Help us!!!

[Jim]

Iʻm going to change my answer for the third time

As you keep adding information, it really helps to understand where you are as a fisherman.

One thing, your depthfinder is fine. It was state of the art 6-10 years ago and can really work if you take the time to learn it. Donʻt worry about looking for fish in the beginning, just zig-zag in a good looking area (off a point or down some shoreline) and see where the drop offs are. Look for the creek channel.

Once you find it, use a heavy football head jig (1/2 oz at least), a heavy texas rigged worm, or maybe best a very heavy (1 oz) carolina rig with a lizard. Take your time to work the point or channel all the way out. Cast across it and up and down it and you will feel things with the heavy weights. All are pretty snag resistant, but great for "feeling" what is down there. When you find something, cast to it repeatedly until you are sure there are no fish by it.

Focus you effort on depths from 5 to 20 ft deep until much later in the prespawn. Lots of time the sweet spot seems to be 8 to 14 ft deep. I think it is the typical depth where most crankbaits and spinnerbaits go right over the top.

Wait until the end of March to even consider pounding the shallow shoreline cover unless you want crappie. It is not that no bass will be shallow, but 80% will be where you are fishing.

This definitely works on Old Hickory.

Good luck,
Jim

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by Dub J

I watch KVD and hes like.......try my new red eye shad its the best damn lure in the world! So I go out and buy like one of every color and fish it just like he says to fish it.....reel reel reel then let it drop.................reel reel reel..........drop. Nothing.

Don't feel bad about that man. There are pros that fish against him every tournament thinkin the same thing.

I am 31 and he is by far and away the best crankbait fisherman I have ever seen.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by Dub J

I think I need to get a good graph, Ive been looking at the new HDS units but they are pricey. As of now we use a crappy little wide 100 hummingbird. I know that if I had a good finder, that it would probably make a big difference.

Does it have the fish ID's?

Is so turn them off. I used to sell sonar and that is one of the biggest jokes that have came along in years. The units with fish ID when that is on can't tell what is junk floating or fish. They only way to curb some of that is put it on manual and learn tell by the "arch's." One good example are those fishing over a spot and it is showing fish stacked up off the bottom. They will fish that for hours when it is actually a tree. Fish don't stack on top of each other. Also, that is one reason very....very few LEI (Lorance) units have them. They are highly inaccurate.

You can out it on manual, then adjust your sensitivity more will send more power down but will also bring in more clutter at the top. Think of it like a flashlight in a closet probably works fine but take that same light into an auditorium you can't see as much so you will need more power.You can also send to signal down twice to get a better shot of the bottom. Say you are in 10ft and set the depth to show 20ft the signal will go down up then down giving you a "double bottom" on your screen. That can help you pick a tree laying on the bottom with the not so high-def models. If all this seems a bit much just try leaving your unit on auto and just adjusting the sensitivity up/down until you get surface clutter then back it off one and that will help you out.

Also, if you are in an area where you caught fish before yet don't see them on the screen anywhere. It is possible they are still there. Sonar doesn't show true bottom. You can drop your line down by the unit (only works with 2,000watts/240vertical pixles or higher) and the lure will disappear before hitting the bottom. The fish could be there just laying on the bottom. There are no telling how many are passed up because they aren't "seen" on the graph. On units that are capable of seeing you lure and fishing by sight you can see the fish come out of no where to hit it.

You can get a lot out of you unit with a few tweaks here or there but also learning how to fully use it. They say electronics is something you never go cheap on but in the same sense I am more than in the same boat as some who can't quite fork over the HDS/1197SI $$$ yet.

Just another piece of the puzzle that will help find those bass.

I'm the other half of the equation here.... Me and DubJ go fishin together. Fresh water is brand new to me, I just started fishing it last year as I grew up on the coast.

I've read the InFisherman and that seems to be a good source for info. I noticed they have the lunar charts in the back. How does that effect the fish?

And also, how about this scenario. We fish the south harpeth a lot since it's close to the house. The fish are small, but in early to mid summer there are a lot of them. Come to the end of summer or right now, and they're nowhere to be found. Where the hell have they gone! I mean that river goes on for MILES and MILES. Do they swim all that distance to some spot that is deeper, and then come back to spawn in the shallower parts?

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by RiverShoes

I've read the InFisherman and that seems to be a good source for info. I noticed they have the lunar charts in the back. How does that effect the fish?

As far as a scientific answer I don't have one. But a lot of species spawn depends on water temps and a full moon or a moon phase. There are three spawns as bass fishermen that we should have our eye on and they have to do with moon phases.

First, Largemouth Spawn when the water is in the 60's in the mornings start looking for a full moon on your calendar. They will tend to make their first move to spawn at this time. Granted this not a guarantee for all but something to look for. The larger fish will spawn early and not all spawn shallow.

Second, Shad Spawn reaches its peak most of the time the full moon following the peak of the Largemouth spawn. Bass will target them heavily as come off bed looking pack back on everything lost from the spawn.

Third, Bluegill Spawn usually falls around the first full moon in May. You can always smell the strong "fishy" smell around the lake when this happens. Bass key in on this and cruise the edges to pick off the bluegills who are trying to spawn since all are condensed into a small shallow area.

Another thing with the moon to keep an eye on is its "moonrise" and "moonset." Just like the sun coming up and going down creates a period of a good bite. Again I don't know the science of it but I do fish a lot at night and especially on full moon nights this is big and I guess it goes back to light penetration into the water just like with the sun.

[Travis C.]

Almost forgot another important one. Crayfish are bass top food choice when available. They molt (change skins like when a snake grows) at night spring thru summer on full moons. Bass will be up in the shallows hunting them pretty hard on these days because right after they shed their new shell isn't hard right away. It is like a soft shell crab delight to them.

THAT'S the kind of info I'm talking about! That's great information Travis, thanks!

[Dub J]

Yes that is definitly the type of Info that we were looking for!! Thats gonna help alot man.....thanks Travis. Now I gotta go put it to use!!

You say you beat the shore and alot of fish are caught doing that. one thing to add to that is make sure you cover all angles for the cover you are casting at. As an example if you are cast to a downed tree don't just cast one side of it. Work the whole tree. I cant tell you how many times either my self or my partner pulled a fish off a piece of cover that the other person already fished. one of use had a different angle or other subtle difference and the fish reacted to it. also always try different presentations on retrieves. KVD is reel,reel,reel, drop and that works for him try reel reel drop or reel reel rip or something. Find what works for you.And last but not least pay attention to your equipment. What I mean by this is when I first started throwing big crank baits my reel gear ration was 6.5 or something goofy. besides wearing my arms out I was cranking that bait so fast a bass couldn't have caught it unless he had turbo. Once I figured out what the issue was and dropped to a 5.1 geared reel my arms stopped looking like popeye and I was catching big bass in the middle of the lake that could actually catch my lure

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by jokerwld

also always try different presentations on retrieves. KVD is reel,reel,reel, drop and that works for him try reel reel drop or reel reel rip or something.

I want to second that and explain it how someone once told me. Bass are predators and you have to trigger interest in what you are presenting. Think of it like you took the hooks off your lure and pitched it over to the house cat. If you just reel it in the cat may or may not come after it. The cat may just follow it to see what it does. Now instead of just reeling it straight back stop it, wiggle it, move it quick then stop and so forth. You will find the cat has a far different reaction now.

A predator is a predator they are all wired the same.

[tsuggs]

very useful info.did i mention how much i love this site!!!

I think the point about the predator instinct and presentation is a good one, as well as the different angle approach.

I noticed this very thing a couple of times last summer. Once, we were fishing a spot off the cumberland where there was a point. When I slowed my presentation, jigged it a little, and started to go at an angle down the bank and out the point, I caught like 2 bass and a catfish on my crank bait in the very same spot we had fished several times that morning. And DubJ had just cast into the same area.

[Dub J]

What he forgot to mention was how hes a fish thief!!!! Hahahahah We were fishing this creek late last fall when the shad were schooling and I was fishing a Strike King "Burner" white spinner bait......pauls fishin a Chartreuse color spinnnerbait. I cast on to this log several times and had bites on the blade of the bait. I tell paul "Hey cast over that log buddy!!" By that time we'd trolled a little down past the tree...anyway he casts and snags a damn 3 pounder!! MY FISH!!! Guess its partly my fault but the point is, that you are right Jokerwld. It can be the simplest thing it seems that trigger a bite....color, one side of the structure or the other, or retrieve etc etc. Makes sense man.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by Dub J

What he forgot to mention was how hes a fish thief!!!! Hahahahah

I did that once with dad. We were on Table Rock fishing for smallies and I had just caught about a 2lb smallmouth when dad hung up. He couldn't get it out so I told him let me have a shot at it. I popped it out but as soon as it came loose it got real tight again. This time it was due to a 3 1/2lb smallie on the other end.

As you can imagine I have yet to live that one down.

[jebtcop]

That's not as bad as fishing a spinnerbait for probably 20 minutes straight, without any interest...handing the rod to your buddy while you dig through your tackle box and watching in disbelief when he gets a bass on one cast of your rod. Lmao!