What on earth will trigger this bass ????

[Paul25]

Hmm guys I had an interesting one today, I could see this bass,very clear water, and he kept lying underneath a grassmat, i guess he was about 2kg, thats why i wanted to catch him !!!

I tried everything ! From topwater Popers & Frogs, Senkos - texas rig & wacky, Spinners, buzzbaits, cranks, Grubs, texas rigged worms, Smaller ones, bigger ones. Jigs, You name it, i tried everything ! But that damn bass could not care less what i presented him he hardly moved.

So i'm Clueless what lure will catch that lazy bugger ? Am i doing something wrong ? I tried a Jerk retrieve, Slow, fast..you name it.

One thing to mention is, when i used a spinner or buzbait he would turn around and kinda swim away, Or was this guy plain not hungry ??

Any help appreciated !

Cheers!

 

[OvaR8ed]

It's maybe a bit late but he might be guarding a nest. During the spawn the male bass don't eat, they just hang around their nest, guarding the fry against threats.

Normally during the spawn you'll see them over a dinner plate sized clearing that is slightly in dented, usually cleaned so that you can see texture in the gravel.

They don't eat, but they do have an urge to clean and protect the nest.

What I do is setup a very bright and unnatural texas rig worm or creature, and set the hook very proud, not weedless. Then simply cast it over the nest and slowly bounce it into the nest and let it lay there.

He will very briefly pick it up and spit it out away from the nest. The moment he picks it up you set the hook!

Like fish in a barrel... You can catch the same fish over and over if you want, but it puts a lot of stress on a fish that has been starving itself for its young for a couple of months.

 

[Paul25]

Hey Ova,

Thanks for the reply, So today i tried the little dam next to it, its basically a very big pond ! its on a golf course but LOADED with bass...Quite a few large ones too. I suspect the biggest might be close to 2KG,

Well today these bass where very active, Jumping out the water, swimming around....

They where jumping out of the water to catch all the Dragon flies hovering over the water...

This dam is definitely not over fished, But me and my friend could not manage to even catch one in 4 hours...Maybe we are just useless but i donno...

We tried everything, The only lure that got a little attention from them was a small spinner, Maybe they have to much food ? but from what i learn't from bass is they are big eaters not ?

The plastic baits did not get their attention at all...

Help !?!?

Regards !

 

[Marthin]

ive seen that happen... try a whole day till your eyes squint and the sunburn on the back of your neck goes purple... and then out of the blue it will just grab something you put there a random bait you've jiggled around 30 times....

 

[AYOBA!]

fly, clouser orange and white, tied with a loop, dropped in the nest

 

[Alien Invader]

Hmmm, could be spawning or standing patrol looking for females entering his territory...
IN MY OPINION.
If he's waiting for a female you're going to have a tuff time as he only has one thing on his mind- sowing seeds and all..Best way here is to annoy him, slow lure very close to him over and over until he looses it and tries to kill whatever it is... Basically, annoy him until he lashes out.

If he's guarding a nest, I would go with a very dark/dull jig/lead head and very slowly creep it up to the nest imitating a Clawed toad/Platana,,, it wont take long before he cleans house....
However, striking a fish directly on top of it's nest is not always a good thing, eggs or fry will be flushed out all over the place resulting in huge losses...
It's said that only 1 in 5000 bass fry survive up to 30cm,,,, but the other 4999 could/would be a good food source for the few that grow faster as they start to cannibalise each other.. DOG eat DOG!

Personally, I'm not fond of targeting fish while actively breeding, that said, the temptation often gets the better of me....


I believe your Bass was on the lookout for females in his proposed nesting site... Making sure of enough traffic and checking out the talent.

 

[Alien Invader]

Hmmm, could be spawning or standing patrol looking for females entering his territory...
IN MY OPINION.
If he's waiting for a female you're going to have a tuff time as he only has one thing on his mind- sowing seeds and all..Best way here is to annoy him, slow lure very close to him over and over until he looses it and tries to kill whatever it is... Basically, annoy him until he lashes out.

If he's guarding a nest, I would go with a very dark/dull jig/lead head and very slowly creep it up to the nest imitating a Clawed toad/Platana,,, it wont take long before he cleans house....
However, striking a fish directly on top of it's nest is not always a good thing, eggs or fry will be flushed out all over the place resulting in huge losses...
It's said that only 1 in 5000 bass fry survive up to 30cm,,,, but the other 4999 could/would be a good food source for the few that grow faster as they start to cannibalise each other.. DOG eat DOG!

Personally, I'm not fond of targeting fish while actively breeding, that said, the temptation often gets the better of me....


I believe your Bass was on the lookout for females in his proposed nesting site... Making sure of enough traffic and checking out the talent.

 

[jmgravenor]

If they were jumping for dragonflies. Buzzbaits(Whatever colour the dragonflies are) are quite effective. But that 2 kilo you said was under the mat...I have dealt with fish like that before.

I like to use a heavy dropshot rig to keep the bait in one place...right in front of him. Or I try a shaky head. I try to shake it as much as possible without moving it from it's place. Those should work.

If it was guarding fry...I have had good success with pitching into the balls of fry with a crawdad imitation bait. The little appendages kick fast and it normally triggers the bass. You must be quick in striking though. As they will inhale and spit it right back out.

 

[Paul25]

Thanks for all the replies gents,

Ill try all the tips next time i'm at that dam. Ill be taking my fly rod with

Will be going to Rhenosterkop this weekend ! can't wait, the guys have been catching seriously there, going on boat. Hope for the best.

my New braided line arrived from the States today, excited to try it out !

Tight lines!

 

[VX70]

Remember when you see a fish the fish has definitely also spotted you. What I normally do is to leave the area for short period but mark the location of where the fish is sitting. When I come back I will make a very long cast with a weightless senco and fish it very slowly. When its spawn I will use bubblegum (pink) flukes, this bait is for da mamma's.

Then just another thing .. don’t use braid unless you pitching heavy cover with a big bait or when frogging. I use 6 to 10lb line for all else. When you have the fish on go fetch him! Light line = more bites! I rather have more bites and lose a fish or two than having no bites at all!!