question for keithdog

[nobass]

i was wondering if you ever took notice to how many fish you hook have been caught before. you told me that you fish a small lake near your home. you always seem to catch a good bag. we southern boys usally fish large impoundments and we will catch fish that have been caught before. i just wanted to see if it was done more often on a small lake, the reason i am asking is you here a lot of pros saying bass get use to seeing same baits and get condition to not eat them. just wondering if you notice it on smaller lakes as well

[Crankbait]

I’m no Keithdog but let me throw in a response…… when I got back into fishing bass I started fishing rogers lake a 175 acre (small lake) impoundment. I would be fishing all day and watch others come out and hit this spot and that spot and pass by me and ask if I caught anything because they had zeroed! I would smile and say me five best were around 27lbs. wasn’t that I was a great angler or anything I was doing something different. Everybody knows the crank is my bait. Rogers is ultra shallow being 6ft at its deepest spot in the middle of the lake. The crank was my killer bait. I would watch anglers throw spinner baits all day and catch nothing. I could move into that same spot with my crank and pick up three chunks after they just moved out. I really believe some of those fish had become conditioned to spinner baits because that and the worm were all people would throw. I so believe that fish become conditioned that I even started to alter some of my cranks…..drilling them out and removing bb’s and adding oils to alter the baits rattle. Just my input. Keithdog I hope you don’t mind me throwing my crank up in you post! here's a few rogers chunks

[kennethdaysale]

Hey CB those are some good looking fish. I agree that fish...especially small water bass can get lure shy, obviously more so where there's a lot of catch and release going on.

On a totally unrelated note....can't help but notice the MASSIVE salt water cooler in the boat. Do you also dabble in shiner fishing...looks like what we used to use to keep big Goldens fresh.

Ps...that guy in pic #2 looks like somebody who's dead-dog serious about his fishing!!

[keithdog]

Well, I've noticed a couple that looked like they had been caught before, but for the most part, no. I think the reason for this is because of the lakes here in town that I fish, access is poor. One is simply a beach launch with very little parking, which helps keep down the number of boats. The other lake, the concrete launch is so shallow and poor and without a pier to tie off to that few want to even launch there. Of the ones who do launch there, probably 70% are fishing with live bait for panfish. There are some dedicated bass fisherman that do join me, but not many. Now there are some larger lakes within 1-2 hours from me with good launches that get a LOT of bass fishing pressure so it may be a different story over there. I don't fish those lakes since I am fishing from such a small boat, no outboard, and a truck I don't trust to take out of town.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

CB says I pity the fool that talks to my crankbait!

Looks like a jam up livewell to me.

And on the subject, but sort of a different spectrum. We were talking about deer on I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rogue today. Some nights you might see 50-100 deer standing on the side of the interstate, but seldom will you ever see 1 laying belly up (Maybe seen 2 in 15 years of frequent travel through there. And it is rumored to happened over reindeer games). I think over the years they have adapted to not cross the highway in sort of an evolution way. I could be playing in some other galaxy, but just my opinion.

And take fishing for example. The lures that smashed them in some places of yester year won't get hit by a gar today. But we go out and buy something different or try a different technique, and bam, we are back on fish. And like KD mentioned in another post. Jitterbugs, hardly no one uses them anymore. When they were hot as lava, KD said he couldn't put a fish on it, but over time they have died out of popularity and generations have passed without seeing it. And now KD said he lays the smacketh down with them. Just my babble for the moment (And I have 2 weeks left, it could get worse).

[Crankbait]

Ken no it’s a livewell…….crazy I know but I’m on a Frankenstein boat sooooo ya do what ya gotta do. I’ll have to send some pics on the renovation on the livewell. The only live bait fishing I have done was in Florida for Snook and Redfish……it was awesome. Had to learn to throw a casting net and actually carried one with me to catch pinfish, and baby mullet for bait......ps always serious about my fishing ....but have been told to smile more

[dave0943]

I live in Upper MI. I have a lake about 3 miles from home. It sure lives up to it's name!
Bass Lake. My son and I put the boat in there a few times a week. We usually catch at least 25 bass every time we go. There is mostly Small Mouth but we will catch at least a quarter of our catch LM. We do catch a few that has been caught before. The bass in this lake are healhy and grow large for this far north. I have caught quite a few smallies over 4 Lbs.One just a hair over 6lbs This lake never gets to much pressure like some of the more famous southern lakes. Last year a guy caught a bass 8lbs. 9 0z. That bass was caught more than once he said. His mouth had some damage from being hooked.
A bass that size in the north is a trophy.

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by dave0943

I live in Upper MI. I have a lake about 3 miles from home. It sure lives up to it's name!
Bass Lake. My son and I put the boat in there a few times a week. We usually catch at least 25 bass every time we go. There is mostly Small Mouth but we will catch at least a quarter of our catch LM. We do catch a few that has been caught before. The bass in this lake are healhy and grow large for this far north. I have caught quite a few smallies over 4 Lbs.One just a hair over 6lbs This lake never gets to much pressure like some of the more famous southern lakes. Last year a guy caught a bass 8lbs. 9 0z. That bass was caught more than once he said. His mouth had some damage from being hooked.
A bass that size in the north is a trophy.

Sounds like you have a sweet body of water to fish at up there. People often underestimate how good bass fishing can be in the far north. Some of the best bass fishing I ever experienced in my life came from northern Minnesota.