First day out and over 70 fish in 4 hours

[senkosam]

Yesterday my partner and I caught over 145 fish using small finesse lures that included bass (largest was 2.5 lb, 4 pickerel (largest 2 3/4' long), many crappie, yellow and white perch and sunfish. Before we launched the boat, I made a few suggestions to my 78 y.o. partner's tackle.
1. switch to braid from mono that came off in coils (memory) (I brought along a spool of Hercules 8 lb test)
2. take 3 reels with larger diameter spool and gear ratios
3. put those reels on light action rods at least 5.5' long if not 6' for easier casting and better hook sets when using small light lures

While fishing I suggested various retrieves based on different lure actions and I rigged many different lures for him to cast. He caught fish on all of them. We fished from 12pm - 4:30pm and caught 145 fish, not including the ones that got free.

Locations were varied but all were in 5' or less over flats and small humps. Anchoring and fan casting once fish were caught was often because schools of panfish hit consecutive cast like crazy. We are of one mind:
catch what you can with what you have confidence in.
Granted, there were many lures I could have targeted bass, including surface lures and spinnerbaits on that cloudy day. But it's always a surprise when fish hit many times on the same retrieve or when I lift the rod after doing something unrelated to fishing and a fish takes the lure.

He couldn't believe how well we did and I invited him to fish another water I know as far as patterns (like yesterday's shallow water pattern unrelated to pads). But as I've always believed: your sonar and anchor are two of the most important tools along with your ultimate fish finder: your lure. Fan casting once fish are found many times produces and the boat should not be moved until a large area around the boat is tested.

I wouldn't know the first thing about fishing large Sandiego lakes, but could probably do okay on smaller water given a few months. : )

[Gotfish?]

After seeing the success of Ned rigs with the TRD body, I think that the action of the body is sometimes overstated. Or maybe that less is better sometimes.

Not to mention "poop baits"; a disgusting look to most humans but bass love them. Along the same line, Fat Ikas seem to work regardless of the amount of tentacles that are left on.

https://www.tacticalbassin.com/blog/poo ... ss-fishing

Fishing in clear water can be very educational. It shows that when a lure hits the water, every fish within 50' or so knows about it and often swims over to check it out. Or some days, throw the lure 10' in front of a bass and the fish changes direction to avoid the lure. And dead sticking is sometimes the key to fooling fish too.

[Gotfish?]

How about the people whose 1st question is "what color"?

Of all the factors, color seems to be the least important.

Not to mention that many fish are color blind (i.e. don't possess all 3 cones that we do) to some extent.

There's the fishermen who think their lures have to match the forage and then there are the bait fishermen who try to do the opposite. https://pautzke.com/learn-to-catch-fish ... e-minnows/

[camobass]

Yeah, you’re absolutely right, lures that resemble natural forage don’t work at all. I’ve tried rattle traps- nothing! Top water frogs- nothing. Jerk baits- NOTHING! You know, I’ve even dabbled in throwing those realistic trout lures….what a waster of time! People who buy those realistic looking lures are just throwing their money away!!! There’s a local lure maker, Matt lures…he makes the most realistic lures. I mean, they could be put in an aquarium and you wouldn’t know they were lures. I don’t know why a bass would even strike one of those!

[camobass]

Thanks, I’ve learned so much, I’m going to try and go out and catch my first hawg! I don’t know what I’ve been thinking all this time that a natural looking lure would catch something. Thanks for all these local San Diego techniques! Now I’m going to go make my friend feel bad and out fish him!!!!

[camobass]

I’m still blown away your buddy caught a pickerel out here. I’m going to go try and get one. They always looked so cool.

[camobass]

7lbs?!!!!!! Daaaaaaaang. Man I’m lucky if I can get something over a pound. You’re putting the hurt on these San Diego lakes. I bet you absolutely destroy Barrett lake!!

[Dooolan]

A fish every 3 minutes is epic

[camobass]

Spoon minnow aka senkosam is the greatest angler of all time. He’s not scared to let us all know it and to teach us how we do it all wrong. He’s on his way to the fishing hall of fame with guys like Bill Murphy. I hope one day I can catch fish like him. Apparently I’ve had it all wrong all these years. Thanks for all the tips Senko Sam!!

[senkosam]

Finally dawned on me the intent of the reply - congrats. At 75, I should have seen it for what it was.

[Gotfish?]

Perhaps as a challenge to your lure designing abilities, you should try fishing at highly pressured lakes and see if you have the same conclusions.

The lure you shown consisting of a grub with the tail removed on a jig head is not far removed from a Ned rig or even a Trout Magnet. And your fishing method is similar to what many use for a Ned rig or Trout Magnet. Even good size largemouth bass mostly eat small fish like minnows and shad. One finesse predecessor to the Ned rig was the Slider rig which was fished in a "do nothing" manner.

[bendopolo 44+]

Depth, Size, Color, Cadence. Factors in order of my concern. Water clarity, Wind, current, vegetation, bottom construction, shade….others to take into account. Solve the puzzle, catch the fish.

[Gotfish?]

Enough of the talk about how to catch fish. Let's list the factors of how a lure catches fishermen:

1. Lots of sparkle and mirror like finishes. Gold, silver and chrome always work too. Blades that spin around and around.
2. Flashing lights, sounds and secret vibrations.
3. New and improved. Whether it be tungsten weighted, special type hooks, super duper scent, microchip controlled, etc.
4. Action, action and more action. Compared to the subtle movement of a minnow or crayfish feeding in the water, it should be a regular circus of movement. Jump up and down, wiggle the tail, spray water out the mouth, dart back and forth, wobble like crazy, make a stream of air bubbles, etc.
5. Despite a completely unnatural movement, emphasize how important it is to exactly match the appearance of forage. Photographic finishes on the lure.
6. Lots of advertising and endorsements by celebrity fishermen. If Roland Martin says the Helicopter Lure worked for him, it has to work for me.
7. Use the term "big bass" in the description. No one wants a little bass lure.

Not saying the above can't catch fish, just that this is how to catch fishermen. Did I miss anything?

[Gotfish?]

I don't always agree with Senko Sam but I like his positive approach. Much more pleasant than an angry, resentful sourpuss style.

[KillinTime]

Those pic don't look like San Diego lakes? Where are you fishing?

[Gotfish?]

Update:
Yesterday my partner and I caught over 145 fish using small finesse lures that included bass (largest was 2.5 lb, 4 pickerel (largest 2 3/4' long), many crappie, yellow and white perch and sunfish. Before we launched the boat, I made a few suggestions to my 78 y.o. partner's tackle.
1. switch to braid from mono that came off in coils (memory) (I brought along a spool of Hercules 8 lb test)
2. take 3 reels with larger diameter spool and gear ratios
3. put those reels on light action rods at least 5.5' long if not 6' for easier casting and better hook sets when using small light lures

While fishing I suggested various retrieves based on different lure actions and I rigged many different lures for him to cast. He caught fish on all of them. We fished from 12pm - 4:30pm and caught 145 fish, not including the ones that got free.

Locations were varied but all were in 5' or less over flats and small humps. Anchoring and fan casting once fish were caught was often because schools of panfish hit consecutive cast like crazy. We are of one mind:
catch what you can with what you have confidence in.
Granted, there were many lures I could have targeted bass, including surface lures and spinnerbaits on that cloudy day. But it's always a surprise when fish hit many times on the same retrieve or when I lift the rod after doing something unrelated to fishing and a fish takes the lure.

He couldn't believe how well we did and I invited him to fish another water I know as far as patterns (like yesterday's shallow water pattern unrelated to pads). But as I've always believed: your sonar and anchor are two of the most important tools along with your ultimate fish finder: your lure. Fan casting once fish are found many times produces and the boat should not be moved until a large area around the boat is tested.

I wouldn't know the first thing about fishing large Sandiego lakes, but could probably do okay on smaller water given a few months. : )

Never leave fish to find fish, old saying. And while I like light (6 lb usually) mono on baitcasting reels, my spinning reels generally have braid, Nanofil or Gliss. And fishing from a float tube, I like 7-7.5' rods for longer casts.

I see lots of people who have nice kayaks, float tubes and even boats who don't have a sonar. I find it super useful to locate structure that holds fish. And as you noted, a pattern (e.g. 5' over flats) is often found for a day that can be repeated over and over with the sonar. It's a misnomer to call it a fish finder as it mostly is used to find structure, not fish (although it sometimes does that too). "Structure finder" would not be as good for sales though. It takes time to learn how to best use it but is very useful once you do learn.

There is a lot to be said for fishing with someone who catches a lot of fish and enjoys showing others how to do the same (kudos to you for being that type of person). The quickest way to get better at almost anything is to be with people better than yourself. Beginner fishermen visiting the forum and want to get better should take note. Be skeptical of the ones who say they like fishing even when they don't catch anything.

[senkosam]

My new friend has caught other large species in other waters far from here, but hadn't used many small soft plastics other than Mr Twister curl tail. I don't remember the lure or type bait he used.

[Just_Bass]

From all of your super effective creation, I’d bet you I can catch plenty of fish with some simple Walmart stuff like baby shad, CB slider and tube.
Baby shad for all around
Tube for when fish not so aggressive or doesn’t want a lot of movement (spawning time)
CB slider when fish feeding frenzy (late night summer)
Quote
So when hearing any of the 'facts' stated in forums, in the media or from a buddy, take them with a grain of salt and instead ask specific questions about lure characteristics and presentations that did well under certain conditions. Comparing notes - not fallacies - is what catches fish. I got photographic proof - what do you - the so-called expert - got?

Too bad I don’t take pics or even post of what I catch anymore.
Only one pic of 2024 and I caught plenty of this, one that might even beat my PB at 2.53lb

[camobass]

From all of your super effective creation, I’d bet you I can catch plenty of fish with some simple Walmart stuff like baby shad, CB slider and tube.
Baby shad for all around
Tube for when fish not so aggressive or doesn’t want a lot of movement (spawning time)
CB slider when fish feeding frenzy (late night summer)
Quote
So when hearing any of the 'facts' stated in forums, in the media or from a buddy, take them with a grain of salt and instead ask specific questions about lure characteristics and presentations that did well under certain conditions. Comparing notes - not fallacies - is what catches fish. I got photographic proof - what do you - the so-called expert - got?

Too bad I don’t take pics or even post of what I catch anymore.
Only one pic of 2024 and I caught plenty of this, one that might even beat my PB at 2.53lb

You have plenty of proof. Beautiful fish over the years.

[Just_Bass]

The problem is, he is so proud of his creation and forgot the most important thing for panfish, LOCATION LOCATION AND LOCATION. His home lake might be a lot easier to find fish than our high pressure SoCal lake. One of the guy here always show his ability to find big crappie and bluegill on his boat, but he never said it is his godsends alone.
Seriously once you find them crappie, lure or color is not very important at all. It would be more helpful talking about action or movement or how you retrieve the lure.
I can show off my fish every day if I want to but WHY? I fish private lake where I know not a lot of ppl can fish here. Yes sometimes I want to show off the one I proud of but just that not saying I’m better than anyone else just lucky to be able to fish here.