Jerry | Mon Jan-14-02 07:14 AM |
Charter member
posts
| |
|
#1065, "bed fishing"
|
What month is the best time to start fishing for bedded bass. I fish a 160 acre shallow lake and last year I fished the spawn for the first time. I started fishing in mid-march and did fairly good. I am wondering if I would be on the fish better if I start in late feb. Also what is your guys favorite lures for bedded fish. I had good luck with a yamamoto hula grub last year, it's small and easy to flip in quietly. Does anyone ever throw a swimait and let it just sit on the bed, I'm thinking of trying this technique.
|
|
|
fongster | Mon Jan-14-02 07:04 PM |
Charter member
680 posts
| |
|
#1066, "RE: bed fishing"
In response to Reply # 0
|
The best month is no month. I don't bed fish so the spawn can take place as it should. I guess fishing in spring is bad period but I do it preferring to blind cast for strikes as opposed to harrassing a nest. Just my two cents.
|
|
|
MuskyMan | Tue Jan-15-02 10:11 AM |
Charter member
posts
| |
|
#1067, "RE: bed fishing"
In response to Reply # 1
|
I'm in the same boat as Fongster. I cannot ethically let myself fish bed fish specifically. I am not trying to say how one should fish,and when - but I have seen way too much damage done to fisheries when the bass are on the spawn. Now if the lake you are thinking about has little pressure during the spring and alot of catch & release is done, then hitting it during the spawn can be fine. Finding the warmer section of the lake will produce fish first and easiest. Long flats with gravel or mud bottoms and tules nearby work well for me. Using basically any bait when it is dropped on the nest will work. But if you want to try something more exciting, try using soft jerkbaits - slug-os,bass assasins,flukes and blind casting along these shorelines that I described. Using flukes in early spring can produce some huge fish and it is way more exciting than bed fishing. Good Luck.
|
|
|
bassnet | Tue Jan-15-02 08:09 PM |
Charter member
1213 posts
| |
|
#1068, "RE: bed fishing"
In response to Reply # 2
|
I can't help it, I fish 'em on beds- I fish out of a little pond jumper with no live well, so I release the girl right away, after a quick photo- I love sight fishing. last year I got a fat one, 9-6 on a Berkley scale that when calibrated was about 1.8 pounds off (she looked over 10, easily!), she is still a 9-6 to me but a pig. I could have cruised over to the other side of the cove I was fishing to get a guy to take a photo of me with the fish, or cruised farther to get her real weight, but I just clicked it myself and let her go on the spot- would have been nice to have me in the photo with the bass, but it wasn't worth it to pull her out of the water for a few minutes. I think if you use some common sense you can fish the beds and not wreck the fishery. Just my 2 cents-
|
|
|
bassnet | Tue Jan-15-02 08:17 PM |
Charter member
1213 posts
| |
|
#1069, "RE: bed fishing"
In response to Reply # 3
|
http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=11093
quick pic
I did see her (or her twin) in the same spot a few days later, I think she did just fine
|
|
|
CJ | Thu Jan-17-02 12:42 PM |
Member since Nov 02nd 2001
335 posts
| |
|
#1070, "RE: bed fishing"
In response to Reply # 0
|
When you have a small body of water like that, it can be really responsive to the weather. If we start warming up in the next few weeks, I would be looking for bed fish in early February. Since the lake is small, it will warm up to spawning temperatures quicker than a larger reservoir. The Gitzit is what I catch 90% of my bed fish on, but I will use a large swimbait, or jig to fire-up a bass that is not paying attention to the Gitzit. As for the bed-fishing debate, for me it is not the most enjoyable way to fish. However I don't believe that fishermen can ruin a spawn by sight-fishing. The mortality rate of fry that does hatch is still nearly ninety-nine percent, and most of the lakes I fish, Casitas, Castaic, Cachuma, and Perris all have incredible fish populations in spite of heavy bed fishing pressure each spring.
|
|
|
SJ | Thu Jan-17-02 12:54 PM |
Charter member
304 posts
| |
|
#1071, "RE: bed fishing"
In response to Reply # 5
|
CJ -
What kind of Gizit? And how do you rig it, if you don't mind me asking?
|
|
|
bassnet | Thu Jan-17-02 07:24 PM |
Charter member
1213 posts
| |
|
#1074, "RE: bed fishing"
In response to Reply # 8
|
I just got some pearl senkos and ikas in the mail today, might have to try them out in the deeper water this spring for the big girls- the prespawn seems to be shaping up early this year.
|
|
|
|
|
© Copyright Robert Belloni 1997-2012. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without express written consent.
|