RIOT BAITS FUZZY BEAVER
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Riot_Baits_Fuzzy_Beaver/descpage-RBFB.html?from=detroph
BIG BASS FROM SMALL PONDS
Tips for catching trophy bass
Bass fishing on large bodies of water with a high speed bass boat is real thrill, and some of the larger bodies of water such as Lake Champlain in New York and the Potomac River in Maryland are some of the top bass fishing locations in the northeast, but some of the smaller bodies of water located throughout the country that are 100 acres or less, are some of the top producers of trophy largemouth bass. Not only do these smaller bodies of water produce trophy class fish, but many times offer the solitude and scenery that can be found nowhere else.
We are going to discuss some of the best tactics and techniques for you to employ to not only have a memorable day, but possibly catch that once in a lifetime trophy bass.
Locations:
In all the smaller lakes and ponds there are always going to be certain locations that hold the biggest fish. These locations are not always the most obvious ones. Most anglers that fish these small bodies of water tend to target the obvious structure such as laydowns, lily pads, and rip rap areas near the dams. While these locations will always hold some good fish, true trophy bass are usually loners.
The open flats that may appear devoid of cover are sometimes the best locations for really big bass. You need to find these open water areas that are near or adjacent to the creek channel where two or more different types of grasses come together. Within this same area if you find smaller depressions or humps you can locate these bass.
You will always catch numbers of bass in these areas in the three to five pound range, but the true trophy bass will almost always be by themselves.
Not only do these anglers almost all target the same types of cover, but they tend to throw the most common baits. The key to catching the larger bass is to avoid using the same baits as they have seen for the past few years.
The best example of this is what happened to me many years ago in Delaware at two private lakes I belonged to.
The State of Delaware had electroshocked both of these lakes for us several times in a five year period. Each time they targeted what “They” believed to be several of the best locations in the lake for the shocking the most bass.
In each case, every time, in both lakes, they never shocked more than 3 bass over five pounds, and never one over six pounds.
These lakes were 50 acres and 78 acres, and were fished on a regular basis by the members. At times, there were more boats on these so called “Private” lakes at one time, than there were on most “Public” ponds. The members ranged from inexperienced to highly skilled, and none of them ever landed a bass in the trophy class, and rarely landed one in the 5 pound plus range.
Baits:
I targeted the areas I mentioned to you above using a buzzbait which at the time nobody was throwing in this area. The real buzzbait craze was not even talked about much at the time and nobody in these lakes threw this bait. I caught 11 bass the first day with four other boats around me within fifty yards, that were all between five and 7 pounds, in the broad daylight!
The bass had never seen this bait and were completely fooled by it even though they were pressured with other anglers all around me.
I switched to several baits that had not been used for years by most anglers in both of these lakes over the next few weeks after the first incident, such as a “Devils Horse”, a “Crazy Crawler” and a “Jitterbug”, with the same results. I moved to several public ponds and produced similar results.
Now, this was great, but I was looking for a true “trophy” bass, so I adjusted to using the next tactic I will discuss in the same areas.
Go At Night:
I know you heard this before, but this is the time for trophy bass!
Now, when I say go at night, I mean that you should arrive at the lake about two hours after sunset, and you should be leaving when the first boats start to arrive in the morning. When I first started doing this there was never another boat fishing for bass on either of these lakes, nor was there anyone on any of the public ponds either. After the word got out in a years time there would be three to five boats on all these waters every time I arrived afterwards.
You should keep all the noise to an absolute minimum, as these bass are really used to hearing trolling motors, oars, objects banging on the bottom of boats, and even loud conversation and radios. Remember, this is their “Front Room”. If somebody came into your house you would know they were there! Even once the other anglers started to come they didn’t do what I am going to tell you now. They made a lot of noise and had lights on all the time. They smoked and used a lot of bug spray and touched gasoline, etc. which was on their hands. I believe this deters the bass even if it is to a small degree. Remember, we are talking about a trophy bass, not just three to five pounders. I believe there is a difference when fishing for these bass.
I don’t use lights at all! I only turn on a light when it is absolutely necessary and I never shine it on the water. You can debate forever whether this is necessary to do or not, but I believe that the proof is in the pudding as they say. When I see other anglers catching the same or larger bass than I do without following these rules, then I will admit that it doesn’t matter, but until that happens I will continue to employ these tactics for trophy bass.
One last thing I will tell you about baits is that I generally use the largest bait available when trophy hunting to avoid the smaller fish.
I make the profile of the buzzbait larger by adding a long trailer like a worm or swimbait to the body, and I use a big saltwater type topwater at times, or even 10 inch worms and big jigs.
It is not just the type of baits either but how they are worked. One example is the buzzbait. I not only vary the retrieves until I see what they want that day or night, but I also make repeated casts to the same area. I don’t mean repeated in the manner you think. I will make fifty casts at times from every possible angle to the same piece of cover or same area of water. Many times on cast number thirty or forty a bass has exploded on the bait!
Using these tactics I have described I managed to catch more than 568 trophy class bass in five years and was inducted into the NAFC Hall Of Fame in 2003. One of these bass was just ounces off the Delaware state record at 10.16 pounds. It was featured in all of Bass Pro Shops master catalogs and in the News Journal paper, as well as Bassmaster magazine Lunker Club and other publications.
Of the 568 trophy class fish I caught using these methods, over 100 of them were over six pounds, ten were over seven pounds, three were over eight pounds, and two were over nine pounds. These bass all came from public waters in Delaware and Maryland, except for two of them, which were caught in the private lakes I mentioned in Delaware. Recently, I started using a big swimbait, and have caught some huge bass in these same waters but that’s another story in itself.
If you follow these tactics you may just catch that fish of a lifetime, but even if you don’t, I guarantee you will catch more and bigger bass than you ever had before. If you want to learn on the water with one on one instructions Steve now offers this at a minimal cost here > http://www.thebasscollege.com/bass-fishing-guides
There are more detailed tips and locations in the video section here at the site. You can also join us on Facebook in our new discussion forums.
WOMEN IN BASS FISHING
WOMEN IN PROFESSIONAL BASS FISHING
By Steve vonBrandt
I had surgery last week and couldn’t fish or drive, so I was working on the website and talking to some friends on Facebook while watching some live tournament coverage, and the subject of why we don’t see many women fishing in professional bass events came up.
It really made me think because I hadn’t paid as much attention to this as I should have.
I decided to contact some old friends in professional bass fishing both male and female and get their thoughts on it, and I think you’ll be surprised at what some of them said.
First, in case you weren’t aware it, women haven’t always been allowed to fish B.A.S.S. events.
The first woman to compete in a co-ed B.A.S.S. tournament was Vojai Reed. She fished the 1991 Missouri Invitational and finished 58th! not bad, but it wasn’t anything to indicate that women were going to win a lot of Bassmaster Angler of the Year awards or start taking home Bassmaster Classic trophies.
And as of 2018, they haven’t!
I had a tackle store, guide service, and a radio show at the very beginning of the internet.
I had been involved in the old Redman Tour where I met a lot of anglers who are fishing at a professional level today, and I had opened Bass Pro shops in Harrisburg, Pa where I did seminars for TTI Blackmore, allowing me to associate with a lot of professionals in bass fishing. I contacted Andre Moore,who had Reaction Innovations and started carrying his baits, and interviewing him on the radio shows.I was at the Classic when he proposed to Kim Bain on stage.
I thought, how perfect is this, a team like that fishing the Classics together, she will go far.
Kim Bain-Moore was the first woman to compete in the Bassmaster Classic. She qualified by winning the 2008 Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year title. In the Classic, she finished 47th out of 51 anglers. It was her first and last!
Pam Martin-Wells became the second woman to fish the Classic. Like Kim Bain-Moore, she qualified after winning the 2009 WBT AOY award. She finished 22nd out of 51 anglers in the Classic.
Pam Martin-Wells is easily the most accomplished female angler in B.A.S.S. history.
Martin-Wells ranks 123rd on the B.A.S.S. all-time prize money list with $308,321.14. Ninety-nine percent of that was earned through the WBT or in her one and only Classic appearance.
After the dissolution of the WBT in 2011 no woman has even come close to qualifying for the championship.
Janet Parker came pretty close to qualifying for the Elites in 2011.
Sabrina Thompson was profiled a while back on a local news station in Texas, she is a Pro Angler and was participating in that weekend’s Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Opens.
So why is that a big deal?
She was the first black woman ever to compete in the bass fishing tournament.
She serves as the Vice President of the International Federation of Black Bass Anglers, and has a non-profit organization “Texas Wrangling Anglers”, where she teaches women and children the basics of fishing.
Having been involved in bass fishing in the Northeast, and traveling across the country bass fishing and guiding , for more than 30 years, I had a chance to get to know a lot of professional anglers, both male and female, I spent time with Judy Wong at the Classic, I was there at Christie Bradley’s first tournaments on the Potomac river, so I had high hopes of seeing a women win the Class or FLW tour.
Christiana Bradley posted a fourth place finish at the Bass Pro Shops Southern Open on Douglas Lake, making B.A.S.S. history.
It was the best finish ever by a woman in a co-ed B.A.S.S. event, beating Dianna Clark’s fifth place finish on the Red River at a 2010 Open.
I took Mary Divincenti, Womens Bassmaster Classic champion, out prefishing for the FLW and had her on my radio shows, so I was expecting a great deal from these women in professional bass fishing, given the fact that things were changing in bass fishing for women and I knew some of them personally, which is what prompted me to contact the top female and male anglers today and see what their thoughts were on why this hasn’t happened.
Here’s what they said when I asked “Why Don’t We See More Women Fishing At A Professional Level Today?”
I think with the popularity of the sport growing you will see women fishing at the highest levels soon. With the high school and college programs growing at the rate they are it’s getting girls involved at earlier ages which lets them spend more time on the water to learn. Until now the guys that have done well at the professional level have many years of fishing experience with fathers, grandfathers, uncles or friends. This time on the water gives them a huge advantage over women. With women getting involved much younger and seeing a viable profession they can invest their time and effort in it will draw women to the sport.
Matt Herron
I would say it is just the mathematical percentages. There are probably some great woman anglers, but for every one of them there are literally tens of thousands of great male anglers. That’s why no women qualify for the Elites. The first one will make a solid half million a year if she sells it! We shall see.
Chad Pipkens
Statistics show that women anglers is a growing number.
Your question is why the number of competitive women anglers isn’t larger?
Personally, my story started with a family that fished, a husband who fished and now is supportive of my competing in the Lady Bass Anglers (LBAA) and before that as a co-angler in the Bassmaster Women’s Pro Tour (WBT).
I started fishing tournaments with my husband, back in the mid 80’s. I was very comfortable fishing with my husband. But, I do admit, that the first time he asked me if I’d fish a team tournament with him, I wasn’t sure the other men would welcome a lady angler. I admit, I was wrong and I was very welcomed and later my husband became known as “Martha’s husband.” ?
Making the change to fishing in a draw tournament was huge for me. Since my husband and I always fished together, I was concerned about going out with other anglers, male or female. Having a female tour (WBT) was the opportunity I needed. With that, I started fishing the BFL, and ABA Opens (both as a co-angler and a boater). Now I fish as a Pro/Boater with Lady Bass Anglers.
I also had family support.
In the 80’s, my sister would watch our two children so my husband and I could fish the Saturday tournaments.
My husband, is awesome! He is my “bass caddy” as I travel across the states competing in tournaments. He supports me and helps other ladies.
What’s needed for more women anglers:
Ladies to feel comfortable to begin the new adventure
Opportunities to “grow” the number of lady anglers
Education
Promoting ladies involvement
letting ladies know how to get started
encouragement
Currently, the women’s pro tour is the Lady Bass Anglers. The days of Bass n’ Gals and WBFA, WBT, etc… are gone. I’ve seen so many new anglers get their start with LBAA. Having the opportunity to fish with a ladies tour is huge. Some ladies need that comfort zone to get started. I did
Would love to see more support and involvement with LBAA.
Today’s women’s pro tour and opportunity for ladies is the Lady Bass Anglers. Having better sponsors, being able to offer better prize packages and payout would be huge. To many anglers the financial awards aren’t enough to warrant the long distance travel and time commitment.
Vacation time and the time to compete… LBAA now has three regular season tournaments and a Classic.
Child care – Women are typically the main person to take care of their families
In one boat families, the husband should share the “boat time with their wives”. I’ve seen to many husbands have an upcoming tournament so they have the boat and the “wife stays home with the kids.”
Ladies need to know how to feel comfortable competing in predominantly male tournaments.
To get more comfortable, start competing in team tournaments with a family member or friend
Check out team trails:
American Bass Anglers Couples Series
Fishers of Men
Local team trails
Open team tournaments
Ask questions
First question is how to use the restroom…
Invest in proper clothing. Dress for the weather.
Martha Goodfellow
I honestly think it’s all about to change… Girls today have the opportunity to start perfecting their bass fishing skills with support from their family, Team members and Coach from their High School Fishing Team, Not just Dad or Grandad anymore.
I think that girls interested in the sport will get a push by parents because in the end Fishing could earn them a full paid college scholarship! Then they have their college fishing team to lean on! You cant just wake up one morning and say I’m going to fish the classic this year. But its way more possible today then it ever has been. I think you will see more girls in the sport in the coming years.
Sarah Boyett Hicks
For one, the money isn’t where it needs to be. But, for that to happen, more women would need to be buying the boats and motors, not fishing out of a shared boat. This topic came up many years ago with Mr. Dan Shad of Mercury.
Barbara Stevenson
I think one of the big problems is most women do not get involved for the right reasons. Many women fish with a boyfriend or a husband. Not because they have a through-and-through passion for the sport. I live breathe and sleep fishing. I feel like I have a natural instinct for the sport. I really think it starts at a youth level. We need to get our young girls involved in the sport as early as possible.
Kendra Mueller
I have a lot to say on this subject. It’s something I ponder daily. I think there are so many reasons. Passion. Sacrifice. Families. Confidence. Duty. Responsibilities. Lack of respect. Pressure. Time. Finances.
I think a question to get to the bottom of is why women fish? Or why men fish? Why women fish could differ. Some could say- well I did it to spend time with my significant other. I did it for attention (most would never admit this). To find those that say it’s my passion and all I can think about would be few and far between and that is what it takes or make it at this level. Women feel the pressure because everyone looks at the standings to see where they finish. We are our own worst enemies because we don’t believe we can fish. We have responsibilities to our families and to be mommies. It makes us feel so selfish leaving our babies to chase our dreams when we don’t technically have to be away. That’s hard to swallow as a mom.
Sometimes you sacrifice time at home, time at your job, or too much financially to outweigh the gain of what you receive. If you do go then when the sacrifice is unbalanced then you are fishing looking over your shoulder.
Sometimes it’s just not worth it to fish for women because their male peers don’t treat them with respect. They’re not taken seriously. They’re talked down to. They are treated as they are less than the men. Also, sometimes they’re just treated like a piece of meat. Who did she sleep with to her info? Why would women want to do that when they are having to deal with all of the others?
So much more I’d love to say. We need more women. It’s how we grow and some of the best parts of life are working in your passion and living in it.
Melinda Mize Hays
I tried to contact Lauren Stamps, The First woman to get a college scholarship in bass fishing, but at time of this article, I still had not heard back from her.
I contacted Krista Fields, who operates TheReelagent.com to get her thoughts as she is the agent for Hank Cherry, Jacob Powroznik and other pro anglers.
She said she believes it is the women that are preventing themselves from competing at a professional level with the men on tour. It’s a mindset, and that they need to get out of their own heads and realize that it is a “Fishing Game Not A Gender Game”, the bass don’t know if you are a man or a woman! They don’t know who your sponsors are! Be the woman who knows that and don’t allow the judgment of others to have any control or meaning in your life. You are on the same playing field when you hit the water!
Krista Fields
agent
thereelagent.com
I spoke with Christie Bradley on the phone and she had a lot to say, much of what was said was very similar to what Krista Fields had said. Christie also mentioned that she also has a lot of experience with problems that occur while on the road and has confidence in her ability to fix a flat, work on the trailer or motor, and get back on the water. It doesn’t affect her mental game. Most of it is just financial for her at this point.
I had a lot of thoughts about this after speaking to everyone and reading what they had to say on the Facebook post I made.
Do we still have men today who are sexist? Sure, probably always will.
Will the sponsors who step up and promote the top high school and college female anglers today have an opportunity to be in on the ground floor of a real money making opportunity? Yes!
After talking with all of the anglers and some sponsors, one thing that stuck out was this, “The First woman to step up with the confidence and attitude that it takes to compete and win on tour with the men will not only go down in bass fishing history, but will get rich doing it!
The one and only woman’s name that stuck out, that has the ability to do that was Christie Bradley, something that anybody who knows her is in agreement with!
If we see a woman make the ELITES and make history, it will be Christie Bradley.
You can visit her and see for yourself on Facebook at https://facebook.com/christianabradley
TOP 5 BASS BAITS TO WIN TOURNAMENTS
| These are the 5 baits you need to throw to win tournaments in the Delmarva region right now. I am sure they will do the same in other areas of the country but I know for a FACT that this is what is WINNING RIGHT NOW, RIGHT HERE.
Now, I am not telling you that these baits take the biggest bass, just that this is what is winning tournaments in the pressured lakes, ponds, and rivers, right now. it will change later and I’ll tell you when it does. I’ll put a video up demonstrating this soon. here are the baits you need to throw below. Just click the pictures to view the baits in detail and buy.
COTTON CORDELL LIPLESS CRANKBAIT
RED EYE SHAD 1/4 oz<(the size is the key)
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| — HELP THE KIDS AND MILITARY CLICK HERE |
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Upper Chesapeake Bay Bass Fishing May
Berks Bass was fishing a club tournament on the Upper Bay when I stopped by to check out the water conditions,color etc it was windy but there was certainly no call for any SCA warning! It was actually nice, most sunny with a good breeze the water wasmuddy but not much worse than any other day where it had rained on the Upper Bay. The interesting thing was it was stated by the winner and I observed it also, that the bass that were caught today had not appeared to have spawned at all. None had red tails and some had bellies still. The main baits that everybody was catching them on were squarebill crankbaits and pitching Beaver style baits in the traditional upper bay muddy water colors. There was one really nice Smallmouth caught also.
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The Bass College
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HOW TO CATCH SPAWNING BASS – TIPS AND TRICKS
HOW TO CATCH SPAWNING BASS ON BEDS!
Tips, Tricks, tactics and videos on how to catch bass from beds, either from shore or the boat, for fun or in tournaments. For even more videos and tips join us in our new discussion group on Facebook.
By talking to a lot of different anglers it seems that almost everybody enjoys sight fishing bedding bass as the strikes from the defensive and agitated bass gets our hearts pumping a million miles a minute. However I find that either anglers are REALLY good at this way of fishing while some can’t get a single fish to save their lives. I thought I would give all of you some of my best tips that work time and time again for me when it comes to picking fish off of a bed.
1: Where:
I generally like to look for them in the backs of coves, on the shallow indentations at the mouths of coves, up on the bank, on shallow flats, behind logs or rocks.
2: Stealthy tactics:
A: I generally like to where a shirt that is either white, grey or blue due to the simple fact that it will help you blend in with either the blue sky, light clouds, or dark clouds.
B: Of course you want to get as close as possible to the bass/bed for accurate pitches but generally you have to make longer and accurate casts. Let the bass tell you your limits!!!
C: For the bank walker, try to keep a LOW PROFILE! Hide behind a bush or tree and you better be an accurate flipper and pitch to do it! Even crouch or squat down if you can! Keep your foot steps as light as possible. Believe it or not, bass that are close to the bank can feel shoreline vibrations through their lateral line! Keep that in mind.
D: For the boater: Powerpoles are of course invaluable in shallower water as they will prevent you from being pushed into the bed and ruining your shot at the bass. If you are moving along looking for the most aggressive fish (good tournament strategy) keep the trolling motor low and either constantly on OR off. I have found that the sound CHANGE really spooks them.
3: ALWAYS WEAR A HAT AND POLARIZED SUNGLASSES(I like to wear black lenses on sunny days and amber lenses on cloudy days)!!!
You have to block out glare so you can see the bass, the bed, and the surrounding area effectively.
4: Baits:
I generally like to use creatures with a lot of action, fast falling compact jigs, tubes, and dropshots. Of course the senko works as well.
5: Color:
I have found that for this style of fishing that generally the fish do not care too much about color. I like to choose white so I can see the bait better. If you only have the usual green pumpkin or black and blue available it isn’t the end of the world either, you just have to have a good eye and sensitive equipment.
6: A catchable fish verses a non catchable fish:
This is very important especially in tournaments to know because you don’t want to waist precious time on a fish that you won’t put in the boat. Generally if I make a good pitch to a bass (a quiet entry and NOT RIGHT ON ITS HEAD, pitch it anywhere from one to two feet from the fish) and the bass flees for its life and out of sight I like to move on because it is most likely just found the bedding area and it will be skittish and it is trying to figure out whether to stay there or not. Of course I like to find fish that bullrush the bait on the first pitch but reality doesn’t always allow that. The next best bass characteristic is what I call; non aggressive yet catchable bass. These just show little interest.
7: How to catch non aggressive catchable bass:
I like to pitch the lure well in front of the fish and then crawl the bait slowly until it gets right under its mouth. I then snap it up in its face and nine out of ten times the fish will eat it. I find that I always have a better chance of catching the bass if it is facing away from me. My favorite baits for this technique are creatures, jigs, and tubes.
8: This style of fishing is about generating reaction strikes because the fish aren’t feeding. The will hit lures that they see as a threat to their nest, eggs, and fry.
9: Other tips:
I have found that most likely I like to fish for fish that have a darker complection verses a light one. This isn’t always the case but generally the light-backed fish are the ones who just moved in to their bedding area and thus aren’t blended in to their surroundings. As I mentioned previously the “newbies” are usually very skittish. The bass that have a dark complection are usually used to the area, blended in, and feel secure enough to bed there, attack threats, and stick around for awhile. Remember to be aware of time management in a tournament while bed fishing!!!! I hope you all have learned something useful from this and I’ll see you out on the water!
—
Jeff Serratelli
BED FISHING http://www.thebasscollege.com/Important%20Files%20/Bed%20Fishing%20May%2010.pdf
The bass are all starting to go on beds and are sometimes hard to catch. In the ponds and lakes where the water is clear enough to see them, there are a couple things you need to do.
First,watch the bass when you throw a bait onto the bed.If it spooks easily and takes a long time to come back, move on. But if the fish spooks and comes right back to the nest that’s a catchable fish.
The number one thing you should have is a good pair of polarized sunglasses. Amber is the best color for cloudy days and darker colors work well on sunny days. I put up a link to some real good deals on glasses at Bass Tackle Depot. You really need these.
The average bed is 1 to 3 feet across. Sometimes they’re bigger. I’ve found that most bass make their beds in less than 5 feet of water and really close to the bank. At places like Garrisons lake here in Delaware, they were in really shallow water and up real tight. When you find an empty one, you may have spooked the bass away; so don’t think there isn’t one around, just back up a few feet and wait for a minute or so. If you don’t see it after that, then just move.
APRIL 2010 SPAWNING SCHEDULE
RED = Finished Spawn GREEN= Spawning Now YELLOW = GETTING READY
Once you find a bed, position yourself to where you can see the bed but are far enough away that the bass won’t be spooked. A good distance is about 5 or 6 feet away. Sometimes even if you stand right over a bed on the bank, the bass won’t move, but it won’t hit the bait either. If you are fishing in stained water like you have here in many lakes you might able to get closer.I wear clothes that blend into the background and try not to let your shadow cross the bed. keep low and don’t make a lot of big movements. Next, just flip or pitch your lure just past the bed. Slowly crawl it right onto the edge of the bed. Wait for a few seconds and then crawl it to the center of the bed. The bass is now looking at the lure. The bass is getting nervous and wants to get it away from its eggs, so the whole point is to make your lure look like it is trying to eat the bass’s eggs. Next, twitch your lure just a bit a couple of times. Now wait for the bass to move in. He will probably get very close to your lure, sometimes almost right to his nose. Twitch your lure as softly as you possibly can (whenever you do twitch your lure, you don’t want it to move very far at all).
Take a look at some of the baits I just ordered for bed fishing > TACKLE STORE
During a recent trip we were site fishing using lizards, tubes, jigs, worm, carolinas, and split shot rigs, all which did not work. The fish would turn, look, and swim away. We did this for over 1 hour to observe baits and reactions. I then used a drop shot with a Keitech Sexy Impact and watched the fish mouth it, move it, and swim by it each time I was shaking it. I would drop the lure into the bed and begin shaking it in place very easy without moving it forward. Only one time did the fish mouth the end of it. I then decided to let it sit after dropping it n, nothing. i then dropped it in, let it sit , shook it lightly and then paused for about 15 seconds. Shook it very lightly once and paused it, the fish SLAMMED it on the pause. Thinking this may have been due to working the bed so long, we moved onto another bed this time using only the Impact. Same pattern shaking= no hits, drop in with no movement= no hits, drop in twitch lightly, slammed on the pause. now being a college professor i had to do this in with more scientific method. The next bed we immediately went into the drop twitch pause pattern and it was slammed. The next 6 beds we repeated this method and were amazed each time it worked identically. We then went back to the prior drop-no movement and drop-twitch and the patterns held. Hope this helps a few. take the time to analyze the fish’s reaction to various presentations. It makes for very good learning when you can actually observe the fish while repeating various methods.
Spring spawn will soon be here and if you plan on winning any tournaments here in the northeast or anywhere else for that matter, you better know how to catch bass from beds. There are times when it is really easy to get the smaller males to strike with just about any soft plastic pitched in to the beds, but to get the larger females to hit sometimes it is a real challenge.
You need to be able to concentrate and make specific placements in the upper corners of the beds at times to get them to strike. Sometimes if the bait is just a little too far in the middle of the bed they ignore it. The upper right hand corner and upper left hand corners of the beds seem to be the best location to put the baits for me.
Many anglers like to use a white bait like a tube or other worm such as a Roboworm basically because they can see the bait better and when the bass inhales it quickly you can tell it has done it because there is no more white there and it is easier to set the hook quicker. I use a variety of colors and styles until I see what works the best in that location that day, and you will know soon enough.
Many times the bass won’t strike no matter what you do and that is when you need to irritate them. What I do is throw a swimbait like a Matt Lures Hard Blugill or even a Matt Lures Soft Bluegill way up past the beds, and then run it quickly through them hesitating by the bed to see if they will actually hit that bait, and then if they don’t, run it through faster over and over. Then immediately throw in another smaller bait like a Power Tackle Lateral Perch, or a soft plastic, tube, lizard, etc and let it fall. many times after being aggravated by the swimbaits they will hit the other bait.
You need to make sure your shadow is not over the beds and try to stay off the trolling motor and do not bang around at all!
Spend some time watching these videos, and practice. After just a short time of watching the bass on the beds you will see how they react.
Now, in many areas of the northeast the water is too muddy to see well or sometimes you can’t see the beds at all. The thing to do there is to pick the north shore, find the hardest bottom on that shoreline and then pitch the baits to these areas that do not have any overhanging trees, just as if there is a bed you can see. You won’t get as many as when you can see them, but with patience you will catch them from these areas as well.
Caught on a Strike King spinnerbait
THE BASS COLLEGE
Bass Fishing Tips 
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