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ROYALTON22
Bass Fry
Joined: 09 Feb 2007
Posts: 5
Location: St. Joseph
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 Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:16 pm Post subject: Catching bedding bass |
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| I have had some sucess catching bedding bass but surley am not an expert. I was wondering what specific baits and techniques work best for other guys. Have you noticed that specific baits work well on one lake and not on another?
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bronzeback6
Site Admin
Joined: 22 Jan 2007
Posts: 563
Location: Bridgman, MI
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| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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No one wants to give away all thier secrets for catching spawners but I'll share one.
Every fish is different!! Keep changing baits until you find one that anoys them. Also, some spawners aren't catchable  The ones that aren't catchable leave their beds and don't come back for a while. Catchable spawners react defensivly toward your bait and stare it down.
Justin |
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ROYALTON22
Bass Fry
Joined: 09 Feb 2007
Posts: 5
Location: St. Joseph
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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I know nobody want to give up all their secrets but I think passing around some tips will help all of us. Even the most experienced angler can learn some new tricks. The old you scratch my back I'll scratch yours deal.
Here is one of mine for river smallies on the Joe even though jigs and tubes are a popular bait to throw for these guys in the spring I have a lot of my success on a varity of straight tail worms. The smallies on the St. Joe river in the spring get hit alot harder now than in years past and subtle changes can make a big difference. I have fished behind alot of guys throwing a tubes and catch fish they can't. I think a bait with a different profile does the trick on fish that see alot of baits or when there is a weather change.
Also, for these fish you can't see them on their beds in the dirty water. In some cases, especially if you know you are in the right spawning habitat, slow down! Sometimes I like to let my bait sit a while. I have fished the same water as other guys who come through with a run and gun approach and had success. One tournament on the river after a big cold front I had to let my bait sit 1-2 minutes without moving it to get bites when everyone else was having very little success. When you cast you might not always land right on or near a bed. But smallies are agressive and may swim a long way to investigate a bait. Sometimes I will let my bait sit a long time to get bites other people miss. This works well during periods of weather change. Run and gun works well alot of the time but if this are tough, try slowing down.
Brian
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bronzeback6
Site Admin
Joined: 22 Jan 2007
Posts: 563
Location: Bridgman, MI
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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I have trouble fishing slow for bass on beds that I can't see. I can barely wait for my bait to get to the bottom LOL. Maybe patients comes with age 
I know wierd baits do work on spawners. Two years ago Rich Charleston was catching everything he saw on a bed with a grasshopper colored creature bait. Since then it hasn't worked. I think it your tip about using a bait with a different profile is right on target.
I have always looked at whats going on around the beds e.g. (Whats getting the bass worked up!!) If gills are tormenting the bass then use a blue gill colored bait. If a school of carp just swam by and the bass chased them away, then use a carp colored bait. If the bass are spawning around rocks, then use a crayfish colored bait.
Justin |
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Squad Minnow
GIANT SMALLIE!!!!
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 126
Location: St. Joseph, Michigan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:01 am Post subject: |
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Brian,
Ok, you have me in a sharing mood so I will give you some advice to catching bedding bass. I am no expert but I can usually catch my limit from beds.
1. Good Optics (you need to be able to see the fish)
2. Sweet Spot on Bed (every fish has a spot that they protect)
3. Bait Selection (See me at a tounament and I will show you - sorry guys not on here)
4. knowing prime locations (time on water) - In Paw Paw that year that Rich and I caught that huge limit we caught them in one location within 50 feet of each other and they have not spawned in that place as good since then - I found those fish the before the tournament just looking for ideal bedding spots. |
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profisher
Yellow Perch
Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 30
Location: Freeport
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| Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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| remember in spawn period not all fish are interested in feeding there more worried about protecting there nest and eggs so you have to agravate them into bitting. one good technique for this is using either a yum papai crawler or a jig with a trailer. cast past the nest and work your bait twords the nest once you get to the nest leave it there and just kind of barley wiggle it usually the fish will attack the lure. if that doesnt work then i would go with a wacky rigged bait and hover it over the nest remember dont let the fish see you cast and stay still and be very patient.
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Squad Minnow
GIANT SMALLIE!!!!
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 126
Location: St. Joseph, Michigan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:57 am Post subject: |
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Profisher,
It all depends on the mood of the fish, you have to see how agressive he is on the bait and weather he is locked down or not. There are fish that are not locked and no matter what you do you will not get a bite. In other cases you might run across a smallie and then the story changes because of the aggressive behavior. The problem with many of these local lakes is that the fish are getting more keen on being targeted and are more reluctant than they used to be. I typically will use a tube for fishing unseen beds, but I continue to work the bait rather quickly. |
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profisher
Yellow Perch
Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 30
Location: Freeport
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:20 am Post subject: |
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squad minnow
what lakes do you fish mostly for the spawning bass and how long do you try one fish before targeting another fish? do you fish long lake in barry county
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Squad Minnow
GIANT SMALLIE!!!!
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 126
Location: St. Joseph, Michigan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:50 am Post subject: |
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| I typically fish all lakes that I have tounaments on for spawners, I guess it depends how long you stay on a fish by his size. If the fish is 6lbs he might be worth an hour, you have to decide that on the water as weather catching that one fish will help you out. I am not sure where Long Lake in Barry is actually; I love Paw Paw for spawners as well as Klinger. |
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