Laggyman

I found a hole in the middle of a wooden dock I had been fishing for about an hour. Been walking on this dock like an elephant. But I got bored so I dropped a plastic into the hole. I caught 2 fish out of this hole about 12in wide.... Talk about frayed lines LOL I had to cut about 6ft off the end of the line because it got so frayed rubbing against the wood. Sometimes the bass don't seem to care. Sometimes they bug out. Sometimes the just zip up their mouths... They do seem to KNOW you're there. And it also seems like they spook a lot less than trout. Maybe it has something to do with fishing pressure over the last few days.

Do you think they know their position relative to their "lake"?? I wonder if the pond bass understand they are trapped in a little puddle ;D Just my curiosity.

Okie I got the idea now. I'll go check them out. Thnx for the advice!!

I was just reading the C-rig Sticky above and things got a bit confusing... People say the C-rig can be used as a "search bait" to QUICKLY find concentrations of fish. On the other hand, you have to fish the C-rig SLOW?? This is confusing... My understanding is you 1. Shake 2. Reel in slack 3. Wait a few secs Or do you just keep on dragging it along the bottom?? And about selecting the plastics to use, do they have to float to work well on a C-rig?? I read people use Senkos on C-rigs, but my wild imagination is telling me C-rigs aren't effective unless that plastic is floating and dangling around. If you're going to drag it along the bottom, why not T-rig?? Need help sorting this out....

Thnx for the replies!!! Would they look similar enough for a casual "oh just another fish" guy like me to mistake a Spot for a Large?? Looked at quite a few photos. Some are quite distinct, others I couldnt tell the difference ;D As far as the fighting goes, Small>Spot>Large ?? Hmmmm..... They must be lazy..... Lmao

What is the easiest way to tell a Spot from a LMB? We aren't supposed to have spotted bass in Japan (at least not where I live), but I've encountered a few LMB-looking fish with tiny mouths.... Looked like a LMB with the mouth of a SMB.... Maybe they were a mix of Spotted Bass and Largemouth.... Mmmm...

I'm not comfortable with it at all. I just pinch them on loosly and sometimes they will slide on the line or fall off. I just fix it or put another one on. I never really crimp down a splitshot onto my line for fear of the one time a 10lb bass would hit my 4" finesse worm. Wouldn't spli-shots sliding on the line damage the line even more?? I've been wondering the same thing about split-shots....

Hmm... Big baits... Biggest thing I've ever used is a 4in Senko!!!!! And I thought those were HUGE. Probably a difference between fishing in Japan and the States. From my observations, the bass here in Japan seem to shy away from big baits, probably due to the insanely high pressure on the fish. I've had great success with (tiny?) 3in and 4in grubs by GYCB. In fact, the stores over here in Japan are mainly stocked with 3, 4 in worms and I seldom see anything above 5in. I fished a nice fat one last time I went fishing with a red 4in Senko rigged weedless that seemed to ignore all my smaller ones so I brought up all my courage to buy a 4.5in GYCB Cuttail (What are these called in the U.S?) My PR was fished on a tiny orange 1in Crankbait for Trout ;D I got bored of the slow bite and was fishing for Trout just for fun and then WHAM! My Ultralight Spinning gear started to scream... Thought I had one of those huge Donaldson Rainbows on the line but it turned out to be a FAT bass 8-) I caught a 48cm (Inches??) one that was pretty fat on a 4lb nylon line. That was pure magic. Does higher pressure mean smaller baits?? Or would the occasinal big bait score something good?? Thanks for the tips Keithscatch. But what is a roadrunner?? I don't think I've seen any of those over here. I was surprised to see "Chatterbaits" for the first time reading the forums just yesterday ;D Never seen any of them here in Japan. A black spinnerbait would mean black blades as well?? Or just the skirt? I have 0 success with spinnerbaits so far...

Oh I just found it... Sorry I should have noticed it Good info there! ;D That should get me rolling in the right direction. Thnx alot.

Thanks for all the warm welcome on the other thread!! I need some advice on finding fish in small ponds. Those ponds without any old channels or points at all. Just a round'ish pond, with trees creating a nice overhang here and there, and little pieces of wood sticking out from the bottom every once in a while. I've read many of the articles here at BR, but many refer to looking for channels and points using a depthfinder, which isn't possible in my situation because 1. There are none 2. No boats allowed (Although I'd love to get in one to try to fish the middle of the pond...) There are shallows, deep, overhangs, and some submereged trees 'n stumps. Primary forage seems to be bluegill and crawfish. I am guessing here there would be no "Transition" from shallow to deep as the temperature gradually cools. Is this right? Would I be able to find fish near the bank even as the water cools? I wonder if the Bass "school" in little ponds like this chasing prey. Would I be better off hitting structures near the bank than going for a search of schooling bass offshore (Carolina rigs and Crankbaits) And 1 last question, submerged trees... dead ones, I've heard they don't hold fish as they eat up the oxygen around it rotting, is this true? I haven't had any luck hitting the submereged trees... Just lost Crankbaits 'n worms....