So who's getting out this weekend for opening of bass season

[grampy]

There is absolutely no doubt, that a lot of fishing lures, were more designed to catch FISHERMEN,  than FISH!  I've caught fish on a $15 Rapala, and just as many on a look alike $1.50 bargain box lure on the same day. I have literally thousands of $ in lures and tackle. Only perhaps 40% gets used, or catches fish with any consistency. A bunch of those lures did exactly what they were designed to do. Catch me!  But I sure did enjoy trying out each and every one!

That said, on any given day, you could blindly just pick ANY lure and head out on the water and catch fish with it. There are also days where no matter how hard you try, you do poorly. And other days where the fish just seem to jump on ANYTHING ya throw out there.

[turkeyfeathers]

1 hour ago, Robhuntandfish said:

i once caught a pickerel on a bottle opener.   it had a hole in it so I put a split ring and treble hook on it and tossed it out!   Caught more on that than some lures i own.  lol 

That’s funny. We used to fish for Lakers in niagara river. Ran out of power bait eggs and caught fish on dandelion heads. 

[wolc123]

My strangest opening day catch happened many years ago, and did not involve bait or even a rod and reel.    A couple neighborhood buddies and I drove my pickup, with a rowboat in the back, down to Chataqua lake on the Friday night before opening day.   By the time time we got everything packed and drove down there, it was a little after midnight.  We tossed the boat in the lake and I hooked my 9-1/2 Evinrude on the back and clamped on some cheap navigation lights.  My buddies drove my pickup over to their folks trailer, which was a little way up a creek that led to the lake.  The only thing I had in the boat was a 5 gallon bucket with some tools and safety gear in it, and a life preserver.

As I headed out across the bay towards the mouth of the creek, I could hear the motor churning up some weeds.  Suddenly I heard a loud bang up front, then a series of quieter thumps.   I shined a flashlight up there, and noted a 15" smallmouth bass flopping around on the floor of the boat.   I dumped the stuff out of the bucket and filled it with water for the bass.   My buddies were waiting at the dock when I got there and were quite surprised when I held up the bass, since they knew I had no fishing gear.   I have always been a real stickler for the rules, and not knowing for sure if it was "legally" taken, I released it.  I can't recall if or what else we caught that weekend, but I will never forget that bass that jumped into my boat.       

[crappyice]

I know plastic worms work. I know crank baits work. Yet, I have ZERO confidence in them and so when I think they would be the right bait I barely use them because I just don’t have success. My favorite are 3-4” tube baits (pumpkin or green) with a bullet weight in front.
I also love throwing plastic frogs on pads- so fun.I miss more than I catch since I can’t seem to hold off on my hook set. When the weeds start waving as the frog is helplessly sitting there I can’t resist. First sign of fish I jerk as hard as possible and usually need to dodge a frog flying for my forehead!

Poppers and buzzbaits for mornings also cannot be beat. I love when the glass calm lake gets all blown up on a popper.


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[wolc123]

1 hour ago, crappyice said:

I know plastic worms work. I know crank baits work. Yet, I have ZERO confidence in them and so when I think they would be the right bait I barely use them because I just don’t have success. My favorite are 3-4” tube baits (pumpkin or green) with a bullet weight in front.
I also love throwing plastic frogs on pads- so fun.I miss more than I catch since I can’t seem to hold off on my hook set. When the weeds start waving as the frog is helplessly sitting there I can’t resist. First sign of fish I jerk as hard as possible and usually need to dodge a frog flying for my forehead!

Poppers and buzzbaits for mornings also cannot be beat. I love when the glass calm lake gets all blown up on a popper.


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As far as surface baits, I am the same way with those weedless frogs.  I probably miss 10 for every one that I hook on them.  They say the trick is to wait until you feel them before you set the hook.  It is easier said than done apparently.  I have much better luck working a Zara-Spook along the edge of the weeds in the early morning.  Those trebles hook them almost every time. 

My go-to bait for smallmouths is the bucktail jig.  There is no bait that I have more confidence in. The biggest advantage is that they are almost free, since I make my own and only have to pay for the hooks.   The clearer the water, the better they work, and the zebra mussels have worked wonders for that. 

For largemouth, my preference is a big weedless, rubber-skirted jig with a plastic swim bait trailer.   That seems to make the big ones hit around docks and so forth.  I also like to slow roll a big willow-leaf tandem spinner bait over sunken weedbeds and have a second rod rigged up (or a second fisherman in the boat if possible) with a wacky worm to pick up the followers.  I recall my last day on Lake of the Isles in the Thousand Islands last June.  We only had a couple hours in the morning and my brother in law scored his limit on the wacky worm, but I picked up the "big bass of the day" on the spinnerbait, doing just that.    That one largemouth equalled his three biggest in weight.   I went back out to the edge of the shipping lane in the afternoon to complete my limit with (4) smallmouths on bucktail jigs.     

Edited June 16, 2018 by wolc123

[The_Real_TCIII]

There is absolutely no doubt, that a lot of fishing lures, were more designed to catch FISHERMEN,  than FISH!  I've caught fish on a $15 Rapala, and just as many on a look alike $1.50 bargain box lure on the same day. I have literally thousands of $ in lures and tackle. Only perhaps 40% gets used, or catches fish with any consistency. A bunch of those lures did exactly what they were designed to do. Catch me!  But I sure did enjoy trying out each and every one!
That said, on any given day, you could blindly just pick ANY lure and head out on the water and catch fish with it. There are also days where no matter how hard you try, you do poorly. And other days where the fish just seem to jump on ANYTHING ya throw out there.

Give me a white spinnerbait and a bag of Senkos and I’m all set. I carry the rest just for show lol


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[loworange88]

I might to get out tomorrow, havent decided where I want to go yet though.

 

[crappyice]

Playing a baseball tourney at Navajo by the Jeff Valley Mall...hoping to get knocked out after the 8:30 game tomorrow and head to Fahnstock with the canoe and kayak either in Canopus Lake or I remember a little pond tucked down some dirt road. Used to hold a bunch of chain pickerel and some decent bass.


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[crappyice]

Check out whose shagging balls with me


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[turkeyfeathers]

16 minutes ago, crappyice said:

Check out whose shagging balls with me


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Box turtles o plenty lately. Someday !   Not the fastest proficient helper in the world 

Edited June 16, 2018 by turkeyfeathers