BuffaloBass716

I was thinking about all the baits and overall techniques for bass fishing and rating them on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the easiest and 10 being the most challenging or frustrating. I think we can all agree that a senko would be a number 1 on this scale, more-so plastic worms in general in that they are effective and one of the first baits we all learn on. I thought it would be fun for you guys to comment on techniques that you use and how you rate them, such as ... soft plastics shallow cranks deep cranks lipless cranks jerk baits jigs. topwater etc...

How exactly does the number system work? Sorry for the newb question lol

Mostly terminal since this is only my second year bass fishing and I am basically starting from scratch... But I bought a new travel 2-piece spinning rod -spool of braided line -spool of fluoro line -Some megastrike shakE2 jig heads -Megastrike tubes -more shakey heads -Assortment of bullet weights -Soft plastic storage bag -Some soft plastics -JJ's magic, in clear and in chartreuse (needed to try it!) I believe that's basically it for now unless my order shows up and it has something else lol. I plan on buying most of my soft/hard baits with a gander mountain gift card I got over winter, and maybe shop around wally world for any sales they have just to finish it off. I dont know how much $$ you guys spend each season, but for me just starting out on a budget and fishing from shore, this is a good start.

Finally made my first order on Tackle Warehouse today, and I am excited to see how everything turns out! Heard nothing but the best reviews for TW on here so made sure I would get some gear from there this year. My order wasn't huge but its enough to get a bank beater on a budget ready for this season. Its a good thing the water around here is still very cold, but I cant wait to spool up a get out there! Thanks Tackle Warehouse and everyone who helped with my tackle selection in the forums!

Old topic but I have a new question, Would these work in slight current without the bait falling over? Also, would these work with other tubes, not just the Megastrike tubes? I know they have a solid part for the screw lock to sit in but I want to use a smaller tube as well as the Megastrike ones.

I'm no expert, but I'd say temperature has everything to do with when the bass will spawn and so on. Colder water that is below average for a certain part of the year will slow everything and delay what the bass are doing. (the great lakes are still dealing with ice breaking up)

I've contemplated just spending a day cleaning up a spot that I go to. A lot of garbage collected there on the far bank from other fisherman and other trash... I want to bring a pair of gloves and a plastic bag and just pick up every bit of trash I can get to. Its embarrassing fishing with trash around you and some people just don't care, a select few do though.

haha I remember her... What happened to that show?

I don't fish Erie itself, usually the upper niagara. Do you know if bass (both LMB and SMB) spawn in the river itself? Also, how much can the water temperature change between the Lake and the river.

I just read that there is more ice in the eastern basin of Lake Erie than normal so they cannot release to ice boom yet. Anybody that fishes Lake Erie know how this will effect water temperature for months to come? Will this delay spawning? They have not said when they will release the boom due to the amount of ice either... Thoughts?

Oh, that makes sense now that I look at the different baits. I mostly here about Havoc and powerbait for bass fishing, not so much Gulp.

This may be a useless question but why do some bait/tackle companies have different names within the brand name, such as how Berkley has Berkley Powerbait Berkley Havoc Berkley Gulp Same for Strike King, some have KVD in the name? Are there any differences in these separate sub-brands? This is just something I've noticed and its probably something simple.

The canal goes a ways before it comes to a part where it kind of branches off to a shallower area that surrounds a small man-made island, then it extends under a road connected by a few large pipes, this is the area that is a few feet deep and covered in lily pads in mid summer. I will attach a link with the picture of the area on Google maps. Thanks for your help https://goo.gl/maps/z3kjW

I mostly fish a wide river (Niagara River) from shore, any tips on how I'd go about fishing it properly during the spring? I also fish in a canal that feeds into the river, one spot in particular has alot of lily pads in the summer and is in a cove type area and is around 3-4 feet deep. Could this be a good spot for largemouth bass to spawn?

Okay so I know there are literally tons of forum posts and articles on spring bass fishing but Id like it if you guys could help me out and just post a few main topics about the three parts of spring (Pre-spawn, spawn, post spawn) I was hoping you guys can just clarify the general temperature, location (structure), and baits for that particular part of spring. Just to make it easy and so that I have it on hand and know where this information is, id like to have it in my forum post. Thanks you guys. P.S. The water temp here is still 32 Degrees...

What are slider heads?

Hey guys, anyone that fishes Lake Erie or the Niagara know what the bass are generally feeding on in the spring? I know the gobies are a favorite but what else is in these parts? Shad? other small fish? basically what forage is there in the lake and river? Also, when do you guys start heading out for the pre-spawn, temperature wise? What do you look for to find these early fish on the water? Any favorite techniques for early spring fishing would help too, since I think I missed it last year, being that I'm pretty new to bass fishing. Thanks

Just checking in to the thread after a few months of starting it and I'm glad that people are still actively posting on this topic to help new comers and bank beaters! Keep up the good work and continue helping others that post for help and advice.

I would use something that is sure to work no matter what lake and what part of the country you're in, soft plastics and stick bait type lures are bass catching machines! (especially for beginners and kids) Texas rigs, wacky rigs, weightless flukes, and shaky heads are great ways to rig up some plastics. Colors should depend on water clarity, darker/black for muddy water and more natural for clearer water (Green Pumpkin, Watermelon seed), but try what you like. These are just bare bone tips that are sure to catch some fish. Bass fishing is a science to some people. There is plenty to learn, read other articles and forum posts on here and you start to find out what to use for your particular area. Welcome to the Forums, and have fun Fishing!

What is IT training?

At the college I attend (Buffalo State) the undergraduate geology degree is marked as a B.A, with less requirements compared to an Earth Science B.S degree, which is more specialized. I'm not really sure if it makes a difference though, both are four year degrees.

I'm currently a college student majoring in geology and I really enjoy every bit of it and I do very well in the classes. I was just curious to see if anyone of the guys on here have a B.A degree in geology or something similar such as earth science. What kind of work do you do/ enjoy? I'm debating whether to stay local for a job after college or to move away to experience something new and to see a different part of the country. Thoughts?

I'm looking to buy a lot of new terminal tackle for this year and try some new things out. I know for plastic worms people use tons of different jig heads from the standard ball head, up to perfectly designed jig heads for maximum action. I was wondering what you guys like to use for small 3"-4" swim baits and minnow type baits. Also do you guys like them on weighted swim bait hooks or prefer them on a jig? If you name some of your favorite plastics you put them on, that would help too!

I have Xbox 360 with one fishing game for it, Rapala pro bass fishing. I think the one that I have was made in 2010 or something... but anyway, the game is ok at best. They don't really have the ability to fish for bass like you would in real life such as picking specific rods/reels, plastic worms, jigs, spinner baits etc. There are multi species tournaments in the game though. Fishing video games are never very good IMO except Bass Masters for the Nintendo haha. Basically get a Xbox 360 (they're cheap now because the new Xbox one is out) and you could try the very few fishing games that are out for it (they are cheap too $20 or less). Also if you have a Gander Mountain you go to, mine has a shelf there in the fishing section with fishing DVDs and Xbox fishing games.

I'm in the same situation as you man, college student here and looking for a job. I almost worked for gander mountain for the fishing department which would have been perfect, getting paid to do what I would enjoy, learning about other fishing gear, and probably getting a discount, but sadly I was never hired. I'm basically starting from scratch this year because I literally have nothing from last year, But knowing what I learned over winter and some trial and error I need to stick to the basics as to watch catches fish. I would also stick to soft plastics like most others have motioned already. Maybe a lipless crank and a few jigs. Build your confidence over time, season after season. PM me if you find some deals on some sites or anything like that. I would greatly appreciate it.