flg2010

I always say be extra careful with pre season bass.... at least where I am if DEP officers see it dead.. your liikely getting a summons.

Extremely aggressive much more so then usual.

It does.. which is why I stay on shore, avoid the water, and never eat any fish caught there.

Well the only thing that has worked on the Walkill river near me has been: Yellow Hair Swim Jigs (Roadrunner), White Grub Swim Jigs (Roadrunner), Gold Spoons, and a floating crankbait. The water is pretty muddy looking but when the sun is out a little that stuff works. I have caught smallies consistently on them. I have seen them spit out spinnerbaits. The biggest fish I have caught was a 3.5 pound Smallie on a yellow hair swim jig. I also need to point out that the bass in the Walkill seem to be a strange hybrid in regards to the Smallmouth Bass I have seen, likely a sub-species. The part of the river I fish seems to only contain Smallmouth bass, Rock bass, catfish, and baitfish. There are no trout, no largemouth bass, and it seems the bog turtle and crawfish population has exploded. The fish are agressive however they avoid top lures. Despite all of this the fishing is the most challenging I have ever seen. This is not a stocked pond or lake, these fish are tough. I had a catfish on th eline could see him in the murkey pool.. tried to land him and my rod snapped. In the same pool I saw rock bass just hanging out unphased... I have tried various rigged and brand plastics, various spinnerbaits, various creature plastics.. nothing.

So I have been having some luck this season, early in April I caught a 3.5 pound smallmouth and a few smaller bass. Today... First Fish, a 13 inch Bass, on a gold spoon. Second and last fish that I landed today. A 14 inch bass. on a white grub jig. Overall a fun trip. The water is slightly more clear then usual and I have seen a lot of tiny bog turtles. The fish seem to be avoiding plastic worms or creature type bait. What I have noticed is the fish seem to be hybrids.... they also are crazy aggressive. These fish are small however much better luck then last year. All fish were released quickly post photo and seemed unharmed.

I am going to go with the 2500 .. thanks guys.. this helps.. I was concerned about going with brands I never bought before.. Will test this out tomorrow.

So I found a way to get this combo for around $140, new ($40 buck savings), The rod and reel seem light weight and had decent reviews. I was able to touch and feel the combo at a shop: Rod - Abu Garcia Veritas 2.0, 6 foot 6 inch medium light. Reel - Shimano Sahara 4000 XG. If I get it I will put 10 pound test mono on it. I don't tend to spend a lot of rods and reels so anything above $200 is not (in my opinion) worth it since I'm not an amateur or a pro.. I am causal/weekend fishing person. I need to replace my primary reel which after a few years now of heavy use is broken (drag is not functioning). I decided to replace both rod/reel. I like to have two rods/reels with me just in case or if I want to fish power bait stuff on one and lures on the other. - Will this combo work for lure bass fishing (mostly rock bass and smallmouth) - Any bad things about either rod or reel? - With moderate use but regular oiling and maintenance should I expect 2 years out of it?

I lost a spinnerbait that had produced year after year last year at the end of the season. Recently I managed to recover it when my spoon caught the olf line it was attached to at the same fishing hole on the Walkill. I didn't catch any fish that trip but I managed to get my lure back and thats really all that matters since it was one of my favorites.

I have some Zoom worms left.. I used a weightless setup last year and was getting some bites.. even caught one smallmouth. Last season I started late. If the weather is good I am planning a 9 hour trip on Friday, if I catch anything I will post pics on what I used and the fish.

Its the most challenging fishing I have ever experienced. Which is why I likely won't move to other places for a few more seasons. If I was back fishing Lake Carmel I would have had a much better season so far LOL.... Challenges are good though.

Thanks for the help, applied some of this to my trip. Well today's trip was interesting on the Wallkil. Tried several types of plastic worm rigs..nothing worked.. even tried different brands.. tried several different spots. Worms are out. Folks fishing near me even tried live bait.. nothing. Jigs did not work... (surprising). What did work.. Phoebe spoons.. and Floating crank bait minnow lures. However.. I only landed 1 small bass (a pound) on the crank bait. Almost landed ones on the spoon but they are now throwing the hook. (last week I manged to land a 2+ pound on a phoebe). My theory: Its spawning season, these fish are smarter then the average fish since its a heavily fished river, and they are just making runs at stuff to defend territory. I plan to go on my next trip this Friday, going to visit 3 specific spots and cut worms out all together, I wasted 2 hours of my trip trying to make plastic worms work lol.

So I went to the store got s bunch of different plastic worms, I was wondering what type of rig to use for plastic worms that would work best this time of year fishing a slow moving river (Wallkil) where I have caught bass this season on Jigs and spoons. Is it still too early for Plastic worms? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks.

That is what I am thinking. I was catching very small bass back in September using a very specific brand of plastic worms that were made with real worms plus sent and had a interesting shape. Sadly I did not keep the brand and the tackle shop I go to does not carry them now. In my far past I remember the big bass really only going for spinnerbaits in June - September. Plastic worms were hit or miss. I suppose its the same 20 years later. This is the first time I have fished consistently on a river and there may be other factors making it much harder. For one thing the current is fast now that the drought is over mostly and Bass are competing here with large trout and pike (so they tent to be a bit smarter and fewer).

This is just an observation, 4th fishing trip since winter thaw (Orange County NY) and the only tackle that has worked for me are: 1. yellow/white jigs with trailers and a spinner attached. 2. Phoebe gold spoon. Countless plastic worms from numeorus popular brands have not even gotten one bite. I have used the pre-rigged and did the rig myself. Rigs I tried: Wacky, California. I am assuming its just early in season. Spinner and Crank baits also have not worked or even experienced any strikes.

Hello all.. I got back into fishing last summer/fall after a very long break due to work and life. I'm 46 and have fished since I was a kid. Mostly fish for Bass and Catfish and prefer lures and synthetic baits. I also limit myself to shore fishing since I do not have the time or expertise for boat use. My goal is to get a big largemouth.. something in the 10+ range...I suspect I would quit bass for good at that point. I have had some luck on the Walkill River in Orange County (me and my wife moved here last year and the river is in our back yard). Bass season does not open until June however its year round for catch and release (which is what I practice anyways). This year so far two largemouth out of the Wallkil river, 2.4 lbs and 1.2 lbs (caught this weekend).