(03/18/2022)
Water Clarity : 4+ ft

Fishing time : Early Morning (6:30 AM - 9:45 AM)

Bait Used: Chatterbait (Bluegill themed), Lipless (Ghosty color), LV-500 (American Shad), S-Waver 168 (Lite Trout), Wacky Rig senko (green pumpkin)

Weather : Slight fog early morning, clear sky afterward; 60 - 75 F

 

 

Notes:

• Starting from east shore going toward to the south
• I started with lipless crankbait early morning. I initially thought starting with a glidebait but east shore barely had 3 ft depth. The point direction is looking toward open water, hence the lipless to cover water faster. 40 minutes back and forth, moved to the south.
• South shore had a couple of piers. I switched to LV-500 and started bottom hopping from the edge of the pier. At home I realized even at that edge point, the water depth was merely 4-5 ft - too shallow to bottom hopping. 
• At the same spot I switched to glide bait for the next 25 minutes covering water (slow retrieve with hops) - no bites.
• I went further to the end side toward the southwest, I started to fish both chatterbait and wacky rig ready to deploy alternatively.
• I circled back gradually to where I started - no bites.
• I had been observing boat people using finesse (probably dropshot, but not even a bite also. Strange.)

 

TLDR: I got skunked that day. Nice view, though.

 

 

Take a pool thermometer and check the water temps next time out. Search the site for “slip shot rig”, boring but you will catch more bass.

Tom

PS, nice photo, thanks for sharing.

 

 

@WRB What soft plastic do you usually pair slip shot with? I immediately think texas rig senko.

Also how far from the bait do you put the weight?

 

Thanks!

You want to use worms that float and glide above the bottom as much as possible.

This is a main line rig using 6 to 8 lb mono, spinning tackle or 10 lb mono casting tackle.

I use black Top Brass Pro-Jo cylinder weights, 8 mm faceted glass bead and Owner 5133 hook. You can peg the glass bead for a weight stopper using a rubber peg-it it a plastics Carolina Keeper, both work. Weight about 24” to 36” from the hook.

Roboworms 6” straight fat or curl tails with 1/0 hook, 1/8 oz weight spinning. 

Upton Customs 6” straight tails w/3/16 oz and size 2/0 for casting.

Shore fishing fan cast the area and move on. The retrieve is a simple drag, the bass strike a a rubber band like pull or the traditional tap. Reel and sweep hook set?

Colors; black grape wBlue neon and Purple thunder for Upton or MMIII and Oxblood/red flake Roboworms to start with.

 

23 minutes ago, WRB said:

Top Brass Pro-Jo cylinder weights, 8 mm faceted glass bead and Owner 5133 hook.

I think I saw this from other thread. Do you think I can get away with a simple split weight?

3 minutes ago, NeroXyn said:

I think I saw this from other thread. Do you think I can get away with a simple split weight?

You can get away with a sliding bullet weight.

Tom

There is usually a period in the spring where many larger profile plastics like lizards and other creature baits will do quite well. If you're trophy hunting, bigger baits will often catch bigger fish. But if I am struggling to get bit, I will most likely scale down. These days, I like dragging 3.5" or 4" Keitech Swing Impact (Electric Shad) on a carolina or slipshot rig in deeper water. 

 

In the shallower water, I'd fish that senko wacky and weightless. And I would be looking for areas that at least have some deeper water nearby

 

When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I fish plastics most of the time, so that's kind of what I generally look to use.

11 hours ago, Big Hands said:

senko wacky

which what I did that day, but the access from the shore was too limiting compared to my regular ponds (suprisingly).

 

depth 0 - 4 ft.  stretches up to 30 yards from the shore, I couldn't imagine bass would hang out on something that flat unless there were grass or something.

 

Maybe, I just spend not enough time finessing.

Even the best get skunked at Puddingstone.

Love this lake, but definitely  isn't an easy lake. But have had epic days on it. The largemouth in that lake move A LOT.  That's all I can say.