hello there!,

Am Marius and a newbie in the bass fishing scene here in the Philippines, been fishing for more than 10 years but its just a "bait and wait" type since i don't have any funds to pursue a more specific fishing; like bass fishing... now that i have saved a bit and little free time on my hands; i am now able to join local tournaments here in Caliraya lake and Lumot lake... hope somebody can help me catch bass consistently, i'm so confused, even after reading a lot of articles on the subject matter. as of the moment i have 6.6" bc rod medium action and a 7" mh bc rod and a few of the following .. crank baits, spinner, jerk baits, 6" worms in green and red color. A 4" lizard. 1 popper and assortment of hooks which i tried... so far i only managed to get snakehead by using the lizard which i let swim... but for bass no bite at all... please help...

sincerely

Marius

Hello and welcome to the forum. Im still fairly new bass fishing as well and there are many others here that are much more knowledgeable than I am so Im not sure how much help I can be but Ill offer my 2 cents. First of all it sounds like you have enough gear to make a good start. I would also suggest that you pick up a pack of senkos or some senko imitaion like 'Yum' Dingers. Apparently they drive bass crazy. There are a lot of people that swear by them. I don't personally fish them much but have caught fish on them in the past. Fish near cover like lily pads, weedlines, undercut banks, brushpiles, downed trees, large rocks and boat docks as well as lake structure like channels, holes, underwater humps, points and dropoffs. Ive heard that there is usually good fishing near dams so if theres a dam in your lake, fish it. Since your in the Phillipines, Im assuming its a warmer climate most of the year. Therefore, bass will often be in the shallows so try fishing along the banks. If your not getting bit, try changing up your retrieve or switching to a different color. If your still not getting bit change to a different lure. Try to find what the bass are eating and match it. For example, if they're eating crawfish, try a jig with a craw trailer. If they're eating shad, try shad colored crankbaits. You can fish anytime but I have the most luck early in the morning and early in the evening. Think sunrise and sunset. You might also try talking to other people you see fishing. Ask them how they're doing and whats been working for them. In my expierience, most fisherman are more than happy to give you a bit of info to help you catch fish.

I hope that helps. I googled your lakes and they're substantially bigger and deeper than what i usually fish so maybe someone whos used to fishing deep water can offer some better advice. If you have more specific questions, don't hesitate to post them on some of the other forums. The people here are great and have tons of helpful information to share.

Good luck and be sure to post some pics when you get your bass!

Welcome, Marius! One thing to keep in mind is to keep things simple. Don't make fishing a chore that becomes something too frustrating. Look over your existing baits and determine which ones you've caught the most bass on.

As far as deep water, our bass fishing out West here in the US is done in a lot of deep water lakes where tactics like drop-shotting, big trout swimbaits are among tactics used. They'd have to chime in here to give you advice on that.

You've got snakeheads too, something we are dealing with in some of our waters here on the East coast. There are plenty of fishermen here that can give tips on dealing with them.

As for what I find that works, it is soft plastics. Bass seem to find them irresistible. Yamamoto Senkos are among the best, if not the best.

Hi and welcome to BR

Welcome..............

Mabuhay!

I agree with the Senko/Senko style baits and I'm also a huge fan of crankbaits. Crankbaits are great search baits and will keep you more interested versus do-nothing live baits. Plus, there is less line watching and experience needed with a crankbait because you WILL feel the strike.

Hope to visit the Philippines again soon. Tight lines!

Welcome!

Welcome Home!