Northwest Fishing Reports

I grew up fishing in Indiana when "plastic worms" were just starting to be manufactured. We normally used nightcrawlers or lures, so I rarely used artificial worms 45 years ago. 29 years ago I moved to Washington State. Now, many TV shows and magazines tout using artificial worms and creature baits for largemouths. I carefully read and watch, and even tear out articles an take to the lake with me, but don't seem to be able to duplicate the success I read and see on TV. So, I'm thinking that maybe where I fish has something to do with it, since most shows and articles are written by folks in the Midwest and south.

Having said that, here's my fishing hole: ultra clear water, cool water temps 72 on the high side, and 50/60's in fall winter and spring. Mucky bottom, except for generous cabbage weeds and coontail in most spots. A few limited areas of the lake have rock outcroppings. Depth 6'-80'. Natural bait = crawdads and sculpins. Trout, kokanee and Largemouth bass coexist nicely. But to see a cloud of baitfish or young hatch any time of the year is extremely rare. Depth sounders rarely reveal bait clouds.

I am looking for suggestions from those who fish lakes with similar attributes as the one described above.
My question: for those who have experience in lake fishing in Washington State, for largemouths, with artificial worms....how do you do it?

Thank you in advance for your time!

CM

1] I fish them Texas rigged weightless over the pads and weeds.

2] Texas rigged with offset worm hook, with a 1/8th oz bullet sinker under docks. With 1/8th or 1/4 oz bullet sinker in weeds, in brush, etc.

3] if the lake has a mucky bottom I'd do dropshot with a leader long enough to keep the worm 6" to 12" above the muck.

4] Carolina rig and splitshot rig = same as #3.

Fish them slow dragging, slow hopping, fast hopping, or deadsticking for 10 to 30 seconds, or even more sometimes. Cast the worm, let it sit on the bottom/under the dock, light a cigarett, eat a half a sandwich, check the worm.

what AMX said, is what I was trying to learn this spring/summer.. texas rig is my favorite and most successful so far..
I was using the berkely powerbait worms in various colors, 4", also the crawdad imitations.. i switched over to using "oneshot" brand at some point, same effects.. i'm still learning too..

Amx wrote:1] I fish them Texas rigged weightless over the pads and weeds.

2] Texas rigged with offset worm hook, with a 1/8th oz bullet sinker under docks. With 1/8th or 1/4 oz bullet sinker in weeds, in brush, etc.

3] if the lake has a mucky bottom I'd do dropshot with a leader long enough to keep the worm 6" to 12" above the muck.

4] Carolina rig and splitshot rig = same as #3.

Fish them slow dragging, slow hopping, fast hopping, or deadsticking for 10 to 30 seconds, or even more sometimes. Cast the worm, let it sit on the bottom/under the dock, light a cigarett, eat a half a sandwich, check the worm.

+1

Beings I don't smoke, I'll throw out a lure, even a floating crankbait, then check a line or two or 3 to see if the knots need to be retied. Sometimes I'll have to retie one or 2, and then I'll check that lure which I've got out there soaking. Sometimes there'll even be a fish on it, or a fish will grab it when I move it a little or a lot.

Another way you can fish them is with a 'stand up jig head'. With that head the worm will 'stand up', or stick upwards. A floating worm would work best. Or use a shaky head. Look on Bass Pro Shops or Cabella's web sites for those heads.

Adding to AMX's list, I like to fish them "wacky" rigged. Seems better for the stickbait type worms (Senkos and such). Use a wide gap finesse hook and run the the hook through the collar of the stickbait (or around the middle). This can be fished weightless or on a dropshot rig. Jig it back to the boat or shore letting it fall to the bottom after each jig of the rod tip. Has worked really well for me for SMB, but a bass will demolish the stickbait during the fight, so usually only get one to a few uses out of a bait before it's split in two.

Yup, I'm always forgetting the wacky rig, even tho I have one tied on. You should try the 'wacky saddle' as that'll allow the senko to last many times longer. They can be bought from Bass Pro Shops, and/or Cabela's, and I think Limit Out Performance Marine in Pacific.

Nice info guys! I'm probably on the more novice side of bass fishing, but all I fish are plastic worms and senkos. Senkos I wacky rig, and let them drop. Drop them into or just on the edge of pads, or flip them under the docks. Quadfather has this really neat thing that he does with a rubber band, but I'm not nearly that technical, I just hook it through the middle. They always bite it on a slack line as it falls. Watch your line start to wander, that's when you set it.

For worms, I like the curly tail ones. I use a super whippy rod, and cast them out, let them sit for a while and then reel them in slow like a spinner. Sometimes when it's deeper I put split shot on them so they'll sink better.

And if all else fails, put some nightcrawlers under a red and white. I do alright on bass when I go, mainly in the spring between the river close and river open. I fish mainly lake washington and Roesiger, same kind of stuff as you were describing, so maybe it'll work.

O-ring. The wacky saddle is a double o-ring with a link between them that the hook goes thru. Holds onto the worm better, and sticks the hook point to the side of the worm so the hookup is better.

I like using my weedless plastic worm by casting it on the bank if its possible then slowly drop it in the water. Bammm they hit it. My 2nd way is cast it on a pad or log. slowly twitching it right on the edge of the pad and slowly pull it in the water. bam they hit.

Try letting it hang half way off the pad, and just twitch it for awhile. TOPWATER BABY!!!

Amen Thats what I do.

I see your from Orcas, I am going to guess you’re talking about cascade lake. fished on cascade lake last week. the bass love to look at worms and grubs thrown at them. the most productive methods I found on the lake were a jointed rapala (baby bass or silver) and I have a top water frog colored lure where the propeller disrupts the surface and creates a nice "V" across the water.

the rapala worked great on cliffs by the jumping tree right were the depth drops and along the road when paralleling the weed beds.

the top water worked GREAT!! at night/dusk I fished by the boat rental area in shallow water and would cast on top of the weed beds in the lagoon and did great. I caught 17 fish one day and about 8 the next (all from the shore). the biggest was about 16" and was caught on very shallow corner of the road about 3' away from the cat tails.

on San Juan island there is a little rock quarry pond that I have been to, it is small but filled with feisty bass I don’t believe it has a name

PM if want directions or pictures of the top water lure

I ventured into plastics ( seriously ) this year as well for the first time. I had trouble at first as well - mainly because I was using baits that were too big for my britches. I did get some bytes from some larger baits, but found that finesse is the key. Go small...real small. I never go bigger than 2" now and have stuck with a 2" Mr. Twister Double Split tail grub coupled with a comparable sized keeper hook ( use the largest hook you can ). I rarely use a weight since I prefer to use a small snap-swivel ( as small as you can go ), which acts as a weight and an easy way to go back to a small spinner if need be.

I refer the "stick" baits. Slow presentation or "soaking" is the key. small movements, keep contact with the bait (not too much slack in line). if you get where you are getting takers, but can't set the hook, let the fish have the worm a little longer before setting the hook as they usually hit the worm in the middle, so standard weedless rigs you need to let them have it a second, and get the whole thing in their mouth, this is where the wacky rig helps, because they hit the worm in the middle, and the hook usually goes right in their mouth.

I always use some scent on all worms.

[quote="drysuperfly52"]I see your from Orcas, I am going to guess you’re talking about cascade lake. fished on cascade lake last week. the bass love to look at worms and grubs thrown at them. the most productive methods I found on the lake were a jointed rapala (baby bass or silver) and I have a top water frog colored lure where the propeller disrupts the surface and creates a nice "V" across the water.

Hi,
I'm glad you had success on Cascade. I consider myself very successful with plugs, but I wondered what I am missing by having so little experience with artificial worms and creature baits. CM

well, someday, when the plugs aren't working so hot, try slow soaking some plastics, maybe, just maybe fishing might pick up. that might be what your missing

I have been seriously bass fishing for over 35 years and plastic worms were my go-to bait from the beginning. In all those years I have fished a multitude of colors, sizes and shapes. With all that said, now my number one color whether fishing clear or tanic water is watermellonseed. When fishing shallow water, no deeper than ten feet, I fish a Texas rigged Bass Pro Shop 4 inch Stik-O, which is a knock-off of the Senco, but much cheaper and more durable. I fish the sink...period. I cast it to some kind of cover and just watch my line as it sinks. If nothing picks it up, I reel it back in and cast again. A little trick I use for line watching is dressing my mono with a fish attractant such as SmellyJelly. The line floats and acts as a bobber. When fishing deep clear waters, which sounds like your lake, I like fishing a dropshot. And that is something else to think about. In clear water lakes, both smallmouth and largemouth usually forsake the shorelines and move out into deeper waters. If you are casting along the shoreline you may already be fishing at a disadvantage.There is a multitude of plastics that can be used for dropshotting, which could also be a wacky rigged Stik-O. When dropshotting just move it along the bottom with the rod tip, then let it sit for a few seconds and do it again, with maybe an occasional shaking of the line. The worst mistake novice plastic worm fishermen want to do is over work the bait. Just kick back and let the subtly natural moments of the bait do the work. And they catch big bass. I have caught five bass weighing eight pounds or more, with the biggest being 8-12. And all but one was caught on a plastic worm. Good luck!