WRB-2.0

I see you are from up north and fish from a kayak, so you must fish from a seated position and target NLMB and SMB. Here is a background on finesse fishing for bass; The term finesse fishing started out west where anglers fish in deep structured clear water reservoirs like Lake Mead and SoCal's Castaic, Casitas etc. Bass anglers developed techniques using smaller light weight lures and the rods, reel and line that worked well together, targeting bass in deep clear rocky structured lakes. Pioneers like Garry Garland who invented the tube lure called a Gitzit and the soft plastic jig skirt called a spider, Dick Trask developed the split shot and dart head jig, Don Iovino is known for doddling or shaking small worms. The tackle used was 4 lb to 8 lb mono line, medium extra fast graphite rods and spinning reels or tuned bait casters like a 2500C. The finesse presentations dominated the western bass fishing tournaments back in the mid 80's. Western pro's like Mike Folkestad, Jay Yelas and Aaron Martens moved east and introduced "finesse" presentations to the general bass fishing population. Finesse fishing has become using any technique where fishing small table top size areas with precision and this definition clouds the original western finesse fishing using light weight, small size lures to target deep suspended or structure bass. When bass are looking for bottom oriented prey, dragging the bottom works well. Bass are opportunity feeders and may look for prey where ever prey is located; weeds, trees, mates, docks, bottom structure, schools of bait fish in open water, whatever the bass can find a meal. Your tackle should be set up for the lure weight, hook wire size, cover type, depth of water, so you can work the lure effectively, feel strikes and control the bass after it's hooked. For example; using a 1 oz punch weigh in clear deep structured lake without cover on 6 lb line, med/fast spinning tackle doesn't work very well; change the lure to a 1/8 dart jig with 4" curl tail worm and the set up is a lot easier to use and catch bass with. WRB

Just an added note to rainbow trout stocking; lakes must have cool enough water, ideally 60 degrees and no warmer than 70 degrees to stock. This is one reason for planting lakes with bass during the winter months. The Quagga mussel issue coupled with native trout specie issues has stopped trout plants in several giant bass lakes in California. Introduction of striped bass in a few giant bass lakes has a major impact on the pelagic bait fish population; LMB can't compete with the bigger and faster stripers for the planted trout. Sometimes it's better to stay under the radar. The whale that surfaces get harpooned. Good reasons for keeping a low profile on the water. 20 years ago, before GPS and cell phones in every boat, the WR bass had a $1,000,000 bounty and "anglers" would set up spotting scopes on high ground to watch trophy fisherman all day. If you caught a big bass and someone "witnessed" it, boats would be on you within minutes...can't imagine the circus those days were. Things have changed somewhat; now you are "way pointed" and the spot is shared via cell phones, the fleet shows up the next day or so. Without the big $$, the pressure is far less, but the anglers are better skilled. Good luck Matt, need to get some of your Jitterfish. WRB

Just read the added to posts to this thread, interesting. The reason I stated the 30 lb Cuban bass is a myth was based on my conversations with Monte Burke*, who traveled to Cuba to authenticate any giant bass catches and was unable to do so. This doesn't mean that 17 lb to 18 lb bass have been caught in Cuba, over 20 lbs that another issue. Mexico has a much different problem growing giants; poaching and gill nets. Everything else is in place in several Mexican lakes to grow 20+ bass....if they can live long enough time to attain maximum weights. Two 20+lb bass have been caught in CA and authenticated that came from lakes without any trout population; Lake Hodges and Moreno. The Sacramento delta area could produce a 20+ lb bass without a trout population, although the delta does have a salmon migration. Long growing season combined with genetic growth potential of FLMB, the location could be anywhere that has those conditions...as Japan proved. South Africa has produced 18+lb LMB. Record bass lists are only as accurate as the people who make up the list. I have caught 2 bass that should be on the top 25 lists, if I had taken the time to authenticate my catches. I have tried to rectify that by sending in my proof, photos, witnesses, newspaper clipping etc. How many other giant bass have been caught and not recorded properly...hundreds. FLMB were transplanted to CA for improved average bass size; 2 lbs to 3 lbs was the goal. Nobody expected FLMB to grow to become giants, until they did. Japan is still the odds on favorite to produce the next 20+lb bass. WRB *Sowbelly author.

Soft plastics and live bait that tend to be swallowed quickly; try a high tech circle hook and learn to hook set by reel setting. Gamakatsu and Owner both make circle hooks for bass fishing with soft plastics. The bass are hooked 100% of the time in the corner of the month. WRB

The big bait big bass debate will always be there. The fact is more giant bass have been caught on 3"to 4" live crawdads. When big bass are targeting large size bait fish like golden shiners or stocked rainbow trout, then lures that closely look like those bait fish work. I have caught a hand full of DD swimbait bass, several hundred on jigs that resemble crawdads. If the DFG starts to stock the lakes I fish with planted trout again, I will fish with 7", 8" and 10" swimbaits, plus continue to fish my jigs. Give the bass what they want to eat and don't restrict your lure choice. WRB

BA, the WR bass is likely to be from Japan or California. I don't believe in the Cuban 30 lb giant bass stories. Cuba may have 16lb to 18 lb LMB, 20+lbs bass are extremely rare. Florida for example has never produced a validated 20+ and Cuba doesn't appear to have forage base to grow heavy bodied bass. Wait and see. WRB

+1 I believe Matt is talking about giant bass, not bass the size you try to hold with your thumb and index finger. The vertical hold were you grip the inside jaw with your fingers and the outside jaw with your thumb pressed tightly controls the bass from wrenching out of the grip. As long as you don't bend the jaw open with the weight of the bass, there is no harm to the bass. To held horizontal, you hold the jaw as described and rotate the bass holding the tail end of the bass. WRB

Oh come on WRB. I have to read repeat threads on the same topics over and over and over. Can you cut me some slack just this one time? :-[ Ha. Gotta go with FBL on this one. It took me about two years to really start noticing a bunch of repeat posts, and now it seems like 95% of them are repeats. I've personally started dozens of threads on this board (more than some, nowhere near as many as others) and I think I've seen a repeat of about 80% of my "original" threads, not to mention all the other repeats of other peoples threads. To have to read them over and over and over takes a special kind of talent. Starting a truely original thread in the "general bass fishing" forum on a board of this size, activity level, and knowlege base is super tough at this point. Had no idea mentioning a thread was repeated is an issue, accept my apology. 20+lb LMB are exceptionally rare fish and this bass has a misshapen tail and was caught on spinning tackle using a 4" soft plastic. I don't have a problem remembering the few that have been caught during my lifetime. WRB WRB check the battery in your sarcasm detecter/meter. ;D : Fully charged and waiting to the next 20+ lber.

Weeds, or slimy moss can affect the lures action and reduce strikes from bass. Keep your lures as weed free as possible each cast. Lure selection will help to reduce the problem, use lures that go through the slop without getting fouled by weeds or moss; surface frogs and straight tail worms are good for example. WRB

Are the bass largemouth or smallmouth? 12' depth that far north is extremely shallow for any bass to survive the winter. Look for stream or river entering the lake, most of the bass will be relating to the seasonal change of shorter day light periods and moving to areas with deeper water, baitfish and crawdads. WRB

Oh come on WRB. I have to read repeat threads on the same topics over and over and over. Can you cut me some slack just this one time? :-[ Ha. Gotta go with FBL on this one. It took me about two years to really start noticing a bunch of repeat posts, and now it seems like 95% of them are repeats. I've personally started dozens of threads on this board (more than some, nowhere near as many as others) and I think I've seen a repeat of about 80% of my "original" threads, not to mention all the other repeats of other peoples threads. To have to read them over and over and over takes a special kind of talent. Starting a truely original thread in the "general bass fishing" forum on a board of this size, activity level, and knowlege base is super tough at this point. Had no idea mentioning a thread was repeated is an issue, accept my apology. 20+lb LMB are exceptionally rare fish and this bass has a misshapen tail and was caught on spinning tackle using a 4" soft plastic. I don't have a problem remembering the few that have been caught during my lifetime. WRB

Look back in April, this story was already posted. WRB

What type of tackle do you fish with? rod; make and model or description. reel; spinning, spincast or casting. line; type and lb test. You are fishing a lake with lots of bass, then it shouldn't be too difficult to suggest lures and presentations to match your tackle. If you own spinning reel/rod combo; then a drop shot or split shot rig, Senko or S13 Rapala, depending on the rod. WRB

Think in terms of a learning experience and enjoy your time fishing new water. I like to break down the calendar year into; winter, spawn:pre & post, summer and fall. Depending on the seasonal period will determine where I will start. The colder periods the dam area and deeper areas, warmer periods cover and near shore structure, then working outside deeper areas. Study a map, high light the water depth you like to fish; 3' to 20' for example and look for sharp breaks and isolated flat area near the sharp breaks. This will usually reduce your search area and you can fish lures, cover and structure that you are familiar with. When I get to the new lake, I will check around the launch ramp marina area; water temperature, depth of bait fish or thermocline, water clarity, color and get a feel for the lake before starting out to fish. Many times the marina area is very productive and you can learn a lot about a lake. Stop at a local tackle store and ask some questions about what is good and where to fish. WRB

Yes, the thermocline depth changes throughout the day at various locations due in part to wind or current and water temperatures...it's not a even layer, it's dynamic. WRB

Spotted bass do not naturally hybridize with largemouth due to separation of waterways. Both are the sunfish family and can spawn successfully under controlled conditions; the intergrades would take on characteristics of both sub species. Spotts normally are river bass preferring to spawn in deeper gravel areas, similar to where smallmouth spawn. Largemouth preferring more protected warmer shallower areas. Alabama spotted bass grow 2X the size of northern Kentucky spotted bass, if your goal is larger spots; get the Alabama river spots. The largemouth bass displaced the spotted bass in lake Perris, with the help of red ear (shellcrackers) sunfish. Spots have over run most other lakes they have been stocked into, outside of their natural range. WRB

Good thread Catt. Lots of factors to consider with rate of fall, the weight is #1. I do a lot of fishing in deep structured lakes and it's amazing how many strikes go undetected by novice jig and T-rigged soft plastic anglers . If your jig or worm doesn't hit the bottom when it should; "set the hook". The difference between a 3/16 oz and 1/4 oz is 25% and it makes a big difference at times. WRB

I would use a spinnerbait, buzzer, chatter baits or prop bait to start with. If the bass don't react, then slow down to a frog, weighted fluke, drop shot or Senko. Trying to work a jig with big claws or a T-rig worm with a curl tail tends to get hung up too often for me. The straight or paddle tails worms, brush hogs or beavers get through weeds a little better. WRB

The trend out west is using braid; 10 lb to 15 lb Samurai or Power Pro on spinning reels for drop shot and small jigs to reduce line twist. Most anglers are using a FC leader. The 30 lb Samurai is popular, very soft braid and casts good, on bait casting reels for general presentations. The heavy 65 to 80 lb braids for flipping or pitching heavy cover are used on appropriate heavy action rods. Dobyn's, Lamiglas, Loomis and Powell rods in all price ranges are popular out west. Lamiglas Excel series and ABU Vendetta are good rods for under $100. Use the best rod you can afford, with any type line. I'm sure you will get a long laundry list of other rod makes under $100, so yes, there are good rods available, good bait casting reels under $100, that is another can of worms. WRB

T-rigged random worms (senko style or curly tail) anywere from 4-6 inch worms Matzuo worm hooks weightless setup and sometimes weighted rod is a G.loomis glx baitcaster 6'6" heavy fast action quantum response reel 30lb moss green power pro braid as for pitching the matts i have had nothing bite when i toss the worm weightless in the thick weeds the worm just dosnt sink in there and with a weight weeds get all tangled up into the weight. Good tackle! With T-rigged worms the high flotation styles work far better than heavy salted "Senko" styles. You would be better off using a wacky rigged "Senko" style with a nose nail weight. Rubber o-ring and weedless Gamakatsu wide gap finesse hook works great for this rig. T-rigged straight, paddle, or curl tails depending on the weeds, have good swimming action as the weight slips doown the line and then float off the bottom at rest, allowing the bass to strike it more often, then just on the fall. You need to peg a heavy bullet weight to penetrate weed mats, you may just want to hit the open pockets and shady zones when fishing a pond. WRB

Define your T-rig setup; rod reel line hook weight worm WRB

+1 Bass are used to anglers approaching a point noisily and parking on top of them. The bass simply shut off and move out into deeper water until the boat leaves. WRB

Sounds like a obvious location that other bass anglers could know about, you may want to protect and catch the fish you located. The risk in going up tight is losing the outside to another boat. If it's isolated, no other boats, then work the entire area. Start by approaching quietly along the bank and fish your way around. The shallow bass should move outside as soon as the sun gets on the water and the bait moves out. Outside bass are affected more by wind, current and cloud cover. Flat water and bright sky tends to push them deeper, winds helps to generate waves to break up the light penetration and cloud cover keeps the bass active longer. Good luck. WRB PS; stay outside if the bass are smallmouths.

Summer to fall transition in northern lakes isn't very different from warm water regions, the change just happens quickly. The shorter days coupled with colder nights tends to affect the entire ecosystem, including the bass. As the weeds change color from green to brown, they stop producing dissolved oxygen and the smaller bait fish leave looking for shelter and food....the bass follow their food source. Feeder creeks offer more DO and nutrients for the bait fish, the bass start feeding more on bait fish. When the water gets below 55 degrees, the bass feed less often and start to locate in the warmest areas of the lake that contains prey and stay in those areas for the winter. If you see feeding activity; any bait fish type reaction lure should work. If nothing is moving, then try slower bottom lures like jigs and worms. Colors depend on what the bass prefer, experiment with both size and color until you discover what the bass want to eat. WRB

We are conductive lightning rods and need to find shelter from lightning strikes. The idea of getting under a tall tree is wrong, do not get near or under anything that is tall and conductive because it can attract lightning. You want to get under cover that isn't tall or conductive if possible. You should get under low lying cover for shelter, you don't want to be the highest conductive thing out on the open water. The sound of thunder travels about 4 to 5 seconds per mile, you will not hear lightning that strikes next to you, you may hear a load cracking sound. If you see a flash and hear a boom, count the seconds to determine how far away it is; less than 5 seconds it's too close and you may be in danger! WRB