BassOnKlinger

I'd love to get a kayak out there but I don't have one at the moment. I've actually been out there a bunch. I've tried every technique I could think of. Different times of day, early morning, evening, etc. I haven't caught a single fish there. Beautiful place, but very discouraging to fish. I've even created my own little trail down to a lake where I figured no one had targeted. Found a submerged laydown. Should've been money. Zero fish. I mean, you'd think there'd be at least one...even a small dink in there. But I got skunked time and time again.

Thanks guys. I'll swap the line out before I go again this weekend. What about the fact that I can see the fish slapping at it, but not actually eating it? I know some bass will hit a frog to stun it and then come back to gulp it. But my experience this week, aside from a couple exceptions, has been bass hammering the frog but not actually gulping it. The line won't matter in this situation since the bait isn't even in the fish's mouth. So what causes these situations? I thought maybe it could be presentation or even frog color, but I'm not sure.

This week, I dedicated it to frog fishing. I've been out 4 times and every single time, without fail, I've had the same results: Huge blowups, zero hooksets. For the record, I've fished frogs in the past and haven't had a problem with hooksets. I know all about the rookie mistake and setting the hook too soon. That's not the case. It seems that the fish are just slapping at it and not actually eating the frog. I've had two or three jump d**n near completely out of the water (crazy sight to see)! But couldn't get a hookset. Anyone experience this before and what can I do to get them to eat it? Info: Bank fishing small lakes and ponds with scum and grass pads 7'1" *** casting w/ 20# fluoro (although I'm hoping to switch this out for braid soon) Stanley Ribbit frog (green pumpkin) and Live Target (black, natural green) Presentation doesn't seem to be the problem but I've switched it up quite a bit. Blow ups mostly occurring on the pause and not while in open water pockets (meaning, the fish probably aren't seeing the bait and are targeting a spot based on movement). Two times, I had the rod almost pulled out of my hands, went for the hookset.....nothing. Skirts are trimmed. Hooks bent outward on all my frogs. Thoughts?

Had some time during lunch to check our Fairfield Lakes in Lafayette. Beautiful area with 4 lakes and trails. Not very many people there. I went to one end of a lake and fished some scum with a frog. Three blowups in 5 minutes. No hooksets though. Pretty happy with that amount of action in the short 30 minutes I was there. Looking forward to getting back out there when it's not high-noon and 90 degrees. Anyone with experience out at this place?

Oh Ok. Thanks for the response. Incredible fish. A buddy of mine fishes a private lake near Valpo with similar results. I think he said they caught about 25 fish in about 5 hours. Average was 3-3.5 Biggest was 6. Never fails with those private lakes. Just sucks for us common folk. haha

Is this Geist? I know some guys don't like to give away their spots, so I'll understand. Just curious. These are some giants.

From Northern Indiana. Currently living around Indy. Working in Lafayette. Haven't had much time lately to fish. Would like to get out more often once these temps cool down. I'm a bank fisherman so finding decent places can be tough. I don't have access to a lot of ponds/lakes that produce for bank fishermen.

Welcome to the board and welcome to the world of fishing! The articles linked on the bassresource.com site are great. The youtube vloggers are great too. Add Glenn (BassResource) and 1rod1reelfishing to your list. Maybe a good way to convince your dad to join you is to suggest that fishing isn't just about catching fish. It's about getting outdoors and enjoying nature, as well as enjoying spending time together. That's how I would approach it. For your gear: I'd get a used 7' medium heavy baitcasting rod/reel set up with some 10 pound flourocarbon line as well as a 7' medium spinning combo. Practice, practice, practice the methods involved with fishing these two outfits. Both can throw a large arsenal of lures. Don't get overwhelmed by all the information out there. And don't get discouraged if you don't catch fish every time out. Just enjoy yourself, enjoy being outside, and keep at it. You can't catch a fish without a line in the water, so get out there and have some fun!

My setups: 1) 7' Quantum Cranking MM Rod, Lews Speed Spool baitcaster 5.4:1 w/ 10# fluoro. I love this rod for lipless and square bills. I like to throw this early and often as a search bait setup. 2) 6'7" 13 *** Black MHF Rod, Lews Speed Spool baitcaster 6.4:1 w/ 17# mono. I use this for topwater poppers, buzz baits, etc. Mono floats and allows the baits to sit on top of the water better than fluoro. 3) 6'7" 13 *** Black MHF Rod, Lews Speed Spool baitcaster 6.4:1 w/ 10# fluoro. I always have a spinner or swimbait tied on to this rig. 4) 7'1" 13 *** Black HF Rod, Lews Speed Spool baitcaster 7.1:1 w/ 20# fluoro. I use this for flipping/pitching structure, etc. I use this rod the least (based on where I fish the most often), so I'm considering re-spooling with 50# braid and converting to a frog rod. 5) 6'7" 13 *** Black MHF Spinning Rod, *on the market for a new spinning reel*, w/ 10# fluoro. 90% of the time I have a weightless senko on this setup. I'd like a second one dedicated for drop-shot fishing, but I don't neeeeed it. I never leave the house w/o #3 and #5 rigs. Those two can handle any lure I tie on. #4 is technique specific (nothing beats frog fishing). #1 and #2 are more of a luxury. They allow me to switch my approach quickly and be much more efficient with my time. *I'd rather spend more time fishing than tying on lures. Multiple rigs allow for this....it's just expensive.*

Klinger Lake - Sturgis, MI Haven't been out yet this year though since I have a ten month old.

Looking for an answer to this as well. Outboard on the jon boat took a crap and I'm over the hassle of lifting it on and off each trip. Would much rather use a trolling motor eventhough it may cut my fishing area in half. Going with the Minn Kota 55 like you said. Just need a battery now.

I've caught the majority of my fish on senkos. I use the pumpkin G&B fleck, weightless, t-rig and skip them under docks with great success. I always have to laugh at the people that get upset when plastics break down. They break down BECAUSE YOU'RE CATCHING FISH.

Random. I just pulled up this thread curious about it's contents and realized that I think I know who you're talking about. I was down on Guntersville a few weeks ago with a guide (I'm assuming the guide being discussed here). To clarify, are you saying the winner of the tourney hired the guide to take him out while fishing said tourney? Or did the guide actually win the tourney? As to the "cheating" accusation, I think it's all in the semantics of the rules. Does "no guides" mean no professional guides may enter the tourney? Or does it mean you can't hire one to be present with you? Or both?

I had a chuckle reading this. Same thing happened to me. I pulled in my PR from a small neighborhood pond. 5.4 pounds. A passerby said that's average for this place. I literally haven't caught one bigger than 2 pounds since.

I've noticed the same thing here in Indiana at the common ponds I frequent. Last year, I was pulling out a fish every 3-5 casts. I've caught one or two (small) fish since. I've tried everything. No idea what happened over the course of the fall, winter, and now spring but it has really taken the fun out of it for me lately. Tons of work and no reward on a weekly basis. At least in the OP's shoes, he's seeing fish. I'm not even getting that. I see huge beds, but no fish.

I'm pretty sure I know the problem, but can someone else chime in on this: I have some Berkley 10# Fluoro on my spinner/swim rod. (I know some use heavier around structure, but I fish it open water most of the time). Anyways, I tied a palomar knot and it broke literally every time I pulled tight. I spit on it, etc. Still snapped. I finally got it tied right (or so I thought) and my first hook set, I snapped the line. What gives?! Is it bad line? Does line go bad over the course of one summer (I don't use it often, maybe once a week if that). I've noticed that I have problems w/ the same line whenever I tie an improved cinch knot too. All my other lines (Stren 17# mono and Seagar 20# fluoro) work just fine w/ the same knots. Should I dump the 10# and get something else? Or am I doing something completely wrong when I tie the knots?

Couple Senko questions: 1) When someone says "senko," are they referring to any stick bait that resembles the actual Senko worms? 2) Which style and length of Senko are best?

I'm trying to work on some new setups. I'm fairly novice to all of the intricasies of bass fishing. However, for my lake, I do know which setups I'll most likely use and would like to replace my current hand-me-down sets. I'd like to keep each rod/reel combo to less than $350. I'm looking for: 1) A topwater combo - Currently I've researched the *** 7'1" Med Heavy/Fast with a Lew's Speed Spool 6.4:1 and 17# Mono. Is this an ok route to go? Where I get confused is what's compatible reel/fishing line. Can 17# Mono be used with the Lew's Speed Spool casting reel, etc? 2) A flippin/pitchin combo (mostly medium structure, not heavy mats) - Currently I've researched the same setup as above only with 20-25# flouro and 7.1:1 gear ratio. Again, is this setup ok and is this line ok to use with that particular reel? 3) Frog combo - Currently I've looked at a *** 7'3" Heavy/Fast with Lew's Speed Spool 7.1:1 and 50# Braid. Is this ok? As you can see, my main question is the line compatiblity with the reels I've considered buying. Perhaps these reels can't handle that kind of line. If so, can you please direct me to a reliable casting reel that's suitable for the conditions listed above and costs less than $200. Note: I already have a crank setup that I'm satisfied with. I also plan to use my topwater setup for shallow spinners. And I already have a situational plastics setup (although I'll be looking to upgrade that one as well in the future -- *** 7'1" Med/Fast with a Lew's Speed Spool 6.4:1 ratio and 8-10# Flouro line). Any comments on this section is appreciated as well. Thanks guys!! Looking forward to learning all I can on this site!

I've been fishing the same lake in southern Michigan for the last three years. I have yet to land a bass bigger than 1-1.5 pounds and roughly 12"-14." Locals talk about the big bass and I've seen some rather large ones jump in the early morning, but have yet to actually catch one. This lake has pretty clear water and not a lot of cover besides docks and a small section of lilys that cover about 3' deep water. Trolling around w/ the depth finder, you can find a lot of drop offs and weed beds. I've fished them all and used mutlple rigs at multiple depths and different times of the day. Every time, I'm catching bass that are a pound or less and 12" or less. Does anyone have any suggestions? Surely this lake has bigger bass, I just can't seem to find them. This lake has tournaments and is constantly fished by out-of-town anglers, which tells me the bigger ones are out ther somewhere. I just have no idea why I consistenly catch the small ones...thanks for the help.

Went frog fishing for the first time this weekend. Found a nice cove in the corner of the lake filled with lilys. Had four hits, but only landed one. It was small, but I still had the best time. By far, it has become my favorite lure to toss. I did notice that on my misses, the fish or the hook set caused some major snags requiring me to literally go get the frog by hand. Was a buzzkill to go from seeing a top water strike to missing the fish to having to go personally retrieve the lure. But nonetheless...had a great time.

I feel as if there's another thread like this on this site. Most seemed to like purple colors. I picked up a couple Zoom worms that had purple flek and I gotta say, the fish on my lake inhaled them versus fishing with the watermelon seed that I usually use. Actually had problems with belly-hooking. Could chalk it up to me not feeling the bite and setting a late hook (after the fish has swallowed the bait)...but in my defense, they were hitting these new colors so fast and hard that I barely had time to react. Some had the perfect hook-set, while others just swallowed the thing immediately. Went back to the watermelon seed after awhile....nothin. Switched back to purple, starting having hits again.

So I have three setups at the moment: 1) Crank casting setup with fluoro 2) Topwater casting setup with mono 3) Plastics spinning setup with fluoro - should I change this to braid with a fluoro leader? And if so, can I still fish the plastics that I normally do (c-rig, t-rig, drop-shot, jigs)?

Question from a beginner: When people say "braid with a flouro leader," what are you tying to? Are you simply tying both lines together? or is there some sort of swivel in between? I understand having braid line, then a swivel, then a flouro leader like on a C-rig (for example)....but sometimes the context implies that people are actually tying the two lines together. If this is so, what kind of knot are you using? What is the length of the leader? And what is the benefit to do this?

Thanks for the replies. I mainly worked a slow T-rig, plastic worm this weekend and came up with my best catch to date on the lake. Still nothing to brag about, but catching anything over a pound is exciting to me at this point. I'm heading back up this weekend and will give the jigs, drop-shot, and C-rig a try. What colors and trailers (if any) do you use and how to you fish them? (I'm still learning all the techniques, bare with me.)