# Need suggestions?



## tipul3 (Jan 29, 2008)

I am what I would call a Junior bass fisherman, although I am 44 years old and have fished my whole life I am still learning and really enjoy it. I only fish local ponds around the Mansfield area, no boat. I have been out 5 times this spring. The first 3 times I caught 35 smaller Largemouth mostly on smaller crappie type spinner baits and rubber worms. The last 2 times I have been out which was this past Sunday and today I did'nt even get a bite??? I used the same presentation as the first 3 times same lures and then I even went to buzz baits and crank baits?? Any suggestions would be great. At the ponds on Sunday i could see the bass but the really did'nt seem interested or they would swim to it and back off? When this would happen i would change lures or presentations but nothing worked.Anyone who might know of a pond near the Mansfield area that might let me fish please let me know.  Also what do you recommend for trying to catch larger bass, probably the biggest I have caught would only be a couple pounds?


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## seapro (Sep 25, 2007)

A place you might want to fish is Sites Lake. It is part of Charles Mill...... a small pond that has public access. You can find it off of St Rte. 30 on Trout Drive. I have caught some very nice bass there.... 5-6 pounders. 

Spinner baits, jig n pigs, soft plastic swim baits, trick worms and chatter baits work well for me. Basically throw everything you have at them. I've had times where I couldn't get a fish and finally went to another bait and caught five in one hour, in the same water I had just covered. In the situation you described though I would try a wacky worm, drop shot or carolina rigged worm, worked very slow. 

Don't feel bad about not catching anything Sunday, I was out at Clearfork and couldn't buy a fish. Could have netted four bass I saw swimming on top of the water though (not sure what that was about?) I was trolling along the shoreline and would look down and see a bass, just very lethargically swimming on top of the water. One of them was a good 5 lbs. I could have easily scooped any of them up??? Have seen that on the water before but not so many at one time.


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## tipul3 (Jan 29, 2008)

I stopped at Clear Fork Friday after work made about 20-30 casts and did,nt catch a thing, by the way I live in Lexington.Thanks for the tips!


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

Hey tipul3,
Stay tuned to this site and you will learn plenty. You are asking questions. And that is good.
If you live in the Mansfield area, I remember fishing on St. Rt. 603 under a bridge somewhere about 28-years ago and catching a bass over 4-pounds. Can you guess what I caught it on? I'll give you a hint. It was near some cover on a bright sunny day and nobody else caught a fish.


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## madcrappiekids (Mar 11, 2006)

I'm there with you on the fairly new to Bass - this is only my second year of actually focusing on them. So far I have just stayed with a couple baits til i get them to work then try something different. I learn two things this way...what to use and when and what not to use and when.

good luck and have fun!


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## cast n catch em18 (Jan 14, 2008)

my suggestion when they swim to it and back off would be to slam a bait right in front of their face to piss them off....i like to throw a weightless worm that has some great action and rip it right in front of em...i'll do that or rip a jerk bait then let it rise back up for a second or two and then WHAM! when chosing between the two really depends on the weather conditions..it works for me should try it out sometime, wish i knew something about where you located but dont, good luck and fish on


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## Wolfhook120 (Oct 17, 2007)

I would also look at the time of season in this situation. Pond bass get weird as the spawning season approches. The water warms faster in ponds, which for a short while the fishing may be fast and furoius, but then the next day you can't buy a single bite! Also keep in mind that the thermoclines in ponds change faster, and they react much faster to changing weather conditions. You could do everything right, but this is spring, they're on one day and off the next, remember, they've got "other" things on their mind that they are trying to get ready for.


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## tipul3 (Jan 29, 2008)

thanks to all!!


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

Wolfhook120 said:


> I would also look at the time of season in this situation. Pond bass get weird as the spawning season approches. The water warms faster in ponds, which for a short while the fishing may be fast and furoius, but then the next day you can't buy a single bite! Also keep in mind that the thermoclines in ponds change faster, and they react much faster to changing weather conditions. You could do everything right, but this is spring, they're on one day and off the next, remember, they've got "other" things on their mind that they are trying to get ready for.


This happened to me last week, I had one day where things were pretty fast and furious and they seemed to take everything, the next day they were very slow, this week they are on the beds, my son and I went lastnight and things were so so until late, about 15 mins before dark they picked up and we stayed until we could barely see and left, these fish seemed very aggresive towards bluegill..I might try a bluegill patterned crank in the next day or so.


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## Wolfhook120 (Oct 17, 2007)

Might also want to try 4" Lizards and crayfish type lures as well. Anything that looks like it would eat bass eggs or rob a nest, they absolutlely hate, especially bluegills! I 've found when "bed fishing" if the bass don't hit right away, I'll leave the area and come back later, this eleviates stress on them when they're trying to coax the females to spawn. I'll try fishing deeper water for the ones that have already finished spawning or better yet, go bluegill fishing which is awesome this time of year and easy to catch.


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## tipul3 (Jan 29, 2008)

Ok we did much better today at one of the small farm ponds I went to, 14 largemouth, not very big but still fun. I took 2 on a small spinner bait, 4 on a watermelon colored large Mr. Twister Texas rig, and 8 on a shalow crank bait working the banks. It would be good someday to catch something bigger than 12 inches. Good time though.Really like topwater buzz baits when, I tried about 20 casts tonight with no luck. Probably to early yet?


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

some ponds are so heavily fished that there just arent any big fish left and the ones that are are crazy smart. If you want to catch a big bass you need to graduate from the small spinners. Basically if you can easily fish the lure on 6 lb light spinning tackle your not fishing for big bass. Use 3-5 inch bulky baits like spinnerbaits, jigs, buzzbaits, poppers, Frogs and senkos. I fish alot of ponds and my biggest fish every year always come on three lures. 5 inch senkos, Buzzbaits, Buzzfrogs like the stanley ribbit early in the morning in the summer. Spinnerbaits do select for larger bass early in the year too.

I used to use small spinners and jigs all the time and brag about how many fish i was catching when I was younger, But no matter what I would always catch smaller fish than my dad when we went together. He used bigger stuff.
I eventually caught on. Now if I can't cast it on a baitcaster I probably shouldn't be using it.


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

I agree on all points with BG. 

Big bait, big fish!

You say you stopped and made 20-30 cast and got nothing. How many were you expecting to catch making that many cast? Stop and make 200-300 cast on your way home. 

Bass arent the most sought after gamefish in America for no reason. Those little buggers get smarter the bigger they get. Getting anything over 5lbs in public water in Ohio is a lunker. 

Patience grasshopper.


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## tipul3 (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks for the advice


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## tipul3 (Jan 29, 2008)

I have been trying to fish 2-3 times a week, hoping not to make the wife and family too mad. Last Sat. night around 5:30 I went to a pond I had never been to,it was a 3-4 acre pond or small lake. I started with a small minnow shallow crank bait and maybe caught 6 smaller bass then switched to a large tube and caught 16 more it was my best day ever and a bunch of fun. Old man that owned the pond was fishing too and then he got a hook stuck in his finger ( nasty ) I have had pretty good luck asking people to fish their ponds hopefully that will continue. Tonight I went to the same pond at around 7:30 and caught 6 nicer bass, 3 on tube and 3 on buzz bait. I probably missed 4-5 other hits. Thought I would give you an update! They seem very aggressive now.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

don't forget the trailer hook on the buzzbait. I did well today fishing for heavily pressured fish at a public quarry fishing fast and erratic with a big flashy hard jerkbait paralell to shore. Some bass are just starting to make nests and some fry have already hatched.


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