These last few weeks have been brutal for me. I absolutely smashed them on chatterbaits a few weeks back on August 29, and they were big and fat. But I haven’t been able to replicate that success. My guess is the unstable weather. Once the weather starts to stabilize, the bass will start to go crazy again. Tight lines
Shore fishing 9/23 :
It was a good morning. Out for 2 hours. Caught 4 bass and 1 northern. Two bass were 16″ and the northern was 26″. Three bass were on a senko and one bass and the northern were on a yellow spinnerbait. Nothing on crankbaits, stickbait, or spoon.
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Skipping docks was effective again today. I used a stick bait wacky rigged for about 5 hours just going from dock to dock and landed 21 bass, the biggest being 18.5 inches. I’m not sure how much longer this will continue to work, as it is supposed to be in the 50’s next week. Water temp was 67 degrees today, north of the metro.
Sawed off at the boat by what looked like a 40+ inch pike
Frydog do you get snagged a lot using the Ned rig on docks never thought of that. Got out today got 4 nice chunks under I do mean under the docks nothing near it had to be under in the shade.
Frydog do you get snagged a lot using the Ned rig on docks never thought of that. Got out today got 4 nice chunks under I do mean under the docks nothing near it had to be under in the shade.
I think you have to sign up for a certain amount of snagging when skipping docks. I typically Neko rig vs. Ned because I can bury the lead in the plastic so when I hit one of the uprights ha.. it’s fairly silent.
I use a size 1 (not 1/0) “weedless” VMC Neko hook and tend use a little bigger/thicker worms. Well nothing is weedless, but those 2 little whiskers on the front of the hook do help you slide over and around support chains, dock posts, etc. but it really helps to pull lightly if you know you’re in a snag-prone spot. A lot of times you can feel the lure slide up a chain and over the other side unless you yank too hard. Hook point up vs. down helps prevent a lot of those snags.
Polarized glasses help to see those chains and ropes under the dock. A lot of times I come in from the side or even from the shallows to get the best angle to miss the worst stuff.
One of my favorite yet most treacherous areas is between the boat lift and the dock. That 12-18 inches of space can hold fish a lot of times when nothing else does… but be ready to get hung up on joints, braces and bolts.
As far as line, I’ve experimented between braid with leader and straight fluorocarbon. You need abrasion resistance so can’t go 100% braid. I use braid w/leader when skipping weightless plastics like Senkos… you get more distance… especially with a baitcaster. I use straight fluorocarbon for Nekos with 1/16-1/8 oz nail weights or flukes on weighted swimbait hooks.
I used to skip always with 8 pound fluoro as leader or main line, but the last couple years I’ve moved up to 10-14 lb line for both. Skipping is about as abusive on line as any kind of fishing and you can’t go into a gun fight with a butter knife. I don’t think the thicker line creates any higher visibility problems at least for largemouth. Smallies I probably still stick with 10 lb unless ultra gin-clear water I might use Sniper 7 or 8.
There… gave you more than you asked for… sorry, but we have a showing at out house right now and I’m killin’ time at the park wishing I was fishing!
Finally, had a decent outing. Been awhile. Hit a lake up by Longville. Calm and cloudy the first 10 minutes. Rained and windy the next 3 hrs. Caught a few on cranks, including a couple smallies, on a sunken rock pile. Caught quite a few LMB on a Tx rigged crazy legs chigger craw in blue and black. I think it’s the only color they make. Or, the only color I use. Some were in 3 fow by reeds. Some in 12 fow of the weed line. No pike for a change. Had a thought. Anyone put a glass bead by the drop shot we8ght for a little noise. I might try it. Good luck, Sam
Don’t know why it wouldn’t work, especially for smallmouth that are so curious. Maybe a clear bead or two so they don’t key in on the bead color instead of the craw..?
FryDog, Thanks for the info I appreciate it 
I bombed again Yesterday however tried new lakes. I did get a Smallmouth that was 5# even man what a fish! On a spinnerbait. Chatted with a few at the landings they too did not have much luck. Water temp was 666 degrees yet.
Spinnerbaits below and buzzbaits on top are two of my favorite Fall lures. I think the water temps are going to start to bottom out this coming week and it’ll be a whole new season..
From shore 9/28 :
Cold out but the fishing was decent this morning. Caught 2 northerns and one largemouth on a Northland white spinnerbait. The second northern, about 7 lbs busted the skirt. I had no spare skirts and no other spinnerbaits. No luck on crankbaits, Johnson spoon, Mepps spinner, Senko. I even tried hooking the broken skirt back onto the spinnerbait. It looked reasonably decent to me but no takers.
Last Friday (9/25) was good also and it was a lot warmer out. 5 bass and a 10+ lb northern. On senko and spinnerbait. I did have a hookup on a crankbait but it got off. The northern was on the senko, medium light action rod #8 mono. After several runs I got it to beach in shallow water on the rocks but couldn’t haul it up to measure it’s length. I would have liked to have gotten a pic and measured it.
Nice Pike! They LOVE to bite off senkos, esp. wacky rigged.
From shore 9/29 :
Seems the pattern is different every day. Out for 2 hours this morning. Same spot and same time as yesterday. Only the senko worked, Texas rigged. Caught 4 bass, largest 17″, smallest 14″, all pretty chunky. No northerns.
Fished the same Northland white spinnerbait that I used yesterday for almost half the time. Nothing at all. Also tried a couple of crank baits, spinner, jointed minnow. Nothing.
Yesterday : Spinnerbait 3 – Senko 0
Today : Senko 4 – Spinnerbait 0
Seems the pattern is different every day. Out for 2 hours this morning. Same spot and same time as yesterday. Only the senko worked, Texas rigged. Caught 4 bass, largest 17″, smallest 14″, all pretty chunky.
A wacky rigged Senko is the only thing I could get a bass to bite on Monday too. I caught 12 in about 4 hours with the biggest being 17.5 inches. Water temp 64 degrees.
On Monday and Tuesday, I was pre-fishing for my bass club’s last two tournaments that will take place this weekend with the two different lakes with the two different boaters I will have. On Monday we caught fish on a swim jig in the pads, a Chatterbait on the reed edge, a 1oz Jig outside of the reed edge, on a Texas-rigged craw tube and a 3/8oz jig on docks, a 3/8oz jig on a point, a scum frog in the pads and on a Buzz Toad buzzbait outside of the reeds. Other than the dock fish. We caught one fish and that was it.
On Tuesday we patterned them up in reeds on jigs in the morning. After that, we struggled to get bit only getting one more fish on a windblown flat.
I expect jigs in the reeds may be the deal this weekend. I am below average on jig proficiency in heavy cover. I’ve caught some big fish that way, but I don’t really like to do it so I don’t. I love fishing a frog in the reeds, but the cold is probably going to nix that.
Going tomorrow morning not sure what I’ll find for temps etc. Will try for bass first then later in the night I may pull some spinners with fatheads for anything and everything will see I don’t pull spinners much but might keep the hands a little warmer. I’m thinking shallow to start with the bass. I bet the water temps have cooled some.
I went last night for about 3.5 hours. Started around 5pm and stayed until 8:30pm when the full moon was out. I caught 8 bass, 7 pike, 1 muskie, and 1 walleye. A neon colored jerk bait worked for a while, then a bluegill colored chatterbait, and then a black spinner bait when the sun went down. The biggest bass I caught was a plump 19 incher. Water temp was 61 degrees.
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Going tomorrow morning not sure what I’ll find for temps etc. Will try for bass first then later in the night I may pull some spinners with fatheads for anything and everything will see I don’t pull spinners much but might keep the hands a little warmer. I’m thinking shallow to start with the bass. I bet the water temps have cooled some.
Skip the spinners and pull stick baits.
Went out yesterday afternoon from shore. Caught a bunch of smallies and pike on a ned rig.
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Went out yesterday afternoon from shore. Caught a bunch of smallies and <em class=”ido-tag-em”>pike on a ned rig.
Is that a six gill rod I see there?
Yes it is a ML cypress all my rods except the bass pro in the other picture are sixgill.
From shore 10/2 :
Cold outside this morning 42F. Out for 2.5 hours. Had to work hard to catch 3 northerns and 1 bass. Lots of hard casting with a 1/2 oz spinnerbait. Even now I still feel the effect of the cold and casting.
Started out on the senko and nothing for a half hour. Then switched to a hardbait minnow and caught a northern. Then spinnerbait for another northern. Then back to senko after the wind completely died, first cast bass. Then surprisingly dead for bass. Back to spinnerbait and caught another northern, nice 28 inch.
What was noticeable was that all four fish were hooked in the corner of the mouth. Made for easy de-hooking. I’m surprised I didn’t lose any of them.
Fished yesterday, Water temp 56 degrees, Slow action got 5 bass 1 each on spinnerbait, bass jig, chatterbait, Ned rig, Wacky worm and 1 pike on a ned rig try and figure what they want with that info 
Later I attempted crappie fishing with minnows I could see them on the camera nothing they were suspended over 20 FOW 58 degrees on that lake. Have most of you been finding them shallow that’s what I’m gathering? The lake at 56 degrees I believe is close to turning getting very green.
I have been finding them in 2-8 fow. Haven’t even had to take the boat or kayak out. Been doing pretty good from shore.
Fished yesterday, Water temp 56 degrees, Slow action got 5 bass 1 each on spinnerbait, bass jig, chatterbait, Ned rig, Wacky worm and 1 pike on a ned rig try and figure what they want with that info
Later I attempted crappie fishing with minnows I could see them on the camera nothing they were suspended over 20 FOW 58 degrees on that lake. Have most of you been finding them shallow that’s what I’m gathering? The lake at 56 degrees I believe is close to turning getting very green.
If you are asking crappies I just posted my recent findings in the crappie section under tim hurleys post. They have been hot and aggressive
Thanks Bearcat89 I will look it up. Water temp was 57 degrees got 3 bass at 20 -21 inchers very nice had a huge pike on that my net was to small he flopped out would have released any way but nice fish. All on spinnerbaits tried for some crappies but no luck was using small jigs and minnows. All in 4-5 feet right up to reed beds.
got 3 bass at 20 -21 inchers very nice had a huge pike on that my net was to small he flopped out
mrpike1973 – Wow. Everything was big. Good day for you.
Rough day today first lake 2 nice 18 inch bass near the reeds but the weed cover was very hard to get close enough to cast, got them on spinner baits temp 54 degrees. second lake a river system 57 degree water saw/marked crappies in 25 FOW suspended never caught one. Used spinner rigs, lindy rigs, jig and minnow and slip floats. Third lake near dark very clear 54 degrees casted for bass and anything else using cranks, spinnerbaits, chatter baits, jig and minnow got zero. Thanks for the complement Bob P
Had a real nice crankbait bite tonight in about 5-8ft. Cabbage was essential.
Water temp was 55-56.
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Later I attempted