I was fishing my local lake today that has many spawners as well as fry guarders and they all seemed to get spooked whenever I would pitch any sort of presentation onto their bed or near their fry. Any thoughts on how I can get them to bite? I only caught one that was interested in my lure. Thanks. 

Yea dude.... 

 

 

Long story short... Stay out of sight! 

 

If you can see them they can see you! 

 

 

 

 

I like creature baits for bed fishing..

Patients. When a bed bass spooks off the nest it not locked onto it. You can cast a few feet past the nest and wait until the bass returns in a few minutes, then move the lure into the nest and just let it sit. If the bass shows no interest shake it a few times without moving it more than a few inches and let it sit again. If the bass stays and doesn't swim off, it's a mater of changing to another lure like a drop shot tube about 3" above the weight.

Tom

I like using a t-rigged senko and casting past their bed and dragging it over. If that doesn't work dropshot like @WRB mentioned, though I have never used a tube I prefer nightcrawler-like plastics.

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Patients...

 

Tom, unless you have been awarded a well deserved and long overdue doctorate in bass fishing and are addressing the rest of us as your convalescents, I believe the word you are looking for is patience... .

 

In any case, your information is spot on.

1 hour ago, OCdockskipper said:

 

Tom, unless you have been awarded a well deserved and long overdue doctorate in bass fishing and are addressing the rest of us as your convalescents, I believe the word you are looking for is patience... .

 

In any case, your information is spot on.

I need to look closely with spell checking before posting

Fish that aren't locked onto the bed are hard to catch. Get good at reading them and you'll be able to tell right away which fish are catchable and which ones aren't. A short dropshot is a good way to keep a bait in one spot while being able to move it near the bottom like it's feeding on the eggs in the nest. I've done well like that using a white fluke. 

You got all good info there, if they spook they gonna be hard to catch, try different lure might work. One thing I want to add try Ned with TRD little shake in front of them, if they look they will bite.

I would have to agree on patience being the key. and maybe staying a little further out. but man it is fun when you see that big lady laying there! 

Sometimes you gotta make em' mad as hell before they strike a lure.  Remember, they are not feeding, they are guarding.  If your lure doesn't pose a big enough threat (in their pea brain) they will ignore it.  

Long Dropper w/ a heavy drop shot.

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html

 

You got all good info there, if they spook they gonna be hard to catch, try different lure might work. One thing I want to add try Ned with TRD little shake in front of them, if they look they will bite.

 

That's exactly how I caught the only one of the day lol!