FishingGeek - Fishing Articles

Big Bass on a Small Worm

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 19:25:00 -0400

Searching for that one lure that won’t let you down? Growing up in Florida I’ve tried fishing many types of worms. If it was on the wall at a bait shop, I’ve tried it. And while these baits were known to produce fish, nothing gave me consistent results like the Gary Yamamoto 5’’ Yamasenko.

Gary Yamamoto baits are extremely soft and versatile in the ways it can be used. My preferred color is black with no flake. I have used other colors, but always get great results with black even in really clear lakes For the set up, I used a 1/0 or 2/0 lazar sharp worm hook rigged weedless. Having a weedless setup allows you to get into the weeds where these big fish are preying on minnows and bream. For an extra advantage, I suggest using a rattle in the head or tip of the worm.

Gary Yamamoto 5’’ Yamasenko

There are a lot of different rigging methods so choose the one your most comfortable fishing. For fishing the basic weed less Carolina rig or Texas rig, here are a couple of tips when ready to fish. Most importantly, you must consider the body of water your fishing. If the there is a breeze blowing in a consistent heading, you would want to fish the shore in the direction the wind is blowing. Bait fish feed on zoo plankton and phytoplankton. These organisms drift with the flow of water, so naturally if the wind is blowing towards a certain shoreline, that’s where the bait fish will congregate. Once you have determined where you want to fish, cast your bait towards the nearest structure or weed bed. Let the bait sink to the bottom before tightening your line. Now give the lure a couple of jerks to let the fish feel the vibration from the rattle. By now, you may have hooked up with a bass, if not, continue to make little jerks to the worm, tighten the line and repeat. I hope this worm helps you catch more bass.

How to Find Bass

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:38:00 -0400

Perhaps one of the most important parts of bass fishing is actually finding the fish. Once you locate the fish, half the battle is won. In order to find bass, you need to know where bass like to hang out. Bass are often found in and around underwater shelter, whether it's fallen trees, rocks, sign posts, boat docks or dense weeds. Also, bass tend to prefer ledges, where there is a steep drop-off, coves, and sandy areas. Many lakes, actually have man-made cover underwater designed to attract bass. They are usually made from rocks or dead trees. In order to find these areas, a topographical map charting the geographical contours of the lake, can prove to be an invaluable tool. Also, ask local fishermen, tackle shop owners, and rangers who are familiar with the lake, where they have had success.

Fishing in and around these structures, can be frustrating, as it's difficult to really work a lure down into many of these areas. Ask your local tackle shop for lures and jigs, specially designed to penetrate these bass shelters. Also, fishing the heavily weeded areas and grassy-bottom parts of the lake, can cause a lot of snags. Bass are not fooled by a lure covered in grass. Try using a weedless hook, or bury the tip of the hook inside your rubber jigs. That way they will cruise right through the weeds and moss without hanging up.

Once you have located the bass, even if it is just a few, generally, there are many more in the vicinity. Bass tend to frequently return to these spots, so it also can be helpful to keep a diary of where you found the bass. You can note your exact position using a geographical positioning system (GPS) or if you don't have a GPS, just triangulate your position with landlocked reference points. Return to these spots year after year, but keep in mind that bass have seasonal patterns, so don't expect to always find the fish in the same spot through out the year. During their spawning season, for instance, look for the bass to move into the shallower areas where the water tends to be a few degrees warmer. Also, the bass like to create their nests in sandy areas or in small pebbles. The bass can appear to be easy targets when they are in the shallows, near the shore, but their mind is usually concentrating on protecting their eggs, so they may not be as easy to catch as you might expect. Often times they chase a lure when they are spawning, but it is just to get it away from their nest, and not to actually feed.

Without a knowledge of the underwater sheltered areas, bass can still be easy to find during their heavy feeding times. Although bass love minnows, they are often top feeders, and rise out of the water. During the early morning and late evening, bass lakes come to life as the surface of the water begins to boil with their movement. This is perhaps the best time to fish for bass. After all, why not fish when they are feeding? This is a good time to try using a top-water lure, with a lot of movement. This action really catches their attention.

How To Replace Your Fishing Line

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:38:00 -0400

Now that you have learned what to look for in a new rod, you're ready to attach a reel and tie on some new line. If your reel is not new, then you must first remove the old line. After that, feed the new line from the tip of the pole down through the eyelets and tie the line around the reel. Note that it always pays to buy the highest quality line. Cheaper line has a tendency to coil up and cause a lot of knots. If your reel is a closed reel, slide a pencil through the center of the fishing line spool, and have someone else hold the spool to keep tension on the line as you begin to reel it in. Never place too much tension on the line as you are reeling it in or it can cause the line to stretch, twist and cause knots. If you have an open-faced reel, then just put the spool on the floor and let the reel keep the proper tension. Be sure to have the spool facing in the direction so that the line is feeding off of it in a counterclockwise manner. All you need to do, is let the line feed through your fingers as it goes on to the reel. Crank 20 times or so and then check to see if the line is twisting or not. If it is, try turning the spool of line over. Then continue reeling in the line until it fills the spool on the reel within 1/8 of an inch from the edge.

Periodically check your line to see if it is still in good shape. A good way to do this is to strip off a lot of line and then reel it in through your finger tips. This way you can feel if there are any tiny knicks or knots in the line. Over time, rocks and sticks in the water knick the line and cause these weak areas. Also, visually inspect the line as you are reeling it back in. Note that when stripping off a lot of line you run the risk of creating a rats nest out of your line. One way to avoid this is by tying your line on to another fishing reel and reeling it on to that one. Or, if you are fishing in a river, just use a floating bobber and let your line be taken downstream until you reel it back in. This way it won't get tangled. If you find some of these weak spots, either replace your line, if the knick is way down the line, or just cut the line at that point. If you cut off too much line, then you could have trouble casting long distances, as the line won't feed off the reel as smoothly. For this reason, it's wise to keep the spool on your reel full up to 1/8 of an inch from the edge. Since fishing line is cheap, as a precaution, replace your line every year. It's better to avoid having your line break just when you have caught that gigantic salmon, bass or catfish!

Don't forget, when stripping off your old line, clip it up in to tiny pieces and throw it away. Too many fishermen leave it on the shore to entangle the local wildlife.

Stowing your fishing rod and reel

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:38:00 -0400

If you're like me, you love fishing. And if you're like me, you have a fishing rod and reel, however, you don't have a truck which can pose a real problem for traveling. Unfortunately, my fishing pole is not the collapsable kind. So whenever I make long trips, I have to "jimmy" the 6' pole into my car. This introduces the risk of snagging upholstery, breaking your rod eyes, or catching your clothing.

The Friday bug bit me pretty early that afternoon as I left work packed and read for the lakes in Gainesville, FL around 1400. Knowing that there are many lakes along the way to stop and fish, I put on a nice 8" Bass Assassin worm ready to stop at a moments notice. The 1-1/2 drive from Jacksonville, FL to Gainesville, FL can get pretty exhausting to say the least. As I was stretching and repositioned in the car, my fishing hook snagged the right sleeve on my brand new shirt. My first instinct was to just rip the hook out, but I thought, why ruin a new shirt. So I decided to take off my shirt and wait until I could find something to remove the hook without completly ruining the shirt.

I found that the best way to remove a hook from your shirt is to cut the hook with a pair of pliers. If you were to hook your upholsetry, you are on your own. There may not be an easy way to remove a hook from your upholsetry, however, there may be some alternatives worth looking into. Reel covers can be used to cover and prevent damage to your reels. Plastic tubing is another simple way to avoid exposed hooks. By placing the tubing over the hook, you keep the hook from being exposed.

If you are travel a lot, but want to fish, I think a collaspeable fishing rod is the best way to go. Luckily, I had a spare shirt that day. However, I would rather have have snagged a 10lb bass than a 165lb Geek.