| Question
from Alec |
I have a small pond in my neighborhood that has largemouth
bass and blue gills. My friend and myself catch 2 bass every
once in a while. His little brother for some reason catches at
least 1 bass every time we go. My question is that what are some
good tips for snagging in these bass with worms, and what colors
are good for the spoons that we sometimes use? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/T&H Marine Pro Staff: The color worms I like
are watermelon candy, greenpumpkin red
and junebug, and for spoons I prefer nickel over gold unless the
water is stained. |
| Question
from TJ |
What depth is good for a 3/16 oz spinnerbait best used
in? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Strictly Bass Lures/Ranger Pro Staff: I throw a 3/16 oz.
Strictly Bass Fanatic spinner bait called "my
money bait", and I always have one tied on if I am fishing a spinner
bait in less than 5 foot of water. |
| Question
from Phillip |
Hi, I was wondering what kind of lure would you use on
a hot day about 90 degrees and the water is very murky plus this
is a medium sized pond. |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Strictly Bass Lures/Ranger Boats Pro Staff: I would use a 7 inch
plactic worm in watermelon candy or greenpumkin red color with
a 3/16 or 1/4 ounce weight rigged texas style. |
| Question
from Jaxen |
How do you use crankbait? Should you use minnows or worms in
a river? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Strictly Bass Lures/Ranger ProStaff: You throw/cast the bait
out into the water and retrieve it back to you. The trick of
making the crank bait work so will is, it needs to be hitting
some thing (bouncing off the buttom or running it tree limbs
or brushpiles or rockpiles. As for minnows and worms question,
yes, both will work in rivers. |
| Question
from Raul |
Hi.....I'm in Vegas and I like to fish at Lake Mead... my question
is can you normally catch stripers? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger Pro Staff: Hopefully you are fishing from a boat that
is equipped with some sort of electronics. That is what I would
use to find the fish. I would then fish for them with live bait
(shad or lake herring). |
| Question
from Blaine |
I
fish a lot in 3 lakes around my house in central Louisiana.
Two of these lakes are pretty clear and the other has stained
water to muddy. I Love to fish spinnerbaits and have pretty
good success with them. I understand them. But this past year
I've taken an interest in learning to fish the plastic worm.
Boy, confusing! I believe I've got the presentation and hook
set down, but when it comes to choosing what color to use when,
I'm not sure. I guess I've bought about 20 packs of different
colors this year and still don't understand it. Can you explain
what colors for what clarity water and why? Also, if you wanted
to make it simple and say, "I'm only going to buy a half-dozen
colors to fish with. A few for clear water and a few for stained." What
would those colors be? Where does the glitter come into play? Why
would you chose a re! d glitter over a blue or green glitter? How
does cloud cover and sunlight affect your decision? Thanks a million! |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice T&H Marine/Ranger Pro Staff: I have hundreds
of colors of plastic baits. But, I usaully
only have about 5 or 6 I always have with me. First, I will give
you a rule for choosing colors: bright skies with clear water (you
can see your bait 2 feet or more in the water) more natural, translucent
colors(cottoncandy, watermelon candy or watermelon red); cloudy
skies with clear water: darker, solid colors(greenpumpkin red,
watermelon candy or black/blue); stained water with or with out
cloud cover(greenpumpin red, junebug, watermelon candy or black/blue).
You may have noted I will use watermelon candy in all types of
water and weather conditions. However, you need to have red
shad color as a main stay color. Because your lakes have
crawfish that are red,red,red. I would bet if you got a some
pumpkin red worms or red shad worms you would catch fish under
must water and weather conditions. |
| Question
from Brian |
Why don't the fish bite when water is receding? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice T&H Marine/D&D Marine/Ranger Pro Staff: Fish will bite
when water is receeding. However the fish will hold very, very
tight to cover (trees, brush piles, ect) and you have to place
the bait right in front of the fish's nose for them to bite.
This is why the plastic baits and jigs work so well under this
condition. |
| Question
from Josh |
What type of bait is best in murky high water? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Strictly Bass Lures/Ranger Pro Staff: I would have to know your
definition fo murky water. If you are calling murky, mudding
water, unable to see your bait in less than 6 inches of water
then I would throw a Strictly Bass Fanatic spinner bait with
double colorado blades in chart/white or solid chart. colored
shirts or a shallow, wide wobbling crank bait in firetiger or
chart/blue back colors. |
| Question
from Mark |
What is the best lure to use in the river? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Strictly Bass Lures Pro Staff: I like spinner baits and plastic
worms. |
| Question
from Wesley |
I go fishing at the lagoons in
frankfort in and I see tons of people catching HUGE channel
cats and catfish and I try everything and i still can`t catch
them.So my question is do you have any catfish and/or channel
cats fishing bait recipes that i could know please.THANKS
A LOT! |
Answer: |
Fish'n
Kids Staff: If
it resembles food in any way and emits scent or an odor
it is likely to attract the interest of catfish. Every
ardent catfish expert has their own secret recipe. The
ingredients range from natural prey of fish and fowl to
non-food items like soap and chemicals. Chicken, shrimp,
liver and stink baits are the most common ingredients.
The long whiskers of the catfish are always in search of
an easy meal.
Here is a link to a site that has a TON of different recipes for
catfish baits.
Try one or two, or try them all! Let us know back if any of these recipes worked really well for
you.
|
| Question
from Michael |
What does set the hook mean, and how do you do it? |
Answer: |
Deitz
Dittrich Host of HotSpotOutdoors: Michael
- Great question, A hook set is a term people use when
they whip the rod up quickly to get the hook to embed into
the surrounding area of the fishes mouth. Generally, you
point your rod tip at the fish with semi tight line and
pull up or sideways on the rod quickly. The larger the
hook you are using the harder you need to do this as the
larger hook is harder to get through the fishes tough area
around it's mouth. Some presentations do not require much
of a hook set. Crank Baits for one do not need much if
any hook set. Also, with some live bait rigs, where Circle
hooks are used, you also don't set the hook, just reel
fast till the hook sets itself. Hope this helps! Best of
luck! |
| Question
from Trevor |
What are some good situations to use a spinner bait? Also, what
are some good plastic lures that you fish with? |
Answer: |
Deitz
Dittrich Host of HotSpotOutdoors: Spinnerbaits
can be fished in about every situation. IF you are fishing stained
water you want a bait that has Colorado blades, those are the ones
shaped like a quarter. In clear water you want to use willow blades(longer
thinner) They excel in shallow water situations and are fairly weedless
as well. The closer you reel them to the surface the more vibration
they will kick down to the fish. Try throwing a spinnerbait around
weed clumps or docks.
As for what plastics, they all have a time and place. If I had
to pick a fave, it would be a Mister Twister Comida, or a tube.
Those are my top 2 faves! |
| Question
from Brian |
I fish mainly in ponds from the shore. Most of the ponds have
grass which extends from the bottom up to 2-6ft from the surface.
Water is clear with a lot of shoreline structure. I have caught
a lot of fish on plastic worms, but they are all in the smaller
range. What is the best baits and colors to use? |
Answer: |
Deitz
Dittrich Host of HotSpotOutdoors:
Your
lake may not have big ones, or the big ones are farther off shore,
do you have access to a canoe and an adult to help you? If you are
trying to catch bigger fish, you may need to try larger baits. In
clear water situations, try natural colors. A good example of a natural
color is pumpkinseed, or watermellonseed(browns and greens). But
again, if you are looking for larger fish, I might try a jig n pig.
Or if you can try low light situations(Very early in the morning
or after sunset) and give a top water frog a try. |
| Question
from Wesley |
I am going fishing up in Michigan City and it is suppose to rain.
Is it good to go fishing in the rain, and will the fish bite. |
Answer: |
Deitz
Dittrich Host of HotSpotOutdoors: One
of my all time fave quotes is from Denny Brauer. He states in
one of his books. "If you cant catch fish in the rain,
you better try a new sport."
And he is right, safety is however very important. We dont want
you fishing in heavy winds and lightning. Thats just not safe!
But if its just raining, that can be some of the best fishing!
The rain helps mask your outline and your boat noise, fish tend
to feed shallow as bugs and other stuff get washed into the lake.
Good luck!
|
| Question
from Mitchell |
Hey
I recently went out and bought a minnow trap to use to catch
crawfish in a stream near my house. It's shallow then deep.
What bait should I use and where should I put the trap. |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger Pro Staff: I have used a minnow trap
to catch crawfish. I use raw hot dogs in my trap. However,
do not place your trap to deep in the water- best water depth
is 2 to 5 feet. |
| Question
from Jake |
What
is the best bait to use in muddy water? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger Pro Staff: I like a Strictly Bass Spinner
Bait- money bait or fat dink finatic 5/16 or 7/16 in chart/white
with chart. grub trailer. You can go to www.strictlybasslures.com to
find these baits. |
| Question
from Adam |
I
live in San Diego California and like to fish bass at Dixon
Lake and found a submerged garbage can in the water by a pier,
is this a good pre-spawn spot and what lures would be the best
to draw them out? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger Pro Staff: I think that garbage can
will be a good pre- and post-spawn spot, as so as, the garbage
can get allege on it. I would use a spinner bait or
a plactic worm to catch bass. |
| Question
from Baylor |
But
what do I use in a muddy pond about quarter acre big for bass? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger Pro Staff: I like a spinner bait in muddy
water for big bass. A Strictly Bass river finatic or
a fat dink in 3/16 or 5/16 in chart. or chart/white with chart.
trailer. You can go to www.strictlybasslures.com to
find theses baits. |
| Question
from Tony |
Hello,
my name is tony. My friend and I go fishing almost every day
of the summer. We fish along grass lines and along lily pads.
Do you have any suggestions on what type of bait to throw?
Thank You |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger Pro Staff: I throw a jig , spinner
bait and plastic worms around grasslines. I like to throw
spinner baits, buzz baits and plastic worms or senko type
baits in lilly pads. You can go to www.strictlybasslures.com to
find good jigs, spinner baits and buzz baits. The worms
or senko baits have many brand names; but greenpumpkin red
or watermelon candy are my favorite colors.
|
| Question
from Justin: |
What
is the best casting distance? What is the range a person should
fish from a boat and on the shore? Should it be as far as you
can cast or would 20 yards be better? |
Answer: |
Casting
distance is over rated. Casting accuracy is where its at.
The only time where casting distance means much if anything
is on deep diving crankbaits. With deep divers, the longer
the cast, the longer that lure is in the effective strike
zone. In clearer lakes, when fishing shallow water, longer
casts can help the fish from being spooked, but tha accuracy
of that cast is still most important, which falls true on
the deep cranks as well. There are times I may only cast
my lures 10-15 feet from the boat.
When
fishing from shore, it may be a different question. Your cast
needs to be long enough to reach whatever cover you are fishing.
If your trying to cast to a drop off or some weeds, you need
to be able to cast whatever distance that is. But I will go
back to my original answer, the distance means nothing without
accuracy!
The
great thing about casting is you can practice even when you
are not fishing. In your yard, place objects and practice casting
to those objects. Remove the hooks please just incase you have
a dog or cat near by! Best of luck fishing, and when you get
out there, set the hook once for me! |
| Question
from Bobby: |
How
do you catch fish in a 1 foot deep ten foot wide canal with lilies
and eel grass in it. |
Answer: |
Deitz
Dittrich Host of HotSpotOutdoors: Bobby,
those conditions can be tough. You really have to put the
sneak on them when the fish are that shallow. Try to make
as accurate a cast and as quiet a cast as possible. If
you can even land your cast on the bank and then slowly
pull your lure into the water. Any kind of surface frong
will work if the conditions alllow. You can also rig a
tube on a texas rig(peg the sinker) and drop the tube into
holes in the eel grass and lilies. Hope this works for
you dude, set the hook hard for me when you get a bite. |
| Question
from Blade: |
How
can you catch bigger smallmouth bass and other bass with spinners? |
Answer: |
Deitz
Dittrich Host of HotSpotOutdoors: Blade,
Location may be more important than the lure you throw. If
I were after big smallies, and only big smallies, I would
work the edge of the cover with a large inline spinner. Maybe
like a #5 Mepps Aglia. I would reel it quite fast. Speed
can trigger bites in smallies as long as the conditions for
fishing are good. Best of luck! Sometimes when working the
bait very fast, stop reeling for ½ a second, the pause
will drive em crazy some days! |
| Question
from Mathew: |
What
is the best lure to use in the middle of the winter when the
water is deep. What is the best lure to use to catch a 10 pound
bass in Manville,New Jersey. Lastly, what color plastic worm
should i use in murky water. |
Answer: |
Deitz
Dittrich Host of HotSpotOutdoors: Matthew,
I’m not from NJ so I am not up to par with knowing
what lake conditions you have. I hope someone a little closer
to you can help you with that question. If it were me and
I was looking for a HOGZILLA I would throw a large swim bait.
They really seem to target the large fish. The only problem
is... You will get less bites and thus catch less fish. When
fishing murky water, I like to use dark colors. I love black,
redshad, and Junebug. Some lure companies make a junebug
with a chartruce tail that work very well for me on bright
days in murky water situations. |
| Question
from Jack: |
What
kind of walleye harnesses wood be good to catch large walleye's
and what colors should i use and what kind of bait should I
put on the hook? I'am going fishing the last month in May to
Otter Tail County in Mi |
Answer: |
Deitz
Dittrich Host of HotSpotOutdoors: Jack-
Fishing walleyes in May I would concentrate on a couple of
different presentations. #1 the Lindy Rig. Match the sinker
as best you can for the depth water you are fishing. Something
with a red hook or bead might be nice. In may, you can either
go with a large leech or a minnow(shiner if you can find
one or fathead.) The second rig I would use would just be
a lead head jig. ¼ oz or less unless fishing deep
water. Chartruce, orange, white are all very good colors..
You can at times rig a twister tail to help add vibration.
Then attach the same baits as above. Minnow or Leech seem
to be best in the spring of the year. Good luck, I hope you
catch a big one! |
| Question
from Liam: |
Can
I use Berkley Gulp Pumkinseed for Bream I need to know ASAP because
I'm heading out tomorrow morning. |
Answer: |
Fish'n
Kids Staff: I believe the answer to your question
is maybe. The reason I am not completely sure is because
you did not say what Gulp product you would be using. You
only indicated the color. If you are fishing strictly for
panfish, you need to take into account the size of the fish
versus the size of the bait. If the bait that you are presenting
is too big, the smaller fish will only be able to nibble
on it and not be able to get enough of it in their mouth
for them to get hooked. On a positive note, if you use a
larger bait, you might actually attract large fish like bass,
or catfish. So definitely take the Gulp product with you,
and give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.
If you want to make sure you catch some panfish, hit your kitchen
before you leave in the morning. Grab a couple pieces of bread,
or some corn, even cheese will work on these small fish. Instant
biscuit dough works really well because it will stay on the hook
longer than regular bread. |
| Question
from Eddy: |
What
is the best lure to catch bass,strippers,and catfish the size
of a foot and a half? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: The
lure I like or I catch all 3 type of fish you listed is a Strictly
Bass Spinner Bait in Chart/white in color 3/16 or 5/16 with
nickel and gold blades. |
| Question
from Kyle: |
I
go fishing at lake Erie and we go fishing for Perch,and I don't
seem to catch anything at all. So could you tell me like what
to do to catch at least maybe one. I've never cough a single
Perch, and we go fishing every time we go up there and we go. |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: If
I were going fishing for perch then I would use live minnows
or crickets and fish around boat houses or boat docks that
had brush piles under them. |
| Question
from Preston: |
Hi
I live in Georgia and theres a drought here right now and if
you've ever fished in Georgia is there a certain place you
recommend to fish for largemouth bass? I've been trying to
find ponds but in Georgia its harder than it looks! Also, in
your opinion what is are the best fall bass baits? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: I
like Lake Lanier or Lake Eufaula for largemouth and spotted
bass. In the fall I like a topwater bait or a spinner bait. |
| Question
from Alex: |
Do
fish bite better on worms, minnows, or crickets? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff:I
think fish bite better on cricket and minnows. However, I
have caught a whole lot of fish on worms and bread balls
when I was younger. |
| Question
from Charlie: |
Is
there a way to catch bass really easy. If so what is it? We
have a lot of bass in our river. |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff:In
small rivers, I have had success on small shallow diving
crank baits, grubs and spinner baits. |
| Question
from Bradley: |
My
question is this, how do you fish fast moving body of water like
a deep creek, and a river? From the shore of course. |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff:You
look for the eddies in the moving water. The eddies are where
the water whirls and run up stream. An eddie may be found
behind a bridge piller, a big pile of rocks, a bend in the
river or point of land. I will fish with a Berkley Power
grub on a jig head, crank bait, spinner bait or Texas rigged
worm. |
| Question
from Jackson: |
What
are some good patterns for jerkbaits? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff:The
best pattern for me with jerkbaits has been in late fall/early
winter and late winter/early spring in long under water points
and under water islands/humps. |
| Question
from Brad: |
How
is the correct way to rig a YUM plastic craw bug? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff:You
can rig it Texas style or put it on a jig head. |
| Question
from Brad: |
How
do you tune a buzz bait? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff:It
depends on the type of buzz bait you are tuning. I fish a Strictly
Bass Buzz bait. It is pre-tuned as far as a squeeling sound
on the buzz bait, but to make it a clacking or ticking buzz
bait you must bend the wire the blade is on down so the buzz
bait blade barely hits the wire going to the buzz bait lead
head. |
| Question
from Mark: |
We
bought crawfish last wed. They have been chilled the whole
time how long will they last if I put them in a pool and feed
them rice? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: If
the water condition is good the crawfish can live in a pond.
They need food and shade. |
| Question
from Andy: |
I
live by the river, what time is the best to go fishing? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: If
the river you live by has moving current then any time can
be good; but, morning and evening is typically are the best. |
| Question
from Meeran: |
Couple
other questions...How do you rig a YUM crawdad? finesse worm??
where to cast these??? What do you put on a jig for attraction????
How do you rig night crawlers for bass? What do you use for
the strike king catfish dynamite dough bait, how to put on
a hook?............. HELP |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: You
can rig a plastic crawfish Texas style, with a jig head or
on weedless on a jig head.You can rig a finesse worm Texas
style, weedless on jig head, on a jig head or rigged wacky
style. You can fish these type baits around grass, trees
or brush piles in the water. You can put the Berkley bass
fish attractor on your jig. You can use old panty hose to
help keep your catfish bait on the hook. |
| Question
from Scott: |
What
are some fishing tips /tricks for catching big bass at American
Electric Power Lakes. |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: American
power lakes usually have aquatic, submergent grass. Fish
the grass lines with a 10 inch Berkley power worm, rigged
Texas style with a 1/4 to 3/8 oz. weight. |
| Question
from Jeremy: |
What
are the best types of lures and baits to use for catching bass
@ Clear Lake, CA? We have tried various jigs with no luck.
Any ideas?? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: Swim
baits seem to a good bait at Clear Lake. |
| Question
from Adrian: |
How
can you catch big fish with out a boat? How do you know what
lake or pond have bass in it? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: You
can catch big bass fishing off the bank. You need to find
the cover in the lake or pond and fish it. You can only know
for sure if a lake/pond has good fish in the water is by
catching, seeing and/or seeing somebody catch a large bass
out of that particular body of water. |
| Question
from Mike: |
Hi
I love to fish and I am wondering for the best lure for deep
summer bass? Thanks |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: Plastic
baits are good lures in the heat of summer like a Berkley
10 inch Power worm rigged Texas style or a Carolina rig with
a centipede type bait on it or finesse worm. |
| Question
from Kyle: |
I
fish on a lake in Massachusetts with access to a boat and I
see 4-6 pound bass jumping all day long and I try casting all
sorts of lures near them including worms, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits,
lizards, topwater frogs and crank baits but so far I have not
caught any, In fact the only bass that I have caught were 1-2
pounds, and they were right off the dock. My question is Is
there anything else I should try, or certain areas I should
target? Thankyou! |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: You
may need to fish cover in the lake (i.e., underwater brush
piles, underwater rock piles, aquatic grass) |
| Question
from Zach: |
How
to catch Bass by Dams? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: Fishing
below dams can be dangerous and your life jacket should be
on at all times. Dams with moving water, seem to have the
better fishing. I would was a crank bait or a 3/4 to 1 oz
spinner bait and cast it in the moving/swift water. |
| Question
from Jason & John: |
Hi
my buddies and me fished in a good size pond in Indiana with
no weeds or anything. We caught small size bass all day long
on a rubber worm but I was wondering how do we catch the big
bass because I know there are big ones in there? |
Answer: |
Edward
Guice Ranger/Berkley Trilene/ Evinrude Pro Staff: Keep
fishing. You may go to a bigger worm like a Berkley 10 inch
power worm. |
