Quebecbassangler

Hi, I have had success(at night mind you)with a wormball,basically a batch of worms on a decent hook,they are bottom feeders so I have also caught some on doughballs,fish egg sacs(they sell em in the pro shops) hunks of stinky meat etc.There is also a product called erni's method mix,I have not used it but it breaks down chums the water and attracts the carp I am sure there will be other posters with more helpful tips but it has been a while since I went out for carp so just going from what I have used Sorry I could not be more helpful, Good luck John

Thanks again guys, been getting more accustomed to the site,answered a few topics and managed to resize a pic of my first outing this year,going to try and get some more done,as I said we don't have the hawgs that you guys get down south but would like to share just the same. John

Hi, I have only been out a couple of times so far this season but caught about 30 largies(catch n release) some were not even a pound some 1-3 pounders and a few 4-5+ pounders,these were all caught in very shallow water(under 60 degrees) in a small inlet where boats are docked boat sheds old docks some growing grass logs etc are common A number of them were caught using the electric motor and just flipping a texas rigged havoc fat craw blue flake,about 5 of the smaller ones were caught on a storm gobi swimbait,but even from shore flipping the sheds,docks etc with the fat craw had the best results,had to adjust my retrieve to downright snail pace as they were not as active as when the water gets and stays above 65 but all in all a good day Was just wondering if anyone else has had similar results on any craw type plastic,I have used these before and with decent results but never this type will flip and pitch the same next time I go out just to see but by then their sure to be onto something else, the pic in my profile is one of the ones caught that day Thanks John

Nice fish and you def got into a gap between his teeth like someone mentioned pike and muskie do have a small gap otherwise they will chew through braided if they get their teeth into it Again,nice fish and congrats on your first one

I have caught them on live worms,crankbaits,plastic rigs,just about anything but they are very picky and slow moving and will more often than not follow the lure a number of times before hitting it,from my experience with them they seem to eventually get ticked off at the same thing and after following it so many times it seems to provoke them into a strike I remember the first one I caught in about 2 feet of stagnant water in a back channel off lake champlain I kept dangling a worm in front of it,alonside it actually bumping it till after what seemed like a good 20 minutes it finally took it Whatever your choice good luck

If he felt you pulling jumped and you lost him on a jig,chances of him going for a jig again so soon are slim,more than likely he is hunkered down regaining energy but will not pass up an easy(but different) meal if one were to present itself a short time afterward on a slower retrieve.If they were fattening up for the cold they tend to re hit more often as they become more aggressive in feeding but hey you never know Good luck to you and here's to hoping you land him John

The lighter does do the trick and if you only run it over the cut off or knot edge for a second it should not weaken the hook and if any knot or line is left over after running the flame over it,it will be weak enough to just pull off

If it's pre spawn,cranks tubes plastics they all work,if their spawning and just guarding their beds they will be reluctant to hit much,plastics (worms,shad color minnows,crawfish)usually will get some strikes and find they work best for smallies up here during spawn,then again I have seen both large and smallmouth brush a plastic bait run slowly across their bed with their closed mouth,just to get it off their spot,other times I will get a reaction strike or protect the nest hit and those are usually on plastics

Although I am from Canada,I would also agree to join a club,we have a few up here and anyone who is passionate about bass fishing would not mind having someone tag along regardless of skill set, I myself,before I got my boat did the same and now I return the favor a few times a year,best(and maybe worst)thing about it was having a fella with very little experience land a bigger one than me a few years back(kidding)it was worth it to see the smile and even better knowing he was hooked(pun intended) we keep in touch and he is still bass fishing but now has a small boat of his own out on the water whenever time permits,like the rest of us Happy fishing and stay safe on the water John

What type of line is on them,if braided is on any and there is enough to slice into a serrated edge knife or scissors will do,if your onto fluro or mono you can try a razor blade to gently cut it away,if you have nothing plastic on your hooks (you said they were flipping) and it is just the knot and hook use a lighter just over the knot/line it will take it off in a second,if you do have some plastic steer clear of the flame and try the above,sometimes using pliers to loosen it will end up having the opposite effect cinching it tighter giving less room to work with Good luck John

Hi,and as a newbie to these boards myself welcome aboard Like someone else said were all newbies at one point or another so any questions you may have feel free to ask,there is certainly a wealth of fishing knowledge on this site and I am sure you will find most answers you may need help with Heck I have been fishing for 40+ years 30+ bass fishing and I still pick up a new tip or trick every now and again

For flipping and punching around logs docks into weeds I use 18lb spyder braided with a good old pallomar knot,on longer casts and depending what I am fishing for I may go fluro,mono or braided,all depends on what your more comfortable with and what works best with your set up the pro and con of braided is no stretch,it is great as you feel everything but if your not used to using it you can pull the hook out to fast,rip your line on a hard hook set,as the braided will rub and sometimes tear at the reel if you set too hard or horse the fish in so kind of a double edged sword but I tend to go braided more often than other types

I have caught many different species with similar markings,they are lamprey boring into the flesh of the fish to basically suck out their blood,we had a lamprey barrier put up here on pike river due to the (up to 2ft long)parasites which are non native to this area,doing a heck of a lot of damage to the native species But yes those are the marks,river vampires as we call em and they can and do some damage to all sorts of fish big and small(the bigger ones have a better chance of surviving as they won'y be bled dry before the sucker gets it's fill) Still nice bass though John

Thank you very much, I have not had much time to look around the site but what I have looked over under different posts I find,interesting and informative,looking forward to getting better aquainted with the members and the site and wealth of information it seems to contain(been fishing for 40+ years and am always interested in trying or finding a newtrick or 2) Can never have too much in the ol brainpan when it comes to different ways to land a bucketmouth Thanks again

Thanks guys,was looking for a place to talk bass fishing with other folks like me and I am glad I stumbled on this site. Still making my way around the boards,trying to get familiar with site guidelines and just reading some posts I find interesting Hope we can chat in the future,like I said I am up in Canada,Quebec but did have a chance to fish toho last summer while on a trip to disney,I got a 2 day permit hoping to land a 10 pounder but the heat was 103 and the bass were not very active,I did not have too much gear with me just some standard plastics,a few swimbaits/topwaters and I did get on a few,no lunkers Love seeing the hawgs you guys do get down there and would love to set into one of em Anyhow,thanks again for the welcome,look forward from hearing/chatting with anyone especially the difference in fishing up here compared to the southern states John

Hello to all,I just registered with this site and thought first thing to do would be to introduce myself My name is John,I have been fishing for 40+ years 30+ of those have been bass(small and largemouth) I am from Quebec Canada so although we don't get the hawgs that are famous down south it is pretty common to pull some 4-6lb largemouth and suprisingly smallies that are not far are from that I am constantly looking for new places that may have some cover(logs,old structure etc)in hopes of landing a giant and always carry some form of tackle and rod/reel in my car my Favourite technique(weather permitting) is flipping or pitching or punching,I generally use a 7ft med heavy fast action rod with 18lb braided line when flipping punching especially around structures or fallen trees/tall weeds works better in stained water and for the reaction bite I will sitch over to 10-12 lb fluro when fishing swimbaits in clearer water(mostly for smallies) Recently I have had much success on a havoc brown craw red flake and the havoc fat craw blue flake both on a 3 aught hook texas rigged in stained cold water(inactive bass so had to try many different retrival methods and tie on everything till the havoc on a slow retrieve worked)also found a 3 inch storm gobi worked well on early season largies as I usually use them on smallmouth but hey whatever works Recent outing 2 weeks back had me pull in 5 nice 5 lbs a few 4lbs and the rest between 1lb or so up to 3 lbs, All in all a good day out,waiting for the weather to clear up and the water to stay above 60 so I can hopefully snag a few more,of course I am strictly catch and release on bass Anyhow just thought I would introduce myself (if I have somehow posted this in the wrong area,please accept my apologies and point me in the right direction Nice site,love the pics,would add a few of mine but my 5 pounders look like lunch for some of the hawgs you guys got good luck to all on the water and stay safe John