need some advice on artificals

[m4ckten]

Okay so this year i have decided to take the jump from live to artificial baits.

I bought about 6 or 7 different types of spinners/buzz baits. in a multitude of different blade/color combo's

I have always heard about people having great luck on them, but i figured maybe i could catch some bass this year, since i've had my fill of bluegill for awhile.

Is it too early to be using this yet? i've heard they do pretty good in spring, but since i don't have a boat everywhere i go is obviously either straight shore, or from a few docks.

I live in the Vicksburg/Portage area, and have been fishing Pickerel Lake, and Austin Lake, going to try Long Lake one of these days .. Anyone in my area have tips for fishing these lakes?

If you couldn't tell, i am fish less, not even a hit yet. Tried the spinning reel, and the bait caster, unfortunately both on 6'2" ugly sticks. Will these suffice for now?


I am just "fishing" for some advice please :help:

[msunolimit]

Spinnerbaits will catch fish this time of year, as I have shown myself.

If you're looking to make the jump from live to artificial bait, simply put, buy yourself some senkos. Gary Yamamoto makes (IMO) the best senko (stick style) soft plastic baits that are on the market. Get yourself a bag of green with gold flake (or any green w/ flake) and you should be all set. Fish them whacky rigged (pinch the worm in half, and put a 1/0 EWG Gamakatsu hook through that halfway mark. Fish them under docks, shallow, deep (with splitshot on the hook/right above the hook), weed edges, etc etc... You WILL catch fish.

FWIW, using a hi - vis line like a fireline/powerpro in hi - vis yellow will help you 'see' rather than feel a lot of the lighter strikes...The line twitching bites are much easier to see with the bright line.

From my personal experiences (and the wisdom of my elders), I've noticed that more often than not, a spinnerbait will yield LESS fish, but more often BIGGER fish. Senkos will boat you fish all day long if that's all you're really going for, and as evidenced by some of the pics in my profile, they catch BIG fish too. Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me with more questions that you may have.

[Flash]

As a relative newbie, I can only share what is working for me. I like and use rapalas. It suits my style of casting and retreiving. In my photo gallery is a small perch rapala that I had great success on down your way. I typically fish a small lake here in Fenton and this year (2 days now) I am cathing my fish on a J9 jointed Rapala. Last year it was silver/blue, this year it is gold/black, gold/orange. I am catching pike, bass, and even a bluegill. Throw it to the shallows and twitch/retreive. Not catching big fish, but at least catching something. I use Ugly Stiks as well. Lites. They are fine for me and my style of throwing sticks.

:coolgleam

[m4ckten]

Thank you both for your advice, i will definitely try those things out, right now i am just trying to boost my confidence with the artificial baits, so i think the quantity is going to be important right.

So I'll give those Senkos a try along with the others! once again thank you both.

[waterfoul]

You should also do some research here (run a search) on a couple other techniques too.... such as drop shotting and shakey head fishing. These are simple techniques to learn and will put fish in your boat.

[RobFromFlint]

If you're not targeting anything in particular, I plain old ordinary curl tailed grub on a leadhead is hard to beat. For bass, I'd have to agree with a Senko type bait, but drop shot them wacky rigged, fish on the bottom don't see that presentation and can't control themselves.:D I personally like the Rapala DT series of crankbaits and throw them when I probably should switch to something else. Confidence bait for me and I make it produce.

[basskiller46]

If you are making the switch then the best lure for you would be the rat l trap it is the best lure for you and i am a 100% sure you will catch bass and pike. All you need to do is throw it and reel it in pretty fast depending on your gear ratio. Also if you are by lily pads in the summer throw a topwater frog like a scum frog and pull it right over the lily pads. Or the easiest bass lure to start out with is the bass stopper they have them at every wal mart pretty much every color works but i like yellow and black that is the lure that started me off bass fishing. I would wait on the soft plastics a little because i think they are the hardest of the lures because you have learn how to work them but a good way to learn that is on you tube they have a lot of instructional videos on how to rig them and on hard baits to. Here Are some i thaught would help you

Drop Shot
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0-V59k92CxM
Wacky rig
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Cuy_V7rOCpc
Texas Rig
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9NpndQeBhnU
Carolina
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hOUjl9-C01s

[bassdisaster]

So what you need is a way to get Bit from shore.:coolgleam HARD TO PUT FISH IN THE BOAT FROM SHORE(mikie):help:SHEESH
Dropshot will get your hands FISHY, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ALL THE TIME!
Try any of the smaller plastic's, like 4" worm's or grub's, even panfish grub's, Bass are not finicky eaters, if it swims it's food to them, but its up to you to make it look alive, SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE pause ect. usually the bites happen on the pause! if not well its just fish on!,
Shakey heads are effective, but not as easy to keep weedless, esp from shore (uphill fishin), senko's work, but they are a line watcher's game.
For dropshot a lite hookset is usually all thats needed, esp if your using braided line in shallow'er water its just a snap of the wrist for the hookset! Also helps to keep your rigs out of the tree's behind you!
Lots of good fishermen here, lots of good advice is handed out, but they sometimes forget the paramaters, like your on the shore!
Good luck

[thedude]

hard to beat a carolina rig w/ a 1/2oz weight and 5" or 7" power worm in green pumpkin, watermelon or junebug. The heavy weight will help you get off shore. Also look into a scum frog, as the sun get hotter and water warms up you will be finding bass in the shallow nastyness that is often easy to cast to from shore.

[waterfoul]

OK, the drop shot will put fish on shore!!

Better Carl???

:D

[m4ckten]

So what you need is a way to get Bit from shore.:coolgleam HARD TO PUT FISH IN THE BOAT FROM SHORE(mikie):help:SHEESH
Dropshot will get your hands FISHY, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ALL THE TIME!
Try any of the smaller plastic's, like 4" worm's or grub's, even panfish grub's, Bass are not finicky eaters, if it swims it's food to them, but its up to you to make it look alive, SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE pause ect. usually the bites happen on the pause! if not well its just fish on!,
Shakey heads are effective, but not as easy to keep weedless, esp from shore (uphill fishin), senko's work, but they are a line watcher's game.
For dropshot a lite hookset is usually all thats needed, esp if your using braided line in shallow'er water its just a snap of the wrist for the hookset! Also helps to keep your rigs out of the tree's behind you!
Lots of good fishermen here, lots of good advice is handed out, but they sometimes forget the paramaters, like your on the shore!
Good luck


Hehe, Thank you all for the advice, I was assuming that most/all of these techniques, could be applied off-shore as well as on-shore. It is amazing how much great advice you can get, by asking the right questions ;)

Unfortunately i didn't get out to the lake this weekend. Didn't feel like dealing with the hundreds of kids ruining the fishing like Friday.

Hopefully i will be getting a boat soon, i've been dropping the hint to my wife, and she usually comes through. I saw a few i liked this weekend so i guess we will find out.

[m4ckten]

If you are making the switch then the best lure for you would be the rat l trap it is the best lure for you and i am a 100% sure you will catch bass and pike. All you need to do is throw it and reel it in pretty fast depending on your gear ratio.

What weight/colors would you recommend?

[basskiller46]

What weight/colors would you recommend?

Blue and chrome/ Black and Chrome/ Chartruese with blue on top/ Craw fish(red and Black)

1/2 oz and 3/4 oz

[msunolimit]

Blue and chrome/ Black and Chrome/ Chartruese with blue on top/ Craw fish(red and Black)

1/2 oz and 3/4 oz

I would definitely have to agree that Craw fish is a solid color, as well as a chrome body/chartreuse top. I haven't really had amazing success on these baits in regards to bass, but I can't keep the pike off them (especially the chrome/chartreuse).

[RobFromFlint]

I've had alot of largemouths hit the Red Craw 1/2 oz trap. If they have the stock shiny, silver hooks swap them for some quality hooks. Had some nice fish come off on those stocks.

[m4ckten]

WOOHOOO

I finally got my first bass of the season! 14 inch large mouth. no pictures, since i stopped on my way to pick up my daughter. Had a few other nice strikes but ended up missing em with the waves on the lake.

Thanks for all the advice.

[Xtremefisher]

I have used K&E Bass stoppers for a while and they seem to work well for bass, but they have small ones, finger length and they seem to catch just about anything on the water. I have caught bluegill, crappie, pike, bass, and even a walleye on the small K&E's. I like to fish with these for crappie the most and they are so easy because you dont have to keep putting bait on your line.