Northwest Fishing Reports

Does anyone have any advise for me that will help me catch a bigger bass? I have tried bigger lures and I have tried for deeper water but I still pull out the 1/2 pounders everytime. Its really frusterating because I am the kinda person that goes big or goes down trying! Sure it is fun catching small fish sometimes but Im at the point where its just getting old. If anyone has some advice that I can try out next time I go then I would appreciate it =)

I went today and was having the same prob. I was throwing I white spinner bait working the weed line. I pulled out countless 1/2 pounders and bait stealers. Like you, I got tired of it and went to a slower bait, (Jig&Pig). I started working the logs and the lilly pads, flipping around the pads and as close to logs as I could get, actually landing it on the log or pad and pulling it off slowly when I could. I used the lift and drop method, let it set for 10 to 20 seconds, reel 4 or 5 cranks and do it again. I worked that for about 5 minutes and set the hook and landed a LMB a little over 4 lbs. The fish are still working the shallow water feeding and getting ready for the winter water. Just work the banks with a slow, slow, moving bait and you should land a hawg.

Thanks for the tip dude I definitly will try that method... out of curiosity how big was your jig?

i would suggest just keeping at it, just keep pounding away. try moving more, try new spots. try deeper and shallower. try reaction baits and slow crawling baits. work docks, rocks, weeds, wood, etc. till you find what cover the big guys are relating too. pretty much, experiment till you find something that works. not the best advise i guess but that's what i'd do in that situation. i haven't been able to hook into any hawgz (or many fish in general) for a while so i know your pain...

oh, and i would definitely try a jig & pig like felts did, it's a great big fish bait.

I was using a 1/2 oz black and blue jig, football headed, weed guard trimmed at a angle, skirt trimmed up just a little bit and a black and blue uncle josh pork frog trailer.

Jason

thanks for the details:cheers:

Slow is definitely the way to go right now. The past two weeks I have had 90% of my hits on the drop or while still using weightless plastics.

Lyndon,

Don't be afraid to mix it up a bit, go outside your comfort zone and throw them something they haven't seen...i.e. crankbaits, swimbaits, etc. rig up some grub tails on the hook of your spinners and slow it down a bit.

Keep at it. You'll be posting BIG Fish pics soon my friend.

CK14 wrote:i would suggest just keeping at it, just keep pounding away. try moving more, try new spots.

i 2nd that

:king:

its not a matter of what you throw, or how big the baits you throw, its when and where you throw it. just throwing them in deeper waters wont get you far. you have to target structure.

I seem to find that spinnerbaits only pull out big bass in the spring FOR ME. I know that is probably not true with many other anglers, but I fished the spinnerbaits all summer as well and could only pull out the small guys. Fishing slow with senkos and brush hawgs and lizards got me some bigger fish...

T Dot wrote:

CK14 wrote:i would suggest just keeping at it, just keep pounding away. try moving more, try new spots.

i 2nd that

:king:

its not a matter of what you throw, or how big the baits you throw, its when and where you throw it. just throwing them in deeper waters wont get you far. you have to target structure.

I agree 100%, from my experience on the boat and off shore. If you arent getting anything, its probably because you arent fishing any structure. Bass stick to structure to stay warm and safe, its like home for a bass. I would recommend fishing Down structure or Rocky beds or stumps. Lillie pads can also be a great place to rip a few. Just remember that bass dont travel alone, they stick in groups. Where theres 1 theres usually another. Also, try fishing from different angles, dont just cast straight everytime, give the bass a few different moves It helps when triggering a strike.

For smallies, move if you start catching small fish. They move in packs that are similar in size. For largies, I would go a little deeper and larger slower baits.

y2says wrote:For smallies, move if you start catching small fish. They move in packs that are similar in size.

i 2nd that

:king:

i would also apply that knowledge to largies as well.

It's always a good ideal to research the lake you fish the most .. There are alot of small lakes around western washington that hold plenty bass , however manys of these lake only have a few bass that go Four pounds or better .. you could very well be fishing in lake that only has 5-8 bass over four pound range and those bass could be a number of places . There is a link on the the washington state fishing web site that will give you reports of what divers have found while keeping track of the numbers of bass as well ares there located ... So many lake around here have little structure available through out the lake so a number of bass depend on Docks and Drop-offs . I have caught 8 bass this year that went four or better with the biggest being 6.5 , all of these bass came from different lakes all were caught from the same type areas "docks" ... good luck ... BBD

You may try fishing either early morning or late evening. I have landed several large bass just at the beginning of starlight.