# Help



## FishingJunkie92 (Dec 31, 2010)

I am a very avid fisherman, im 18 years old ive been fishing since i was a kid. I do alot of fishing for panfish, carp, and catfish. I try for bass and do ok. But bass fishing is by far my favorite, but the problem is i dont know much about it. I am seeking help on how to approach them, where they are at what times of year and best lures and baits and the best time to use them etc. I use rooster tails, tube jigs, and spinner baits. I am just looking to get into more because i enjoy is so much, but I do not know much about it. Just the basics. 

(I have a 12 foot meyers canoe and 2 kayaks i fish out of, anyone who helps either in advice or in person fishing is welcome to come out with me just p.m me. Thanks OGF.)


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

Add texas or carolina rigged rubber worms fished around heavy cover, and a few crawdad and shad crankbaits and you'll be set. As I've said before 90% of bass I disected as a kid, had crawdads in their guts.


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## dillon basser (Feb 1, 2011)

heres a link that will tell you all you need to know to get started. largemouthbassfishingtips.com


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## FishingJunkie92 (Dec 31, 2010)

Thanks ill give it a try, i do decent but just need to learn more about the fish itself like spawning habitts, and where they stay what times of year. ANd what rigs are best for where. So i can up my game, I appreciate the advice, i have rubber worms ill just rig em up an test it out in a couple spots.



7thcorpsFA said:


> Add texas or carolina rigged rubber worms fished around heavy cover, and a few crawdad and shad crankbaits and you'll be set. As I've said before 90% of bass I disected as a kid, had crawdads in their guts.


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## qpan13 (May 30, 2010)

i use texas rigged lizards all of the time. pumpkinseed is a great color year round


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

Try any combination or all of these and you'll cut the learning curve in half!!

:Banane42:

Bass Books
Bass Wars
Bill Murphys book about giant bass
Double whammy by Carl Hiaasen / fiction
101 Bass Catching Secrets - Roland Martin
Big Bass Magic - Doug Hannon 
KVD Bass Strategies
Diary of a Bass Pro (Joe Thomas).
In Pursuit of Giant Bass -Bill Murphy
Circle on Bass - Bass Wisdom from a Master -Homer Circle
Sow Belly - Monte Burke - Great book about the search for big bass
"A River Runs Through It" by Norman Maclean

Magazines
Bass Angler magazine


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## FISNFOOL (May 12, 2009)

I noticed you are in Mentor.

The Lake Metroparks has a free launch ramp nearby on the grand river that is a good place for you to put in your Kayaks or Canoe. Great bass fishing, and any other species in the river.

http://www.lakemetroparks.com/select-park/grand-river.shtml

Online info article, The Behavior and Habits of Largemouth Bass.

http://www.umpquavalleybassmasters.com/bassbook.htm


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## FishingJunkie92 (Dec 31, 2010)

Yes i do live in Mentor, 5 minutes from the Headlands beach, I just bought some rubber worms lizards and some spinner baits, im all set, just gotta get out there



FISNFOOL said:


> I noticed you are in Mentor.
> 
> The Lake Metroparks has a free launch ramp nearby on the grand river that is a good place for you to put in your Kayaks or Canoe. Great bass fishing, and any other species in the river.
> 
> ...


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

FishingJunkie92 said:


> Yes i do live in Mentor, 5 minutes from the Headlands beach, I just bought some rubber worms lizards and some spinner baits, im all set, just gotta get out there


Well...if you are going to fish Mentor Headlands and the lagoons, I'd suggest the following:

Spring - jerkbaits, lipless cranks, jigs and shakey head
Post-spawn - shallow cranks, jigs, frogs over the lily pads
Dead of summer - drop shot and jigs in the channel during the day, frogs over the pads morning and evening
Fall - jerkbaits, shallow cranking, swim jigs

All of the bass in the lagoons are largemouths. Smallies don't go back there.

Good luck!


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

Tokugawa said:


> Well...if you are going to fish Mentor Headlands and the lagoons, I'd suggest the following:
> 
> Spring - jerkbaits, lipless cranks, jigs and shakey head
> Post-spawn - shallow cranks, jigs, frogs over the lily pads
> ...


Very good post I don't think anyone of us could really add much more after that one. If I was him I'd take that advice anytime or anyday of the week.


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## Intimidator (Nov 25, 2008)

spfldbassguy said:


> Very good post I don't think anyone of us could really add much more after that one. If I was him I'd take that advice anytime or anyday of the week.


The only thing I can add is that you never stop learning, listen to the "Old Dogs", use what you can from them but make it fit your style! 
The basics of Bass fishing are...Bass need to eat, find out what they eating and where that food is located, where you are fishing...shad, crawfish, shrimp, 'gills, frogs, etc. Then match the natural forage!
Or if they are spawning/nesting etc find out what makes them mad or irritates them...'gills, gobies, salamanders, other nest raiders, etc. 
Bass fishing is "Basic Nature"!


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## JAlBREC1 (Feb 12, 2011)

hey anyone, i need advise on a lure or some type of jig that will allow me to get threw lillies and and other things in water?... without having to smack my line around to get the muck off my jig.. any suggestions?


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## Flippin 416 (Aug 18, 2005)

That's going to be tough...I think almost everything you throw into lillies and grass will at some point pick up some of it. Whether it's on the nose or in the hook....even with a good weed gaurd...it will happen. Texas rigging will be about the cleanest way to fish the weeds and lillies and maybe a grass style jig...but you will have to clean them off from time to time.


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## FishingJunkie92 (Dec 31, 2010)

I know this is a old thread, but hopefully I can breath new life into it. I have been doing my bass fishing with a spinning rod. Can anyone recommend a good rod and reel bait casting combo? Or if someone has a lefty and wants to sell, please let me know.

Jeremy


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

it still picks up moss, but then i think everything does to some amount. but just go to wall mart and they have these weedless worms with alittle spinner blade on them. these work great anywhere i,ve used them. there best to just cast them around stickups or rocks that stick out alittle from rock walls. let them sink just alittle then reel them in real slow. you can pitch them out into pockets in lilly pads and grass and places like that and catch alot of bass. just make sure the weed guards are in place. another good lure for pads and grass is the old faithful weedless frogs, they work great in pads and grass.
sherman


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## FishermanMurph (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't know much about the bass in you're area but I can recommend doing lots of reading (books and internet). Good list of books was already listed so I won't re-list it but I just got done with the KVD book and I highly recommend it. I also recommend finding the lure / rig bass in you're area like and keep that has you're confident bait. Of course, always keep other lures with ya to throw out and know when you gotta put that confident bait away and go with something else (trust me, I have issues with that sometimes myself). 

I will highly recommend texas rig worms in grass and pads, and frogs kill in the lilly pads but make sure you gut the right equipment for pads. Baitcaster (good cheap one would be Abu and good expensive would be Shimano) with 30lb braided line seems to work the best for me when frogging the pads. I've gone frog fishing with mono line in the pads and I lost bunch of nice bass so braided line is a must.


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## Burks (Jun 22, 2011)

A wacky rigged Yum Dinger! in black/blue swirl or black/blue flake has been an absolute killer bait for me this year. Such an easy technique to learn.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

A 4" or 4 1/2" hollow bodied swim bait is a great bait for any lake. I'd fish it on a weighted hook if I wanted to fish shallower water, say less than 6' or if you are fishing a lake with weeds or other shallow water cover. You can fish it on a jig head for deeper water, or water with little or no cover. Personally I like the Strike King Shadilicious in the blue gizzard shad color, or Sexy Shad if the water has some color to it. If you are going to fish it on a jig head, putting a couple of drops of glue on the collar will help keep the bait in place.


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