the fish will be in the thickest cover you can find. They will be hugging the bottom and will hit a jig if fished real slow. A mild front will not effect the bass as much and can be good fishing. I don't find that fishing during a front is hard it is after the front has passed that gets interesting. What you don't want to do is start thinking well here is a front I better stay home. Understand that the strike zone is small the fish are not in a feeding mood and you can either slow down and fish deep cover or use reaction techniques to get the fish to bite. As slow as the fishing might be because the front forces the fish into the cover as an instinct response it also makes it easier to find big fish. It is just a matter of picking it apart to dig the fish out of the cover.

You might end up buying a bunch of bobbers. If you can't get them from a tackle shop near you Bass Pro also sells balsa bobbers. There is also a foam bobber that has the same deal on the end that would be cheaper.

I would change to a spook or something that can be fished real slow. When the water cools down a bass is not in the mood to blast a buzzbait but they will slam a spook walked real slow with lots of pauses. I catch a bunch of fish with a zara puppy this time of the year. It has worked for me from the south to the north in the winter. I try to target flats that get a lot of sun or any pockets.

Spinning gear is for lighter line and lighter lures that would be hard to throw or use with a baitcaster. Welcome to the forum I dead stick a bunch! What I have found is that larger bass that tend not to be in the chasing mood will hit a slow moving long paused bait. The bass thinks it is an easy meal and unthreatened. I try to dead stick areas that I know there is a bass like a tree or stump or something. Some spots that hold larger fish tend to use the same cover year after year. You kinda wait them out so to speak and fish every inch of it. It is like bed fishing you put the lure in the bed enough times or leave it there long enough at some point you will make the bass mad enough to hit it. It is the same idea with dead sticking. I know of many tournament fishermen that win a bunch by doing this technique. It is a slow process but very effective.

I do a little Happy Gilmore ...Here fishy fishy just a little tap tap look at that little tasty snack. It goes from gentle coaxing to full on "Why don't you get on your hook! What your to good for your hook!" ;D

I don't like to catch a fish on the first cast I make sure to wear my gold necklace with a bass charm that's about it That is about the extent of my voodoo rituals maybe a can of Copenhagen to calm my nerves. I tend to fish fast without a dip and I become kinda testy.

Oh yeah, and someone commented on wether or not this thing is helping me catch fish. The answer is absolutely..if nothing else it helps to organize my thoughts and define a distinct direction to go in rather than random bank beating This would be the direction that I would run with. What conditions dictate where you should fish. Let the fishermen make their own conclusions on which lures to use because lures and tactics change from year to year. If the water conditions do this then the bass do that. If the weather does this then the bass do that. Then list a set of lures that cover what the bass are doing. If you make a list that shows to what degree each lure provokes a strike based on movement or vibration people are going to get lost. If you show them that when you have a cold front and the bass are hugging cover that a vertical jig will provoke more strikes than a buzzbait based on the activity level of the bass then that would be more useful to the general public. You need to explain why one lure works better under certain situations based upon the conditions and cover you are faced with. If you just give a blanket statement that this list of lures are in order based on how much the lure provokes strikes then people will not have enough information to know when it works and when to change.

Most lakes get clearer as winter set in. The denser water doesn't allow for mixing, thus lakes get clearer as winter sets in. You take that same bass that sees 5X farther, put him in muddy water and he doesn't see 1 ft. Clarity has every thing to do with how far a bass can see. A lake will normally have the clearest water of the year in winter. Also you don't have the amount of algae in the water that you did in summer. You have less particles floating in the water to hinder the bass's vision. With less particles floating in the water the more light you have penetrating the water so colors are more vivid and vision is increased. I don't think it has anything to do with the water temp but the result of the lower temp. I think someone is selling a bill of goods.

Wind also breaks up the surface so fish feel more free to move around and feed. Two things position bass on cover one is sun the other is current. Even if it is just the wind blowing the surface of the water is also creates current. If the wind is blowing over a point the most active fish will be on the windy side the less active fish will be on the other side because they don't need to fight the current. Sometimes larger fish will position themselves on the leeward side to lay in ambush for anything that falls off of the current break. Bass will always position themselves nose to the current. They do this because it is the natural flow of bait among other reasons.

Also if you do a lot of pitching it is better to have your palm facing down. If you learn to pitch this way you will become more accurate and be able to put the lure in the water softer and pitch at a greater distance. With overhand casting you are able to whip the rod faster and if you take the rod outside and mess with it you can hear the difference in the sound the rod makes in the air. You get more speed with the rod on a cast.

Well, when you make a cast with your palm down your wrist is able to flex more and when you make a cast this way with a two handed cast you will cast a greater distance than if you hold the rod in a different way. You are able to load the rod more. If you are a deep crankbait fishermen this is the way most cast.

I rub my lures on my trophy mounted bass before I go fishing and burn some incense. I even do a special dance to the fish gods and wear my underwear on my head chanting words to the great bubba in the lake. What is it just me? :-/ I don't like to catch a fish on the first cast I make sure to wear my gold necklace with a bass charm that's about it