Fall Bass Fishing Tactics

[Nik]

Bass are structure oriented fish, especially largemouth, whereas trout are schooling open water fish. So unless you're fishing some kind of offshore structure in the middle of the lake, you might as well be throwing an empty hook in the water, because the chances of you finding a largemouth out swimming around in 80 feet of water is pretty much zero.

[the1fishingpro]

Well supposing you dont have a fish finder...How would I know if there is structure in the middle of the lake or not? There could be all kinds of stumps and down trees. Thats what im getting at, you see my point?

[Lyndon]

well if you were a good fisherman then you would be able to tell what is under the water without a fish finder, the best fisherman are the psychic ones.

[the1fishingpro]

Is that so? Are u a psychic fisherman??? I've never met one of those kind of people before. It would be really cool to meet someone who knows how exactly where the fish are and how big they are, maybe even what they feel like eating at the time too. LoL if Only!

[Lyndon]

I wish I was psychic! that would be sweet I would catch bass left and right..

[Nik]

If you don't have a fish finder I would recommend not bass fishing in the middle of the lake.

[the1fishingpro]

Thx Nik, I wont waste my time fishing the middle anymore. I need to go buy a fishfinder. Anyone have a special brand that they recommend would work best, that isnt too spendy?

[EastsideRedneck]

You don't need to be a psychic, you just need to do your homework before you go. Research & study the topo maps available on this site and others and pay attention to the fish reports. How was the lake formed? Is it man-made, glacial, or stream-fed? I even know a few guys back home who would actually swim/dive a lake to find the best structure.

[Lyndon]

Lacamas is such a muddy lake that it almost wouldn't do you any good to dive into the lake looking for structure. You could maybe see 2 feet in front of you and thats it.

[cavdad45]

Ok Cavdad45, I'll Try to see if I can hit the lake with a boat in search of some spots. What would you say is Round Lakes Advantages compared to the Main Lake? What provide with Larger fish?

I have always wondered if fishing the middle of a lake for bass is a good idea, But I havent heard anyone say anything on it. It seems great for trout, but for bass? What would you say about that? Would you say that the biggest bass stay closer to the bottom or top of the water?

Round Lake's biggest advantage (and disadvantage) is its size. Compared to Lacamas it warms up sooner in the spring. Its disadvantage is that the majority of the lake receives a ton of fishing pressure because it is so easy to fish on foot.

My biggest fish from Round was shy of four-pounds. I have caught several over five from Lacamas with a few over six.

I prefer the diverse cover and structure that Lacamas has over Round. I generally will fish Lacamas from my boat and hike around Round Lake if by foot. Personally Lacamas is more fun for me. And way more productive!

[EastsideRedneck]

FishingPro you may want to look into the Eagle Cuda 168 (~$70). It has gotten pretty good reviews from most of the sites I have searched. I'm hoping to get one for the holidays.

As for testing hook sharpness... all hooks are gonna seem sharp against your skin; the test is to see if it'll stick to the underside of your fingernail. Not all hooks require sharpening before use, but it is still a good idea to keep tabs on their sharpness as you use 'em.

[the1fishingpro]

Thx for the tip EastsideRedneck, I'll keep that in mind. Im glad you are still able to talk to me, I mean your one of the decent fisherman on this site beside Cavdad45, Lyndon, and fisherman_max that can Forgive and Forget. Means a lot thx

[YellowBear]

fishingpro,
If you are shore bound and you want to find structure, here is what we used to do.
Take a few old spark plugs and put them in your box. When you get to the lake tye one on to the diode and bend it over. Now cast it out, as you bring it back in if there is any structure you will feel it. We used to call this a poor mans depth finder. You can do the same thing with a large weight.

[the1fishingpro]

WoW, thats a great idea!! That might help a lot. Thx for the tip, im definitely going to try that out next time.

[Hal]

Heck put a hook on that sparkplug and youll probly land a Bass or trout!

[Lyndon]

wow that tip on the spark plug thang is really helpful thanks a lot I can't beleive that I havn't thought of that..

[leahcim_dahc]

the1fishingpro-

Have you seen those depth/fish finders the can be used from shore. Don't know whether they are worth a hoot or not...may be a bigger PITA than what they are worth. I just saw them tonight and thought they were kind of interesting.

http://www.humminbird.com/productLines_wide.asp?id=610



Chad

[the1fishingpro]

Holy Cow! I cant believe it! I have always dreamed of such items but never in my life did I think it was possible. Maybe sometime in the near future, I will purchase one of these items and give it a go. Thx a lot Chad, your a great friend!

[CK14]

i have one of those and i don't really like it. it's good for depth and that's about it. i'd stick with the spark plug.