Dave G : Fishing Forum Posts

I'm fairly new to bass fishing after just getting myself a boat to fish from. I seem to be able to get into a lot of bass using various finesse methods (Ned, Wacky, Texas, etc) pitching back to the shoreline, off points and ledges. But I seem to be landing a lot of 1 lb fish. It's fun to be catching....but I would like to get into larger fish in the 3+ lb range. Are there any basic methods you can suggest to begin getting into larger bass that I can use as a starting point to build from?

Thought I would try again. I don't think I titled my first attempt accurately. Being about a year into almost exclusively bass fishing, I'm having better and better success at landing more fish, but I don't see any improvement on increasing the size of the fish? I have the most success catching bass using finesse tactics (ned rigs, texas rigs, wacky rigs) but can't seem to break through with hard baits....which is what I see a lot of guys using in videos catching the larger fish. I would love to hear some of your thoughts out there on how to get into larger fish.

I'm about a year into almost exclusively bass fishing from my first ever bass boat. I'm having better and better success at landing more fish, but I don't see any improvement on increasing the size of the fish? I have the most success catching bass using finesse tactics (ned rigs, texas rigs, wacky rigs) but can't seem to break through with hard baits....which is what I see a lot of guys using in videos catching the larger fish. I would love to hear some of your thoughts out there on how to get into larger fish. I live in Rocklin, CA and have access to the Sac River Delta and tons of lakes. Looking forward to hearing what some of you might think.

Thank you Jason - I'll definitely check out those video links. I'm heading back out this upcoming Saturday and see if I can't put some of this into action.

I currently use three rods while I'm out. I have a spinning reel/rod that I use for lures of various types and two medium heavy bait cast combos, one with braid for fishing heavy cover and one with fluorocarbon for more finesse work. Any thoughts out there on what my next rod/reel should be? I lighter rod for better casting? A heavier rod for top water froggin/punching? Just curious how some of you have built up your arsenal.

What technique do you pull out when the going gets tough and you're just not getting any bites? For me....and I go here too quickly sometimes, which is holding me back from expanding my knowledge...I'm grabbing my soft bait bag and putting a neg rig together. So if I'm dropped on an island with only one set-up, it's going to be a ned rig. What would you use?

It really seems like a drop shot rig would be so strong. But for some reason I haven't made it work for me...yet? I just haven't committed to it enough. Same goes with swimbaits and jigs. I doubt I'm the only one that feels like this....but having confidence in what you're throwing seems to have a direct correlation to how successful I am. So I end up falling back to finesse fishing quickly.

I've been considering using one excursion a month where all I do is bring one set up that I'm trying to learn...just so I can't bail on it and go to what I already know. I think it may be the only way to expand my knowledge.

That is a great video! Without even knowing it, I've been naturally using the top two techniques that John Crews uses with this set up. I'm definitely going to try using the slow open water retrieve this weekend to see if I can get some results with that. And I'm also going to try the micro jig approach to see if I can't get some larger fish involved. Thanks for sending the link to that video....Can't wait to get back out there this weekend!

Wow! That interview with Ned Kehde was amazing. I had never even wondered where the "Ned" in Ned Rig came from and certainly wouldn't have guessed it was a first name. It makes my favorite way of catching a bass even better knowing it got started by a guy like that. Truly amazing to hear pioneers like him talk through the history of his creation. Thank you for sharing!!!!

I'm thinking about firing up a fishing ledger for my boat, to help track what's working and what's not....so I can try to figure out why. I was wondering how many others keep some kind of ledger? If you do, what do you document?

I've never tried a Tokyo rig. But Jason....Having a big'n nail a creature bait as you're dragging it across a mound sounds pretty good. Something I'll tuck away for future use.

Bullard's Bar is quickly rising as one of my favorite lakes to fish. It's absolutely beautiful....and the story is there are some monster smallies lurking there. I also hear that winter time is when some of the larger ones have been caught. I had a few late summer and early fall excursions where I had some great success in catching a lot of fish...but nothing of size yet. Wondering if any of you fish this lake and if you have any stories to share?

Thanks Jason - I'm pretty sure I'm going to take a run at keeping one of these. I don't have a very good track record with this after trying and failing to do something similar with all the backpacking and mountain climbing I do. However, a fishing ledger seems a little easier cuz I would just be logging details (when, where, weather, how many and using what), instead of trying to describe what I'm seeing/doing. We'll see. I like the idea of logging what didn't work. A person can learn just as much from that as they would with what worked. Thanks again.

I'm hoping I can share some of those stores with everyone. I just discovered this lake in the late spring of this year, so this will be my first winter run at Bullards. The lake has a vibrant Kokanee population and the bass definitely forage on those. I've read using glide bait and spoons that imitate Kokanee is the way to go. So we'll give it run this winter and see what we can do.

After reading last spring about the monster small mouth bass that can be found in Bullard's Bar reservoir (Northern California) during the winter months, I've had December circled on my calendar to get up there and give it a go. I've never fished for bass in the winter time, so this is going to be a first. Everything I've read about finding winter smallies, particularly at Bullard's Bar, centers around deep water jigging large 4"-6" spoons that imitate the kokanee salmon that are prevalent in this lake. Thought I was going to get up there this weekend, but weather is looking pretty sketchy. I can handle the rain, but wind may be a factor.

I was wondering if anyone had any winter time small mouth stories to share?

How about buying him a fishing license? Or an annual pass for a lake or state recreation area. All of us fisherman have our favorite gear and tactics that can be hard for others to figure out. And as you say, many of us are already loaded up on all of that....but we all need a fishing license. And if you're launching a boat, we all paying launch fees. That could be a gift that used countless times per year.

I've been actively fishing since I was 14 years old (getting darn close to 50 years of fishing...,yikes) and never once thought about setting a fish total goal for the year....until now. Before July 2021, I was primarily a fly fisherman catching trout in the high sierras....Then I bought a bass boat. I'm one year into bass fishing and it's safe to say I am hooked. And for some reason, now I want to set some fishing goals for 2023. I'm definitely going to keep a ledger next year, so I'll know exactly how many I catch...and more importantly how, because I can't believe how many different ways you can catch a bass. Thought it would be fun to see how reality at the end of the year stacks up to what I think I'm going to do right now. This type of goal is definitely unique to each fisherman, depending on how often they get out and what their primary objectives are. So I'm not sure it matters what my fish total goals would be compared to anyone else's? Curious if anyone out there sets goals like that.

I can tell you I want to break into the 7 lb+ category for my personal best (currently 5 lbs 4 oz) and would like to exceed 20 lbs for a bag limit (my current best is 14 lbs 11 oz)

I watched that Ned Kehde video a month or so ago. It was fascinating!! And I had no idea before watching it that the "Ned" rig was actually named after a guy named Ned. It's funny, because I just bought some new braid to switch out on one of my reels and it got me thinking about how Ned reverses his braid by tying one end to a tree and then walking around his property until his spool is empty, and then just reversing the walk to respool and turn that line around. I thought about doing that....for about 10 seconds and then bought some new line.

I live in Rocklin (Northern CA) and fish all over the place. From the Delta to alpine lakes and everything in between. I would have to agree that a 10 pound bass is a trophy. I hope to catch one of those some day....soon. However, I'll probably stick with a 7 lb goal for 2023, just to have a realistic chance of hitting it. I know there are fish larger than that out there where I'm fishing, so you just never know. What I hope to get the most from a ledger is to pick up some patterns on what I'm doing in various weather conditions, seasons, water clarity, etc. in order to learn how to get to the most efficient way to fish each particular condition. It's going to take some effort to be consistent recording that info... but that's my plan.

I've never heard about dragging flouro behind the boat to untwist. But I'll definitely be giving that a try the very next time I'm out. Thanks

Yes, I knew you meant for the line to be empty. Wouldn't do much good to keep a lure on the line, considering that's what probably tangles it up in the first place. Thanks for the follow up though.

This really happened....yesterday, we were fishing at New Bullard's Bar Reservoir, in search of their famously large spotted bass. We didn't get into any of those....but we did have very small (10") bass hit a spoon at about 70 feet deep. We were shocked to find the entire top half of the bass was pink. I've never seen or heard of anything like it. Wish I could post the picture we took, but it truly was pink. Anyone seen anything like that?