Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: fishseeker on April 10, 2009, 08:53:50 AM
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I read an interesting article in the "Sport fishing" magazine ( March issue) on soft baits for bass. It was very informative.
I have had some limited experience catching small ones flyfishing and by spin-casting a flatfish and I would like to try out soft baits this year either by jigging or using a carolina rig depending on which is most appropriate. The only thing I couldn't get out of the article are recommendations on what size and color soft baits work best around here. I think I am inclined to err on the small size with this because the bass I have been catching are pretty small - (at least, the few times I have targetted these).
Any suggestions on size and color would be much appreciated.
PS: I am not interested in any bass debates. I am aware of the issues with this alien species but, since they are there, I will fish for them along with everything else provided it is legal to do so.
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I went to army and navy and bought some frog soft baits they look kinda big but i was talking to some guys from the westcoast bass anglers club and this is what they reccommended. They also said that the katsie marsh by pitt lake is loaded with some good sized bass
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I went to army and navy and bought some frog soft baits they look kinda big but i was talking to some guys from the westcoast bass anglers club and this is what they reccommended. They also said that the katsie marsh by pitt lake is loaded with some good sized bass
Thanks k.c, I was browsing around army & navy yesterday and noticed those frog baits. Any idea how to fish them ?
One of the things I thought might be good would be to carolina rig a frog bait like that. If it has some bouyancy it should stay off the bottom and get a nice action with a slow retrieve. [I have found by accident that slow retrieves seem to work best with these lazy critters. Articles I have read since then appear to be in agreement with that].
Like I say, I have no experience with soft baits so ideas on size, color and ways to fish them would be much appreciated.
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Limited bass experience here, but I have had my best luck using grey plastic tube baits. My bass experience is on Osyoos lake in the summer. Those grey pastic tube baits worked best of all the things I tried. They were about 4" long.
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that article was very well written I'm a good friends with the author and hes did a great job as for finding soft baits you can check out riverside in poco or that new store in Langley as they are both going to be bringing a very good brand of plastics also the go to bait for out here is a stick baits called a senko other names for them are sinkslos and trick sticks try them i quarantee you will catch fish on there as for katize its got a great population of bass in it if any one ahs any other questions about soft plastics for bass jsut ask away im alway willing to help out a newbie bass fisherman its all i fish for pretty much and i love it
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It ir called flipping and pitching you can see how it is done on youtube. You will need a 15 to 20 # main line and a 10 # leader as they hit pretty hard and there are different ways to rig your hook for fishing in weeds and so-on it's pretty cool
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i love pitching and flipping brush jigs with a craw trailer on it into heavey cover for some big largies ive got alot out of katzie that way and a few out of silvermere
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Katzie Marsh. Where is this piece of water? I was at the Pitt Lake canoe rental & boat launch area last fall. Walked through the gate on the right side and walked along a long...long... dyke. The right side looks to be a good bass habitah with lots of lily pads. Is this Katzie Marsh? Google map does not even name this area, in fact it does not even show it as an area with water. So a bit confused whether it is the place we are talking about. Although I have been fishing for salmon & steelhead for 20 years, I am a total newbie for bass. Caught first two bass ever last year and they were finger size. ;D But they gave me lots of thrill (that I finally caught a bass),even more so than any one of the hundred of steelies & salmon I have hooked. ;D I don't mind tangle with a monster (a bass, I mean) this season. :D
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hey steel if you ahve a car topper or even flat bottom boat i could take you out one day adn teach you the ropes and yes the place on the other side of the dycke is katzie slough
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that is where the marsh is
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Thanks a lot for all your replies.
i love pitching and flipping brush jigs with a craw trailer on it into heavey cover for some big largies ive got alot out of katzie that way and a few out of silvermere
Thank you noxscape I think you have answered my question. That was an excellent article but it just didn't give me a sense of size and color specifics for this area - it's one of those 'bread and butter' articles I will probably keep going back every time I head out for bass. So far I have have had two of these magazines out of my subscription and they have some real gems in there - you can tell your friend from me that he does a great job. I will definitely look at the senko.
It ir called flipping and pitching you can see how it is done on youtube. You will need a 15 to 20 # main line and a 10 # leader as they hit pretty hard and there are different ways to rig your hook for fishing in weeds and so-on it's pretty cool
I will take a look at that youtube 'flipping and pitching' demo - I often read that people in the U.S use 10 lb leaders but it surprised me that this might be necessary here. The bass here don't appear to exceed 4 pounds here and a 10lb leader is close what I would use for Chums in the fall. I am not trying to imply you are not being truthful - it's just something I have got to try. So far I haven't tangled with anything large enough to snap my much lighter leaders.
Katzie Marsh. Where is this piece of water? I was at the Pitt Lake canoe rental & boat launch area last fall. Walked through the gate on the right side and walked along a long...long... dyke. The right side looks to be a good bass habitah with lots of lily pads. Is this Katzie Marsh? Google map does not even name this area, in fact it does not even show it as an area with water. So a bit confused whether it is the place we are talking about. Although I have been fishing for salmon & steelhead for 20 years, I am a total newbie for bass. Caught first two bass ever last year and they were finger size. ;D But they gave me lots of thrill (that I finally caught a bass),even more so than any one of the hundred of steelies & salmon I have hooked. ;D I don't mind tangle with a monster (a bass, I mean) this season. :D
Hi Steelhawk, I remember we had this discussion last year. Much to my surprise I was catching more bass on the Pitt Lake side of the dyk ?? Go figure - it didn't look like the same classic bass water as the other side.
I am planning to hit Katzie slough on my rubber inflatable but the access to it appears difficult to say the least. For want of anything better to do I took a drive out to the area about a month ago and there ares signs marked 'habitat protection area' all around Katzie Lake. Is it actually legal to venture out there on a boat? Even if it is OK access appears to be challenging especially when all the black berries are out. There is a small channel going into that side slough but a) that may be covered in thorns come the summer and b) its on the park grounds and clearly not intended as a launch spot - is hauling a boat through there allowed or any of the side channels allowed? [ At least...there are no signs saying it's not but its its not good to attract negative attention if you know what I mean].
Silvermere Lake is even more confusing because I keep hearing it recommended as a great bass lake even in that magazine but it is surrounded by very many unfriendly signs with dire 'no tresspassing' warnings. Much as I hate private property on what shuold be public water I treat that with respect and generally avoid it.
Sorry guys - drifting off topic here but all your answers were food for thought :-\
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try hatzik lake as well
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Don't forget chartreuse. Ever !!! ;)
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I checked out those youtube videos and the general recommendation for newbs like me appears to be darker colors for overcast or muddy conditions. Ligher colors like chartruese for sunny days and/or clear water conditions. The flat fish I was using last year I guess was close to chartruese (Yellow with black spots) and they were slamming that so, chartruese, absolutely - thanks marmont.
I know about Hatzik lake but I haven't tried it yet. Will definitely be heading out there.
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hey fish if you ahve room for another in that inflatable let me know ill meet you out at katzie one day and give you a leason on bass in bc lol i love bass fishing i ahve like 10 tackle baxs full of tackle and well its pretty much all i fish for there are soem monster mean like 6 pounders in katzie
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hey fish if you ahve room for another in that inflatable let me know ill meet you out at katzie one day and give you a leason on bass in bc lol i love bass fishing i ahve like 10 tackle baxs full of tackle and well its pretty much all i fish for there are soem monster mean like 6 pounders in katzie
Hi Noxcape, that would be great. It's always good to head out with someone who shares the same passion. The inflatable is big enough for two but only just - flyfishing with two would be impractical but it should be OK with standard baitcasters or spinning rods. Unfortunately I don't have an electric motor so, hopefullly, rowing would be OK. [ When I come into more cash I will look into a jon boat with trailer but that is going to be some time away from now sadly]
When do you start going after these? I have had surgery on my right hand so I am out of comission for the next two weeks or so but, after that, I am itching to get out. If it's OK I will email you as soon as I able to start getting out, we can figure something out I am sure.
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i have a battery and a motor let me know when your back in commision the next two weeks if we have some nice weather the fishing will deffinatly pick up what kind of inflatable do you ahve anyways
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Its the Seyvlor Fish Hunter shown in the link below (The smaller 9' version. Very portable but I sometimes wish I had gone for the 12' model)
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=37053&hvarTarget=search&hvarAID=&cmCat=2222206
I have never tried mounting an electric motor but it does have attachements for the 12V Seyvlor trolling motor (18lb thrust) - hopefully it is not model specific. As soon as the right hand is working properly I will get in touch with you - it's healing up pretty fast so it may even be possible before the end of this month.
Looking forward to getting out. Hopefully the weather will pick up because it sucks right now.
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hey steel if you ahve a car topper or even flat bottom boat i could take you out one day adn teach you the ropes and yes the place on the other side of the dycke is katzie slough
Hey Noxcape, thanks very much for the offer to help a bass newbie like me. Nothing better than to learn from a bass pro. I have an old inflatable which I haven't used for eons. I have a float tube for flyfishing. But my friend does have a nicer & newer inflatable. I think he may have a small motor too. Perhaps we can arrange a trip late April or early May with him. Let me know if you are available then. You can email me at steelhawk1@gmail.com
Thanks,
Steelhawk
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you know if eather of you ahve a truck we could use my boat its sitting at my paretns in aldergrove the only reason i cant get it out is becuase my truck decided it didnt like its engine anymore lol so im jsut driving a small car now lol ok well not that small lol is a new yorker but i deffinatly cant put it on the roof but yeah when ever you guys want to get out let me know here is my address also andyfournier61@hotmail.com
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frogs are top water bait... the most fun you'll have, if properly executed.
If you are going to Carolina rig a bait, try a 4” lizard in brown.
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The go to soft bait for bass are the Gary Yamamoto Senkos in 4 in or 7 in. Go with dark at night and rig it weedless. I have been unable to locate Senkos around here but down in the States you will definitely find them in every angler's tackle!!!! No weight, just offset hooks and you are good to go. If you are fishing from the boat you can even rig it whacky style for more action...
The trick with soft plastics is to have many different colors and continue to try different ones until you start consistently hooking fish. Before even casting the plastics try a locator bait first (ie: tandem spinnerbait) and try and get a strike....then go right back into the same spot with your Senko.
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there is a store in langley that sell a prodcut from big bite called a trick stick its the exact same as a senko try them out there just as good and not as pricey
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Hey Fishseeker, if your fishing smallmouth the tube jig is probably your best bet. My favorite color is pumpkinseed its green with black specs in it. Try it with a 1/8 oz jig head inserted in the tube body. A 7 ft medium action rod with 6 to 8 lb test should be fine. Cast let it sink to the bottom and lift your rod tip a few inches and reel in any slack line wait a few seconds and repeat. Watch your line for any movement or if you feel a tap reel in any slack line and set the hook hard. Small crankbaits also work when there turned on as do spinnerbaits. As for the big largies in the heavy slop I use a 7ft medium/heavy rod with 50 lb braid. 1/4 oz skirted jig with a weed gaurd and tipped with a big crawfish plastic bait. My favorite colour for this method is black and blue. This rig is a big fish slayer. If there more finicky I will use a weightless 6 in Sluggo or berkley power slug in black or white rigged weedless with a 5/0 offset gammy hook. Cast out on the pads and reel it back slowly when you find an open spot in the slop let it sink to the bottom and wait a few secs and give it a little shake then continue. Most of the time they will hit it as soon as it hits the water on your cast so cast and let it sink and hold on if you see your line moving sideways reel in any slack line and set the hook really hard as hard as you can hard. 5 inch flipping tubes rigged weedless with a 5/0 gammy offset hook is also a big fish bait green with gold fleck is my favorite fished the same way as the sluggo. Good luck.
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Hey Fishseeker, if your fishing smallmouth the tube jig is probably your best bet. My favorite color is pumpkinseed its green with black specs in it. Try it with a 1/8 oz jig head inserted in the tube body. A 7 ft medium action rod with 6 to 8 lb test should be fine. Cast let it sink to the bottom and lift your rod tip a few inches and reel in any slack line wait a few seconds and repeat. Watch your line for any movement or if you feel a tap reel in any slack line and set the hook hard. Small crankbaits also work when there turned on as do spinnerbaits. As for the big largies in the heavy slop I use a 7ft medium/heavy rod with 50 lb braid. 1/4 oz skirted jig with a weed gaurd and tipped with a big crawfish plastic bait. My favorite colour for this method is black and blue. This rig is a big fish slayer. If there more finicky I will use a weightless 6 in Sluggo or berkley power slug in black or white rigged weedless with a 5/0 offset gammy hook. Cast out on the pads and reel it back slowly when you find an open spot in the slop let it sink to the bottom and wait a few secs and give it a little shake then continue. Most of the time they will hit it as soon as it hits the water on your cast so cast and let it sink and hold on if you see your line moving sideways reel in any slack line and set the hook really hard as hard as you can hard. 5 inch flipping tubes rigged weedless with a 5/0 gammy offset hook is also a big fish bait green with gold fleck is my favorite fished the same way as the sluggo. Good luck.
Hey thanks, I have been out fishing for bass a lot since this post but not doing much lately on account of the cooler weather and the Salmon season. Most of the water I have been fishing has been very shallow (no more than 4 feet) so I was just using senko's with no weight at all - just flipping them out and hoping for a hit on the sink or retrieve. Worked pretty well. I will come back to your comments when I head out next year though :)
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hey y'all, i really am glad that there are more people who enjoy fishing for bass!
looking forward to that jamboree that happens on osoyoos in may...
tight lines,