WRB-2.0

Adding the Rago BV3D swimbait to the arsenal is something new this year. Expanding the use of the finesse nail head rig (Neko or izzy) with the Gamakatsu wide gap weedless finesse hook, into weed bed pockets is putting a lot of quality bass in the boat. Rediscovering the green weenies or purple weenies with blue flake, are still working. Giving up on several high priced FC lines after several mid line failures over the past few years and going to P-Line FluroClear is paying off. Going back to Gamakatsu #114, 5/0 jig hook for my hair jigs was my best decision this year. WRB

Must be spring fever up north. Take a look at "Looking for spawning bass/etzovaras, next page. Please clarify post spawn/bassmajor, this page. Pre or post spawn/fishohio, this page. Should help to answer your ??? WRB

The Falcon Lake Elite tournament where Paul Elias set the modern record of 132 1/2 lbs, was classic pre-spawn/spawn/post pawn staging in the same location. Big female bass moving up to lay eggs and moving back to re stage. Ounce this process is over, the big females tend to be loners until they recoup. A good location can hold big bass for several weeks. Getting a lethargic post spawn female to strike while she is recouping is very difficult, until the urge to feed returns. Big bass often group up to corral and feed on fast pelagic baitfish schools, on lakes that have that type bait. WRB

The act of spawning includes seeking a suitable bed site, usually in then same general area the bass originally hatch from and laying mature eggs. Ounce the female starts the egg laying process, they don't eat until they have finished. Sometimes the weather factors in and the bass don't lay eggs or don't finish laying all the mature eggs and bass becomes lethargic as a result. Egg laying is hard on the bass and some will die as a result, most recover after about a week. Like nearly everything in nature, there is a plan and bass don't all move up and spawn at the same time. Big lakes could have several spawning cycles ongoing for about 3 months, so you should be able to find various stages of pre-spawn, spawn and post spawn during the 3 month time period. After the post spawn recovery the bass go into the summer transition, scattering to locations that suit them; good sources of prey and sanctuary from predators. First check out the brushy or weedy areas near the spawning flats; this is where the young of the year baitfish should be located and easy prey for bass. If those areas don't have bass, the move out toward the deep breaks until you locate the baitfish and bass. This pattern should last until fall. WRB

Must be a trick question. Pre spawn bass, both larger females and smaller males are very aggressive and feeding prior to the spawn and post spawn females are trying to recover from spawning, only the smaller male bass are aggressive during post spawn. What may confuse some anglers is the fact that not all bass spawn at the same time and not all females spawn all their eggs on one nest. The female may spawn several times to release all the mature eggs over a few week period, then go into post spawn period. WRB

Rubber plug. WRB

Don't over load yourself with too many different types of lures and presentations. Try to learn 2 different lures; 1 for active bass and 1 for inactive bass. My suggestion would be either a spinnerbait or a jerk bait for the active bass and a drop shot with soft plastic worms or Senko for the inactive. During the spawn; the bass are not eating and lures need to be in there face near the bottom to get a strike. Same for the inactive bass, near the bottom and in there face. The seasonal periods help you to locate the bass. Go out and enjoy your day on the water and take fewer lures. A 3/8 oz double willow; gold/silver blades, white chartreuse spinnerbait is good nearly everywhere. Green with black/red flake 6" Senko or Oxblood red flake 6" Roboworm works nearly everywhere. High% colors and quality products, learn those and slowly add lures and presentations. Good luck. WRB

How big and how deep is this pond? Large bass often hunt together by year class, the loner scenario is true when the bass is inactive or holding on a particular ambush site. Water distorts the fish size; look longer and thinner than they actually are. Yes, live bait works well and a live 7" to 9" night crawler fly lined (no weight) on a size 1 drop shot style hook, hooked about 1" from the front end, should do the trick for you. Remember bass in ponds are very people shy, shadows or movement will put the bass off feeding, they know you are there. Stay several feet back from the bank and blind cast to where you think the bass maybe located. Spinning tackle works good for this type of presentation. WRB

Crappie and smallmouth bass spawn when the water is about 58 to 60 degrees. Largemouth bass about 62 to 65 degrees and bluegill/sunfish about 65 to 70 degrees. The difference in water temperature is important as it is one of mother natures way of keeping the close relatives separated so they don't hybridize. Look in wind protected areas where the sun is on the water for the longest time periods. Spawning areas for LMB should have easy deep water access and something that protects the bed; wood or rock on one side to help the bass protect it's bed site and firm bottom without mud. Pan fish like bluegill and crappie tend to bed in colonies for group protection and bass tend to have separation between bed sights, so the male bass can ward off intruders. WRB

Man, you tell that to my compadre ! Raul: "compadre, lower anchor pleez" Raul 's compadre grabs the anchor and throws it, anchor lands creating a huge splash kinda like a cow just landed on lake after being thrown from a plane without chute and reaching terminal velocity. What part of "lower" he didn 't understand ? :-? for what I know lower and throw are not the same. : I mentioned learning from mistakes; wrap a loop of anchor rope around your compadre's foot, then he may understand. WRB

The misconception that all you have to do is find bass and they will react to your lure if presented correctly is #1 mistake. #2; Most novice bass anglers pass up bass and miss detecting strikes without realizing it. Bass are only actively feeding about 10% of the time during the day. When the bass are not active, catching them can be very difficult. Most successful tournament anglers don't waste time fishing for inactive bass, hoping the bass will turn on. Tournament anglers tend to cover a lot of water fishing for 5 active adult size bass, using techniques and presentations that work well for their specific skills. Bass fishing at night helps to slow down most anglers and their success rate goes up as a result; thoroughly covering the area and focusing on strikes. WRB

Good advice given. Lake classification and regional location helps to solve questions about the type of prey or baitfish that may be available at the time of year you plan to fish. If you have a boat and a good sonar unit, can determine the water temperature, the marina or launch ramp area is a good place to survey to determine at what depth the baitfish, if any, are holding. Looking under the docks at the launch ramp can reveal clues to what type of bait fish in the lake. Checking in at the local tackle store is worth the trip to ask a few questions about the lake. During the summer period, checking out the dam area and major points is the place I like to start, high % area that I'm comfortable fishing. Good place to start fishing anywhere when you don't know the water is look for something familiar. WRB

+1; and in the dark without any lights. great answer Catt!!

If you can't see the beds then try casting to where beds should be. Remember the male bass will strike a egg eater quickly to kill it, not eat it. This means be ready to set the hook instantly when you feel a tap. The drop shot rigged about 8" above the weight is a good rig for this and a soft plastic 5" to 6" finesse worm or tube nose hooked works well. Bass don't like to make beds on mud, look for soil change like mud to gravel, sand or clay. Also look for stick ups or brush, rocks or light color spots. Look in wind protected pockets and coves. Cast or pitch the drop shot next to the wood or stick up, rock. If the bass is there, it will strike quickly, so make several short casts to as many likely spots to determine if any bass are there. Ounce you know the bass are in that area, go back and fish it thoroughly. WRB

Apparently you haven't visited any seminars or fishing exhibitions where casting contest are regularly held. Expert casters can perform amazing feats and cast into a coffee cup at 50 yards. Very few recreational bass anglers can cast 50 yards, let alone accurately. As mentioned hula hoops are a common target and some shows will have bulls eye type targets to cast to. Contest are run during these exhibitions for attendees to try to win prizes by casting the longest distance closest to the bulls eye, a few can hit a 3' diameter ring. The are also contest for pitching and flipping from a bass boat to targets; usually small target set up out to 30, 40 & 50 feet. Go to a show and test your skills. WRB

Based on everything you mentioned; rising water levels, 62 core water temperature (before the surfaced warmed) and aggressive scattered small (male) bass; the bass are trying to locate spawning sites as the water rises. Rising water puts the spawn off until it stabilizes, then the male bass will establish beds. The larger females will be close, however staged in deeper water as they move up and lay eggs, then move back. The females may repeat the moving up laying eggs several times, finally finish and become post spawners. The important factor is the males are not eating, they are protecting the nest sites. The females will eat during pre spawn (crawdads are high protein) and stop during the spawning process and rest. The females will also attack egg eaters near a nest. After all the spawning activity is over, the lake will have a lot of small fry bait fish, the bass will then feed on young of the year bass, carp, bluegill, crappie, in addition to shad ( if the lake has shad) and other larger minnows. Look form beds during the mid day with the sun behind your back, good polarized sun glasses and a wind brim hat to shade your eyes. You should be able to see beds; bass beds are larger then pan fish beds. If you see a bass dart away from shallow water, wait to see if it returns. You can sight fish the beds or blind fan cast the area, your choice. WRB

Your bass are in pre spawn and spawn and you need to locate spawning areas. Steep sided canyon walls with sharp breaking secondary points are marginal spawning areas and not the type of water you want, unless there is some protected flats. Get out the map and look for spawning sites with gradual sloping banks and fish the deeper breaks adjacent to those areas. WRB

There is a difference between what mistakes amateur tournament anglers make and general recreational bass anglers. Tournament anglers are under a set rules that don't always apply to recreational anglers. Time being the most obvious and total weight to win a check should be the goal. The recreational angler just wants to catch a few bass and enjoy themselves on the water and that should be there goal. My goal for example is catching big bass with lures. One big bass every 5 trips out on the water is OK, catching no big bass during the year isn't bad as I enjoy bass fishing in general and catch a lot of bass pursuing big bass. I was talking to Robert Munoz the other day and dropped one of my bass mounts off to be touched up after some damage that occurred from an earth quake. One of the trophy bass anglers asked what I fish with and my reply was hair jigs. The angler asked why would you use that and not live crawdads??? you are making a big mistake!!! Maybe, but I enjoy catching giant bass on lures. Enjoy what you do and you will become a better bass angler and learn what you need to know to become better. I can't tell you how many people tell me that I fish jigs incorrectly by keeping the rod tip down. Maybe, but it works for me. The 10 mistakes the amateurs make; believing everything they read. WRB

When first reading this post, before anyone had added their comments, I started to make a top 10 list and didn't have the time due to going to a concert to see James Taylor and Carole King. Now that I have the time and reading the inputs, it came to me that we all learn from our mistakes and need to get out and fish however we choose. What may appear as a mistake, may or may not be a mistake. Sure good tackle helps, but bass can be caught on nearly anything, that is why they are so popular. I have watched kids in Mexico catch a lot of bass casting with a beer can wrapped with old mono line, a rusty hook and discarded plastic worms. Yes, we should take the time to study what is available, but there is too much misinformation along with good advice. Carole King and James Taylor's music is classic, no added whiz bang, just simple instrument and lyrics, performed to perfection. Go out and fish and learn to use the lures of choice to perfection, that bass will let you know if you are making mistakes. Fish too fast; tell that to KVD. Fish too slow; tell that to a live bait trophy fisherman camped out double anchored on 1 spot all day. The perfect lure, the best rod & reel, terminal tackle or line hasn't been made, that will pass the test of time. Enjoy you time on the water, the mistakes will continue to happen, even the pros make them and learn by them. WRB

It is illegal to transport any live fish in most of California. SoCal extends to the Colorado river and live bluegill can be used for bait below Parker dam to the Mexican border and around the delta area up north. Like most states CA has special restrictions that apply to specific areas. It looks like Georgia has restricted the fresh water blue/black herring for live bait use in specific water drainage, bluegill other game fish appear to be OK to use as live bait. WRB

The lakes mentioned are all large highland reservoirs with both Threadfin and Gizzard shad populations. Guntersville Elite tournament posted a winning weight of over 100 lbs for Skeet Reese and you should read everything possible on how the top 12 fished. The spawning season is misunderstood by most bass anglers. The act of spawning or the time the female bass actually lay eggs occurs over several weeks or even up to 3 months, it's not a 1 week event, especially on big highland reservoirs. To me pre spawners are the staging female bass that have mature eggs near ready to lay and male bass moving into spawning areas and staking out bed sites. Spawners are those bass with beds and females moving in to lay eggs. Post spawners are those bass that have completed the spawning cycle. What gets fuzzy are the females that haven't layed all their eggs due to the fact the eggs mature at different times and the big females may move up to spawn 2 or 3 batches of eggs over a several week period, as the eggs mature, then move back and re stag. Combine this with different water temperatures throughout a big highland reservoir and the spawning cycles can last up to 3 months or more. Post spawners are often re stagged at the same location as they did for pre spawn. If you target the staging areas, you can catch big bass for several months. After the bass transition to the summer period, fish the outside structure areas where the bass can target the pelagic bait fish. WRB

Everyone wants to catch larger fish. Bigger bass can be a different goal to a tournament fisherman verses a trophy fisherman for example. The tournament fisherman should focused on catching enough weight to win the contest, not necessarily catching the biggest bass on that particular day on the water. Most tournament fisherman target aggressive active bass, due to time limitations. Since the population density of most bass lakes will have a greater number of bass under 4 lbs than over 4 lbs and most tournament rules have a minimum length of 12", then any bass over 1 1/2 lbs becomes a keeper, between 3 to 4 lbs become big tournament bass. 3 to 4 lbs bass are adult bass, no longer juveniles and this is important to recognize. Adult bass are more wary due to life experiences and can eat a wider range of prey. This means the larger bass can go just about anywhere it needs to be close to it's food source. Your key is; find the prey and the bass will be close. If your lake has both pelagic and dermersal bait fish, the bass can be nearly anywhere those bait fish are located. If the lake only has dermersal bait fish, the near shore or near cover that supports that type of prey is a good choice. Outside structure void of pelagic bait fish such as shad or crawdads, will not become a location for bass in that type of lake. If the lake has pelagic bait fish and aquatic matter, zooplankton, phytoplanton, then outside structure like channel ledges, humps, rock piles become excellent locations for adult size bass. You find bigger bass near abundant food sources. Take some time and study what types of bait fish your lake has and what other food sources are available for the bass and you will start catching bigger bass, because you will know where to fish and what type of lures to use. WRB

I see said the blind man, must be a generation gap. Stick baits to me are long slender hard lures, both floating prop and shallow diving types. Senko's are slow sinking soft plastics that can be presented with several techniques; unweighted and weighted rigs. When bass are striking a reaction lure and size of the bass are what you want; keep fishing until the bit stops. Now go back over the same area with the slower Senko rigged however you like. The Senko has it's own built in action as it sinks and this takes a degree of patients , that isn't easy when you are used to fishing faster and want to cover a lot of water. WRB

Describe what you met by a stick bait, different regions of the country may have another name for it. WRB

+1, thank you and agree with BL. WRB