Just getting started

[sikwitit]

I really love this website first of all!!!!! I love the outdoors and i decided to try bass fishing. Even though I use to fish for catfish a while back, I always had an interest with bass. So recently I went and bought some lures for different climates abd stuff like that and so far I've had no luck. About 4 of my lures got snagged by an unseen stump. I really wanna have fun catching bass but right now it is kinda frustrating. I just wanted some tips or advice on what i can do to help my chances to catch fish. Thanks for any tips.

[bamabassman]

well FIRST AND FOREMOST, WLECOME TO THE BEST SITE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB BUDDY. relax, kick off oyur shoes, loosen up that belt an prepare to have some fun.

now...bac to your questions. now take it easy, and tell us in detail what type of waters you are fishing, what type of rod and reel, line size and so forth. and then tell us what bait oyu have tied on.

see, the more you tell us as to what oyu are doing, the better we can help oyu. right now is just about the perfect time to REALLY start catching some bass in the south. so the more info oyu can give us, the better we can help you.

[sikwitit]

well right now i ve tried just some basic spinnerbaits and lipless crank baits. i fish at a good size lake it's maybe 6 acres. my rod is a 6 6 med action with a daiwa baitcaster with 12 lb test. there isnt any trees in the lake it is really spotless. i see alot of people fishing there but i'm not sure if people catch anything there or not. i kinda want to know how can i judge if i'm headed in the right direction.

[bamabassman]

ok, now......where EXACTLY are you fihsing in this lake? shallow? deep?

now if it were me, oyur rod and reel and line ok. i would use that spinnerbait along the DAM side FIRST. let it sink aobut 5 seconds before you start retrieving it. and reel SLOWLY, you will feel the bottom at some point. bumping it along the bottom as you bring it in.
or you can buz it right along the top (just barely under water) along the edges of the banks along the sides from shallow to deep. some call this BURNING it across the top. this is as close to a buzz bait with a spinner you can get.
the lipless cranks can be used slong the dam area as well. but oyu have to be careful not to let it go too deep. it iwll get hung on the bottom. try what we call a yo-yo retrieve. inmagine a yo-yo going up and down as oyu bring it in. up and down. understand?

or use the reel---stop---jerk----reel retrieve. this works too.


just use your inmagineation and try to make the lure look like a dying baitfish. the yo-yo will also work witht he spinnerbait.


it takes time and patience to learn all the tricks. i haven't learned HALF of them andi have been fishing for over 40 yrs.

onemore thing. next time oyu got to the store, get you some worms and izzards (soft plastics). learnt ot texas rig them and try them. you'll be snatching hawgs out before you know it pal.

[sikwitit]

wow i had no clue all that went into fishing. looks like i have alot learn. i will give that a try tomorrow morning. thanks!

[sikwitit]

with all the different worm sizes and hook sizes, how do u know which hook works best for the different sizes of worms?

[keithdog]

Welcome to the forums sikwitit. Like your user name by the way. lol Have fun here and enjoy the company which can get pretty darn goofy at times. haha Great bunch of guys here. Please feel free to ask anything and contribute what you like. My advice to you is to first practice your casting technique and get it down pat. Learn to pitch cast so that you can drop a lure right on target with barely a splash. That alone will take you a long way. Read, watch videos and pay attention to other anglers. Watch and learn. Like Bama said, it takes time. A lifetime really. One never stops learning. Use a couple different lures at a time untill you know how to work them well before moving on to other types of lures. Taking too big a bite right away only leads to frustration. Could you please tell me more about your lake. You made a comment that it was "really spotless". Does that mean it really has no cover at all such as weedbeds, docks, fallen trees or logs, and so forth? Is the water clear or murky or somewhere in between?

[M_A_C_K]

sounds like you need to go weedless where you're fishing, most of the time you'll catch bass in less than 15 feet of water. Not always they do migrate depending on water temperature. Try some weedless jigs or spinnerbaits, not the inline spinners cuz those get hung up on anything they touch... you want what they call safety pin spinners like this one below... and you should get some berkley power worms with the ribbontail and texas rig it. good way to start catching bass without feeling so frustrated. below is a berkley power worm

[sikwitit]

Originally Posted by keithdog

Welcome to the forums sikwitit. Like your user name by the way. lol Have fun here and enjoy the company which can get pretty darn goofy at times. haha Great bunch of guys here. Please feel free to ask anything and contribute what you like. My advice to you is to first practice your casting technique and get it down pat. Learn to pitch cast so that you can drop a lure right on target with barely a splash. That alone will take you a long way. Read, watch videos and pay attention to other anglers. Watch and learn. Like Bama said, it takes time. A lifetime really. One never stops learning. Use a couple different lures at a time untill you know how to work them well before moving on to other types of lures. Taking too big a bite right away only leads to frustration. Could you please tell me more about your lake. You made a comment that it was "really spotless". Does that mean it really has no cover at all such as weedbeds, docks, fallen trees or logs, and so forth? Is the water clear or murky or somewhere in between?

yes, that's what i mean. i was thinking that i needed to look for cover or docks but this lake does'nt have any of that. and the water is pretty murky.

[keithdog]

That amkes it kinda tough then. I'd be trying to find beaklines then such as an old creek bed, drop offs, or any other changes in the lakes bottom and start working those areas. If you can secure a topo map of the lake that will make things much easier to start with. Otherwise, spending a day exploring the lake with a depth finder and making your own map marking interresting changes in the bottom structure would be well worth the time.

[M_A_C_K]

Or if you're like me you can always use a canoe and your intuition... works for me

[bamabassman]

ok, murky water is ok for a pnd. take that spinnerbait and as oyu are STANDING in the middle of the dam area. cast to the left AND right banks. bring it in fast, then slow till oyu get a bite. this tells you what kind of presentation you need to hook them with.
also get you a jig and some plastic trailers lie a brush hawg or something. throw it out in the middle of the lake and yo-yo it back in. skip it, drag it. try that and see what oyu get. worms work this way too.

[M_A_C_K]

I recommend the berkley powerworm cuz i've seen alot of friends catch some of there first bass on those when they're having troubles learning there way around all the lures. But don't worry it just takes a little research and you can know all the gear in no time.



Oh and you may want to switch lakes if you can't find any fish after a certain amount of time. Some lakes can't support big fish because they don't have enough oxygen flow... the best lakes are always spring fed.

[smittyman]

welcome to the forum man! like everyone else said, this is the best fishing forum on the web. if you're not sure on something, always feel free to ask, and always listen to what bama says. HAHA! also, i would go check out some of the instructional videos provided by kevin on this site. they're all very informative. catching bass is an art and it takes lots and lots of practice. stick with it and you will be fine.

as for the water you're fishing, if there isn't ANY visible cover, and you dont have a boat/sonar, i would look for new water haha, but the best place to start your search would be near any visible cover/laydowns, lilypads (throw weedless frogs). and the best searching lure would be spinnerbaits, just like bama said. making whatever your throwing resemble an injured shad will give you the best chance at a hit.

have fun man!

[sikwitit]

thanks gents! i ll be sure to try everything i have read.

[flukefreak]

Welcome to the forum sik ,now where exactly are you fishin cuz i know alot about the lakes in Griffin ya seeI live in Thomaston.I have been fishin the lakes in and around Griffin for years and maybe i can help ya heck I'll even take ya with me lol.To get a quick bite go to wally world get ya some green pumpkin flukes and trick worms and i can just about guarantee you 'll get bit the lakes around here are warm enough for using these baits now ,give it a try I promise you it;ll work .good luck brother

[sikwitit]

so far i have just tried dundee and the resivour. even though i havent been fishing long, i m not a big fan of them. still trying to find a good spot. if you have any spots. i' ll be sure to try them.

[M_A_C_K]

The walmart, meijers or dunhams doesn't carry flukes or trick worms... *pouts*

[smittyman]

wally by me does.. *thesorryface*

[Jim80]

Hey sikwitit , welcome aboard man. Starting off is kinda tough at first but sticking with it will pay off in the long run . Being new to bass fishing I would start off with a small selection of lures ie soft plastic worms , spinnerbaits and such and really fish them until you get a good feel for what they feel like in the water . It is kinda tough to keep a bait tied on after not catching anything after the first couple casts , but sticking with those couple baits you are starting off with will build your knowledge those baits and get you a little more comfortable on the water . Also I would look around where you live for a smaller body of water like a larger pond or small lake that has a lot of walkable shoreline . In places like that the fish tend to hang out in one area and being able to find that area quickly and start catching fish not only helps you learn your baits but builds a little confidence in what you are doing. Good luck man and enjoy the site .


Jim

[M_A_C_K]

Jim is right... the biggest mistake most fisherman make is changeing lures every 5 minutes before they get a feel of how to use it... and i like that jim reccomended the same type of lures ...

[flukefreak]

ok sik now the reservoir is a good place trick worms are your best bet especially now, jerk baits like a bang-o=lure in black /goldor black and silver also are good but you really need ya a boat to fish it effectively. as far as dundee goes its known as the dead sea by most of the people i know,i can't remember the last time i heard of anyone catching anything in that lake ,now as far as other places to try lake horton is full of bass and some good ones at that carolina rigs and spinnerbaits work well there try it out and let me know how ya do good luck brother

[Lvitch]

Just throw a weightless senko, with a 4/0 hook in , watermellon, green pumpkin or junebug. Pretty much guaranteed to catch fish, even sitting on the bottom doing nothing.

[LeBron_Hill]

I live in Sharpsburg, GA and have been looking for a good body of water for bass fishing. I have been attempting to fish West Point Lake without much luck. We catch a few but they are all a bunch of small spotted bass. Griffin is about 30 mins from my house. I didnt even know that they had any fishing spots there. Could you give me some more info on the location of these places and I also would like to know if they allow you to use a boat in them. Flukefreak, we need to get together and and go fishing one weekend at one of those places. Any info on these locations would be appreciated.

[smittyman]

lebron, use google maps. type in sharpsburg or griffin and just look around man. it will have the lakes/rivers/reservoirs named and everything right there for ya. and if you're really good maybe you could even pick out some creek channels! haha!