BROWN BASS TOOLS ~ Questions & Answers

[J Francho]

I kill 'em on the goby.  Rig on a DS.

[A-Jay]

@12poundbass  

"How is it possible that after spending a year talking to you, after a year of reading, studying, buying, and chasing these brown bass only to come up empty and to put it blunt getting my @$$ handed to me by them I can not stop thinking about smallmouth bass? Maybe they’re taunting me? Maybe I’ve gone crazy? Maybe they’re going to haunt me until ice out? How can I obsessively think about a fish I’ve yet to catch. Sure I’ve caught river smallmouth , but never a lake smallie. How can one obsessively think about a fish for crying out loud? It’s only a fish! Maybe it’s the unknown that’s triggered this obsession? Maybe if only one was like Nemo and got too curious, too close, and ‘touched’ the lure I’d be healed.
 

The temps. Will be up this weekend and the ice gone. Maybe it’s a sign, launch the G3 and go catch ‘em! But maybe that’s what they want me to do, so the whole school of them can look at me from 20 foot of water and laugh, while I pull what little bit of hair I have left out of my head! 

 

I feel I’ve lost my mind! The sad part is, it’s not even meteorological winter yet. 
 

Thank you for your time Dr. Andy. Bill my insurance, pencil me in once a week until April, and keep the phone close in case I really go off the deep end, if I haven’t already. Please tell me it doesn’t get worse."

?

 

@A-Jay

"Nicely Done ! 

I really enjoyed that.

But I have some alarming & some what disturbing news for you . . . . . .

You are only scratching the surface of this insane addiction to brown bass.

For once you find success (and you will) - IT GET'S EVEN WORSE !  

 

 But let's talk about it a little. (or a lot - we've got that kind of time)

When it comes to catching smallies, we need to find them first.

Thank you Captain Obvious . . .

And even before that, we need to find the right water.

But what the heck is it ?

Interestingly, that changes, seasonally, monthly, weekly, and yes, even daily.

And the real bugger about the whole deal, is that even when we find something that looks 'right', our timing might be off. 

After location, timing is just about everything.

Here's an example I'm sure you can relate to.

We'll use a single spawning bed as an example - 

In a calendar year, how many days is a big female bass actually going to be ON The Bed - two, maybe 3, maybe less.  Perhaps only a few hours one day of the year.

 So if we were to fish that bed all season, we'd be getting a ton of casting practice, but not getting bit a whole lot.

 Timing for locating feeding bass is very similar although that example is somewhat exaggerated for effect, but I think you get my point.

 I have spots that I feel are 'right', and that I have fished 25 times a season and never got bit, but I believe in them. Because so many times, I've visited and revisited spots during different seasons, during different times of the day, during different weather & wind conditions, and when I hit it right, it's like magic.  Big Brown bass in the frabil. 

And if I can locate similar areas or deals, even better.

And that's all well & good but what's more important ~ I LEARN ! 

 

Admittedly - I understand that this approach requires time on the water, much of it, at times, can involve more fishing than catching.  But it is what it is. 

Pro's pre-fish - I do all season. 

 

 Many spots or places 'look' the same to us, depth, bottom contour type & composition, presence of bait perhaps, water clarity & temperature, but there's something different, because one may produce quite a bit & more often than another. Maybe it's further from deep water, Maybe a bigger predator is using it to feed on the Bass (On NO Mr Bill !)

Whatever it is, if we can figure it out, it helps us eliminate water - which is Huge and something you learned quite a bit about this past season unfortunately. 

 

Supplemental info - This season one of the lakes I'm relatively familiar with, stopped producing for me.

Now I'd fished this place hard for 12 years, it's not real big but not a puddle either.  And in that time, I had been able to 'find' enough of the right water and the right deals to where, if the conditions were somewhat reasonable,  I could usually get on a few decent brown bass most every trip.

Well something changed.  Big Time.  I have NO Idea what.  I fished the heck out of this place, tried all the 'productive' methods spots and times - No Bass.  NONE.

Looking back, what I should have done is the same thing I did in the beginning to find the fish in the first place.  Start the process all over again, except look & fish somewhere and something else.  But I was so stubborn, I didn't do that. 

I just kept beating my head against the wall - it was a little brutal and I'm a knuckle head. 

 

 What all that boils down to is this (and why I brought that up), catching bass is the fun part, no doubt - it's why we go.  But we have to Go Fishing first, and we have to have fun doing it.  Without the right mind set & approach, that's often easier said than done.

The forums are loaded with threads & post that prove it and I'm certainly guilty of it myself. You know the ones "What am I doing wrong ?" and "I've tried everything".

 

 You see my friend, going fishing is not the same as going catching - and although we all want to go catching - that's not how it works. While many would like us to believe it does; but that's non sense.  

 

 So we both learned quite a bit this season, we learned what not to do to catch bass. 

Next time around, I expect we can both modify our approach to include new areas, at different times and with a variety of presentations.  Sooner or later, it'll happen.

It always does. 

btw - this approach has helped me catch most every species of fish I've ever attempted to, in both fresh & saltwater.

So there's that. "

 

 

@12poundbass

"Great read right there, thank you!  

Looking back at this year I know a few things I did wrong or things I’m ‘weak’ at so to speak. 
 

1: Boat control. The cable steal TM is new to me this year, along with the one legged TM dance as you’ve referred to it as, and off shore fishing. Before I was always hitting the banks so boat control wasn’t a huge issue. 
 

2: Lack of patience! We’d blank on the brown bass and quick run to hitting the banks and pitching docks and wood. Pitching is new to me this year and I’ve found to be quite fun. 
 

3: Time on the water. Looking back I was over ambitious last winter saying I’m going out every weekend, on the weeknights I’ll fish my lake. A lot of new things last year and I got super excited, which is good and rightfully so. I always had 6poundbass with me and several times had his friend with us and no 9 year old wants to sit offshore casting to something they can’t see. Oh well we had fun and we all made memories which is what’s important. 
 

4: And this is (I feel) the biggest and most important. Scouting with my electronics! I didn’t do it 1/10 of what I should have. We’d go out idle around find a could ‘good’ spots mark them, fish them, blank and run to the banks to salvage the day. I need to take your advice and go out the night before and do this to save time in the morning. I also just need to leave the rods at home and just use the graphs. I did that for a couple hours on my lake one day and found the original creek bed (our lake is a little impoundment). More on that and some ideas in a bit. 
 

All in all I think I said this before, while I was disappointed I blanked on the brown bass out of a lake, I still learned quite a bit. The season left a lot to be desired which is good, but was still a successful one, just in a different way."

 

@A-Jay

"Well said.

I kind of take boat control for granted - been doing it a while.

It's important no doubt. 

 I bet if you went to a lake that had a verified healthy brown bass population and fished it with some serious intention, you're score a few.  

Especially, pre-spawn. 

Hit it right and they're kind of suicidal.

I like that.

btw - never leave the rods home - EVER ! "

 

[A-Jay]

@12poundbass

"Last year at ice out I didn’t know about Sneaky Lake having smallmouth only Lake “X”. I think I kind of got ahead of myself as far as my fishing plans when spring arrived. We moved here mid January, we got most of the indoor things finished throughout the winter. Once spring arrived it was on to the outdoor projects (work before play lol). That set me back a few weeks. 
 

I’m not going to say in 2020 I’m going to do this, and that but I will say it’ll be different, and I’ll take what I’ve learned this year and what I’ll learn throughout the winter and change my approach."

 

"So what do you think caused the fish to just stop cooperating? That’s pretty interesting you’ve fished these spots for 12 years and all of a sudden they just said nope we’re done. 
 

Reading this, your past writings here and on the boards and from watching Zona I’m starting to see these brown bass seem very moody! They want sun, they don’t like dead calm, the wind is out of the wrong direction, etc lol! This doesn’t deter me one bit, if anything it keeps that desire as strong as ever."

 

@A-Jay

"Like I said - I do not "know" - I can guess but that's all it would be. 

My standard modus operandi almost always requires the locating of bait - first thing.

 If I'm looking for feeding fish, need something for them to feed on.

They do not have to be on them that very moment, but if there's enough of the right thing, and it's in a location that the brown bass can get to (and away from) safely, meaning near some type of drop / deep water, at some point there's a decent chance old fat face will show up to eat.  Just have to be there at the right time presenting the right thing.  It's worked for me so many times.

 What was happening was first, I stopped getting bites.

So I went into the areas where I was fishing looking for the bait, in this case, yellow perch & pumpkinseed; something I don't usually do.  I prefer to stay off the bass so as not to burn the spot. And knowing the areas like I do (so I thought) I expected the bait to be there or at least show up eventually, like it had done, sort of like clockwork, for several years in a row.

Anyway, there was no bait.  So I kept milk running spots fishing & waiting for bait to show.  Never showed anywhere it usually does & when I looked around in close proximity, thinking maybe they moved a little one way of the other,  still couldn't locate them.  

 

   Now usually in the semi-clear water, there's no problem locating them, as there are waves and waves of schools of bait - hence the bass action I often see.  Not always bass on them but during feeding windows, there's almost always a few that show up; along with an assortment of other predators too.  You know the ones. 

 

   So now let's back up even more.

Two falls ago, the usual fat brown bass I often catch here, were very thin - alarmingly thin.

And then this spring - when the pre-spawn fatties are at their ripest - again very thin.

Also, while I'm not a bed fisherman as you know, I can say it seemed like there were less of them there have been in years past. 

 

    If you watch a few of my videos from those trips, I even mentioned it - several times. 

 Fast forward again to the late summer and this past fall, the fish I did get, still thin.

 

   So now it's time to guess what caused this.

 First thing I though of was that the lake was gassed for weeds, which totally makes the bait & bass super hard to find.  Proponents of it's use will swear that it doesn't 'harm' the fishery or kill the bait, but it sure seems like it does.  Either way, one things for sure, It doesn't make it better !   I looked for info about that happening on Lake Menderchuck, found none.   Doesn't mean it didn't happen though. 

 

    OK - more guessing; perhaps whatever the perch & pumpkinseed eat, has either changed or is in some other way, less abundant. (dead) 

   Both of these would require the bass to alter their food source, and if there wasn't enough of it, that could account for some of this I suppose.  

   

  And then of course there is the SUPER obvious reason . . . . . .

 There IS Nothing wrong with the fishery at all and I just struggled to catch fish.

Happens to us all over & over. 

But making up all this BS, makes me feel a little better about it. "

[MickD]

One thing I've noticed about a couple of my "hot spots" is that smb at one time of the day are just not there, yet stopping back later in the day often finds at least a few, and sometimes many.  Especially if a new wind comes on.   I always make at least two  stops during a day on the water in the location that has the "hot spots."   

 

I've noticed that my best spot in former years has not been as good the last two years.  It could be the water level being so high, or something else, or i may not have gotten there at the right time.

 

The last time we went this fall was a cold, sometimes rainy, never sunny day with a decent wind.  The water was quite dirty from winds the previous couple days, and we found one spot that really worked.  25 with only a couple dinks, a couple over five, four just under 5, and the rest 3/s and 4/s.  10 days earlier I had taken 28 similar fish out of the spot with one over 6.  I'm hoping its magic will continue into the next season.

[A-Jay]

~ My version of the A-Rig for Brown Bass ~

 

Right off the bat, I will say that I threw an A-Rig for the better part of two seasons, trying to force feed it to smallies.

Got a lot of great casting practice but that was about it.

But once it clicked - it was a Beauuuuuuuuuutiful Thing.

Now, I'm semi-addicted to the thing.

 

Ok So - the A-Rig for me is a really interesting deal.

First, it's a bit of a bear to fish for any length of time.  Obviously it doesn't cast very well (more of a full body heave or lob than an actual cast) but it does require quite a bit more effort to fish than most anything else I throw, in Michigan anyway.

 Second - the strikes are straight up vicious and every brown bass I've caught on it has been in the plus size class - so there's a decent reward for the effort expended.

 As for what clicked: I initially even got the idea to fish it for brown bass from Mark Zona.  But rather than actually watching how, where & when he was having results - I thought I could just go out - throw the thing around a bit and hook up.  Didn't happen. 

   Once I went back through what he was offering, and really digested the deal,  I was eventually able to get on some fish. Took a while though. 

 So like I said, I love throwing it because the strikes are great and so far, it's been a big fish catcher.  However, it's not a deal I use all season or on every lake.

   I have found two specific situations where I use it effectively.

 The first starts pre-spawn, but not super early.  More like once the water temps get to about 55 or so - and there's plenty of fish shallow(er) say less than 10 ft.  Clear water helps but not totally needed. But smallies are sight feeders so clean is usually better. 

hat is needed are long casts.  The fish have to be willing to chase the bait - so if it's too cold or too dirty - they will not. I usually start throwing it once the smallies start to follow a jerkbait to the boat without eating it - often they will eat this thing - hard!

This bite will last right up to the spawn for me - and then a little into post spawn - but not that long - as brown bass will often head deeper pretty quick and I'll use something else out there (usually a drop shot or spy bait). 

 The other A-Rig bite comes back in the late summer - first week of August.  I have found several Huge Smallies Super Shallow early morning (very first light) hunting perch right at the edge of the inside weedline in less than 5 ft. Unusual to say the least but that's were I got my PB so I don't ask questions, I just go fishing. These big fish are super spooky way inside in such skinny water and getting them to eat has been a challenge - top water works, but that bite dies fast each morning - so once I tried the A-Rig, it was on like Donkey Kong.  I was surprised it didn't spook them, as it hits the water like a bomb, but they'll follow it and eat it - no problem.

 Good thing is, a little later in the morning and again in the afternoon, these same fish move out to isolated weed clumps in 8-12 ft - waiting for the next low light to go back inside & eat again.  By throwing the A-Rig around this clumps, I'm often able to get a few more bites from some great fish, I'd often given up on in the past - sometimes at noon with the sun just blazing !  Tons of fun. 

 How I fish it - I use a 7'6" MH Mod stick, 20 lb Tatsu and a 6.6:1 reel.  A SK short Arm Rig, all 1/8 oz VMC Boxer heads and either SK KVD Swim N Shiner or Rage Swimmer - I like the baits right around 4 1/2 inches (I'll trim them if I need to).

 While watching Zona hammer smallies with this thing, he kept talking about how he wanted the rig to kind of "hover" in the water column.  I didn't know what the heck that meant ?  But after getting some fish, I sort of have an Idea.  The A-Rig is certainly not a contact bait, meaning you can fish it around cover but you can't be in it at all.  But where it is in the water column and at what speed, is EVERYTHING.  Traveling along, about 2 feet off the bottom seems like the sweet spot. And while there are times when they will smash it while I Burn it along, best results come when I can retrieve it just fast enough to keep "hovering" along in the correct slot of the water column.  Either way, I want this thing right in their face when it goes by - not way above or below them - right in their grill.  Almost seems like it angers them the way they hit it.  Intermittent quick reels handle turns, that make the rig 'jump ahead' a little - can be Money ! 

 Finally, I do not do much largemouth bass fishing locally, however I have fished the A-Rig south of the border for those giants last two trips.  Most all of the how-to present the bait still seems to apply.  I just use bigger gear & bigger baits to do it. 

Heaading into this next 2020 season I will be looking hard to broaden my A-Rig fishing application horizons just about every chance I get.

More to follow (hopefully)

 

 

A-Jay

 

 

 

[Ivey]

Guys you've covered a lot of material here and very well covered at that. There is one situation I'm finding on the lake I fish, Tim's Ford, That I'd like to toss out. The past few years I've found the Smallmouth bite slowing in many place I've caught them for years. Most of these spots are drop offs near main lake points and after the spawn.

 Soon after the spawn the fish seem to move out away from the bank and suspend in or very near large schools of shad. These fish, I believe, are using the big bait schools as structure and as the bait moves so do the SM. three days ago I found a large group of fish on the depth finder located next to a bait ball suspended in 18 ft of water over 45 ft. after casting everything in the boat with no luck, I picked up a drop shot. When I dropped to the fish I could see them on sonar just sitting there looking at my bait. I'd move it up and down, they would follow but wouldn't bite everywhere the bait moved there would be a gang of fish watching but wouldn't bite.

 The next day I thought I'd really trick these fish and brought along some minnows, I'd put on a bait then a minnow with it thought it would really get them, no luck. I've tried everything to catch these suspenders but have not found a way to make them bite

 Has anyone got any suggestions on catching these fish using bait as structure? 

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, Ivey said:

Has anyone got any suggestions on catching these fish using bait as structure?

Not sure about "using bait as structure" as much as I'd call it following schooling bait, like a pelagic trout, but I'd be looking at the structure below the bait, or near it, and fish the bottom.  Your other recourse is to throw an umbrella rig, instead of trying to drop baits to them.  They are predators, and not looking to eat the school, but find the wayward, disoriented, or sick bait.  That school an umbrella rig represents mimics this quite well, and this is why it works in that situation.

[12poundbass]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

They are predators, and not looking to eat the school, but find the wayward, disoriented, or sick bait. 

I watched an episode of Zona’s awesome fishing show a year or two ago and he was throwing an A-rig for smallmouth. He painted the tail of one green. Every single bass he caught was on the one with a subtle green tail! It was quite fascinating, seeing them hit that one. It wasn’t completely green just a few green dabs enough. How they could notice that little difference, while the rig is moving at a decent clip, and in water, is beyond me. 

[J Francho]

No idea.  I use five hooked baits, but the center bait is usually a little different - either size, profile, and/or color.  They often grab that different bait, but not always.

[A-Jay]

5 hours ago, Ivey said:

Guys you've covered a lot of material here and very well covered at that. There is one situation I'm finding on the lake I fish, Tim's Ford, That I'd like to toss out. The past few years I've found the Smallmouth bite slowing in many place I've caught them for years. Most of these spots are drop offs near main lake points and after the spawn.

 Soon after the spawn the fish seem to move out away from the bank and suspend in or very near large schools of shad. These fish, I believe, are using the big bait schools as structure and as the bait moves so do the SM. three days ago I found a large group of fish on the depth finder located next to a bait ball suspended in 18 ft of water over 45 ft. after casting everything in the boat with no luck, I picked up a drop shot. When I dropped to the fish I could see them on sonar just sitting there looking at my bait. I'd move it up and down, they would follow but wouldn't bite everywhere the bait moved there would be a gang of fish watching but wouldn't bite.

 The next day I thought I'd really trick these fish and brought along some minnows, I'd put on a bait then a minnow with it thought it would really get them, no luck. I've tried everything to catch these suspenders but have not found a way to make them bite

 Has anyone got any suggestions on catching these fish using bait as structure? 

Thanks ~ 

A few thoughts come to my mind right off ~

First, when we 'mark' fish on our graph, until we catch one, we really have no idea what they are.

Often we want to convince ourselves they must be the target species, what else could they be ?

Can't answer that but I think you get the idea.

Next few thoughts revolve around 'timing', the 'mood' of the fish at the time you were fishing for them, the depth of water and the presentation.

I'd like to preface this next part with this - I have fished on, over, next to & under suspending brown bass for HOURS.

Admittedly my success rate has been pretty low. 

I'll cover the few techniques that have worked (and I'm using that term very loosely) for me in a bit. 

 

 But first, let say the graphed fish were brown bass, and we both know, there's a very good chance it was. 

Let's consider the depth - 18 ft over 45 ft. So they are hanging approximately one bass boat length under the surface. In my mind the depth of the water under them is meaningless.  When I'm fishing smallies that are in 18 ft of water, (that's usually very clear) I need to be very mindful of my boat position and proximity to the fish.  Bombarding them with tons of casts rarely sees results. In fact, it's usually the kiss of death.  If I am going to get bit, I need to get a bait to them without being detected in advance.  And if there is a bite coming, it usually happens right away. 

I rarely 'sit on top of bass' in 18 ft and drop anything to them, because most often, they don't hang around long enough for me to do so.  I need to cast to them; especially in flat calm conditions.   Now add perhaps some wind & a ripple on the water and 5 or more feet of depth, could be a totally different story. 

  So if they were bass, and they didn't move at all even after seeing multiple baits and repeatedly refusing them, and in a competitive situation like a 'school', my thoughts are these fish are in a neutral at best, but probably a negative mood - meaning they ain't eating. #lockjaw  

Almost always means tough sledding for a basshead. 

 

As for 'techniques' to catch suspending brown bass - like so many hopeful anglers, I've tried quite a few.

This has included but might not be limited to, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, deep jerkbaits, drop shots, A-Rigs (only one season on that one so far),  and swimbaits.  And like I said, no a whole lot to show for it. 

If I HAVE to fish for them, and I mean HAVE To, there's 4 deals I would go with.

 

~  Casting a spybait from as far away and I can effectively fish it.

~ Drifting a 4 or 5 inch wacky rigged stick bait under a slip bobber, again, I'm getting up wind and letting it 'drift' into the fish. If there's no wind, I may use the trolling motor to get some distance between them & me. 

 

~ Strolling a deep diving jerkbait - with a ton of line out. 

This is especially effective for covering Large areas of water early & late season.

The BR expert on this subject is right here  

 

 

~ Lastly this . . . 

In the response to your other thread linked below, @Jermination talks about presenting a "Do Nothing" Jig & fluke style bait above the bass.  This is something I first saw the Lindner brothers doing.  Before they let the cat out of the bag, they won a lot of money north of the border just sitting with that light jig hanging over the side - bass come right up and eat it.  Something about the silhouette. 

 I have had some very limited success with this as it requires IMO a high degree of confidence & patience, both of which when it comes to this particular technique, I have precious  little of unfortunately. 

Finally, I've posted some pics & videos of a few brown bass here on BR, very few were caught while they were "suspended' in the manner you've described.   

What that means to me, and I have no problem admitting this, is that I still have quite a bit to learn. 

 

A-Jay

[Ivey]

39 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Thanks ~ 

A few thoughts come to my mind right off ~

First, when we 'mark' fish on our graph, until we catch one, we really have no idea what they are.

Often we want to convince ourselves they must be the target species, what else could they be ?

Can't answer that but I think you get the idea.

Next few thoughts revolve around 'timing', the 'mood' of the fish at the time you were fishing for them, the depth of water and the presentation.

I'd like to preface this next part with this - I have fished on, over, next to & under suspending brown bass for HOURS.

Admittedly my success rate has been pretty low. 

I'll cover the few techniques that have worked (and I'm using that term very loosely) for me in a bit. 

 

 But first, let say the graphed fish were brown bass, and we both know, there's a very good chance it was. 

Let's consider the depth - 18 ft over 45 ft. So they are hanging approximately one bass boat length under the surface. In my mind the depth of the water under them is meaningless.  When I'm fishing smallies that are in 18 ft of water, (that's usually very clear) I need to be very mindful of my boat position and proximity to the fish.  Bombarding them with tons of casts rarely sees results. In fact, it's usually the kiss of death.  If I am going to get bit, I need to get a bait to them without being detected in advance.  And if there is a bite coming, it usually happens right away. 

I rarely 'sit on top of bass' in 18 ft and drop anything to them, because most often, they don't hang around long enough for me to do so.  I need to cast to them; especially in flat calm conditions.   Now add perhaps some wind & a ripple on the water and 5 or more feet of depth, could be a totally different story. 

  So if they were bass, and they didn't move at all even after seeing multiple baits and repeatedly refusing them, and in a competitive situation like a 'school', my thoughts are these fish are in a neutral at best, but probably a negative mood - meaning they ain't eating. #lockjaw  

Almost always means tough sledding for a basshead. 

 

As for 'techniques' to catch suspending brown bass - like so many hopeful anglers, I've tried quite a few.

This has included but might not be limited to, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, deep jerkbaits, drop shots, A-Rigs (only one season on that one so far),  and swimbaits.  And like I said, no a whole lot to show for it. 

If I HAVE to fish for them, and I mean HAVE To, there's 4 deals I would go with.

 

~  Casting a spybait from as far away and I can effectively fish it.

~ Drifting a 4 or 5 inch wacky rigged stick bait under a slip bobber, again, I'm getting up wind and letting it 'drift' into the fish. If there's no wind, I may use the trolling motor to get some distance between them & me. 

 

~ Strolling a deep diving jerkbait - with a ton of line out. 

This is especially effective for covering Large areas of water early & late season.

The BR expert on this subject is right here  

 

 

~ Lastly this . . . 

In the response to your other thread linked below, @Jermination talks about presenting a "Do Nothing" Jig & fluke style bait above the bass.  This is something I first saw the Lindner brothers doing.  Before they let the cat out of the bag, they won a lot of money north of the border just sitting with that light jig hanging over the side - bass come right up and eat it.  Something about the silhouette. 

 I have had some very limited success with this as it requires IMO a high degree of confidence & patience, both of which when it comes to this particular technique, I have precious  little of unfortunately. 

Finally, I've posted some pics & videos of a few brown bass here on BR, very few were caught while they were "suspended' in the manner you've described.   

What that means to me, and I have no problem admitting this, is that I still have quite a bit to learn. 

 

A-Jay

Thanks for your response, seems every response you've suggested here I've tried. Even the spy bait without much luck. I'm beginning to believe I should ignore theses fish and go somewhere to try my luck. It's so easy to locate these fish I'd really like to figure them out and so hard to catch them i've almost given up on them. Catching a few I pretty sure most are bass of some type but making them bite is simply crazy. Thanks again for your response.

Tight lines 

[Yumeya]

Ice fishing smallies

 

[A-Jay]

 During early Pre-spawn, jerkbaits & a vibrating jig

can be a lethal one two punch while the water temps are in the mid 40 degree range. 

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

[12poundbass]

Holy smokes! Good work. 

[Frezzy]

Wow that's a BIG smallie.  Well done!

[A-Jay]

                                          Jerkbaits for Brown Bass ~ It’s the little things

 

   After the last couple of early season trips where the jerkbait played a significant role, there was some discussion:

 

12poundbass ~  Dude! What an awesome day you had!

I can already tell I am fishing my jerkbait way too fast.  

Watching your video it got me thinking.

When do you know to change colors and when do you know it’s not the color and it’s time to change lures? 

 

A-Jay ~ Thanks  

Color choice is a tricky deal.

In my fishing, I am presenting a jerkbait to smb THAT ARE ON THE BOTTOM. 

So the idea of a suspending jerkbait is a bit of a misnomer. 

(Plus, I add weight to at least half my jerkbaits so they Cast further (and into the wind) & run DEEP.  Early season almost always includes wind, did yesterday, and getting the bait away from the boat is a huge deal.)  When the water's warmer - say above 52-55 degrees, brown bass are far more willing to come well up off the bottom to get a bait.  

But when it's colder, especially mid-40-ish, they are not going to do that very often, at least IME.

So what does that have to do with color ?

 Just Everything.  

 

 There’s a fairly wide selection of jerkbaits in my boat to choose from at any given time; admittedly perhaps too many.  After several years of fishing these may different colors & patterns, with various levels of success, this is how I get the most jerkbait bites.  

 

   There's two concepts that I follow when selecting bait color /pattern that's being presented on or near the bottom, and Jerkbaits in this case, fall directly into that category.    I either want the bait to be close to or MATCH the color / shade of whatever the bottom is I'm fishing; sand, some type of green weed, leaves, whatever. 

OR  

 I’ll go with a color pattern that is WILDLY different - Like Clown was yesterday. 

I don’t do this as often as I used to, but perhaps I should.  So I want my bait to either appear like it’s trying to hide / blend in or standing out badly, and I do prefer no middle ground.  

 

  In the clear waters I fish, Perch or a 'clear/glass’ perch works over darker bottoms, Ayu works in the sun over sand, and when the fish are truly suspending, I use a glass minnow, smelt type deal. 

So that kind of simplifies it a little at least.   At times a some flash is a good thing, like chrome or gold in slightly colored water, other times it may not be the best choice, like in yesterday's super gin clear water.  I also believe that light level plays a significant role here as well.  Brilliant sunshine usually calls for something a little more subtle / toned down, whereas cloudy or overcast days, see me reaching for a darker patterned bait. 

 

Give that a try and see what happens. 

Also when it's colder, like now, think about working your jerkbait like a jig - that slow for real. 

And if you're not on or very close to the bottom with your jerkbait in spots where the fish are, you may continue to struggle to get jerkbait bites.  

Hope that helps 

btw - you may see this again.

 

 

12poundbass ~ Sounds like I need to purchase some weighted strips. Do you weight your deep diving jerkbaits, or just weight the suspending jerks? 

 

A-Jay ~ I weight down the deep divers and the 'silent' baits.

The silent baits I do just to make them cast better.

Without the 'rattle' which is often also a weight transfer system that makes a huge difference in the way the bait casts, the silent baits out of the box, cast like a potato chip; think Balsa Rapala and the Old Smithwick baits.

 So I'll add weight - On the shallow / standard runner silent baits, I'll usually put the weight under the nose and on the back under the tail - in front of the tail hook.

On any deep bait, silent or not, weight goes on like the clown bait in the video - some in front & some in back.

Make a big difference. 

Suspend strips need to go on a clean dry bait only. 

SO right out of the package, wipe with alcohol swipe, let it dry and I'll even add a drop of some type of super glue before placing the strip on. 

There's a real 'Art' to selecting how much weight to put on what bait - my advice is to start with one strip or dot and go from there. Partial strips work when needed to 'fine tune' a bait.

Finally, I usually do not make much of an attempt to ensure that the bait sits level at rest.  Ensuring that I can get it away from the boat and have it run Deep, seems to be more important to the brown bass.  Either way, all things being equal, too heavy is better than too light. 

 

Good Luck

 

[TheBasslayer]

I'm definitely going to take some notes on this in hopes that I can catch more smallies in the Ludington area or the Kalamazoo River. I don't know anything about smallies. But I'll just keep learning!

[TheBasslayer]

5 hours ago, TheBasslayer said:

I'm definitely going to take some notes on this in hopes that I can catch more smallies in the Ludington area or the Kalamazoo River. I don't know anything about smallies. But I'll just keep learning!

I need to because my pb smallie is under a pound. I hooked like a 2-3 pounder, but it was on my small ice fishing pole that doubles as a small fish pole, and I forgot my net that day?

[A-Jay]

While fishing a couple of pre-spawn loading zones yesterday,

I got to use one of my favorite Brown Bass Tools ~

This Scale . . . .

A-Jay

 

[A-Jay]

Northern Michigan Smallies ~ The Pre-Spawn 

 

While there is a decent chunk of information discussing the pre-spawn early on in this write up, this one is current and sees me singing a bit of a different tune. 

 

Where to start ?

Right off the bat,  Pre-Spawn is a time and a term that gets most all of us bassheads pretty pumped up.  It can be and often is one of the best times to catch plenty of solid fish, including some real giants.   

 

The Pre-spawn as it relates to my quest for big brown bass, is super important.  Mostly because it can offer me shallow water access to some True Trophies.  Something that only happens again in the late summer / fall.

 

I simply must start this somewhat deep dive into the northern Michigan pre-spawn smallmouth bass fishing with “The Weather”.  As mentioned in this deal previously, it has & always will play such a HUGE role in any & all success I may or may not have.  And early spring is no different, perhaps even more so.  Many of us are feeling it's somewhat negative effects this season.    #coldandwindy

 

  So let’s talk about ‘The When’ –when is ‘the pre-spawn’. 

For the purposes of this writing, pre-spawn starts the very second there is open water.  And one of the aspects of this deal that adds quite a bit on intensity to it all, is just how brief the best big fish bite can be.  It’s also why every trip I can make is such a special time.

 

 Open water dates can vary wildly year to year; this season was an excellent example; 28 March is super early.  Looking back on the past 14 seasons here, on the ‘average’ (which is like a lottery ticket trying to predict), open water has fallen somewhere between the second or third week in April and the first week in May.  

 

 I do not fish for bass on beds, not judging, I just choose not to do it.  Pretty sure I’ve hooked plenty that were on beds (usually deeper, non-visible fish), but I’m not ‘bed fishing’ per se.

 That said, once these big smallies get down to the business of making babies, my personal ‘pre-spawn’ fishing is done for that lake for the season.  This is often somewhere around the last week of May & the first week of June.  So I thought . . . . There’s more to that, at least for me.

 

 So if for instance, the open water happens 01 May, and the actually spawning is starting the first week of June, there’s something like 4 or 5 weeks for ‘pre-spawn’.  Not a ton of time for them or me.  So I Fish Hard during this time, trying to be on the water at every weather safe opportunity.  Some years are better than others in both weather & fish catches.

 

 However, as the 2021 pre-spawn continues, and I looked back though this and past years reports & results, a very noticeable tend appeared.  Something that I hadn’t recognized before, but should have I suppose.  Perhaps I was in denial.

 It revolves around the very first two or three weeks of open water.  And it seems to happen on both the smaller lakes I fish(ed) with the Old Town Canoe AND the bigger bodies of water I’m on in the Pro-V Bass.    

 

And it is that - Year to Year, my biggest bags and largest average fish days seem to have virtually NO correlation to the actual water temperature. 

 

   So when ice out is in mid-April and the good days happen near that last week in April or that first week of May, water temps are often in the low to mid 40’s.  But when the ice hangs on and open water happens the first week of May, this is usually followed by some much warmer weather (excluding this years of course) so by the 2nd or 3rd week of May the water temps can be and often are, a full 8 to 10 degrees warmer.  Yet, my reports seem to indicate that the shallow water big bass bite time frame, remains to be the same.     

  

Now for the ‘where’.

 I am looking for these fatties in what I would deem “shallow” water; especially when I consider the depths these mutants live out the rest of their lives.  I want them coming to me. 

  My main reason for selecting this program revolves around a ready food source.  Yellow perch come shallow to spawn once the water temps get into the low to mid-40’s.  This is KEY.  And while many of the fatties I net will regurgitate crayfish during this time, there’s almost always at least as many up-chucked perch on deck as well.  Either way, it makes my jerkbait bite pretty good, especially when I’m snagging a few perch in the process.

 

   “Male perch usually are mature at age 3 and females at age 4. In the spring, when water temperatures reach 44°F to 54°F, perch spawn in lake shallows or rivers which drain into lakes. Spawning usually occurs near aquatic plants or other cover. Perch spawn at night or in the morning, but don't make nests. Females lay an average of 23,000 eggs in a jellylike mass up to 7 feet long, and the eggs usually hatch in 8 to 10 days. The young are inactive for the first 5 days while they absorb their yolk. After that, they grow rapidly, although the rate varies with habitat and population size.

Perch feed from morning to evening throughout the year. Their diet depends on the season and their size. Their main foods are aquatic insects, other invertebrates and the eggs and young of other fish. They themselves are eaten by almost all predatory fishes found in the same waters, including other perch. Many species of water birds also prey upon perch.”

 

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/yellow_perch_michigans_favorite_fish_any_time_of_year_part_2_stewart15

 

BTW – besides brown bass, this ‘cold water food chain’ attracts several other species to it.  Some are there to eat the perch, others are there to eat what eats the perch.  Walleye, Pike, Musky & Brown Trout to name a few.  Good Times. 

 

 So believing these big brown bass are in there to eat, I’m looking for places that have the bait for them plus the type of bottom that allows them to feed effectively.  My best producing areas are often located in or near the N or NW section of the bigger lakes, and / or at the very least, sheltered from the coldest environmental factors. For me, there’s two versions of that depending on the lake and the color of the bottom.

 

 First one - I am looking for dark bottom areas (usually caused by old or emergent weed growth), in 4-6 feet with some deeper water AND shallower water close by.  Deep water for security, shallower water to help the bass ‘trap’ the bait (effective feeding).

 

 The other deal is a big open water flat that’s 8 – 12 feet deep, with a sand bottom; best areas have some isolated wood and weeds.  This pattern usually has me covering water, where the 4-6 foot deal can be more of a target casting situation.

 

 At this point I have to believe that once the water gets to the mid-40’s and the perch move in, that’s my cue.  After that, the water temp plays almost NO Role.  I’ll let you read that part again.   I have always been a big water temp watcher in the spring.  Mentioned it in just about every report & video I’ve ever posted here.  Not anymore.  The fish are there, as long as I match the presentation to the mood of the fish, I’m using the net.  Once the perch are done and leave the 'shallows', so do the vast majority of the size of brown bass I'm hunting for. 

 

  What does seem more important while they are 'shallow', are water clarity, wind speed & direction and the amount of sun and or cloud cover. I’ll touch on each.

 

Regardless of the area, Mega wind for extended periods that turn the water to cold mud - is a BITE Killer and I always end up waiting it out. 

 

For the shallowest of areas (say 4 - 6 ft), if it’s going to be calm, I want cloud cover.  It’s going to be sunny, I need wind (just not a hurricane thank you). Cloudy & windy is OK too but that bite is often very short lived and over as quickly as it started; usually an early morning thing.  Sunny & super calm/flat gets me off my usually baits and I break out the Ned Rig or the Hair jig.  Just no way around it.  If they are going to eat, they will eat one of those, provided I can get it far enough away from the boat.

 

  For the ‘deeper’ deal, the flats with 12 ft or so, I will always do better with Sun & Wind.  Sunny afternoons can be lights out.  Clouds & wind is usually a slow pick but there have been some real tankers taken during that, so I keep casting.  If there is a distinct ‘edge’ where the deeper flat meets shallower water, the bass will often hold right there; especially if the wind is blowing DIRECTLY on it.

 

  Clear water is important to both, however more so the deep areas than the shallow ones.  Clean means 10 feet or more of visibility.  Deeper ‘dirty’ water means move on to me.  Long casts as I’ve noted many times before, are the best course of action.

 

While I can & do quite a bit of hard water season ‘map study’, the only way for me to ‘know’ what a particular areas potential may be, is to fish it.  Being at these places at the right time & doing the right thing is paramount, time consuming and usually a bust – until it’s not. #waypoint  

 

Now for the ‘how’ – how do I fish all of this ?

To begin, I am very willing to admit that several presentation / baits can & do take early season fish. The list is lengthy and I am certain most any of us can name at least 10 or more.

 

 And while I’ve ‘tried’ many, many different deals, the ones that have consistently attracted the biggest bites for me, are the ones I’ll reach for most.

Past two season I’ve used a couple of different jerkbaits to cover water on the flats when I need to and have thrown a vibrating jig when there are ‘targets’ involved.  Both are somewhat interchangeable however, my best vibrating jig presentation, is pretty slow (think jig) and may not be the best choice (time wise) to cover a large deep flat. 

 

More info on these baits here ~ 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2564979

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2443715

 

Supplemental Bait info – I have realized some solid success using a ‘silent’ jerkbait in shallower clear water. Seems especially effective after I have already been through an area with a standard rattling jerkbait. So much so that 'Silent' is often where I start now.   

 

Additionally, the Megabass 110 +1 Jr – has been Very Good for me.

Can’t say for sure if it’s the slightly smaller size or the fact that it runs at sort of the ‘in between’ depth of the standard & deep diving Jerkbait.

Either way, I’ve been fishing it a ton this year and it’s rewarded me handsomely.   

Perch & Clown have had the hooks changed out the most, if that tells you anything.

 

While fishing a deep diving jerkbait over a deep flat last weekend ~  

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/gallery/album/2125-a-jays-fish-pics-ii/

 

 

 

[MassBass]

What about trolling for lake smallmouth. Trolling is a good way to cover water and find bites. Banned for bass in tournaments, but believe me trolling crankbaits and rattlebaits for sm can be a crucial tool. The modern bass boat isn't made for trolling but it can be very convenient in various other small craft. I remember years ago In-Fisherman had an article called 'the 10 commandments of smallmouth fishing'. I can't recall all the points, but the last one was live bait. It said sometimes the bite can be so tough- 'break out the live bait or go home and mow the lawn!'

[A-Jay]

57 minutes ago, MassBass said:

What about trolling for lake smallmouth. Trolling is a good way to cover water and find bites. Banned for bass in tournaments, but believe me trolling crankbaits and rattlebaits for sm can be a crucial tool. The modern bass boat isn't made for trolling but it can be very convenient in various other small craft. I remember years ago In-Fisherman had an article called 'the 10 commandments of smallmouth fishing'. I can't recall all the points, but the last one was live bait. It said sometimes the bite can be so tough- 'break out the live bait or go home and mow the lawn!'

I can vouch for the effectiveness of trolling or strolling a jerkbait to cover water and find biters.

Did it a few times on the Big Lakes (Erie).

However, at this point, it just not my style. 

A-Jay

[gimruis]

12 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I can vouch for the effectiveness of trolling or strolling a jerkbait to cover water and find biters.

Did it a few times on the Big Lakes (Erie).

However, at this point, it just not my style. 

A-Jay

That is exactly how I feel too. I know it’s effective and can cover big water, but a bass boat  really isn’t designed for it and I find it to be incredibly boring too.

[12poundbass]

Great write up! Glad to see you’re adding to this great, very informative thread. 

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

That is exactly how I feel too. I know it’s effective and can cover big water, but a bass boat  really isn’t designed for it and I find it to be incredibly boring too.

Too much trolling for walleye as a kid makes me cringe every time I hear the word trolling. Let’s watch paint dry.