Show me your bass
- Thread starter Mtnwkr
- Start date
2/3 on Rock Bass this evening during my daughter's soccer practice.
SRC&Bassbum
Steelhead
Hit the local to test the Carp Commander, but made sure I actually fished as well. Historically, the biggest bass I've caught from this little lake have all been in September. No big ones tonight, but once the wind died down it was a magical evening. About a half dozen or so baby bass up to 10 or 11".
The lily pads are fully mature and starting to "sail" away. I brought the 6wt so only used 10# Max. I had to retrieve my popper a couple times since the mature pads can be about 12# Max worthy.
And they're big enough to support a 10" bass no problem.
This is why I say they're sailing away
The lily pads are fully mature and starting to "sail" away. I brought the 6wt so only used 10# Max. I had to retrieve my popper a couple times since the mature pads can be about 12# Max worthy.
And they're big enough to support a 10" bass no problem.
This is why I say they're sailing away
Bambooflyguy
Legend
That there’s a bumper crop ‘o pads!
You just fish the edges or cast into little gaps in that closed canopy too?
Went hunting for bass this morning on a small westside lake. I was throwing my confidence LM fly - a 4" white Stealth Bomber - up against lily pads and into clearings between them. This was the nicest of a handful to the yak:
Not sure if this bow was having an identity crisis, or what... it was also tucked up under the pads
Not sure if this bow was having an identity crisis, or what... it was also tucked up under the pads
I fish anything where I think the popper has a chance to at least float and twitch before possibly blowing the hole.
So usually that means I fish the edges first and then pick the gaps or "holes" in the pads. I had 2 fish hit (and landed) in holes smaller than a baseball. The first one I was aiming for a hole to the right that was about like 2 basketballs, but the wind "helped" me out. I was probably 30' away. And I was aiming at the back of that 2 basketball hole so I could pop, pop, pop across it and then let rest. These frog eaters love to hit it after it's been popped and sitting there for an excruciating amount of time.
The 2nd one I was just popping through the whole mess since I had already hit (or tried to) all the holes. It was just sitting between 2 pads. You get lucky sometimes and it will plow right between pads. Feels pretty good when that happens AND you get hit.
I have found that a light popper with a fairly small gap will actually pop over pads fairly easy. Of course, it gets hung up a fair number of times too. There's a rhythm to it, but you also just have to exhale and know you're going to be retrieving your popper off pads and also cleaning milfoil and grass off your hook. If anything, it's great practice for casting accuracy. When a 40' cast plops right into a baseball glove sized gap AND you get a fish out it, it makes up for all the cussing and frustration of snagging pads.
My fish hookup rate seems to be better with a regular hook than a snag guard hook. And the fish just don't seem to like the sexy inverted hooked poppers I happen to have from Bream Bugs. Those are definitely better at going over pads. But they eventually stick too.
If you watch the pads long enough you'll see big blowups right in them. Saw 2 last night. One was probably a 3-4# class fish. RIP Kermit.
That's where they like to hang out.
I was experimenting earlier this summer with a weedless padwalker fly. The idea is that it should work similar to a Texas-rigged swimbait; jaw pressure should expose the hookpoint when you set.I fish anything where I think the popper has a chance to at least float and twitch before possibly blowing the hole.
So usually that means I fish the edges first and then pick the gaps or "holes" in the pads. I had 2 fish hit (and landed) in holes smaller than a baseball. The first one I was aiming for a hole to the right that was about like 2 basketballs, but the wind "helped" me out. I was probably 30' away. And I was aiming at the back of that 2 basketball hole so I could pop, pop, pop across it and then let rest. These frog eaters love to hit it after it's been popped and sitting there for an excruciating amount of time.
The 2nd one I was just popping through the whole mess since I had already hit (or tried to) all the holes. It was just sitting between 2 pads. You get lucky sometimes and it will plow right between pads. Feels pretty good when that happens AND you get hit.
I have found that a light popper with a fairly small gap will actually pop over pads fairly easy. Of course, it gets hung up a fair number of times too. There's a rhythm to it, but you also just have to exhale and know you're going to be retrieving your popper off pads and also cleaning milfoil and grass off your hook. If anything, it's great practice for casting accuracy. When a 40' cast plops right into a baseball glove sized gap AND you get a fish out it, it makes up for all the cussing and frustration of snagging pads.
My fish hookup rate seems to be better with a regular hook than a snag guard hook. And the fish just don't seem to like the sexy inverted hooked poppers I happen to have from Bream Bugs. Those are definitely better at going over pads. But they eventually stick too.
If you watch the pads long enough you'll see big blowups right in them. Saw 2 last night. One was probably a 3-4# class fish. RIP Kermit.
That's where they like to hang out.
It's a modified stealth bomber, tied on an EWG hook. The heavy bead tied to the hook belly keeps it keeled, and it crawls across pads really well!
It got tons of blowups through the almost solid lilly pad cover I was dragging it over, but hooksets were tough to come by. Not sure if they had a mouthful of pads with it, or if the design needs more work. I need to try it where there's at least some open water between the pads.
Your lilly pad density looks perfect!
I know that with standard frog lures with inverted, tucked-tight hooks, you need to wait a beat after the strike, and set hard. They also have pretty lousy hookup ratios.
I think maybe the big blowups have made me react with a big trout set? Time for some wait & strip-set discipline, perhaps.
I’m new to the group and fly fishing. Here’s one of my best this year.
Replicant
Life of the Party
Welcome! I look forward to seeing your bass when you get the picture uploaded.
I'm trying to decide if this is technical difficulties or wry commentary