Contest Question of the Week Archive

Sponsored by

Visit our sponsor's website today. They make it all possible.

Index to other archive questions.

Week of 6/4/01 #155 Question: It’s been several years since you have fished this small shallow lake. In the past it has been a good spring and early summer lake for big largemouths. When you arrive you find that the lake is overgrown with hydrilla grass. It is so thick you can barely move the boat with your trolling motor. There are few scattered small openings in the grass here and there but they are very small. The water temperature is in the mid seventies and the clarity is good to fair. What is you specific approach to fishing this lake? Answer: In this situation, I would use a tactic proven by many tournament anglers. First, I would slide a weedless spoon (chrome colored, because the water clarity is good) to catch any of the bass that are actively feeding on top. Next, I would slow things down a little and twitch a Scumfrog along, letting it rest over the open places. If both of these tactics failed, then I would finally use penetrating lures, such as jigs and plastic worms. I would flip these into the openings, and let them fall into the open water below as I watched my line for any indication of a strike. All of these techniques would be done using a 7 foot heavy action rod (with plenty of backbone for wrestling big fish out of heavy cover) and 25 lb. line. Week of 4/29/01 #154 Question: You head out for a days fishing. A cold front has just blown through and the air temperature has dropped almost 20 degrees in the past 24 hours. Many bass are on the spawning beds and last week the males were easy picking and some of the larger females were taking tube baits dragged into their nests. With the bluebird skies and surface temperature dropping you feel a change in tactics might be necessary. How would you adjust to the cold front? Answer: I would start with a slower presentation than was being used before the cold front. I would first try a jig and pig working it very slow. I would try dragging it across the beds if the females were still present. If that didn't work, I would try a Carolina rigged lizard with a leader about 18" long. I would also try a wacky worm (Zoom Trick Worm) with a 5/0 weedless hook and a 1/8 oz. split shot. With all three presentations, color would depend on water color. If it were clear, I would go with black/blue jigs, and Uncle Josh No. 11A trailers. As for the trick worm I would use a natural blue or watermelon. The lizard color in clear water would be pumpkin/chtr. or gourd green. In stained water, the jig would be either watermelon or black/red with a rattle, and a bright trailer. The trick worm a bubble gum, yellow, or white. The lizard a pumpkin/chtr. with the tail died to be even brighter, or a black/blue tail, maybe even a mossy pumpkin. Week of 4/4/01 #153 Question: The water is warming on your favorite lake. Some of the bass have spawned but others are still on the beds. Not liking to fish the bed directly you decide on another pattern to catch the active fish and the post spawn sows. What would your first approach to this be? Answer: I would first start in the backs of spawning creeks working my way out, fishing small crank baits and jigs. I would cast to all visible cover and work all secondary points until I find what they are holding on and what bait they want most. Then I would spend the rest of my time working those baits on that kind of cover or structure.   Week of 3/10/01 #152 Question: You are fishing a deepwater southern impoundment. It is pre-spawn and the water temperature is in the high fifties to low sixties. The day is partly sunny and the water is clear. After fishing a couple of creek channel intersections without any luck you decide to check out a fast tapering point which is located at the mouth of a large feeder creek. You have three rods rigged. One with a jig and pig. One with a deep diving Crankbait and the other a 1/2 oz Spinnerbait. How would you fish each of these three setups? Answer: Based on the water temperature, pre-spawn conditions, and structure, the best way to fish all these lures is to go deep and go slow. The bass are still in a sluggish, pre-spawn mood and due to the fairly cold water temperature, are probably hugging the bottom. They won't move fast to chase a lure, but if you're bottom bumping with the jig & pig, running the Crankbait as close to the bottom as possible--even hitting the bottom at times during the retrieve--and slow rolling the Spinnerbait as close to ground zero as possible, you might actually put a few bass in the livewell. The keywords are: slow, slower and slowest. Burning a bait under these conditions is a one-way ticket to Skunk City! Week of 2/7/01 #151 Question: It’s your first trip out of the new year with two of your fishing buddies. Some thin ice that had formed on your favorite lake is gone and the water temps are in the low forties. You head for a main lake point that gets a lot of sun during the day figuring that the water in this area might be just a slight bit warmer. Since it’s too early for pre-spawn in this lake you have chosen this point because it drops down quickly with it’s chair step rock ledges. It also has some wood cover in the form of sunken laydowns. Buddy #1 says that you should try to find the depth that the fish are feeding at and fish parallel to the bank. Buddy #2 says you should tie up close to shore and cast away from shore and work you lures up the bank. Your idea is to stay about 75 feet off the shore and cast toward the bank. Who do you think is right and why? Answer: With the sun out and the water warming much quicker in the shallows plus structure in the form of lay-downs and you have a stepdown effect into deeper water where bass will be suspended. You would be correct in staying 75' out and casting to the shore. I would tie on a drop-shot rig cast in front of the laydowns (or any other structure) and work my bait back and down the drop off very slowly. These fish are not going to be very active in cold water so you need to put the bait right in front of them. The next thing I would use would be a suspending crank bait fished really slow. I bet I would catch and release a limit. Bass Fishing USA Home Page