|
Post by bassrod2 - TJ on Mar 25, 2006 16:22:11 GMT -5
WHAT IS FINESSE BASS FISHING? HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THAN POWER BASS FISHING
Finesse bass fishing is a state of mind. Use finesse bass fishing techniques when you are sure you have located bass and you are trying to get them to bite. Either you have located active fish or you are sure bass are in a particular spot. If you are sure they are there but they will not bite fast moving lures, slow down and use these methods.
Lure Selection: Use slow moving lures that stay in front of the bass's nose until they bite. When you feel good cover with your Carolina rig, slow it down. Let it stop or move it slowly until you are out of the good cover. Pitch your Texas rig right in the cover and just shake it. Do not move it away. Keep it in front of the bass until it gets agitated enough to bite. Down size your crank bait, spinner bait or jerk bait and work it slowly. When your lure is next to good cover stop it. Let it fall or just twitch it. Keep the lure tight against the cover. You are trying to agitate an inactive bass into striking. Boat Control: Slow it down. Work the area thoroughly. Patience: You must be convinced that there are bass there. You just have to make them bite even if they are inactive. Move To Another Spot: Listen to the fish. If you cannot make them bite, maybe they are just not there today. At some point, try another spot. Maybe come back to this spot later and try it again. Danger: One danger of staying in one spot and trying to make the bass bite is they may not be there at all. Maybe you guessed wrong today. Maybe the fish are somewhere else. Ask yourself where is that place?
|
|
|
Post by michihunter on Mar 26, 2006 8:17:15 GMT -5
Great tips TJ!! Thanks!!
|
|
|
Post by bassrod2 - TJ on Mar 26, 2006 8:50:16 GMT -5
I Thank You Sir, A lot more on the way.
|
|
|
Post by michihunter on Mar 26, 2006 8:57:36 GMT -5
Looking forward to them!!
|
|
|
Post by admin on Mar 26, 2006 9:06:21 GMT -5
I agree, great tip and definately looking forward to seeing more. Thanks TJ
|
|
|
Post by bassrod2 - TJ on Mar 27, 2006 15:21:45 GMT -5
I'd like to Thank you guys, I'm happy to write these tips and glad you all like what I'm puting in. Thanks again.
|
|
|
Post by bassrod2 - TJ on May 7, 2006 8:18:45 GMT -5
THE CAROLINA RIG
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Carolina Rig is a technique that has been around for quite some time. It is used to cover an area quickly to find out what kind of structure you are fishing. Personally, I have put this technique on the back burner for the last number of years, but as of the last season, I put it back into action and it really paid off. In fact, I used it enough that it had earned me (4) top 4 finishes, and (3) big fish awards. This article is going to help you, step by step, explain the setup of this technique, types of baits to use with this, and places where to fish using this technique.
First, we will cover all of the components that are required for getting this rig set up. The first component is the weight. After assessing what type of structure and depth you will be fishing, decide how much weight you are going to need. The way to look at it is, get away with the lightest weight possible; usually throw between a ¼ to ½ oz weight, unless you are fishing deep water, then look at the ¾ to 1 oz weight. There are a variety of weights to use for this, egg sinkers, bullet weights, weights with rattles in them, and so on. They come in different composites, lead, brass and non-lead. A bullet weight is a more common weight for ease of getting through vegetation. Since a lot of the states are getting away from lead, use the brass or non-leaded weights.
The next component that goes onto the line after the weight is the beads. The beads come in either plastic or glass. The glass beads are faceted, which means that they are not round, but have many flat sides to them. Usually there are two beads put onto the line after the sinker. Most anglers use the glass faceted. Some anglers think that using colored beads makes a difference, but it really comes down to personal choice. Using the two glass beads in line makes more of a clacker noise when the weight and the beads bang together, as opposed to the plastic beads. With the noise from the weight and beads, it represents the clicking sound that the crawfish makes.
So far, on the line, we have the sinker followed by the two beads. The next component is a swivel that is tied onto the line. Usually with this rig, we would use the crane swivel for this in the black finish. The purpose of the crane swivel is to keep the twist out of your line, for the leader end, as well as to keep the sinker and beads in a fixed position. For the swivel size, usually stick to the smaller versions like the 20 to 30 pound rated range. There are manufacturers in the industry that offer a pre-rigged version, called the Carolina Shortcut; Bass Pro Shops offers this as well as many others.
So up to this point, the rig consists of having a weight threaded onto the line, followed by two beads. Then, with the end of the line, we tie on the swivel. Now that we have the main components rigged up, we will get to the business end of the Carolina Rig.
Now, it comes down to what type of cover you are fishing; what mood the fish is in, and this will dictate how long of a leader you will need. From the swivel that is tied onto the line, we will then tie on a Fluorocarbon leader. By using a Fluorocarbon leader it gives the bait a much more natural look as the fish don t see the line like some Monofilament lines. Usually the main line is of heavier weight poundage; anywhere from 12 to 30 pound test, depending on how much abrasive cover you are fishing. For instance, weed cover will let you get away with 12 pound test, but if you were fishing rock cover, then we would look at 20-30 pound line. From the swivel, we tie the leader on and which is a lesser line weight. The line weight for the leader is anywhere from 8 to 15 pound test, try and get away with the lightest possible line that you can.
The lighter the line is, the more naturally the bait darts from side to side, moves up and down, and falls more naturally to the bottom. This is where we need to pay some attention to the line length with the bait that we are using. The leader can be as short as 12 inches long and can go to as long as 4 feet. The shorter the leader is, the faster the bait will fall and the longer it is, the more natural it will look. Usually the length would be between 24 and 36 inches. Tie the hook to the end of the leader, usually the hook will be a 2/0, 3/0 or 4/0 hook. Use a heavier gauge hook; otherwise if you use a thin-wired hook, there is the possibility of straightening the hook and losing some big fish.
The bait that goes onto the hook can be any variation of baits that are out on the market. There is a plastic bait company by the name of BearPaws Hand Poured Baits that offers a wide range of plastic baits. They offer baits like BearPaw Grubs, Lazy Sticks (senko style), Slick Sticks (finesse worm), Grim Reapers and Shad baits. They have just come out with some new bait that consists of 5-1/2 Salamanders, large 7-3/4 Kodiak Whip worms and the 4-1/2 Grizzly Stick, which is a creature bait. All of these baits come in a wide variety of colors, BearPaws baits are offered in over a 100 different color variations. All of these baits are hand poured and individually trimmed and packaged at a great price. If you haven t tried hand poured baits, you don t know what you are missing. Hand poured baits are more durable, have a more lifelike feel to the fish, have scent baked into each one and have a natural buoyancy that works great for Carolina rigging.
The creature bait craze is running wild right now and it is always a great choice for this technique. The BearPaws Grizzly Stick creature bait consists of two curl tails off of the tail end of the bait and has two side appendages also. The main body consists of the zipper concept and with this design; it displaces a lot of water and creates a disturbance in the water column that draws the fish to the bait. Another great bait that they offer for this type of a bite is the 5 1/2 inch salamander, which has the great buoyancy from being hand poured. If there is a tough bite going on then switch to a subtler bait of the 4 or 5-inch Lazy Stick, the 4 or 6 inch Slick Stick or the 4-inch Shad. Any of these are finesse baits and offer the subtle action that is required for the tough bite.
Now that we have the Carolina rig setup and a few baits picked out to fish with, we will now look at places and presentations to use this in. This rig is really used to pick apart structure, as it gives the fisherman a lot of information back to them as it is being fished. The weight transmits vibrations back to the angler s hand and with that they can tell if they are fishing sand, rocks, mud, weeds, etc. This presentation is used as search bait, as it can cover an area fairly quickly and when an area has been found that is holding fish, you are able to slow down and fish it as slowly as the need warrants.
This presentation is used mainly to cover large expanses of an area with little vegetation and sand or rock bottom. But, as anglers are using it in heavy vegetation, this is giving the bass a different look at the baits that follow. As it is coming through the weeds, the buoyancy of the BearPaws Hand Poured Baits allows the bait to float either high in the weeds or above them as it floats and slowly settles towards the bottom. After casting the rig out you will slowly drag it back towards the boat, with a lifting or side motion of the rod tip. With a 3 foot leader the bait flutters above the bottom and it slowly falls back down and that is when the bass strikes. As you start to move the bait, be prepared, because many times you may not feel the fish pick it up and when you go to move it, there is weight there. With a side sweeping hook set you will hook another bass.
Mainly this rig has been fished on deep structure, but recently more people are using it to fish in water as little as 1-2 feet deep. It gives a different presentation to the shallow water fish that are use to seeing jigs and plastics fished Texas style. By fishing this shallow, the bait will have a very erratic action and is enticing to them. You will be able to crawl this over wood cover, but would recommend shortening the leader to maybe a foot long or a bit more. This allows the bait to free fall better, but with a shorter leader it doesn t get as tangled in the wood like a long leader would. The shallower presentation will also allow you to get away with a much lighter weight for a softer presentation into the water after the cast. You will be able to use a weight between 1/8 - 3/8 oz.
If you haven t tried the Carolina Rig before, you don t know what you are missing. You are able to cover water quickly with this technique and you are able also to fish it slow. You can fish it very shallow or as deep as you need to. There are a variety of baits to use with the Carolina Rig and they will allow you to fish to what ever mood the fish are in. Bigger baits with rolling curly tails and body appendages are great for the quick and aggressive bites. As opposed to the subtler 3-5 inch finesse baits for the very finicky fish. Whatever the mood is or whatever the structure you are fishing, you should always have one rod ready with the Carolina Rig.
ENJOY THE OUTDOORS,
TJ
|
|
okie
Spike Hunter
Posts: 62
|
Post by okie on May 8, 2006 20:12:23 GMT -5
Good article on the rig TJ, that is one tactic I rely on when the fish aren't actively chasing bait. I fished a Kiwanis club big fish tournament on Lake Tenkiller Thursday and Friday.Normally this time of year you can catch em on crankbaits but this year was different, they hit poppers fairly well and senkos and flukes a little but not well enough to win a big fish contest. So Friday morn after we couldn't get bit on top I went to the rig and caught a 2lb 11oz bass that was in first place when I left. I wont find out if I won till Tuesday after the meeting. I used a 7ft med diawa rod & reel spooled with 65 lb braided line, a 1/2 oz egg sinker with a brass clicker and bead above it.I used 3 ft of 25lb p line as a leader with a watermellon red Yum Zellamander on a 3/0 wide gap hook.The tournament ended sat. at noon but I went to another lake to pre fish for a tournament there. Heres the pic of that fish.
|
|
|
Post by admin on May 9, 2006 9:40:33 GMT -5
Awsome okie, hope your fish holds up and you win the tourney.
|
|
|
Post by hoosieroutdoorsman on May 9, 2006 19:14:34 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by bassrod2 - TJ on May 9, 2006 19:29:27 GMT -5
Nice BASS there Okie, Hope you win your tournament, Your right Hoosier the Palomar knot is the easiest knot to tie and I believe it's 1 of the strongest knots also, I use the Palomar all the time.
|
|
|
Post by DocHolladay on May 17, 2006 17:17:03 GMT -5
I use the palomar knot everytime. It is fast to tie and holds until it is cut off. I can feel my line for nicks, cut the nicks off and be retied in under a min.
|
|
|
Post by jerseyhunter on May 17, 2006 17:23:29 GMT -5
GREAT BRO THANKS .
|
|
|
Post by bassrod2 - TJ on Jun 10, 2006 21:35:59 GMT -5
Fishing Bridges
When bridge fishing, work several lures to determine just where bass are located. Around the pilings, try worms and jigs, counting down to different depths until you find the productive strike zone. Also work worms and jigs along the channel ledges leading under the bridge. Buzz baits may draw strikes around the riprap, even during the hottest part of the day. You might also, fish single-blade spinnerbaits or crank baits down the rocks with success.
As always ENJOY THE OUTDOORS, It's a GREAT place to be!!!!!
|
|
|
Post by bassrod2 - TJ on Jul 19, 2006 12:01:54 GMT -5
Fishing a River from Top to Bottom A fish blew the water up, causing spray to go several feet in the air. I immediately zeroed on the location and cast my lure towards the churned up water. As my balsa bait rested on top of the water, it was engulfed by an unseen predator. I had to make myself wait until I felt the fish on the line before setting the hook. The instant I set the hook, the fight was on. The four-pound largemouth was determined to throw the bait and destroy everything in its path while getting it done. It was a spectacular fight filled with aerial acrobatics and tail walking as the chunky bass repeatedly became airborne in the early morning light. This kind of fishing action has kept me going back time after time my whole life. But, I also realized that not every fishing trip was filled with non-stop fishing action, and that there were times that the fish did not want to cooperate or they did not want my offerings. So I had to weigh the odds of why, when, and where fish would be in any given stream, then determine the most effective method of enticing them to react to my lure. This time of year, being on the water before daylight is almost as important to my morning cup of coffee. But in the same vein, not just anywhere on the water will do. I want to be fishing before first light at some place where the flow of water is disrupted by a set of falls, a low water bridge, or other natural or man-made structure that causes a certain amount of white water. Under these circumstances, the fish are going to be more shallow than they will be a little later in the morning, meaning they will be more subseptive to being caught. The low light conditions have held or attracted them to the shallow water, and they are in the predator mode. Almost without fail, a topwater bait like a Zara Spook fished on the shallow water area where it merges with deeper water will produce some explosive top water action. This action will last an hour or less, as the fish will retreat to deeper water. As soon as the topwater action slows down, it is time to go to a sub-surface lure like a Rebel, Rapala or Rogue. Silver and black is a good choice in this bait, and they have accounted for a lot of fish for me over the years. A Rebel crawdad crankbait is hard to beat, and at times, it will produce more fish than the minnow type baits. No river fisherman's arsenal is complete without a couple of these fish producing baits. As the sun climbs higher, the fish get more reclusive by hanging closer to structure and deep water. This calls for another change in tactics. A weedless jighead fished with a small soft plastic crawdad in the deeper holes will produce fish. A recent survey in neighboring Missouri revealed that a large percentage of the fish that they studied had 2"-3" crawdads in their stomachs. Only a small percentage of fish examined had eaten crawfish larger than 3", so this should help us to understand that smaller is better when fishing crawdad imitating soft plastics. With the sun climbing higher, the fish pull tight to structure like logs, stumps, fallen trees, and rocks. They will invariably be on the shady side of the structure. This calls for a buzzbait that you can rip down the side of a log or other structure. A buzzbait is often more than a bass (largemouth, smallmouth or Kentucky) can stand, which in turn brings violent strikes. I never fish a buzzbait without a stinger hook attached, and most of the time the stinger accounts for most of the hookups. Even with a stinger, a lot of fish strike that are not caught. Here is where an instant change of tactics work in a big way. When I miss a strike on a buzzbait, I instantly throw a soft plastic bait exactly where the fish boiled my bait. Very few times have I ever done this without getting a hit. I don't always catch that fish, but they will hit almost without fail. As the shadows of evening get longer, I reverse the process, fishing the shaded areas, especially if there is a whirlpool or tail water area where the water circles instead of heading down river. I fish these areas with heavy jig heads and soft plastic baits until the fish begin their slow movement to the more shallow water. By sundown, I am fishing the topwater bait again. As light fades, I have caught most of my better stringers of river fish. By remembering these tactics and knowing when to change, you can fish any river from top to bottom. Good Fishing!
|
|