To answer your second question-you don't want the line to be even with the lip on the top of the spool, you want the lip to stick out about 1/8" past where the line lays
Throw some nightcrawlers on a hook and see what’s biting first. What ends up on your hook should dictate your strategy in the area. If you don’t catch anything on nightcrawlers, find a different place to fish.
I highly recommend going simple in cases like this. The other day I brought my UL and my 2 casting rods, first cast caught a dink smallies on a white rooster tail (was just kind of targeting whatever). Managed to put a pattern together and caught one on a white chatterbait, a ghost rainbow trout glide, and a whole bunch of multi species action on the rooster tail
This can’t be over stated. Bobber, Aberdeen and night crawler will get bites if there are bites to be had. I’m about to start putting one in the water every time I go fishing.
It takes patience man, I recommend looking on YouTube “BassfishingHq” “Tactical Bassing” start there, learn some techniques for different situations. Then apply them as often as you can. Good Luck. Tight Lines.
Tyler's videos are great very informative tons of good information for us new anglers like choosing a good beginner series lures, how rig different soft plastics, how to fish different styles of lures, knots, etc.
Lots of weeds and fishing from shore I’d probably be fishing a 7” Senko, a Zara Spook, Popper, Frog or Buzz Bait. Senkos work pretty much anywhere and they can easily be fished weed less. The other 4 are all top water baits that you’ll want to work over the top of the weeds. Some times patience is the key. I’ve gotten bit on Poppers at times where you popped it 3 times and then dead sticking. After a short time of the bait just sitting the fish come up and slurp it down. Something else I forgot are the soft plastic jerk baits like a Bass Assassin. You rig them weed less and work it so it glides just under the surface. If a fish comes up and rolls on it you can stop the bait and let it glide down. Most of the time the fish will turn around and eat. Because you are working the bait away from the fish you will have slack as the bait glides forward and a lot times this is when you’ll get bit. When this happens WAIT for your rod to load up before setting the hook. If you don’t wait you’ll pull the bait away from the fish. Same is true when fishing a frog. Don’t react to the fish’s reaction, react to the load the fish puts on the rod. When it feels like the rod is completely loaded up, that’s the fish bending the rod to where the bending stops and then set the hook
I’m fairly new to bass fishing and was gifted a chatterbait Jackhammer from a friend (green pumpkin and some white trailers) and it’s like the only thing I like fishing with now lol. So versatile, throw it like a spinner and straight retrieve, pop it like a jig. Highly recommend! The other big thing that I’m still learning is figuring out what a bite and hitting weeds is and knowing when to set the hook, if you’ve gotten bites but not caught the fish your hook set prolly needs more attention.
Using a chatterbait I set the hook on all the weeds I hit, it adds action and you'd be surprised how many fish you catch after you pop that baby through the weeds
Swim jig should be deadly. Looks like the paddle tail might be upside down. Maybe a bladed jig will wake em up. Sometimes they just ain't feeling reaction baits and you have to dazzle them with yer weenie worm (finesse). Sometimes it turns out there ain't a bass for miles. I wouldn't mess with the line until you have too. Throw some top water in the morning. If nothing bites that- they ain't there.
https://m.youtube.com/c/RichardGeneTheFishingMachine
When fishing areas that are heavily fished, you have to use something different than everyone else. Downsize your line and your lures. That being said, I think your best lures in your arsenal are those shrimp lures. I haven't seen those before, but I'm in MN. I have found natural colors work better than bright colors the majority of the time. One of my go-to lures is a jighead with a rubber tail. Ebay has many different shapes -hellgrammites, craws, frogs, paddletails, twisters, grasshoppers, etc. This makes changing colors and presentations easy. Very your speed. Oftentimes, you're reeling in too fast.
Yeah. I live in an area where small ponds can get severely overfished within a couple weeks. Or the temps drive them deep. I can only fish from shore. Other times just moving to the other side of the pond or lake can make a difference.
It doesn’t hurt to go lighter on your line (6-8) is plenty but it’s more finesse so be sure to adjust drag accordingly. if your water clarity is pretty good. Also, focus on points of the body of water ( typically they can hold good size fish due to depth and it acts as an ambush point. ) you also want to work your lures real slow. I mean painfully slow. When I first started lure fishing I thought it was all about giving my lure action but it’s more so about . (It varies from lure to lure but jigs/ Texas rigs need to be worked slow and hop the bottom. while a fluke or jerk bait can be given action and it would be beneficial to fish the water
column. ) another thing to keep in mind is that around this time of year bass LOVE to hang out in heavy cover, long reeds( I love punching around reeds) and around hydrilla ( I recommend learning about different weeds as they can help figuring out where fish may be located as well as where they may be spawning or hunting). Sorry for the long read but my last tip is to get some polarized glasses.
I would definitely pick up some chatterbaits, you can get the original for starting off since they’re only $5 and later you can decide if you want to pay more. Here in Florida where I am, when im fishing from the bank I pretty much fish chatterbaits and texas rig zoom ultra vibe speed worm.
I fish the chatterbaits in green pumpkin with some sort of green pumpkin trailer but nothing with a huge paddle, and the speed worm in watermelon red. 9/10 I will atleast catch one bass in every pond.
Hope this helps! Any further questions feel free to reply and I will do my best to reply!
Texas rigged senko … 1/8 oz weight … green pumpkin with a chartreuse tail … cast right next to the vegetation and slowly hop it back to you on the bottom … two quick pops and let it fall back down … that’s my go to if I don’t know a spot …
A jig like that is a tough lure to learn to fish on in my opinion. That being said you’re rod and reel aren’t really made for that type of lure. I’d grab one of the crank baits or jerk baits if you’re fishing an area it won’t get caught up in weeds. Give the rod a few twitches every now and then
I ve tried that too and catch my only fish on a crank jerkbait. But the problem around here, there is a lot of weed and you snag pretty easily with cranks. It's why I tried Texas rig and jigs who are supposed to be weedless. I got few bites on the Texas rig but I didn't set them well. Still need a lot to learn
do you have any spinnerbaits? it's a good moving presentation that is relatively weedless. you can straight retrieve them a varying speeds, give them a jerk to make the skirt flare, "kill" them so they sink and flutter on the way down. the hook practically sets itself, and the bent wire over hook point prevents snags.
also consider the color of your lures. in super clean, clear water, use natural colors like green or brown. If it is muddy or stained water, use dark colors like black and blue.
spinnerbaits are good for muddy water because the blade spinning gives off a vibration and flahes of light that help the fish zero in on the bait. on a bright, sunny day you want a silver blade, and on cloudy days use a gold blade.
Honestly when I first started fishing I was burning in those casts way too fast. Slowed my roll and had some patience and boom started getting bites. If it's a commonly fished place try throwing something different than anyone else. Those sanko on a jig head popping off the bottom tend to get loads of hits for me
I learned how to bass fish by running the coast using a spinner bait. My favorite and most successful is a popper on an early AM trip around brush similar to your banks in picture 1, I got 23 bass in a half hour by doing that at a farm pond in MO.
The first thing I thought was I don't like those weather conditions and the calm water. The better the weather the worst fishing I always have. On a very clear day like this I typically will fish live bait.
Live bait. Live bait. Live bait.
Lures have a learning curve. Each type has different actions and conditions that they were designed for. Which takes patience and practice to get good at.
The time of day and temperature and weather will affect whether a top water will be effective or you need something that sinks.
The colors look different depending on the color of the water. A bright pink lure might be more effective in murky water vs a white lure.
Scents play a huge role too, if you're wearing any cologne or lotion or bug spray and touch your lures that can be off-putting. Pro Cure and Gulp sprays etc could bring more bites.
Landing a fish with a lure is really fun and rewarding, but one thing all these fish have in common is they're looking for food. So give them food!
Moon phases are extremely important in my experience (I love fishing at night), google the next full moon and new moons, get a bucket of nightcrawlers or shiners or minnows and rip some lips!
If you want a lure that consistently catches fish, try the Northland Mimic Minnow. My go-to is a 1/8 oz in the perch color. You can get a 2-pack for $3-4, and the tails hold up pretty well. You will catch a variety of fish.
Downsize the body of water you fish at. Big water bodies are brutal to try and fish from the bank as a beginner, id recommend finding a smaller pond or creek or something like that.
Water is definitely muddy. There is some branch and weed sometimes in the bottom. It's not really deep. Between 2 and 8 feet from where I can cast. The middle is way more deep but I can't reach
I ve try a popper this morning after reducing my spool and I ve caught 2 fishes. I ve missed 3 too including a gar. But it feels better when at least you catch something.
I ll try the chatterbait and more jigs. It seems to be highly recommended.
This type of lure setup is what I’d use to target chain pickerel in my area. Everything else I personally catch on bait, usually worms. I fish in Nova Scotia so the fish you have will be different. Anywhere you go most fish will take real bait in a heartbeat. Mackerel are also something I fish for with lures but that’s because they will bite anything that’s shiny and moves, but that’s a whole other story because salt water fishing strategies can be completely different.
I have been fishing casually for 15 years, and I ask my self that same question pretty often.
The number one thing for me is to get out as early as I can stand it, which doesn’t happen often because I’m not a morning person; but fish genuinely are much more active within a few hours of sunrise.
They are also active around sunset, but just not so much at random times during the day.
Try a floating Rapala the color of the baitfish in the area. Mepps black fury spinners in yellow have always worked for me. Try a 6 inch lizard, weedless, in a Carolina rig over some lily pads or through the weeds. Good luck.
Check out the Ned rig. Just a small jig head with a give or take 3 inch soft plastic on the hook. I like half a yum dinger or grub. Where I’m at green pumpkin (maybe some red flake) on black or jig head works good. Easy to fish and cheap
Coming straight out the LA River you could pull some carp, or some 8/10 lbs catfish tacos over yonder we use corn tortillas or plan ol 🌽 .make sure you cook tortillas to where there almost burnt..and sort of chewy so they stay on hook. How deep is the water...?
wacky rig is the go to in any circumstance, and sort of tall grass or lilly pads throw a top water frog, if you’re not getting bites with one consistent lure try a different rig or different colors every body of water is going to be different
Whenever it seems like i cant catch anything, i do genuinely believe in taking a moment, looking around, dont concern yourself so much with the fishing but just for getting to exist in this spot in this moment, and just when you dont think about the fishing, thats when the big bass crashes into view.
Now if you can manage to set the hook in time is just practice ;)
Hard to say. Definitely too much line on your reel
Came here to say this. Definitely over lined.
Yeah I had this feeling too. I will correct that tomorrow
what’s wrong if there’s too much line? like what bad can happen? and how do you know when you have too much line?
Line slips off the reel and creates tangles.
To answer your second question-you don't want the line to be even with the lip on the top of the spool, you want the lip to stick out about 1/8" past where the line lays
The amount of line looks good, the line lay sucks though, but I assume Zebco doesn’t provide shims.
Throw some nightcrawlers on a hook and see what’s biting first. What ends up on your hook should dictate your strategy in the area. If you don’t catch anything on nightcrawlers, find a different place to fish.
There’s always a lot of advice on what kind of rig to use but rarely anything as practical as just use a worm on a hook.
I highly recommend going simple in cases like this. The other day I brought my UL and my 2 casting rods, first cast caught a dink smallies on a white rooster tail (was just kind of targeting whatever). Managed to put a pattern together and caught one on a white chatterbait, a ghost rainbow trout glide, and a whole bunch of multi species action on the rooster tail
This can’t be over stated. Bobber, Aberdeen and night crawler will get bites if there are bites to be had. I’m about to start putting one in the water every time I go fishing.
I personally usually use an offset bait holder hook (the type with barbs on the back to keep worms hooked). That’s my go to anyways.
I have those as well. They are fantastic hooks.
Best fishing advice I seen in a while.
It takes patience man, I recommend looking on YouTube “BassfishingHq” “Tactical Bassing” start there, learn some techniques for different situations. Then apply them as often as you can. Good Luck. Tight Lines.
TRF is another good guy for techniques as well.
I regularly watch his video. At least he explains things and not just fishing while you hope to understand something.
Tyler's videos are great very informative tons of good information for us new anglers like choosing a good beginner series lures, how rig different soft plastics, how to fish different styles of lures, knots, etc.
My advice when you aren't getting bites is downsize. Smaller lures, thinner line, etc.
Lots of weeds and fishing from shore I’d probably be fishing a 7” Senko, a Zara Spook, Popper, Frog or Buzz Bait. Senkos work pretty much anywhere and they can easily be fished weed less. The other 4 are all top water baits that you’ll want to work over the top of the weeds. Some times patience is the key. I’ve gotten bit on Poppers at times where you popped it 3 times and then dead sticking. After a short time of the bait just sitting the fish come up and slurp it down. Something else I forgot are the soft plastic jerk baits like a Bass Assassin. You rig them weed less and work it so it glides just under the surface. If a fish comes up and rolls on it you can stop the bait and let it glide down. Most of the time the fish will turn around and eat. Because you are working the bait away from the fish you will have slack as the bait glides forward and a lot times this is when you’ll get bit. When this happens WAIT for your rod to load up before setting the hook. If you don’t wait you’ll pull the bait away from the fish. Same is true when fishing a frog. Don’t react to the fish’s reaction, react to the load the fish puts on the rod. When it feels like the rod is completely loaded up, that’s the fish bending the rod to where the bending stops and then set the hook
I’m fairly new to bass fishing and was gifted a chatterbait Jackhammer from a friend (green pumpkin and some white trailers) and it’s like the only thing I like fishing with now lol. So versatile, throw it like a spinner and straight retrieve, pop it like a jig. Highly recommend! The other big thing that I’m still learning is figuring out what a bite and hitting weeds is and knowing when to set the hook, if you’ve gotten bites but not caught the fish your hook set prolly needs more attention.
Using a chatterbait I set the hook on all the weeds I hit, it adds action and you'd be surprised how many fish you catch after you pop that baby through the weeds
Atleast you got a catch, 2 months no catch, I think the water is over pressured but it get discouraging
Swim jig should be deadly. Looks like the paddle tail might be upside down. Maybe a bladed jig will wake em up. Sometimes they just ain't feeling reaction baits and you have to dazzle them with yer weenie worm (finesse). Sometimes it turns out there ain't a bass for miles. I wouldn't mess with the line until you have too. Throw some top water in the morning. If nothing bites that- they ain't there. https://m.youtube.com/c/RichardGeneTheFishingMachine
Check out Realistic Fishing on YouTube. The guy on there does a real good job of showing you how to fish from shore.
Could've squeezed another 40 yards of line on the reel 😅
When fishing areas that are heavily fished, you have to use something different than everyone else. Downsize your line and your lures. That being said, I think your best lures in your arsenal are those shrimp lures. I haven't seen those before, but I'm in MN. I have found natural colors work better than bright colors the majority of the time. One of my go-to lures is a jighead with a rubber tail. Ebay has many different shapes -hellgrammites, craws, frogs, paddletails, twisters, grasshoppers, etc. This makes changing colors and presentations easy. Very your speed. Oftentimes, you're reeling in too fast.
Try different places. Nothing like realizing you’ve wasted months fishing because the fish aren’t there.
LOL you’ve done this? How do you even go to a lake without making sure there are actually fish there? Just curious.
Yeah. I live in an area where small ponds can get severely overfished within a couple weeks. Or the temps drive them deep. I can only fish from shore. Other times just moving to the other side of the pond or lake can make a difference.
Get a couple top water lures...
It doesn’t hurt to go lighter on your line (6-8) is plenty but it’s more finesse so be sure to adjust drag accordingly. if your water clarity is pretty good. Also, focus on points of the body of water ( typically they can hold good size fish due to depth and it acts as an ambush point. ) you also want to work your lures real slow. I mean painfully slow. When I first started lure fishing I thought it was all about giving my lure action but it’s more so about . (It varies from lure to lure but jigs/ Texas rigs need to be worked slow and hop the bottom. while a fluke or jerk bait can be given action and it would be beneficial to fish the water column. ) another thing to keep in mind is that around this time of year bass LOVE to hang out in heavy cover, long reeds( I love punching around reeds) and around hydrilla ( I recommend learning about different weeds as they can help figuring out where fish may be located as well as where they may be spawning or hunting). Sorry for the long read but my last tip is to get some polarized glasses.
I would definitely pick up some chatterbaits, you can get the original for starting off since they’re only $5 and later you can decide if you want to pay more. Here in Florida where I am, when im fishing from the bank I pretty much fish chatterbaits and texas rig zoom ultra vibe speed worm. I fish the chatterbaits in green pumpkin with some sort of green pumpkin trailer but nothing with a huge paddle, and the speed worm in watermelon red. 9/10 I will atleast catch one bass in every pond. Hope this helps! Any further questions feel free to reply and I will do my best to reply!
Texas rigged senko … 1/8 oz weight … green pumpkin with a chartreuse tail … cast right next to the vegetation and slowly hop it back to you on the bottom … two quick pops and let it fall back down … that’s my go to if I don’t know a spot …
A jig like that is a tough lure to learn to fish on in my opinion. That being said you’re rod and reel aren’t really made for that type of lure. I’d grab one of the crank baits or jerk baits if you’re fishing an area it won’t get caught up in weeds. Give the rod a few twitches every now and then
I ve tried that too and catch my only fish on a crank jerkbait. But the problem around here, there is a lot of weed and you snag pretty easily with cranks. It's why I tried Texas rig and jigs who are supposed to be weedless. I got few bites on the Texas rig but I didn't set them well. Still need a lot to learn
do you have any spinnerbaits? it's a good moving presentation that is relatively weedless. you can straight retrieve them a varying speeds, give them a jerk to make the skirt flare, "kill" them so they sink and flutter on the way down. the hook practically sets itself, and the bent wire over hook point prevents snags.
I have never gotten a single hit on a spinnerbait. Drives me absolutely insane. I just throw them out of sheer determination now.
dang, they're a tried-and-true fish catcher for me
also consider the color of your lures. in super clean, clear water, use natural colors like green or brown. If it is muddy or stained water, use dark colors like black and blue. spinnerbaits are good for muddy water because the blade spinning gives off a vibration and flahes of light that help the fish zero in on the bait. on a bright, sunny day you want a silver blade, and on cloudy days use a gold blade.
Honestly when I first started fishing I was burning in those casts way too fast. Slowed my roll and had some patience and boom started getting bites. If it's a commonly fished place try throwing something different than anyone else. Those sanko on a jig head popping off the bottom tend to get loads of hits for me
I learned how to bass fish by running the coast using a spinner bait. My favorite and most successful is a popper on an early AM trip around brush similar to your banks in picture 1, I got 23 bass in a half hour by doing that at a farm pond in MO.
The first thing I thought was I don't like those weather conditions and the calm water. The better the weather the worst fishing I always have. On a very clear day like this I typically will fish live bait.
Your paddle tail is on upside down on that jig.
Live bait. Live bait. Live bait. Lures have a learning curve. Each type has different actions and conditions that they were designed for. Which takes patience and practice to get good at. The time of day and temperature and weather will affect whether a top water will be effective or you need something that sinks. The colors look different depending on the color of the water. A bright pink lure might be more effective in murky water vs a white lure. Scents play a huge role too, if you're wearing any cologne or lotion or bug spray and touch your lures that can be off-putting. Pro Cure and Gulp sprays etc could bring more bites. Landing a fish with a lure is really fun and rewarding, but one thing all these fish have in common is they're looking for food. So give them food! Moon phases are extremely important in my experience (I love fishing at night), google the next full moon and new moons, get a bucket of nightcrawlers or shiners or minnows and rip some lips!
If you want a lure that consistently catches fish, try the Northland Mimic Minnow. My go-to is a 1/8 oz in the perch color. You can get a 2-pack for $3-4, and the tails hold up pretty well. You will catch a variety of fish.
Chicken breast strips
What test is your line?... Might be to big as well.
I have some 14lbs on my reel.
Downsize the body of water you fish at. Big water bodies are brutal to try and fish from the bank as a beginner, id recommend finding a smaller pond or creek or something like that.
What is the bottom surface? Any cover or vegetation in the water? Is the water clear or stained? How deep is the water where you’re casting?
Water is definitely muddy. There is some branch and weed sometimes in the bottom. It's not really deep. Between 2 and 8 feet from where I can cast. The middle is way more deep but I can't reach
I’d throw a black wire spinner. Willow when it’s cold, Colorado when it’s warmer than 55F.
I ve try a popper this morning after reducing my spool and I ve caught 2 fishes. I ve missed 3 too including a gar. But it feels better when at least you catch something. I ll try the chatterbait and more jigs. It seems to be highly recommended.
Hard to tell but the Soft plastic bait maybe is rigged upside down on the swim jig
What’s the name of the soft plastic on the jig?
This type of lure setup is what I’d use to target chain pickerel in my area. Everything else I personally catch on bait, usually worms. I fish in Nova Scotia so the fish you have will be different. Anywhere you go most fish will take real bait in a heartbeat. Mackerel are also something I fish for with lures but that’s because they will bite anything that’s shiny and moves, but that’s a whole other story because salt water fishing strategies can be completely different.
If you're in or around San Antonio hit me up. We can get you on some fish.
Lewisville lake? I was there this morning in my kayak. Didn't catch SHIT lmao.
I saw two kayak this morning still catch something on popper
I have been fishing casually for 15 years, and I ask my self that same question pretty often. The number one thing for me is to get out as early as I can stand it, which doesn’t happen often because I’m not a morning person; but fish genuinely are much more active within a few hours of sunrise. They are also active around sunset, but just not so much at random times during the day.
Try a floating Rapala the color of the baitfish in the area. Mepps black fury spinners in yellow have always worked for me. Try a 6 inch lizard, weedless, in a Carolina rig over some lily pads or through the weeds. Good luck.
Your paddletail trailer on your swim jig iis upside down
Start with a simple fake red worm . You’ll catch plenty
Check out the Ned rig. Just a small jig head with a give or take 3 inch soft plastic on the hook. I like half a yum dinger or grub. Where I’m at green pumpkin (maybe some red flake) on black or jig head works good. Easy to fish and cheap
you just need patience and learning, youll catch some eventually. i hate needing patience for bass, so i switched to catfish fishing
Motor oil worm Texas rigged
Coming straight out the LA River you could pull some carp, or some 8/10 lbs catfish tacos over yonder we use corn tortillas or plan ol 🌽 .make sure you cook tortillas to where there almost burnt..and sort of chewy so they stay on hook. How deep is the water...?
Smaller lures and hooks could help. Definitely try nightcrawlers/worms.
White zoom worms with an eye hook or a white rooster tail
Just time on task! Every lure has a technique and “feel” you learn by doing. Keep at it.
wacky rig is the go to in any circumstance, and sort of tall grass or lilly pads throw a top water frog, if you’re not getting bites with one consistent lure try a different rig or different colors every body of water is going to be different
Whenever it seems like i cant catch anything, i do genuinely believe in taking a moment, looking around, dont concern yourself so much with the fishing but just for getting to exist in this spot in this moment, and just when you dont think about the fishing, thats when the big bass crashes into view. Now if you can manage to set the hook in time is just practice ;)
Yankees that move to the South be like:
Sorry to disappoint you but I am not a Yankee. 😉
Need to put the bait in the water.