The Dean : Fishing Forum Posts

I'm new to Chickamauga this year too. I was able to do some scouting after the Classic. Looks like its setting up to be a ledge bite for us. I would suggest being prepared with a Carolina rig and drop shot from the back. I will be pre-fishing a bit and have some room for practice. Drop me a not at pete_gluszek@msn.com. Maybe we can fish together for a day or two.

Great question. Certain times of year the fish group by size and other times they are all mixed up. During the spawn you can find fish of all sizes together. The bigger females will be right next to the smaller males. The summer and fall is often when I find fish of the same size feeding together. When the larger fish in a lake find the best feeding opportunities, they will often force the smaller fish out. When you are catching mostly smaller fish, that is usually a sign to me that these fish are on secondary pattern and bigger fish are doing something else.

Great comment Douglas. Couldn't agree more. I have never needed it, but I wear mine everyday.

I just sent this question over to JT. Hope to have a response soon.

Black and june bug is the first choice in these waters. Check out this approach from JT Kenney. https://bassu.tv/bass-fishing-video/fishing-a-spinnerbait-in-tannic-water-jt-kenney

I use the Weather Channel app. for weather. I use NOAA for moon phase and tides. I don't use thier app, I just go to https://www.saltwatertides.com

Small creature baits and drop shots are the best baits to start bed fishing. A weightless stick bait (Senko) is also high on the list. Elite rookie Greg Diplama and I discuss this exact thing at the end of the last live show. Listen in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy7t0TcvKrk

No matter the lake I stick with three colors with my swim jig. Shad, green pumpkin and black/blue. If the shad are present I'll usually start with that color. I'll use the green pumpkin around the spawn and Black/blue in low lite or stained water situations. Great bait for not only numbers but big fish.

Stability in a john boat is about the width. The wider the boat the more stable the platform. Narrow boats will be tippy. The last john boat I had was supper wide and was extremely stable. i learned how to bass fish out of that boat. Some excellent memories.

The Guntersville stuff from Gerald is awesome as Jason notes above. I love that lake. It consistently appears on top ten lists as one of the best lakes in the country.

Line is always a critical decision. I also use line heavier than some. There are certain situations that I do use lighter line. Below I've listed some of my line choices for certain techniques. I also want to note that I use Gamma line. It has proven to be the most consistent fail proof line for me.

Chatterbaits, swim jigs, spinnerbaits, texas rig and small jigs - 20# flouro
small topwaters like Pop R style baits - 12 mono
larger topwaters like spooks, buzzbaits - 20# mono
Punching mats - 65# braid
Frogs and buzz toads - 50# braid
Senko - 12-16# flouro leaders on 15# braid. Leader is selected based on the nature of the cover I'm fishing. Spinning gear
Shaky head - 8-12 flouro leaders on 15# braid. Spinning gear
Drop shot - 6-8 # flouro

In muddy water I use dark colors and the color white. Both black and white are very visible in extreme muddy conditions.

Excellent topic Douglas. Thanks.

The kill switch isn't discussed nearly enough. In Bassmaster tournaments, they won't let us take off unless the switch is attached. I use mine every day.

I have never fished Cross lake. I would guess the end of March would be pre spawn or spawn. All my experience in Louisiana waters is all about power fishing in the pre-spawn. Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs and creature baits in the pre-spawn. Most water in the region are difficult to sight fish for bass due to low visibility. In this case, I choose a stick bait like a senko an fish it around potential spawning areas. Good luck

I have never fished in Washington State. I hear about the amazing fishing there for both largemouth and smallmouth. Brandon Palaniuk is from that region of the country and learned his swimbiat techniques and other techniques while growing up there. His power triangle principal is very interesting and I recommend you check it out.

https://bassu.tv/bass-fishing-video/the-percentage-triangle-for-locating-bass-brandon-palaniuk

Check out Gerald Swindle video below where he is ledge fishing on Guntersville. I think you will find this very useful. Florida fishing is very unique and we do have some information on that, but I would say that the majority of our instruction can be directly applied to reservoir fishing. Also check out the lowrance seminar below. Search Lowrance in the search bar and you can find several Lowrance seminars by our instructors. Good luck.

https://bassu.tv/bass-fishing-video/gerald-swindles-summer-ledge-fishing-techniques

https://bassu.tv/bass-fishing-video/latest-sonargps-electronics-strategies-jordan-lee

West Point lake is where I grew up fishing and the spotted bass have consistently gotten bigger over the recent years. Target the lower end of the lake, the long points with clay and rock and humps will hold them nearly year round. Another place that’s a consistent spotted bass hang out is the bridges on the main lake. They tend to hang around the cleaner, deeper water areas. Baits like jerkbaits, small swimbaits, neko rigs, Ned rigs and finesse jigs will catch them every time! - Rob Jordan

I think this and Humminbird 360 are really changing things. Its making anglers much more efficient at putting their casts right on the habitat. One of the problems I have heard with Panoptix is that is causes anglers to chase fish that aren't bass or aren't catchable. Has guys chasing ghosts until they are able to distinguish between bait, carp, catfish and bass on the screen.

Great question and great feedback Jerkbait J. Seasonal patterns dictate bass movement and position. During the warming spring/spawn season, look for topo lines that are wide apart on shorelines that are protected from the north wind. This will be great places start looking for spawning bass in the spring. The topographic lines that are closer together offer highways for bass to use as they travel back and forth to the spawning flats in the pre spawn and away from them as they move to feeding areas in the post spawn.

I want to fish this river BassSniper1. My best tools for water temps below 45 degrees are 1-Silver Buddy, 2-Alabama Rig, 3-hair jigs. If you have tried all of these techniques and have had no success, I would assume that they have moved. In most river systems, the bass move to areas where there is low current. They will also follow the bait wherever it goes in the winter. Find the bait and you will find the bass. Good luck and keep us posted.

That is tricky Randall and requires a lot of lure management. You just cant snap snot grass off the hooks. You have to stop and pick it off every time. I keep my rod tip high and slow down my retrieve. You can't grind the bait into the bottom in this condition. I use floating flat side cranks in this condition. It helps me stay above the snot. It takes practice to get efficient in this condition, but the bass love to hang out in the snot. Good luck.

I hope your tournament went well Daniel. This is not a bad strategy for this time of year. Keep moving toward the main lake and creek channels and this will give you best chance of finding the fish. Bait is key. Cold fronts will often concentrate the bait and bass this time of year. jerkbaits, lippless cranks and alabama rigs are my first choice.

Ryan, I am a river rat and have fished the upper Mississippi River. I have never fished there in the spawn or winter patterns. In most rivers, I look for areas that have lower flow than the main river. Deeper steeper rocky areas are often the best place to look. On a lot of rivers, these are man made. Harbors or other dredged areas out of the current. The bass in rivers often spawn in the same areas they spend their winter. They simply move to the bank. Post spawn bass are found back out in the current. They have to feed as soon as they can to recover from the spawn. Look for this to happen in the current where the bait is.

The trailer I have used the most is Missile drop craw. It matches the tiny jig perfectly and is ultra finesse. Give it a try.