Tips and tricks

4 Lakes
Bass Masters
Madison, Wi

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Fishing is fundamentals. If you have the basic idea, sometimes that is enough. Sometimes, it's easy to overdo the simple things. Each month we will feature tips and tricks from our 4 lakes club members. Hopefully you might learn a new thing or two.

The least understood and the most incorrect fished bait is: The Crankbait.
Since it hangs up the easiest, lets thro it in clear water with no structure or weeds right?
A crankbait hitting something doesnt catch fish! You must concentrate on "the wobble" If the feel changes, its near something other than water. You will feel one of three things: 1. hitting cover 2. Fish taking the lure from behind 3. Fish taking your rod!
If the "wobble" goes away, set the hook!!

THANKS GREG FOR THIS GREAT TIP!!
Tips and Tricks: Double your pleasure, double your fun! Try using a tube bait as the weight on your drop shot to add a one two punch to this technique.

Presentation is one of the most important things in Bass fishing. There is a good lake....there are fish....but nobody's biting?
Change your presentation! Sometimes, this can take a few hours but hopefully it will all pay off at the end of the day.

The presentation is:
1. lure
2. retrieve speed
3. color
4. depth

If you know this is the lure....change the color...change the size...change the speed....
If that doesnt work, swith to crankbaits or spinners...

Bass have small brains but they know what they like...don't crank the motor, change the presentation!

Spring Bass!!

As winter takes a turn and starts heading in the opposite direction, spring begins to emerge offering relief to most bass anglers in the northern hemisphere. Its time to get out and nail some of them spring time lunkers!

The key to bass fishing during the spring is a close observation of water temperatures. keeping in mind that big largemouth bass will start to move into shallower waters once the water temperature reaches about 43 degrees, plus or minus a few. These lunker bass will move into shallow waters to one, sun themselves and two, feed.

One very productive method of bringing on a bite during the spring is by fishing a spinner bait, spinner baits with colorado blades seem to be the most productive in the muddy shallows, though a spinner with willow type blades may work better if your bass fishing clear water. You will have to experiment a bit, but spinning shallows in the spring can and does produce big bass.