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Q:
hello i have a pond that is 60 ft long 25 ft wide it is about 5-12 ft deep it is stained brownish-green in color and it is in central florida i know for a fact that is has huge bass in it and tha largest one caught in it was 8lb 3oz it has about a dozen bee boxes an one side of it and bees drown in it regularly also there are cattails and golden shiners and bluegill and catfish in it so i wanted to know what bait/ lure would be the best to target these bass.
Question by basskiller. Uploaded on June 17, 2010
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Answers (25)
Sounds more like a stock tank... Golden Shiners are like candy to a big bass. Fish one under a float.
Live or artificial bluegills, large minnows or shinners, Zoom Speed Craws, topwater baits in black or shad, Mirrolures in Shad or mullet, spoons and spinnerbaits. Catch a few small bluegill and rig under a float, toss this beside grass beds or standing cattail.
If you want to use bait, try a Golden Shiner under a float like beekeeper said. If you want to use lures, it sounds like a lot of lures would work. Since it's dirty water, try some firetiger or chartreuse/blue black shallow crankbaits. Also could try a chartreuse spinnerbait. Any soft plastics, black in color should work great.
Follow the posts suggestions above. If none of these work, grab a fly rod and tie on a bee imitation! If they, the bees, are there in the numbers you state, the bellies of your bass must be full of them. Catch one, disect & examine stomach contents.
When I was a kid we used to fish water hazard ponds around a local golf course - some of them were similar in size, and even though they were small they had some monsters in them. Try a floating frog or like Bee said do the shiner thing. Cgull is also correct on the bluegill/bream thing. Try to catch some small ones somewhere else and keep them live and use them.
Well that is one heck of a pond that you got there. You can never go wrong with banjo minnows and considering the color of the water I would also use a watermelon colored trick worm by Zoom.
All of the above sound like good ideas. But if they're hitting the bees, I'd use a bee (though you may want to use caution--don't want to piss off an entire beehive--Beekeeper might know something about that).
I think Beekeeper would rather impale a live frog on a hook for bait.
WORM!!!!!!!
Garry Yammamotto Senko
im thinking about putting a feeder on it is this a good idea?
im thinking about putting a feeder on it is this a good idea?
Wait til midnight and slowly crank a jitterbug pausing for a second here and there. Or hook a live mouse and let it swim around out there. Hold onto your @$$.
shane-
I hope I never become that desperate to catch a fish. They are easier to catch than mice.
Fish in that enclosed pond will hit anything that moves. I suggest keeping your hands out of the water! If you are looking for a specific advantage, I suggest something that makes a commotion. I have had great success with a 1/4 ounce reflex spinner in little ponds like that at any time of the day... I know it sounds like a blue gill bait but I have nailed bass up to 14 pounds on that little bugger in Florida golf course ponds.
There is an old saying that 10% of the fisheremen catch 90% of the fish. The unlucky ones may be too impatient or less intelligent, and are willing to try anything. That live mouse gimmick marks them as the "canned hunt" people of the fishing community. Ditto with the live frogs.
Oh lighten up. Canned hunt? Seriously. It's an old trick that I think is kinda funny and I like to mention it on here because I never hear about it anymore. It works really well and isn't any different than using other live bait. If you weren't catching anything and I was on live mice and I offered for you to try you would and you know it. It's fishing. Catching fish is fun.
thats very true shane and i agree that if it catches fish its a good idea also thank you guys for your tips ill try them tonight the weather hunt time siad that its 50 out of 50
I am not opposed to the use of live bait, although I personally would not resort to that. I also would not shoot deer feeding at a timed corn-dispenser, although it is legal in many places. Or black bear at a bait barrel, as it is too much like shooting a dog at his dish.
Success at hunting and fishing is secondary to the enjoyment of the sport, and for many people, myself included, inflicting unnecessary suffering on a small mammal by impaling it on a fish hook is a bridge too far. Therefore, I do not buy my bait in a pet shop.
Different strokes for different folks.
The comparison isn't really fair. Hunting is killing. Fair chase is a big part of hunting. I'm absolutely with you on the feeders/bait, but that's different. There you're dealing with an unknowing animal that you're about to kill. No matter the bait or lure I use, the bass chooses to hit it, then I let it go. It's not about desperation or success, it's more like "hey let's see if this works". I could do just as well with a Jitterbug (guess what they are imitating...). If it's wrong to hurt a mouse then I hope you don't fish with other live bait or kill other larger animals or force fish to bite into hooks drag them through the water...
Honestly I agree that just stabbing a mouse and feeding it to aquatic predators is a little more than I can stomach anymore, even though there are way too many of the little bastards. It's something I learned from some old timers years ago, have tried, and it's something I like to tell people about because I find it entertaining and worthy of noting.
Shane- I appreciate your reasoned response. You have a good attitude, unlike some others who respond to different opinions with flame and accusations. The animal rights activists think we are all barbarians.
Haha if the PETA crowd doesn't like my mouse trick I hope they don't catch wind of my kittens for pike or puppies for muskies trick...
try out a Crickhopper from any local sports store
it looks like many insects including bees
as a fly fisherman, im with countitandone. as a bass fisherman, im with ethan3. sounds like anything will work.
live bluegil work 4 giant bass and catfish
Post an Answer
Sounds more like a stock tank... Golden Shiners are like candy to a big bass. Fish one under a float.
Live or artificial bluegills, large minnows or shinners, Zoom Speed Craws, topwater baits in black or shad, Mirrolures in Shad or mullet, spoons and spinnerbaits. Catch a few small bluegill and rig under a float, toss this beside grass beds or standing cattail.
Follow the posts suggestions above. If none of these work, grab a fly rod and tie on a bee imitation! If they, the bees, are there in the numbers you state, the bellies of your bass must be full of them. Catch one, disect & examine stomach contents.
If you want to use bait, try a Golden Shiner under a float like beekeeper said. If you want to use lures, it sounds like a lot of lures would work. Since it's dirty water, try some firetiger or chartreuse/blue black shallow crankbaits. Also could try a chartreuse spinnerbait. Any soft plastics, black in color should work great.
When I was a kid we used to fish water hazard ponds around a local golf course - some of them were similar in size, and even though they were small they had some monsters in them. Try a floating frog or like Bee said do the shiner thing. Cgull is also correct on the bluegill/bream thing. Try to catch some small ones somewhere else and keep them live and use them.
Well that is one heck of a pond that you got there. You can never go wrong with banjo minnows and considering the color of the water I would also use a watermelon colored trick worm by Zoom.
All of the above sound like good ideas. But if they're hitting the bees, I'd use a bee (though you may want to use caution--don't want to piss off an entire beehive--Beekeeper might know something about that).
I think Beekeeper would rather impale a live frog on a hook for bait.
WORM!!!!!!!
Garry Yammamotto Senko
im thinking about putting a feeder on it is this a good idea?
im thinking about putting a feeder on it is this a good idea?
Wait til midnight and slowly crank a jitterbug pausing for a second here and there. Or hook a live mouse and let it swim around out there. Hold onto your @$$.
shane-
I hope I never become that desperate to catch a fish. They are easier to catch than mice.
Fish in that enclosed pond will hit anything that moves. I suggest keeping your hands out of the water! If you are looking for a specific advantage, I suggest something that makes a commotion. I have had great success with a 1/4 ounce reflex spinner in little ponds like that at any time of the day... I know it sounds like a blue gill bait but I have nailed bass up to 14 pounds on that little bugger in Florida golf course ponds.
thats very true shane and i agree that if it catches fish its a good idea also thank you guys for your tips ill try them tonight the weather hunt time siad that its 50 out of 50
Shane- I appreciate your reasoned response. You have a good attitude, unlike some others who respond to different opinions with flame and accusations. The animal rights activists think we are all barbarians.
There is an old saying that 10% of the fisheremen catch 90% of the fish. The unlucky ones may be too impatient or less intelligent, and are willing to try anything. That live mouse gimmick marks them as the "canned hunt" people of the fishing community. Ditto with the live frogs.
Oh lighten up. Canned hunt? Seriously. It's an old trick that I think is kinda funny and I like to mention it on here because I never hear about it anymore. It works really well and isn't any different than using other live bait. If you weren't catching anything and I was on live mice and I offered for you to try you would and you know it. It's fishing. Catching fish is fun.
I am not opposed to the use of live bait, although I personally would not resort to that. I also would not shoot deer feeding at a timed corn-dispenser, although it is legal in many places. Or black bear at a bait barrel, as it is too much like shooting a dog at his dish.
Success at hunting and fishing is secondary to the enjoyment of the sport, and for many people, myself included, inflicting unnecessary suffering on a small mammal by impaling it on a fish hook is a bridge too far. Therefore, I do not buy my bait in a pet shop.
Different strokes for different folks.
The comparison isn't really fair. Hunting is killing. Fair chase is a big part of hunting. I'm absolutely with you on the feeders/bait, but that's different. There you're dealing with an unknowing animal that you're about to kill. No matter the bait or lure I use, the bass chooses to hit it, then I let it go. It's not about desperation or success, it's more like "hey let's see if this works". I could do just as well with a Jitterbug (guess what they are imitating...). If it's wrong to hurt a mouse then I hope you don't fish with other live bait or kill other larger animals or force fish to bite into hooks drag them through the water...
Honestly I agree that just stabbing a mouse and feeding it to aquatic predators is a little more than I can stomach anymore, even though there are way too many of the little bastards. It's something I learned from some old timers years ago, have tried, and it's something I like to tell people about because I find it entertaining and worthy of noting.
Haha if the PETA crowd doesn't like my mouse trick I hope they don't catch wind of my kittens for pike or puppies for muskies trick...
try out a Crickhopper from any local sports store
it looks like many insects including bees
as a fly fisherman, im with countitandone. as a bass fisherman, im with ethan3. sounds like anything will work.
live bluegil work 4 giant bass and catfish
Post an Answer