scaleface

I don't really have a favorite time that stands out for big bass . Spring , summer or fall . I dont do a lot of winter fishing . My biggest bass this year came in September , 24 foot deep when the thermocline was dropping into deeper depths ..

Thats a lot of bass . Have you broke it down month by month ?

How is your supply of red cedar ?

This has happened to me more than once , so I dont know how rare it is . I have seen the wake of fish tracking my bait while it is in the air .As soon as it touched down they are on it . Another one that has happened once. I was bringing a buzzbait down the side of a log and a 2 lb bass was on the other side . He jumped over the log and nailed it . The most spectacular hit I ever witnessed .

Or feel a fish swirl on a crankbait or spinnerbait . I use to tell my uncle that one just swirled on my bait and he would not believe me . He doesnt have the feel for the lure most of us have .

Cousin and I had a racoon doing that one time night fishing . She [there were little ones in the bush ] Was pacing back and forth snarling at us . Then she would get in thw water and swim a bit before heading back to the bank . This went on until we trolled down the bank . Last year a different cousin { I have dozens of cousins] and I were fishing the same lake at night . He fired a buzzbait toward bank then on the retrieve there was all kinds of splashing . I shined the flashlight and there was a racoon swimming after his buzzbait .

My cousin and I caught caught two limits , 12 keeper bass of 15 inches or more on 12 cast then left the fish ..

I still throw cranks and spinnerbaits with the temps in the 40's . Did it just last week . Surface temp 47 and caught over twenty largemouths on a spinnerbait . I tried jigs and Texas rigs , they didnt get bit . Some days though , bottom bouncing lures work . Its unpredictable . I dont fish much when the temps drops into the 30's .

I dont plan on doing it again . I just wanted an idea how many bass I catch in a year .

Next year .

Looks like I'm finished for the year . If I do add fish it will be minimal . So the year end count went like this . Total bass caught 1157 Spinnerbait 462 worm 177 toad 140 crankbait 133 beetlespin 84 buzzbait 63 lipless crank 46 grub 43 jig 9

Google DOA Short Shank jig heads .

I still may go if Mother Nature provides a calm warm day .

After the spawn I usually tone down my bright spinnerbaits to more dull baitfish colors . This year I also toned the blades down too . Every person I saw chucking spinnerbaits on this one lake were throwing the same bright lures and doing so-so . I wore them out on muted colors from June to November .

I cant tell if thats chara or not . The other grass I dont know either . Looks like it would be tough to throw anything with a treble hook in either .

If it is Chara then it is not a grass , its an advanced form of algae and has no root system . So any lure that contacts it cannot be ripped free . I love the stuff myself . I especially like spinnerbaits around the edges and over the top . Buzzbaits too . If it reaches the surface then I like toads or frogs in warmer weather . I never use any lure with a treble hook in it . Squeeze some next time and see if it has a skunky odor .

You could be fishing in chara algae . Google it . If thats the case then lipless baits will not work .

I'm not going to research it but quite a few . Brandon Lester has not won a BASS event

I use all three sizes and bounce them on the bottom like a worm . The 1/4 ounce I usually use for white bass . The 1/2 ounce I use the most . I wore out a school of bass one day this year at 24 foot on the 3/4 ounce .Caught my largest of the year that day .I plan on using it more often.

Its seasonal for me . .I went yesterday . It was cold and windy with the water temp 48 degrees. I had a coat on all day with the hood up . That may be my last trip of the year . I managed to catch 22 bass with 5 over the 15 inch minimum , 1 foot deep . I was expecting to catch them 20 foot deep . Bass fishing can be crazy . I'll be out there again come March or April .

I'm going tomorrow .This time of year is unpredictable . I have some bottom bouncers tied on hoping to find a school of largemouths deep. If that doesn't work , I'll hit the banks and brush piles .

Thats the way it is with me . I know about a dozen fresh brushpiles , a jungle of little limbs with notches that jigs get wedged in . The jig fall will fall on the other side but it wont go over the limb . Just trying to find the best shape to pull or pop them over . I bought some 3/8th ounce SK Baby Structure Jigs , they look like a good shape .

I'm still in the learning phase . I can skip some but just not very consistent .

Post spawn. I think its the easiest time of the year to pattern bass, at least where I live .

Check this interactive map. Small conservation lakes have big bass . https://mdcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=aa720aaaf06b49269b355b5a6e049d28