^Nice fish, but I have a feeling it's not quite as big as it looks .

 

Caught a small (4 lb.) catfish today in my pond. Funny thing is, I've been fishing this place for two years, bottom, top, you name it, never seen or caught a catfish. Pegged it today on a swimbait. Made me laugh and realize I might not know as much about species in the ponds I fish as I think.

So here's something that has driven home to me over the last two weeks.

 

I often walk entirely around my ponds, fancasting. I will often see a bass or get a bite that doesn't connect. So I'll fish for that bass and then move on. Well, I've learned that as I move farther down the bank, the fish will return to it's position. Once I'm through casting the next section, I'll fling my bait back over to where I got that bite, and often, I'll get another. It often produces even if you saw no signs of a fish.

^Nice fish, but I have a feeling it's not quite as big as it looks .

 

Caught a small (4 lb.) catfish today in my pond. Funny thing is, I've been fishing this place for two years, bottom, top, you name it, never seen or caught a catfish. Pegged it today on a swimbait. Made me laugh and realize I might not know as much about species in the ponds I fish as I think.

GoneFish'n is pretty dedicated to fishing big swimbaits and catches a lot of big swimbait sized fish. I'm guessing it's exactly as big as it looks 

GoneFish'n is pretty dedicated to fishing big swimbaits and catches a lot of big swimbait sized fish. I'm guessing it's exactly as big as it looks 

 

I wasn't trying to come across as negative, that's a huge fish, but the camera angle and how it's held out just is a little deceptive. Beautiful fish all the same.

The base of the caudal fin is four fingers wide. Next time you catch a fish, measure that.

I live in the Bayou City,  4 million people. Office parks, apartment complexes, golf courses, residential neighborhoods, water retention ponds, utility districts releasing clean processed water into 20 acres of land, bayous all through the city with heavy traffic all around. Some of these places harbor LMB up to 8lbs. Great fishing all by foot. Good fishing.

 

Old school basser...

I had to stand on a tree that was about 3 inches in diameter to cast over some reeds. I was wearing 18 inch boots, my balance has now improved extremely. I caught 2 fish in the same spot swimming a paca craw.

 Caught this hog on a topwater frog last night.  Picked the pond apart before she choked the frog down.

It was a good morning for walking the bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full Size images;

http://imgur.com/a/qAK4Q

I live in the Bayou City, 4 million people. Office parks, apartment complexes, golf courses, residential neighborhoods, water retention ponds, utility districts releasing clean processed water into 20 acres of land, bayous all through the city with heavy traffic all around. Some of these places harbor LMB up to 8lbs. Great fishing all by foot. Good fishing.

Old school basser...

Where is this green trout

Was wondering, the other day I was bank fishing a river (clear to stained water, slow to fast flow)  with a buddy and it was 81 degrees clear skies all day long I didn't get 1 bite and my buddy caught 6 bass in total any ideas?

^^ He was luckier ^^

Maybe color maybe profile maybe action maybe luck who knows

I said it before, and will say it again; if you're not catching the quantity or quality you want, it's because

1. you can't reach useful structure from the shoreline => in which case, find yourself another (smaller) reservoir.

2. or you don't know how to catch them => in which case, work on your fishing tactics- knowledge about bass, baitfish, structure, baits and presentations.

 

Here's a 9-07 NLMB from walking the banks. *Post-spawn* fish btw.

 

Refresh my memory...what all are you defining as "useful structure?"

Refresh my memory...what all are you defining as "useful structure?"

 

Any structure that's non-useful

Any tips on spinnerbaits from the bank?

Any tips on spinnerbaits from the bank?

Parallel the bank for best results. Try to go past cover multiple cast to your target and use a stop and go retrieve. Changing up speeds too. All tips you probly already know.

Parallel the bank for best results. Try to go past cover multiple cast to your target and use a stop and go retrieve. Changing up speeds too. All tips you probly already know.

Yea, stuff I already knew. Thanks though! Wanting to get a confidence built up with em. A lack of visable cover around my ponds makes it hard on me.

Refresh my memory...what all are you defining as "useful structure?"

 

Oversimplification- I start with the third of the reservoir that's more likely to hold bigger bass in a given season. For cold water period, it's the lower third. Doesn't mean I'm not going to check other parts occasionally. I find the deepest water in the area (usually a creek channel), and then work shallower along/ around/ on structures. Points/ ridges/ humps/ edges of flats/ manmade structures (roadbeds etc). Sometimes, I'll not cast all the way into the creek channel, and make shorter casts/ stay shallower (depends on the depth I'm getting bites at).

 

For the details, find and study the structure threads. Or read Bill Murphy's/ Buck Perry's books.

Oversimplification- I start with the third of the reservoir that's more likely to hold bigger bass in a given season. For cold water period, it's the lower third. Doesn't mean I'm not going to check other parts occasionally. I find the deepest water in the area (usually a creek channel), and then work shallower along/ around/ on structures. Points/ ridges/ humps/ edges of flats/ manmade structures (roadbeds etc). Sometimes, I'll not cast all the way into the creek channel, and make shorter casts/ stay shallower (depends on the depth I'm getting bites at).

 

For the details, find and study the structure threads. Or read Bill Murphy's/ Buck Perry's books.

Are you using topographical maps for the reservoirs that you fish at?   

All bass will be related to structure...not all structure holds bass!

Usefull structure holds bass

Are you using topographical maps for the reservoirs that you fish at?   

 

Topo maps, old aerial photos, low water photos, surrounding (ground) terrain, knowledge from dragging the bottom, watching color breaks (during a runoff), and more. Anything I can use.

Yea Google Earth is your friend if you can't find any other maps

Any tips on spinnerbaits from the bank?

SB's have been a GoTo for me under certain conditions -and clear open water with no cover ("swimming pools") doesn't tend to be one of them. That said, I can't imagine not having confidence in SB's in general. For waters with little cover here's what I'd suggest:

 

-Use what "ambush points" you have available: if only the bottom and surface film.

 

-Visibility conditions factor in esp if there is little cover, so I'd be looking for some overcast, surface chop, and off-colored water to chip away at probabilities. 

 

-Triggers can make it happen: Speed (keep it moving), and speed and direction changes help a lot.

 

-Translucent/realistic skirts and "colors" might help in clear water. I can be pretty picky about, and am continually shopping for, skirts.

 

-Downsize a bit.

 

-Upsize in weight to add speed and crashing ability. This can also be done with many SB's by adding a 'pinch-grip' sinker to the shank behind the skirt.

 

The overall idea I'm getting at above is that SBs give a good baitfish impression but it helps if visibility is obscured some via conditions, ambush points, speed, skirt color, and overall size. Seems that there's more to obscure with a SB than with many other baits, or that it factors in more.

 

Ach! I wrote all this and then realized I'd confused this thread with another talking about waters with little cover. So... add cover and structural elements and... SB's are just plain bass catchers from shore or boat.

 

Yea Google Earth is your friend if you can't find any other maps

Google Earth is an amazing pre-scouting tool.