|
Bass
Bass Fishing Lake Joseph
I was on the lake for less than an hour and was working my
Rapala Skitter Pop across the surface in 30 feet of water. I had heard
beforehand that “ drop shotting is definitely the way to go on Lake
Joe”. My choice of a topwater lure to entice these deep may have been
the last choice for many anglers … but I knew from past experiences in
similar lakes… the rewards can be remarkable. 12/11
Late Fall St. Francis Smallmouth
When an email from Frank Ramsay popped into my inbox inviting me to
spend a day pre-fishing with him on Lake St. Francis, a stretch of the
St. Lawrence River sectioned off by a series of shipping locks, I was
quick to reply with an affirmative. Frank is a well known B.A.S.S.
competitor and a regular top 10% finisher in the Berkley B1 fall Bass
tournament. 11/11
Bucktail Jigs for Cold Weather Green-Backed Bass
Toss some fur when the water cools for fantastic fall time bassin’…. As
the month of ghosts and goblins descends upon us, determining what trick
or treat to toss for scary-sized bass becomes definite food for thought.
Cooling water and shorter days signifies a change in largemouth bass
behaviour. 10/11
Spoon Some Largies
If spoons are the old time players in the game of fishing, flutter
spoons are certainly the new kids on the block. Originally designed and
developed to target Lake Forks’ offshore Texas bass, the flutter spoon
has become a hot commodity over the last few years. Tournament wins on
Fork and other deep-water ledge lakes are to thank for that, and the
success of the lure has made manufacturers and anglers take notice.
09/11
Fall’s Monsters.
For years I was a diehard deep weed line angler for big fall
largemouth bass. I would fish until the end of November, searching for
the greenest weeds in the lake. Some days were unbelievable, where you
would catch 25 – 30, 3 pound plus buckets, other days you would get 10
or 15. I swore I had the greatest thing going, that is, until I was
invited to fish smallmouth bass in November
Finding Weedline Largemouth Bass
Fishing for Largemouth Bass on deep weed lines is a very
rewarding way fish and there are days that can yield dozens of
largemouth well into the 3 pound mark, and other days were there is
nothing less than 4 pounds being brought to the boat. These bass are
healthy, strong and very, very hungry but the key to unlocking this
potential hot bed of bass activity is figuring out the pattern for the
day.
When Smallies Go Cray-Zee
Smallmouth bass are considered by many to be near if not atop
the pound for pound list of scrappiest freshwater fish. Anyone who’s
battled a big smallie knows what I’m talking about and for those who
haven’t I suggest you get out there and give it a try. There are plenty
of smallmouth producing waters across the province, many with large
numbers of big fish.
Downsizing Tactics for Smallmouth Bass
Having trouble getting smallmouth to smack offerings. Sometimes
the only way to get fussy fish to bite is by downsizing. Here are some
tips on this simple but often ignored technique.
Lure Selection for Largemouth Bass in the Weeds.
When trying to trick a Largemouth Bass in vegetation bait
selection can be a very important ingredient to a successful day on the
water. There are several options available to the weed line angler,
however the first and best advice I can give it to slow down. Forget all
the baits that are horizontal, and focus on vertical, especially during
or after cold fronts or on bright sunny days. This is not to say that
you can’t catch them on a jerkbait or a spinnerbait, however, your odds
are just that much better fishing slow and vertical.
Soft-Jerkbait Tactics for Deep Water Smallmouth Bass
If you haven’t tried using soft-plastic jerkbaits for
deep-water smallmouth bass, you’re missing out on a deadly tactic. It
might seem unorthodox to work a bait running a foot below the surface in
deep water, but it works. To survive, smallies need to be aware of their
environment and for them to skyrocket 20 feet to hit a vulnerable
baitfish frequently happens on many lakes – soft-jerkbaits are one way
to capitalize on this trend.
Giant Early Season Smallmouth Bass
Summer is finally here and for many Ontario fishermen and women this
means a trip to their favourite bass hot spot. There are many different
styles of bass fisherman, whether you are a seasoned tournament angler
or the weekend warrior that fishes around the cottage, smallmouth
fishing can become a complete addiction. Smallmouth bass have often been
referred to as the hardest fighting freshwater fish pound for pound.
Shallow-Running Cranks for Weed-Relating Largemouth
Weeds are one of the most important types of cover in
largemouth bass fishing. Many anglers have become conditioned to toss
Texas-rigged plastics, flipping jigs, topwater frogs and spinnerbaits
around weeds because they’ll not foul easily on stalks and leaves. These
lures will work well, but sometimes shallow-running crankbaits deliver
better catches around weeds. If you’re not tossing crankbaits around
weeds, you’re missing out on a big-fish producer
Spring Smallmouth in New York on Lake Erie
When and where: Lake Erie on the US side is open all year for
bass fishing but by the first Saturday in May the fish and the lake will
be ready for action. There are 3 main places to launch that will get you
within 5-15 miles of the best fishing grounds as well.
Bass Commandments
But as with any technique, there are countless ways to improve upon the
end result, mainly through refinements and the changing of old ways. The
following list of commandments offer an excellent starting point for
this coming season – and hopefully provides the guidance to bring you
more and bigger bass for 2009
Pulling
Largies Through the Ice
Catching largemouth bass through the hardened surface of northern
Ontario lakes is an exercise in fun, thrills and excitement. While most
ice angler’s turn to panfish or walleye to whet their appetite, those
that are searching for line-peeling pulls and hefty weights need look no
further than old greenback himself. Understanding locational factors and
on-ice techniques will get you into the thick of things, while also
creating a never-ending bass season for those willing to give it a try.
You gotta love that!
Shake Your
Way to More Bass
The "shaky head" phenomenon has walloped the bass angling community by
storm, garnering this finesse-style of fishing plenty of water time.
Although the technique is still in its infancy, the doors it can open
(especially when targeting those hard-to-catch bass,) make the
application a must-have for this upcoming season.
 Three
Foolproof Topwater Tactics for Smallmouth Bass
This article concentrates on three foolproof topwater baits for
smallmouth bass: prop baits, poppers and cigar-style lures. Each has a
different action on the surface and all regularly fool smallmouth bass.
Soft-Stickbait Tips for Smallmouth Bass
There's nothing fancy in the design of a soft-plastic stickbait, but its
fish-catching ability is far from ordinary. On days when finesse tactics
are what's catching fish, a Senko or similar style stickbait is one of a
handful of lures I'll rely on to coax smallies into biting. Here are
some tips on fishing the simple but effective soft plastics known as
stickbaits.
Wake Up
Some Bass
Wake baits are taking the bass movement by storm, and for good reason.
These tantalizing cranks give new meaning to the term "topwatering," and
provide a niche factor for garnering strikes when other baits fail to
make the grade. Come and uncover the wake craze - its one bait worth
doing a background check on.
Spinnerbaits Tricks for Largemouth
Spinnerbaits put plenty of largies in my boat each season. A
tried-and-true lure, they sometime produce catches for me on days when
nothing else delivers. Much has been written about using these baits, in
this piece I want to share four of my best spinnerbait strategies for
landing more bucketmouths.
Smallmouth Vertical Jigging Tips
There are certain days when a vertical jigging approach is the best way
to catch the most and biggest smallmouth bass in a lake. In this article
I'll share some tips to improve your success for this effective
presentation. Whether you use tubes, drop-shot rigs or spoons,
practicing your vertical presentation tactics during summer will ensure
you're ready to catch fat, football sized bronze backs come autumn.
Fooling
the Largemouth of Fall
Hunting trophy largemouth can be one heck of an addictive sport. The
pursuit demands patience, stamina, and the utmost in determination. And
although wading through two and three-pounders is fun unto itself - it
is sliding your net under that rare giant of a fish that truly makes
this obsession worthwhile.
Make a Change
this Bass Season
With the season scant weeks away, an excitement is building for those that
have a profound love for bass. I myself make no excuse for my affinity to
these green and brown fish - a specie that can tug, tussle and splash with
the best of them. But how many of us are in a rut when it comes to chasing
this pugnacious adversary? For those that throw the same bait, to the same
patch of pads, with that same ten-year-old spinning combo, then this
fishing makeover is tailor-made for you.
Toad Rigging
Tactics
When conditions are right, I like nothing more than catching largemouth
bass on soft-plastic top water baits. Whether you like hollow-bodied frogs
or the slimmer profile of toads (also called swimming frogs), both are
outstanding baits. In this article, I'll cover some tips for rigging and
fishing toads to put more largemouth bass in your boat this season.
Cold Fronts &
Deep Weedlines for Largemouth
Cold fronts will challenge your angling skills. This is mainly because
fronts send most fish into a negative mood, and largemouth bass are no
exception. To successfully fool largies, you need to learn to recognize
what stage of a front you're fishing and match your presentation
accordingly. In most cases, fishing deep water is the best strategy once a
front has passed.
Shad-Feeding Smallmouth Tactics
When shad school up in the summer over open, deep water areas, smallmouth
bass won't be far behind. For anglers who may wonder, "Why aren't the
smallies in the rocky shallows?" In many lakes I fish, the answer is often
that the bronzebacks are chasing schools of shad. You can catch these
roaming smallies with a variety of baits. Here's how.
Trolling for
Offshore Smallies
I first stumbled upon deep-water bass trolling in 2002, while fishing at a
friend's cottage on a lake west of Ottawa, Ontario. It was early fall and
the foliage was beginning its colourful transformation, a sure sign
smallmouth would be putting on the feedbag. After scouring the shoreline
for most of the morning with little to show for our efforts, we decided it
was time for a change of pace.
 Ten Tips For
Flipping and Pitching
If there are two techniques that have accounted for more and bigger
largemouth in my boat over the years, they have to be flipping and
pitching. Not only are these short-string tactics both finesse and
heavy-handed, they are also a ton of fun to perfect and execute
Largies on
Rocks - The Flipping Jig Solution
Largemouth bass and green vegetation have become a unanimous equation for
locating and catching fish. Toss in some docks, laydowns and slop, and the
basics of the bassin' game are seemingly covered. Or are they?
Biking For
Bass
It had been a stressful day and I wanted to unwind outside and be near
water. I didn't have enough time to take my boat and go fishing, so I
opted for the next best thing. I grabbed a few lures, strapped my fishing
rod to my bike, and peddled to a few shoreline fishing spots along a bike
path
Deep-Water
Jigging for Smallies
The fall colours were in full effect, dotting the shoreline on a crisp,
October morning. I was fishing for deep-water smallmouth around rocks and
boulders in 20-30 feet of water. I jiggled my tube jig along, paused, and
then felt a slight tick. I set the hook and the fight began. The three
pound smallie bulldogged for a few minutes, but eventually got in net
range and was landed. After the hook was popped out, the chunky specimen
swam away strongly after being released.
Scoring Big
Bass with Football Jigs
The variety of jigs available at a tackle shop can be mind-numbing to
anglers. Although their differences may appear trivial, jig heads are
designed for specific fishing situations. The football jig is a bait
that's often overlooked, but deadly on bass. Here's some advice on why and
when you need to fish them.
Setting Your
Sights on a Trophy
Everything in life seems to garner respect for being big. Big cars, big
houses and of course, big wallets. The same can be said for fishing, where
average-sized fish get nary a raised brow, yet oversized monsters are akin
to hitting the lottery jackpot.
Season-Ending
Largies
As the days grow shorter and the leaves take on their colourful hues, an
anticipation and excitement begins to build, of which I have waited all
summer for - - - fall time bassin'. This end-of-season pilgrimage to my
favourite largemouth haunts is the highlight of the season for me. At no
other time of the year can I experience waterways that are void of boats,
jet skies and tubers, but bursting with rod-busting bucketmouths, with
nary another angler in sight. Keep the boat going until the ghouls come
out in October, and I can guarantee some of the biggest and most plentiful
bass you have ever reckoned with.
Soft-Plastics
For Bass
You don't always need to flip pockets in heavy weeds to catch bass. In
fact, one of my preferred options for uprooting largemouth from heavy
cover is throwing soft-plastic topwaters. These baits can be rigged to be
virtually weedless and their soft bodies make them more lifelike to bass
than hard-plastic baits. Although flipping can be fun, there's nothing
like a bucketmouth exploding at the surface, separating lilly pads and
sending slop flying.
The Ten
Commandments of Topwatering
The art of angling is built upon many different techniques and methods in
order to catch fish. From tossing a crank, hopping a tube, or burning a
spinnerbait, the options are wide open for the intuitive rod slinger.
For those searching out heart-stopping action and high-energy thrills,
however, tempting fish on the surface is a hands down winner, if only for
the visual aspect of boiling water and the crashing of fish. Here are ten
tips to get the most out of your topwater experience.
Work The Flats
for Wandering Largemouth
Flat fishing for largemouth bass can produce
predictable and exciting action for anglers searching for fruitful days on
the water. Not only do flats hold tremendous numbers of fish, they also
hold a large number of trophies, hidden from prying eyes throughout this
great expanse of "nothingness." Learning when to hit the flats, and what
to use, will be your greatest strength when it comes to limiting out on
the water with this tried and true technique.
Tweak Your
Jig and Pig for Optimum Results
The jig and pig is a classic bait that catches a ton of largemouth bass.
It offers the angler versatility because it can be used with so many
different techniques and tactics….from flippin' to pitchin' and docks to
slop. They've accounted for many of my biggest largemouth over the years,
and are the only bait I turn to when a tournament win is on the line
Boat
Control is Vital When Playing the Bassin' Game
Before you fire off that fateful cast in search of the next trophy bass,
have you considered the position of your boat? The majority of anglers
neglect to realize that boat position, and how you work your rig can play
an important part in the success you achieve. Although it will ultimately
be up to you to put the fish in the boat, your approach before and during
each cast is a crucial link in the game of catching bass.
Sorting
Through the Spinnerbaits for Bass
Spinnerbaits and largemouth bass go together like bread and butter.
Although they have been on the tackle shelves for a long time, the
effectiveness and efficiency of these baits make them a top choice for
bass anglers all over North America. But where do you start when it comes
to choosing the right spinnerbait for the job at hand? Follow these simple
techniques and learn to turn this simple bait into a deadly bass machine
Knock on Docks for
Bruiser Bass
Finding bass on any given lake can often be a challenging
task. With so many places to occupy in a body of water, anglers may spend
more time looking for fish than actually fishing for them
Fall Bass
When Zeke and I launched the boat on Crooked Nose Bay a flock of Canada
Geese lazily watched the launching operation before their next leg south
to their winter nesting grounds. It is time for autumn bass angling.
Largemouth
By The Light Of The Moon
Working the nightshift in search of big
bucketmouths can be a profitable and exciting endeavour for those anglers
looking for a new twist in the bassin' game. Fishing under the moon
comes with its own set of rules and techniques because once the sun sets,
you really are smack down in the middle of the largemouth's playing field.
Come and explore the graveyard shift and discover all the action that
you've been missing.
Crank Up
That Next Smallie
Crankbaits have a universal appeal when it
comes to luring in smallmouth bass. Whether they represent a baitfish or
crawdad to the opportunistic bass, the end result is always the same -
another bass in the boat. Although crankbaits come in hundreds of styles
and shapes, a select few can get the job done right when applied
correctly. Utilize these tips and tricks the next time you hit the water,
and have fun cranking in bass after bass.
Seven
Tricks for Improving Your Bassin' Results
Bass fishing is a game
of highs and lows. Going from banner days on the water to empty live wells
the next is a fact of life when chasing these challenging adversaries.
There are, however, a number of tricks that can improve and elevate your bassin' game to the next level. Test these out on your next trip to the
lake and watch your success jump in leaps and bounds.
Twitching Your
Way to a Bass Bonanza
Cast. Twitch, twitch, twitch….pause. Fish
on! Throwing twitchbaits to bass can lead to some exciting days on the
water - and some big bass to boot. Twitchbaits mimic the natural look and
action of a baitfish to a T, and therein lies the reason for their
incredible fish-catching abilities. Try your hand at the following "twitch
tactics," and reap the rewards that the bass gods will shine down on you.
Spicing Up for
Autumn Appetites
The next best venue is an established outside weedline, but only one that materializes off a large weed flat.
Additionally, my top weedlines setup next to major drop-offs and
incorporate a few weeded fingers. And as far as weed composition goes,
nothing outshines deep coontail. Unlike cabbage and milfoil, coontail
holds its characteristics – baitfish sanctuary, oxygen, shade, etc. –
throughout the fall.
Toss the
Versatile 'Flipping Jig' for More and Bigger Bass
The flipping
jig, or jig-and-pig as it is commonly called, is one of the simplest
looking baits on the market that routinely accounts for huge stringers of
bass year after year. For the majority of anglers, throwing the bait to
the odd dock or tree is the extent of its usage. For those in the know,
however, the sky is the limit when it comes to where and how to throw this
versatile lure. Learn the ins and outs of the 'jig-and-pig,' and watch
your catch rate grow in leaps and bounds
Bass & Slop
Soon the shorelines and shallow sections of small bays and coves will fill
with slop and weeds. Don't avoid them because they seem so thick. This is
the under water forest for bass. The bass moves through the slop like a
deer hunter through the forest. Slop in shallow weed choked flats can hold
some big bass.
Timely
Tactics for 'Negative-Mood' Largemouth
Nothing can frustrate an
angler more than targeting largemouth bass that are in a definite finicky
mode. The more lures you throw at them, the more they seem to turn up
their noses and silently mock your futile efforts. If fronts, dog days of
summer or pressured fish are bringing you down, try these proven tactics
in order to put more largemouth in the boat during these "tough times."
Vertical
Jigging for Suspended Smallies
Retrieving baits and lures in a
horizontal fashion is one of the most commonly utilized and effective
techniques in fishing today. There are times, however, when a vertical
approach may be your best bet when dealing with certain situations.
Smallmouth that suspend in open water is one key period where vertical
jigging a lure will outshine and out produce any other methods on the
market.
Football
Jigs for Bass
Bass have been eating football – “roller” – jigs for
years. In fact, the lures gained tremendous popularity in the early 90’s,
but have since lost some identity. These days, most guys lump bass jigs
together, labeling them ‘jigs & pigs’, not paying much attention to
specific designs.
The Basic
Lures for Lunker Largemouth
For those anglers that have caught a
severe case of the "bassin' bug," deciding on what lures and baits to
choose can be a complicated and difficult decision. Breaking down the
collection of baits into five significant and productive types will help
all those new to bass fishing get a better handle on what to throw a
largemouth's way. Stock your tackle box up with each of the following
lures and watch how simplified the bassin' game can be and how your
success rate will seemingly skyrocket.
|
