Nixstyx

Gumpas is private. No public access anymore. Just as a quick note, Gumpas is technically private, from what I hear, but there is a small "turn around" at the end of the dirt road with a small trail that leads to the pond that isn't posted. Good access for kayak, but jon boat would be tough to get down there. I've parked there before with no problems. Personally I'm all for finding creative ways to access "private" ponds, including long hikes. Law says if it's not posted (every 100 yards) you're OK until told otherwise by the land owner himself (not his neighbor). In fact, at the risk of upsetting some people here, I'll say that I'm pretty sick of being told I can't access a PUBLIC waterway. Our state has one of the best public access laws in the country and we should all be able to enjoy our natural resources reguardless of whether some out-of-state summer vacationer has bought all the land around a waterway. Sorry for the rant, just getting tired of hearing Pond X is now off limits.

Personally I have a real hard time fishing them in the middle of the day. I like to throw topwaters along the edge at sunset. I usually try deeper when the sun is high.

The only time fishing is really dangerous is when you hook your buddy on the wind up and then drive the hook into his leg on the cast... sorry man. I've thought about whether I was hurting the fish, then I tell myself, "this big bad bass was trying to kill my poor innocent, defenseless bait!" Seems fair to me.

What I use, and I havn't seen it mentioned here yet is: Repel Permanone. The active ingredient is called permethrin. It's actually a semi-long term treatment for clothes. You don't spray it on your skin, you spray the clothes you will be fishing with, and then let them dry. The treatment lasts a couple months and even through a few washes. It really works too! I've completely stopped using DEET, for several reasons. First, I'm a big believer that it turns off the bite, and I've read several articles that say fish can "smell" even trace amounts. Secondly, DEET degrades plastics and nylon. That means every time you thumb the spool you are degrading your mono line and lowering its breaking strength. I've seen it melt plastic or rubber reel handles, or even melt a hole right through a tackle box or bag if it spills. It's bad enough that Repel has even started marketing a new formula called "Sportsmen Gear Smart" that doesn't contain DEET that says it won't damage fishing line or synthetic clothes (implying that their DEET products will). DEET is nasty stuff, but it certainly does keep the bugs away.

If I use it, I put it on at home, and then wash my hands with scent eliminating soap. I've also completly stopped using DEET-based repelant. Not only can fish smell that stuff a mile away, it degrades plastics and nylons. That means every time you thumb the spool you are degrading your mono line and lowering its breaking stregnth. I've seen it melt plastic or rubber reel handles, or even melt a hole right through a tackle box or bag if it spills. Nasty stuff, but it certainly does keep the bugs away. Most of the time though, I just deal with it and feed the suckers. Haven't contracted West Nile or Triple E yet... Almost forgot to mention the other repellant I use: Repel Permanone. The active ingredient is called permethrin. It's actually a semi-long term treatment for clothes. You don't spray it on your skin, you spray the clothes you will be fishing with, and then let them dry. The treatment lasts a couple months and even through a few washes. It really works too!

Glad to see all the feedback, and the things you guys do to maximize your chances. Can't hurt, right? I too have tried the scented vs unscented baits while trolling for cold water species and have seen the same surprising results. I find it a little more difficult to test this on bass because it would be very difficult to keep all other variables the same cast after cast. And Senko_77, I agree when it comes to sound too. I cringe when I see someone fishing with a radio on in their boat. And when I'm shore fishing I look more like I'm hunting: step lightly. Stop. Look around. Another quiet step. Stop. Pretend to be looking for somthing on the ground to ease concerns of suspicious nearby swimmers. Creep forward. Fire a quick cast at a passing bass, and then curse my mistake aim.

Now that's the kind of semi-wacky idea I had hoped to hear. Maybe I'll try that, haha. I'm happy to hear I'm not the only person who has thought about this.

Maybe I'm just a little bit crazy then. Haha. Just to give you an idea of my scent obsession, I'll tell you some of the things I do: I wash my hands with scent eliminating soap whenever possible. After I wash I look like a surgeon who just scrubbed-in and doesn't want to touch anything. I avoid bug spray, sunscreen, and anything else that smells. If I use these things I put them on before I go and then wash my hands. I try to avoid eating while fishing (usually I forget to eat because I'm focused on fishing). I dunk or spray every lure in some sort of stinky attractant, occasionally before every cast. It's not uncommon to see me sniff my bait. (Laugh if you must) I've been known to don rubber gloves (only occasionally when trolling for lake trout or salmon) I wet my line with an attractant, instead of saliva, before I cinch my knot I firmly "believe" in Gulp, but own no fewer than 6 varieties of spray-on scents That said, I've been considering taking my obsession to a new level. Yeah, I'm probably crazy. As a whitetail deer hunter, I've been thinking about taking some of the tactics I use in the woods to the water. Even I would admit gearing up in a carbon ScentLok suit is a bit much, and I'm not going to walk around on the boat with synthetic urine on my boots. But, how about keeping fishing clothes in a ziplock bag with spruce boughs, or using cover scent? Would that stuff work under water? OK, I guess I am crazy.

So, I've been thinking about scent a lot lately and how it relates to fishing. I, as I'm sure you have too, have read tons of articles and posts about the relative importance of a bass's sense of "smell". Some say it is the single most important factor in catching more fish, while others say it hardly deseves consideration. Personally, I think it is critically important. As someone who does a lot of salmon and trout fishing I have seen "scented" baits far outfish unscented ones for years while trolling. I can only assume scent would have a big impact on bass fishing, especially since bass often get a long, close look at slower moving baits. In fact I think scent is a big enough factor that I'm often obsessive about it. Not in just adding spray-on stinky commercial scents, but in eliminating undesirable scents. I saw a small article in a magazine a few months ago showing that bass consistently avoided baits with traces of DEET bug spray. I've read other columns that suggest just eating breakfast can dirty your hands enough to turn off a bite. So my question for you guys is, how seriously do you take scent? What legnths do you go to to either eliminate or cover-up human scent? What works? What doesn't? Do you even bother? Does anyone make their own stinky attractant? Finally I'd love to hear from someone who has an understanding of fish biology and knows how bass detect and interpret scent, and can articulately explain the scientific side of things for me. Forgive me if this has been discussed before.

Wow! 120 fish Wagn? That's impressive. Where were you? (if you don't mind sharing)

I've been hitting the Wilton Resevoir for a few hours at a time over the last few days, and doing fairly well. Landed 10 in four hours spread out over three days. a couple good sized ones too. Three in the 2.5 lbs range, and a real nice one yesterday at 3 lbs 9 oz. Does anyone else fish there regularly? I've seen a few other people around, but less than I'd expect. I'm only shore fishing since I'm stopping by on my way to and from work, but I haven't been wishing for a boat yet. Some LMB are up on beds within a couple feet from shore, and others are cruising the shallows. On a different note, I've learned very quickly to leave my bright yellow jacket in the car and take a green camo one when the bass are so shallow. I imagine I look like a giant "caution" sign to them when I'm wearing that

Had an interesting day of fishing with my dad. After a couple slow weekends of bass fishing I went out trolling for salmon on Winni today. 3 hours after sunrise and still no bites, so I decided to try a little deeper and prmptly hooked into a nice lake trout. Then, around noon, after a couple passes near a rocky point I moved a little shallower. At first I thought I was catching bottom because all four rods in the boat bent over. Turns out we trolled right through a group of active smallies. We landed 3 nice smallmouth and the 4th threw the hook while we were reeling in the others. I've been told when smallies start to hit lures at a steady trolling speed they're gearing up for, or are already in, the prespawn period. After that we cut the motor and caught a couple more casting, but we had to be off the water by 2 pm. They were right in the rocks 20 feet down, and water was 49 degrees. They were all in the 2-3 pound range. I'll be on that spot next weekend for sure. Never did catch any salmon

Thanks everyone. And good eye SausageFigers, that is indeed a Texas-rigged Zoom Brush Hog. On another note, in general, how deep are you finding the fish right now? (if you're finding them that is) I wasn't sure where exactly to look last weekend.

Hey everyone. I've kind of been lurking around this thread for a while reading, but not posting. So I suppose I'll introduce myself. I'm Nick, and I've only been bass fishing for about 2 years now but I'm definitly hooked. Went out Saturday with my buddy to Potanipo but didn't get so much as a nibble over 6 hours. Decided to stop by the Mill Pond area on our way back and I caught this beauty in the canal right behind the high school (hopefully the quality holds up, it was taken on a cell phone camera). Wasn't expecting any real action there so I left my scale behind. A darn shame, but I'd guestimate 4-5 lbs. Reguardless of actual weight it's a personal best for this bass fishing rookie. Hopefully more to come. By the way, thanks for all the helpful tips I've picked up over the time I've been lurking. ;D

I've got a revo sx as well and love it. But I've had it for a year and it is now in need of some maintenance / lube. Does anyone have advice for someone who has never taken a reel apart before? Is it straightforward (mainly I'm worried about getting it back together) or might I be better off finding someone who knows what they are doing?

Is anyone aware of past discussions about making a rod and reel combo case? Sort of an alternative to Frabill's Pack-A-Pole. Even a simpler case that would hold one combo would be good. I've made rod tubes out of PVC tubing before, and they work great. But, I find myself not wanting to take the time to put the reel back on. I know it seems silly, but when I'm on the water I think every second without a line in the water is a missed fish. Any ideas or suggestions?

Jitterbugs usually work for me when they short strike buzz baits. It gives you the fast action that they're obviously interested in and it's hard to miss those dual treble hooks

Thanks everyone, I'll give the good ol' jig a try. Spinnerbait didn't work last time, but I'll try it again. I've had good luck with senkos on area lakes, but no dice here, which is why I was stumped. Happy fishing. Oh by the way, water is slightly stained and pond is about 3-4 feet around edges and gets as deep as 10-15 feet in the middle (as far as I can tell).

Last week I found a small man-made pond in the woods nearby and thought I'd give it a try. I noticed tons of very small sunfish around the edges and even caught a glimpse of two good-sized large mouths swimming by, but after three trips I haven't landed one. I'm fairly sure these bass are pressured and very finicky about what they eat. I've tried everything from top-water frogs to Texas-rigged Senkos, with no luck other than I did manage to hook one on a white/chartreuse crank bait, but he threw the bait just as soon as he hit it. Anyone have any experience as far as what might work for these finicky large mouths?