Early yesterday, cloudy, calm, surface temp was 86.  Started with a 6 inch Dinger on a wacky.  First 5 casts hooked 5 bass and lost 5 bass.  Cut 1/2 inch off each end of the worm and hooked and landed the next 6 that bit.  All 14-16 inch fish.

Alternated between 6 in and 5 in the rest of the morning and results were the same.  The short worm worked, the long one didn't.  How could that small difference be so important?  But it was!  Tomorrow?  Who knows?  

Bass are funny!

1 hour ago, Lottabass said:

Early yesterday, cloudy, calm, surface temp was 86.  Started with a 6 inch Dinger on a wacky.  First 5 casts hooked 5 bass and lost 5 bass.  Cut 1/2 inch off each end of the worm and hooked and landed the next 6 that bit.  All 14-16 inch fish.

Alternated between 6 in and 5 in the rest of the morning and results were the same.  The short worm worked, the long one didn't.  How could that small difference be so important?  But it was!  Tomorrow?  Who knows?  

Bass are funny!

 

 

This time of year in North Carolina, there are 150 billion young of the year and fry of every sort swimming around all over the place on most lakes and ponds.

 

I think that there's a lot of insect hatches dominating.  If you think about hot water loaded with insect larvae that basically can't escape or protect itself versus minnows that are exceptionally good at surviving, most predatory life is going to key in on that extremely available and extremely vulnerable forage. 

 

I think this time of year thin and inobtrusive baits do very well because there is a lot of inobtrusive and vulnerable forage available that everything is eating constantly. 

 

On the bottoms of my Lake I see piles of shells accumulate this time of year and I have to wonder what percentage of the available forage/biomass on my home Lakes is freshwater clams! 

 

It's absolutely wild! 

 

Point being, in the summertime, I often do really well with small and inobtrusive things. 

 

Little popping frogs with the tails cut back very short. Moved very little.

 

Even a 3-in stick bait. Weightless or a weightless trick worm is even better this time of year. 

 

Try cutting a trick worm in half and putting half of it on a 1/0 straight shank or worm hook.  Put a little finishing nail in the tail so you can cast it a little easier. 

 

You'll catch giant fish and panfish and everything that swims with that thing!

4 hours ago, Lottabass said:

The short worm worked, the long one didn't.

 

Great tip. Thanks, Al!

 

4 hours ago, Lottabass said:

First 5 casts hooked 5 bass and lost 5 bass.

 

Hey, you fish like me!

 

 

That really shows how paying attention to details is important!