If I had one bait to choose for the rest of my days it would be a 3/8 oz. single spin chartreuse in color.

Lots of good reasons to choose a plastic worm. I'm just not that happy with fishing them. Boring is the easiest answer, but missing fish because I suck comes high on the list too.

I can cover lots of water fast. I can fish deep or shallow. Fast or slow retrieves. Generally the fish hook themselves.

5" Yamamoto senko, green pumpkin are my favorite. We have really clear, spring fed lakes up here and those seem to work the best. I wacky rig them, and use a green o-ring around the middle and place the hook under that, rather than through the worm itself (helps the bait last longer). I also use jigs with white-tailed grubs and spinnerbait during pre-spawn, but the senkos are the most consistent year-round.

I'd invest in either a kayak or small Jon boat and fish the edge of those Lilly pad beds. If it's anything like our local lakes, there will be a ton of bass in there.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
I have NEVER had luck with spinner baits or rattle traps. Worms, mixed results.

As long as you've got stuff that works for you, that's all that matters. I've caught literally hundreds of bass on those lures, including a handful in the 7-11 lb. range. They're in the pantheon of greatest bass lures of all time; especially spinnerbaits and soft plastic worms.

quote:

Originally posted by rusbro:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
I have NEVER had luck with spinner baits or rattle traps. Worms, mixed results.

As long as you've got stuff that works for you, that's all that matters. I've caught literally hundreds of bass on those lures, including a handful in the 7-11 lb. range. They're in the pantheon of greatest bass lures of all time; especially spinnerbaits and soft plastic worms.

I'm sure you have. Different things work in different area's and it's quite possibly I was working the spinner baits too fast or whatever.

Is it r e a l l y "fishing" if you don't have
$80,000.00 worth of fishing rig?
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pini...cf80ce26e87c9ea9.jpg

^^^^^^Awww shit. Obviously I can't go until I get one!

Always had great success with sinker, bobber and salmon eggs. Another variation is a bottom pencil lead in a surgical tubing rig with a 2 foot leader followed by a hook with a small marshmellow floating under the surface 4 foot down. Sit back with a good ale and wait for the strikes. If you have to keep casting and reeling in you are not fishing, you just have ADD.

Looks like there is a lot of grass and weeds growing in the lake.

This will make shore fishing a pain and you will lose a lot of rigs.

See how much for someone would charge to dredge bottom in some areas to get rid of the under growth.

Plant catfish they will help in cleaning the bottom a bit.

Get a float tube and get out in the middle and fish with rubber worms with the hook point protected in the worm.

Crawdads will help eat the vegetation down a bit and their tails make good catfish bait. Not bad eating also.

Catfish throw a line and comeback to check it next morning. Chicken liver or liver, night crawlers works well for Catfish bait.

These are all tips from a friend that also had his own like.

quote:

Originally posted by ontmark:
Looks like there is a lot of grass and weeds growing in the lake.

This will make shore fishing a pain and you will lose a lot of rigs.

See how much for someone would charge to dredge bottom in some areas to get rid of the under growth.

Plant catfish they will help in cleaning the bottom a bit.

Get a float tube and get out in the middle and fish with rubber worms with the hook point protected in the worm.

Crawdads will help eat the vegetation down a bit and their tails make good catfish bait. Not bad eating also.

Catfish throw a line and comeback to check it next morning. Chicken liver or liver, night crawlers works well for Catfish bait.

These are all tips from a friend that also had his own like.

I don't know about a float tube in Florida. Never been there myself but I've heard if it's water and in Florida it's got gators. No thanks.

The first thing I'd do is get to light spinning set ups. one with a couple split shot sinkers about 12" above a #4 hook and the other with weighted styrofoam float about 15" above the same hook. Apply a large nightcrawler to each hook and throw them out there.

That's my lazy fishing setup for my local pond. It catches bass and catfish on both setups. Some days the bottom sitting setup does better, somedays the floating setup does better.

If I'm not feeling lazy I'll throw wacky rigged Senkos for the bass but 90% of the time I use ultralight rigs with bells on them and get lost in a book. The bells let me know when it's time to fight.

These are the floats. I get them at Walmart. I absolutely love them. They don't break if you cast into rocks, they are weighted for easy casting and greater distance, they go on super easy and they are pretttu visible.
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com...scpage-THFNFPSF.html

Small Jon boat, electric motor and I have always been fond of the many styles of crank baits. Fly fishing for bass would be great as well but I cannot help you with that.

Don't let your dog hang around within 30 feet of the edge.

If you just have to, keep him on a leash and be sure there's a three foot wire leader on his end.

Alligators love marshmallows.

Asking fisherman "what is the best lure" is like asking a gun board "what is the best first gun?" You'll get a lot of opinion, hard to say how much is fact.

I've been fresh water fishing for over 40 years. I've learned a few key things:
1. Fish react to movement, color, and sound
2. This is not consistent and changes with time of year, day, weather conditions
3.Not every "killer" bait will work for you

I'll try and explain...
Fish react to movement, color, and sound: Freshwater fish can be voracious or very selective in what they strike. As an example, on our lake in Northern Michigan I have always been successful with blue/silver #9 floating Rapala. 4th weekend nothing. Switched to one with yellow and orange and literally had a strike every cast. Movement with most freshwater baits relates to retrieve speed. Many have to be retrieved at a certain speed to do anything but drag through the water, but the rest is to you. To highlight the previous example, a slow lazy retrieve was getting bass and bluegill hits, a faster retrieve was killing perch. Movement equates to noise in the water. Surface baits make splashes, plops, glugs, etcs. Some even have little rattles in them. Again, success varies

Weather plays a lot into how fish strike. Generally speaking there are a few key times a day when fish will feed/strike. Solunar Tables help. Sunny, partly cloudy, overcast, can impact fish activity. Water temperature can play into this as well.

Most fisherman have their 'pet lures" that work well for them. I'm a big fan of Rapala and a few others. My dad has never had luck with those on the same lake. He is a big fan of rubber worms, crawlers, and jigs, I've never had much luck with those. Manufacturers claim their bait is the fish killer, I don't always agree, in fact most of them are just casting weights in my tackle box.

WIth all of that said, here are my suggestions:
1. Find a local small bait & tackle shop and talk to them
2. Find some locals who fish in the area and see what they use
3. Based on that, buy some examples of what they like and have at it.
4 A medium weight 6-7' rod with 6-8lbs test line is a good start for most freshwater species
5. A small pair of medical forceps/hemostats are good for removing hooks.
6. A small net can help land fish

Fly fishing is a whole different conversation...

Always remember, a bad day on the lake (casting no catching) is better than a great day in the office

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
Small Jon boat, electric motor and I have always been fond of the many styles of crank baits. Fly fishing for bass would be great as well but I cannot help you with that.

If not a Jon boat, look at a canoe or a Kayak. I've been having a blast fishing out of a Kayak this year.

If no one has been fishing there then the bass should hit just about anything they think is something they usually eat.

If you know how long since the bass were stocked, then you can estimate what size you can expect to catch.

Locals that haven't fished that specific lake won't have a clue, but will have tons of advice [edited to add] about fishing in the immediate area.

I'd focus more on how to get around the lake.

I'd start with 10-pound light color braided line due to the grass, 1/16-ounce bullet weights, 2/0 round bend worm hooks, and a bag each of light and dark color Zoom regular trick worms, Texas rigged, and see what happens, for about $25.

If you haven't used braid before, then you will have to learn how to spool it onto the reel, and may have to learn a couple of different knots. I recommend light color line so you can see it, many braids come in dark green and is hard to see as you need to watch the line.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mikeyspizza,

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
Small Jon boat, electric motor and I have always been fond of the many styles of crank baits. Fly fishing for bass would be great as well but I cannot help you with that.

If not a Jon boat, look at a canoe or a Kayak. I've been having a blast fishing out of a Kayak this year.

I've been thinking about this myself. Are you using a sit in, or sit on Kayak?

For a pond that size, a small boat is a big help. Canoe, kayak, or a small jonboat with an electric trolling motor.

Plastic worms are great bass baits. I get bored fishing them, and don't very often. I probably miss a lot of fish.

Spinner baits can reach all but the deepest waters, and your pond may not have anything that deep. Buzz baits for topwaters. Plastic floating frogs can be good when they bite on top. Zara spooks. All manner of crankbaits.

Fly tackle is lots of fun.

I don't know much about crappie, but you may be right.

There are probably catfish in there. Almost certainly.

And lots of panfish.

My best advice is to find a local fishing forum, and read. Ask questions. You'll learn what people are using at any time of the year and under what conditions. Or go down to the local bait and tackle shop and ask.

Please share photos of your catches.

If you practice catch and release, you might also consider going barbless. You can de-barb your hooks with pliers by simply squeezing the barb closed.

Remember, it's called fishing NOT catching, so it's more about the time spent.

I fish mostly artificial lures but have been known to cast live shiners on those hydrilla covered florida lakes to great effect.

http://blog.sweetwaterfishingt...ty-of-shiner-fishing

Otherwise, I am mostly a soft plastics guy. Trick worm, fluke (which mimics the shiner), or senko, and then a pig n jig, are my go-to's.

quote:

Originally posted by craigcpa:
Carolina or Texas rig worms. I'll try to get my Phitobucket drawing uploaded elsewhere.

Yes a Texas rig..
Here's a video on how to rig and fish them...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6TcMYYzcHg