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Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

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Originally Posted by HighHook94 (Post 432645)

Depends on the time of the year. But there's one bait that is good all year long... a fake worm. Doesn't matter what brand, just a basic worm in a natural color like green pumpkin. Senkos and zoom trick worms are my favorite, but seriously any cheap worm will do. Ponds you want to go small, maybe a 4-5 inch worm. Lakes you can go a little bigger. Here are the main things you'll need for largemouth bass, don't waste your money on a bunch of fancy garbage that doesn't work (like I did). Here is the list and how to fish them:
-fake worms in natural colors. Regular worms use a texas rig (look it up), and senko type baits use a wacky rig (look it up). Keep in mind you need wide gap hooks for a texas rig. In water less than 10 feet deep, cast it out with no weight and let it slowly fall to the bottom. Once it hits bottom, jig it up a couple feet and let it slowly fall back down. Repeat until you bring the bait all the way in.
-spinnerbaits in either white or chartreuse (preferably white). Don't get anything too big, I prefer small, single bladed ones for ponds, heavier double bladed ones for lakes. Cast and reel just under the water surface.
-popper, preferably in white and relatively small. Bass pro shops makes an awesome popper that is super cheap. Best used in the summer. Cast out and jerk the rod so the popper makes a popping sound on the surface. Watch some youtube videos on it. Set the hook when you feel the weight of the fish. This is my favorite method of catching largemouth.
-small rapala jerk bait. Cast and jerk it in. When water is cold, do a jerk and pause. In summer, you can jerk and reel pretty quick.
-Honestly, those are the only baits i use now. I have a huge box full of expensive lures, but these three never fail me. But as a beginner, don't be afraid to use live bait. Live bait will catch you the most fish, guaranteed. You can catch your own bait for free.
-I do mostly saltwater fishing, but i do enjoy freshwater every once in awhile in streams and for ice fishing in the winter. Most of my fishing is in streams for smallmouth and trout because they fight more than largemouth, but i do have a few ponds near me that have great bass action. Speaking of that, don't underestimate small ponds by your house. They will produce much more than big lakes which can be tricky. I'm 21 years old, and have been fishing literally my entire life. It takes A LOT of time and patience to get the hang of it. Hang in there, you'll get it. It's an addicting sport. And if you have the chance, try saltwater fishing once you get decent. It's way more fun in my opinion.

I agree with all this, some great info here, but you gotta add FROGS to your arsenal! especially if you are fishing pads and the water is sloppy in the summer. ill fish frogs all day and catch less fish then I would with other methods because its so damn fun.

Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Quote:

Originally Posted by CroboNJ (Post 432651)

Wow to be honest I didn't expect so many replies. I have been watching some youtube videos but as far as tutorials go it's mostly guys from CA or the south that I see making step by step videos. I've seen a good chunk of Informative Fisherman on Youtube and have been reading up on different rig types but it seems a bit different for the ponds I generally get to fish at. I live in Union so most of the decent water is 45+ mins away.

I also live in Union County (Cranford) and just got back into fishing this past year. No need to travel 45 minutes for Bass, there are plenty of productive waters in UC. I have had good luck in our local ponds and rivers with 5" Senko (green w\ red fleck and black w\ blue fleck on a #4 EWG hook Texas rigged. Also done well with other soft plastics texas rigged usually with a small bullet sinker. Black\blue crawfish, green or white superflukes, brush hogs, tubes, 1\8-3\8 oz jigs, and Senko swim bait have all worked well. 3 inch curly tailed grubs on 1\8 oz football jig heads are also very versatile. I highly recommend trying your luck with the night bite as well, the biggest bass I caught through the summer were in local ponds at night (same soft plastics an jigs as daytime but always dark colors using a slower retrieval).

If you have any questions about local spots shoot me a PM. I am still out fishing locally for largemouth all the time and will continue to while the water is open, although these past two days were too cold to bother. Good luck!

Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Quote:

Originally Posted by CroboNJ (Post 432651)

I saw Bass Fishing NJ use a wacky rig with some good results so after seeing it recommended here I'll definitely give it a shot.

I should probably add that all my fishing is casting from the shore as I don't have a boat, but I've seen videos where spinners and buzzbaits are just as effective being cast from shore. I guess my last question would be what kind of hooks for a smaller worm like a 4" are we talking like a 1/0 or a #1 or should I still throw a 4/0?

For texas rigging a standard 4 inch worm, i'd go with 2/0 or 3/0. For wacky rigging, you can use any normal baitholder hook, but an octopus hook works best, probably size 2/0. And yes, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits work great from shore, especially spinnerbaits. I've had a little luck with buzzbaits, but not much. I'd rather use a spinner or popper. And if you're strictly fishing ponds, buy a few white rooster tails (worden's brand). They are the ultimate pond bait in the warmer months. Just cast and reel.

Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

I am not a master fisherman. But fishing for bass over the summer from shores of lakes, ponds, and rivers, I found that weed-less presentations were most efficient due to vegetation and avoiding snags. I usually worked with two light rods. One for the soft plastics and one for reel-in lures. In some of the videos I have viewed the fishermen show up with multiple set-ups ready to go. From one informative video I saw it was recommended to have as much versatility, flexibility, and efficiency with lure use and changing as possible. But two poles was enough for me since I was trying to stay mobile as I moved around the bodies of water.

Caught bass with senkos (texas and wacky), in line spinners, curly tail grubs on a jig head, hula popper, and with worms from the backyard. Caught 1 bass on a silver spoon with a grub trailer. I found that most of these approaches were conceptually easy to pick up on but often challenging enough to execute with the natural factors of summertime fishing coming into play. Only used live worms on a hook with bobber once on account of doing catch and release, I felt a little bad for torturing the worms.

For me, the most consistent (and practical for me) lures were the senko and the in-line spinners pending water conditions. I definitely think it is worthwhile to take some casts with a popper if possible because I found that in some locations that bass liked poppers.

It was interesting to actually observe how the bodies of water change from summer to fall and into early winter. From what I have been researching, tactics can change as well.

Obviously, research and experimentation with different lures proves fruitful. As it seems many fishermen have their favorites and it seems to me that some work better than others at different locations.

This from the perspective of an amateur.

Not to butt in on someone else's thread, but if anyone would like to share some insight about using poppers for bass and spoons for any fish, I would certainly enjoy reading about it.

Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Quote:

Not to butt in on someone else's thread, but if anyone would like to share some insight about using poppers for bass and spoons for any fish, I would certainly enjoy reading about it.

I like to throw poppers after sunset, or just before sunrise. I throw them near the edge of lilypads, over shallow beds of weeds, next to down trees, docks, boulders and other structure. Slow usually works best for me. Pop, let sit, repeat. But if that isn't working I try a faster retrieve frequently popping it along the way.

My favorites are the Rebel Skitterpop if I'm looking for a small splash and a Rebel popper or Hula popper if I want a more distinct popping sound. I use the Skitterpop if everything is glass still. The bigger, noisier poppers if there are ripples or waves.

Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Slow walking a big black jitter bug at night during the summer months is one of my favorite bass catching methods too. Explosive strikes.

Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Depends on where you plan to fish. If you fish the streams and rivers you will probably be targeting smallmouths. Best lures are small to medium size minnow imitating lures - floating and slow sinking rebels/rapalas, and spinners. If you fish smaller ponds and lakes that might support largemouth AND smallmouth the same lures will work but I would add the senkos, and worms - 4 to 8 inch in various colors. The curly tails and multi-colored are good choices. If one isn't working change your bait and keep trying.

If you're OK with live bait minnows work everywhere - and if you're fishing rivers/streams you can't beat crayfish - and the best bass bait- hellgrammites. And, of course, nightcrawlers will tempt everything.

Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

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Originally Posted by briansnat (Post 432827)

Poppers sound really satisfying to use, I saw lard using poppers with a fly rod to catch panfish and bass in one of his videos and that seemed like a damn good time. I definitely am trying this when the water warms up. I'm guessing at these temps it'll be hard to get a reaction on a topwater lure.

Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Beetlespin in a light color FTW. Substitute a curly tail grub and you're on it.

Re: NJ Bass Lure Suggestions

Metabolism responds to temperature & the hottest summer days mean peak metabolism, but this doesn't mean bass give chase. They slow down to conserve calories & seek easy meals by sensory organs manic with alertness as that metabolism powers them. So I throw weightless 7 1/2-inch plastic worms that sink slower than Senkos. That's a slow, easy offering, just takes a little patience, most hits on descent. Rather than by barrel swivel, I tie uni-to-uni splice between 15-pound test Power Pro braid and 15-pound test fluorocarbon. You can also follow my blog and go back into the archives and click on the largemouth label for some info. Just google my full name with the middle name included, Edward.