Helpful pointers for fishing this year

[BassMoJo]

Ok so last year me and my buddy got our first boat a 2000 pro team bass tracker...joint owner ship. It was our first season with a boat and we did really good we problay had a total of 15 fish over 4lbs... 2 of which were over 6 (caught by me) I have the upper hand thanks to you guys ! But the majority of my fish came from dundee which is a river what I found to be my strong point. My partner on the other hand likes reservoir fishing.

My question(s) to you guys is what can I do to make myself a better fishermen in this atmosphere esp. during the summer months but the others aswell. I do alright in spring just because its mostly sight fishing and ive been fishing now for 12 or so years, but now that I have a boat its a different type of fishing.

Here are some weak topics for me: Thanks in advance

Finding cover in deeper water, I have a nice fish finder w/ nav but only 20 degree below

Fishing deeper water, whenever I do it I feel unsure no confidence in doing it, with cranks, dropshot (no sucess at all with ds)

Really it all comes down to finding the bigger fish in the summer months ...I will almost always catch fish doing what I know (beating the banks and hitting cover on the shorelines) but when it comes down to it I have no deep water game !! !

Please help

[zooker]

this is were you get out the carolina rig and drag it... the dreaded ball and chain will tell you what your fishing. once you figure that out the rest is easy..

depth finder with a 60 degree cone is what i use.. the more detail you can get the better..

bps has a video called "deep water bass" by tim sainato -yeah i never heard of him either- but the guy fishes table rock and bull shoals and is great at deep water fishhin although with a jig.. watch the guy in the back of the boat using the carolina rig..

zooker

[Buzz Wing]

Great post, MoJo!

I, too, have trouble finding underwater structure and cover. I don't have a GPS either, so it's kind of hard to makr/keep-on target after you locate a dependable piece of structure. I'm hoping to get some marker buoys so I can mark stuff somewhat.

-Buzz

[BassMoJo]

Whats the deepest I should be fishing ? ? When I do try to fish deeper I hangout around drop offs in 15-20ft of water

[BassMoJo]

[quote=zooker;185223]this is were you get out the carolina rig and drag it... the dreaded ball and chain will tell you what your fishing. once you figure that out the rest is easy..

When you say carolina rig isnt that just like the ds ? Ive tried this but for me the confidence isnt there in that bait yet...I put it on start fishin it for hours and no sucess...Im just so used to flipping out on dundee at pilings, docks, duckblinds, and other types of cover I just feel like im fishing blind out there !

[zooker]

it totally depends on your water.. where the creek channles are, how deep they are. finding the right depth and areas are the hard part.. i would look in outside bends of creek channels.. right now i would get as skinny as possible and as the water heats up work my way to the creek mouth-deeper water-

ok you posted while i was typing..
look at deeper pilings, docks, only do it like i said outside creek bends near this struture start skinny and work deep..

btw
i would forget the drop shot and rig a carolina rig -not the same thing- the ball and chain works alot better than the ds as a search bait.. you'll be looking for contact not really fish. let your bait tell you what is there rocks,stumps,mud,grass,laydowns.if a fish is caught on any one of those thats your pattern..




zooker

[stevomac59]

Originally Posted by BassMoJo

Ok so last year me and my buddy got our first boat a 2000 pro team bass tracker...joint owner ship. It was our first season with a boat and we did really good we problay had a total of 15 fish over 4lbs... 2 of which were over 6 (caught by me) I have the upper hand thanks to you guys ! But the majority of my fish came from dundee which is a river what I found to be my strong point. My partner on the other hand likes reservoir fishing.

My question(s) to you guys is what can I do to make myself a better fishermen in this atmosphere esp. during the summer months but the others aswell. I do alright in spring just because its mostly sight fishing and ive been fishing now for 12 or so years, but now that I have a boat its a different type of fishing.

Here are some weak topics for me: Thanks in advance

Finding cover in deeper water, I have a nice fish finder w/ nav but only 20 degree below

Fishing deeper water, whenever I do it I feel unsure no confidence in doing it, with cranks, dropshot (no sucess at all with ds)

Really it all comes down to finding the bigger fish in the summer months ...I will almost always catch fish doing what I know (beating the banks and hitting cover on the shorelines) but when it comes down to it I have no deep water game !! !

Please help

same problem here bro...

[zooker]

bass don't just tap a lizard right now they hammer it..dropshot baits are good in heavy pressure times where finesse is what your doing.. the carolina rig is your best bet..

btw i do not even drop shot-waste of time imo..i hate a carolina rig-too dam slow- but it works without question..

zooker

[BassMoJo]

Thanks for the advice zook Ill prolly hit up tridilphia reservoir this wkend hopefully they well be on the banks ...but I think its still a little early

[zooker]

we about 4 WEEKS early on our spawn time here..

i normally don't catch them in the backs of creeks for a couple weeks yet..we have been getting them there for 3 weeks straight..


zooker

[BassMoJo]

From what I have noticed this week the fish around here are still in a pre spawn mode just comin up to the banks on sunny days mapping out where they plan to spawn

[bamabassman]

so zooker... you saying use a carolina rig and maybe a lizard?

[stevomac59]

Originally Posted by bamabassman

so zooker... you saying use a carolina rig and maybe a lizard?

this past weekened, my friend and I went to Falcon lake, the depths there were averaging about 20ft, he wast carolina rigging some lizzards and got some pretty good bites... he just did not set the hook lol. Fish the drop off with a carolina rig, that is what he was doing... I just think he was using too small of a hook. Good luck out there.


PS I am going to try carolina rigging, I personally have not tried it that much, but if it was working for him, maybe for me too.


stevomac59

[Buzz Wing]

Originally Posted by zooker

bass don't just tap a lizard right now they hammer it..dropshot baits are good in heavy pressure times where finesse is what your doing.. the carolina rig is your best bet..

..i hate a carolina rig-too dam slow- but it works without question..

zooker

Don't tell me there isn't an underlying love for it! I saw those pictures of that sow you hooked on that Yawn Rig at night!

About the Drop Shot, I've had people tell me that, around here, in the North I'm assuming too, if you can't find any good sunken timber, creek channels, etc., try fishing weed breaks and edges.

-Buzz

[jasonfish320]

It's no surprise that you are frustrated with deep water fishing, you'll never have as much action deep as you will shallow...however the quality of fish you catch will be better..the natural life cycle of a bass is to move to deeper water as they get larger and they also tend to be more independent and rarely travel with other smaller bass...Keep plugging away at it...listen to zook, he's right on..you can cover a lot of area with a split shot setup...I use about a 2ft leader beyond my weight and tie on a 5" zoom lizard (pumpkinseed)....Here's a visual..

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=z7n6rdaVoCE

[Buzz Wing]

Originally Posted by zooker

ok you posted while i was typing..
look at deeper pilings, docks, only do it like i said outside creek bends near this struture start skinny and work deep..



zooker

How would you fish a creek channel that juts down into 25' of water, Zooker? In my local mud pond, Lake Hudson, the creek channel is consistently around 10-25'.

What else should I be looking for down deep? Where should I be looking to find deep cover?

-Buzz

[Lilmoosecountry]

There is a nice Editorial this month in BassN with Hank Parker. He states that the drop shot is not a replacement to the Carolina Rig. He also stated many the young'ns are caught up in the dropshot. They don't even know how to rig or use the carolina rig. Ball & Chain will catch more fish on any given day than the drop shot & it will produce bigger bass.

[damian2b]

Originally Posted by BassMoJo

Thanks for the advice zook Ill prolly hit up tridilphia reservoir this wkend hopefully they well be on the banks ...but I think its still a little early

If triadelphia is anything like Loch Raven they should be on the banks...

[zooker]

Originally Posted by Lilmoosecountry

There is a nice Editorial this month in BassN with Hank Parker. He states that the drop shot is not a replacement to the Carolina Rig. He also stated many the young'ns are caught up in the dropshot. They don't even know how to rig or use the carolina rig. Ball & Chain will catch more fish on any given day than the drop shot & it will produce bigger bass.

i agree moose...

zooker

[bamabassman]

read that same article moose. i am just rying to find something to use saturday. thanks guys.

[Lilmoosecountry]

While throwing the ball & chain saturday. I caught a 13 inch Rock bass. On the little blue river. He towed the canoe alittle in the fight. It was kind of fun.

[bamabassman]

wellllll, didn't do a thing as far as catching fish saturday. BUT.... knocked em dead sunday. IN THE POURING RAIN AT THAT, LOL. zoom lizard (ball n chain style), punkin seed with a very faded like tail. in the grass. caught several. some are still bedding though. so i put the mamas back. some that were off (and yes you can tell which ones) cleaned for supper. kept 3. average about 4 lbs. caught i guess about 20 in all. and the ones i kept were males buzz, lol.

[Patrick Krueger, Jr.]

Carolina rigging is a bit too slow for me as well, but you can fish it a lot faster than the drop shot. I very rarely use the drop shot, and when I do, I think, wouldn't a c-rig work just as well? Zooker gave great advice, I'm glad he responded to this post, now that I know he and Hank Parker agree with me, I'll probably never tie another stupid drop shot again.

[zooker]

patty-o-furiture

it also leaves that rod free to tie on a shakey head.. you got ta THINK things thru...

zooker