# Bass Question



## cowboy888 (Aug 24, 2015)

Have always been a walleye guy jigging trolling but tired of the finicky bite or the morning evening thing. Son gets bored and he barely knows how to cast due to fishing like the above. 

Going to move into targeting bass to solve both issues. On these NE Ohio lakes Berlin and Milton mosquito how many fish do you guys average per trip and Are there a lot of no fish days? 

BTW I throw the bass back in.


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

cowboy888 said:


> Have always been a walleye guy jigging trolling but tired of the finicky bite or the morning evening thing. Son gets bored and he barely knows how to cast due to fishing like the above.
> 
> Going to move into targeting bass to solve both issues. On these NE Ohio lakes Berlin and Milton mosquito how many fish do you guys average per trip and Are there a lot of no fish days?
> 
> BTW I throw the bass back in.


I do not know anything about those lakes, and please don't take this the wrong way, but in Ohio, bass fishing can be finicky as well. You have to put time in on the water to learn a specific lake in order to limit the days with no fish. However, targeting them will force your son to become very good at casting, flipping, and pitching! And throwing jigs for bass is a whole new ball game too. Good luck!

P.S.- I am sure that you would have better results if you stick with lake Erie, assuming that's where you are going for Walleye. Not only is it a world class walleye fishery, but it is also great for smalljaws and Greenies!


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## cowboy888 (Aug 24, 2015)

I do go to Ashtabula for perch. When bass fishing Lake Erie do you just hit the break walls and any offshore Rick pikes? 

Understood on the time and techniques not everyone catches fish.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

lake erie is not only a world class walleye fishery but is a smallmouth dream come true. if you can afford a smallmouth charter or two it will get you and your son on your way to catching some great smallmouth.

as for lm if you drive around your home area stop at every place that has a pond and ask permission for you and your son to fish. most will say no but if you get just a couple of good ponds you'll be set. there's just nothing like pond fishing for bass in the late afternoon.

as for lake fishing for bass it can be very challenging. most lakes are already over fished. but it can be very rewarding to spend the time on the water with your son. casting a crawler or pitching a jig can get some awesome hits so enjoy the time with your son and catch what you can.
sherman


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## Bassthumb (Aug 22, 2008)

Head to the islands and fish tubes and drop shot worms. You will catch some fierce fighting smallmouth. If your boy is used to weak fighting walleyes, a smallmouth will get his attention pound for pound the best fighting freshwater fish. You can always catch largemouth in Erie marinas. Also the most exciting thing in fishing is throwing frogs in lily pads. That top water explosion will get his adrenaline going.


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Bass are the most popular freshwater game fish in the US, if not the world. But they can be finicky for sure. I've seen perfect days, weather wise, when I just KNEW I was gonna slay them, and not get bit. Other times, they hit everything you throw at them. And what works at one lake may not work at another just down the road. Example is Randleman Lake. Randleman is one of the top bass lakes in the country. I throw Pop rs down there a lot, and catch lots of fish on it. But travel 20 miles upstream on the Deep River, and fish High Point City Lake, you cannot get those fish to hit a top water bait at all! And the fish are there, and big ones too. For some reason, they like their dinner under the surface...lol


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

To answer your question pertaining to the lakes you mentioned. Of course it depends on what time of year you're talking, but of the 3 you mentioned, Mosquito is by far the best lake as far as numbers, and really, as far as bigger fish as well. 

I've been fishing Mosquito exclusively for bass for 20 years, and there are still days I struggle to catch a single person (5 fish) limit of bass. I've actually went an entire day during a tournament where I didn't get a single bite. But both of the above mentioned things are extremely rare on Mosquito. You could catch 10 .. 20 ......30 fish. It just depends. 

Milton can be an on fire lake, or it can seem like the Dead Sea. The lake has both smallmouth and largemouth in it, but it's dominated by smallmouth. Most days it's more tricky to fish than Mosquito. Milton is more of a find the right spot lake, or right docks lake, where as Mosquito is really an all over kind of lake. And that's because Mosquito has weeds and a ton of shoreline cover. Milton has no weeds to speak of, and other than docks, has limited shoreline cover. A good day on Milton could be 15 fish, or it could be 5 fish. It just depends on time of year and if you find the right spot.

Berlin can also be on fire or seem like the Dead Sea. In the spring when the water is up in the bushes you can load the boat on some days. Once the water starts to drop it can get tough. But again, you find the right spot and you can get on them pretty good. It also has both largemouth and smallmouth. For me the largemouth are easier to catch. A good day in spring could be 15 fish or more. A good day in summer could be 8 - 10 fish or more. It really depends on how much you know about bass fishing.

Mosquito is the easiest of the three lakes to catch bass though. And its the easiest by a wide margin. 

I love Mosquito and Milton, but I have a love hate relationship with Berlin.


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## cowboy888 (Aug 24, 2015)

Thank you great post. Been fishing since I was kid and love and understand the ups and downs but see the bass guys working the lake and wondered how good they actually do. As you all have mentioned and as I know from walleye fishing different lakes have better populations. More fish make it easier to catch them.


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## Bassbully 52 (Feb 25, 2014)

Walleye are a finicky fish for sure and I'm not knocking them but to me are not all that fun to catch. Trolling has got to be the most boring technique used to find fish to me. I understand it and know its used from fresh to saltwater and very effective but boring again, to me.

Bass fishing is physical and requires allot of different rigs normally to be successful. Even with that bass can be very finicky also. We just need to remember its called fishing not catching. 

Ohio compared to allot of other states rate's very low in our bass fishing catches and for the bodies of water here.

Lake Erie is the exception were populations of large and smallmouth make it the best fishery we have and its even not as good as it once was. Bass fishing down south and even some states north make Ohio a joke for it's bass fishing. Size of waterways, fisheries management , climate and seasons can all be a factor here.
The size of our waterways we have has allot to do it. We are very crowded with fisherman in general and when you add the amount of bass fisherman and tourneys we place allot of pressure on the large and smallmouth bass in our waters.

You can put some of our entire lakes here in Ohio into one creek arm on some Southern reservoirs. A bad day down south could look like a great day here.

Should this discourage you? No, for with time and effort I think you will find Ohio's bass fishing overall can be rewarding as well as challenging. As fishermen we always know fishing is a challenge and its part of what drives us to do it.
The lakes you referred to can all be good or plan bad. Mosquito is tops here with Milton and Berlin following up.
To me the best bass fishing in Ohio comes off the beaten path lakes or those that are not as accessible to tournaments etc. This will help keep the pressure down and the size and quality of the fish is better.

Look for small no motor or lo -horsepower motor lakes, also there is some good stream and small river bass fishing to explore.
I feel you and your son will enjoy the overall bass fishing experience much better than trolling all the time. Bass fishing is allot of work when done right and can get darn expensive. Just get out there and enjoy the time you both have on the water. Good luck.


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

I've seen some pretty bass on this forum from up there. I had the honor of fishing Erie out of Buffalo a couple of times (wife is from there) and we wore the smallmouth out. Most were two to three pounds. It's true we have tons of good bass waters in the south, but the challenge to find good fish is part of the fun, I'm guessing. Like I said, somebody's getting into some good fish in the Buckeye state.


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## Bassthumb (Aug 22, 2008)

Erie is an awesome thing to have out our backdoor up here, no doubt. There are big LM as well as SM but the LM are more difficult to find, and the big boys are less numerous. Every tournament off Erie pretty much will take 27+ lbs to get near the top, and those guys never weigh in green bass. There are times and spots on Erie where you can catch 5-6 lbs SM all day long off the same rock pile. Just gotta find them. The spring is easier because they come shallow, summer you have to travel out deeper to find the big ones, but they are still out there. I have caught several 5+ LM out of Erie, but have caught way more big SM. I really dont know where the big LM live in Erie. In the spring you can catch some in marinas or spawning bays, but they vanish in the summer. You can go into a marina and catch 3lbs LM until your arms fall off, but the big ones are somewhere else. Its a heck of a lot easier to catch a 5+ SM then it is a LM on Erie. My biggest LM have all come inland, biggest SM all big water. I think we catch way more numbers up here than people do in the south, but there is no chance at a 10lbs bass like they have down there. If I go all day to a lake or spot I know pretty well 50 fish is average, 100+ exceptional. In the south I think they struggle to get those numbers. Two guys I know went to St Clair 2 weeks ago and boated over 200 SM in a 12 hour session.


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

My brother got a 6 pound, two oz smallie in the New River, on the NC/Va state line. That's gigantic for a river smallmouth. My personal best smallies are seven around four to four and a half, all river fish. My cousin got a six nine out of Fontana Lake.
The NC state record is ten two, from Hiwassee Lake. But we have nothing like Erie when it comes to brown fish.
I recall I had a fat three and a half on, she had smacked the cut tail worm up the line, and an even bigger fish was trying to get it.
We fished around the base of a small lighthouse, which was on a rocky island, no more than 50 feet across. We got 30 fish off that place, just bam! Bam ! For two hours! I think I'd rather fish Erie than anywhere else on the planet for brown fish!
Largemouth is another question, they simply get bigger in the south..


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