January bass caught .............

[shotgun]

Jan. 3rd 2013 ... 3:45

First bass for me in 2013 ... 1 1/2 lb Largemouth as pale as can be ... caught with a dark green Senko type worm in 12 ft of water next to a dock and he thumped it ..... Sorry , no water temp .... but I am sure it is cold . Fished another 30 minutes after catching it ... NOTHING ... but that is OK

 

[bass]

Jan. 3rd 2013 ... 3:45

First bass for me in 2013 ... 1 1/2 lb Largemouth as pale as can be ... caught with a dark green Senko type worm in 12 ft of water next to a dock and he thumped it ..... Sorry , no water temp .... but I am sure it is cold . Fished another 30 minutes after catching it ... NOTHING ... but that is OK

Sweet! Way to go out and get yourself a bass-cicle The Willamette temp in Portland was 42 on Saturday as a reference point. If you are fishing a small pond I would guess you are even colder. What was the water color (visibility) like?

 

[shotgun]

Its a Quarry pond on my property .... through most of Dec. it was muddy from the rain run off and was high ... Its dropped maybe 2 ft and has about a 1ft visibility now ... in the summer you can see down 12 ft or so ....

 

[bass]

Its a Quarry pond on my property .... through most of Dec. it was muddy from the rain run off and was high ... Its dropped maybe 2 ft and has about a 1ft visibility now ... in the summer you can see down 12 ft or so ....

Thanks, sounds like a nice spot. If you get around to measuring the water temp I would be curious to know what it is.

 

[shotgun]

Water tonight was 43 degrees surface temp ... fished again for about 1/2 hour ... ZIPP , NODDA , No fish ...

 

[tomriker]

Finally got my order January bass last Sunday, perfect warm,sunny,calm afternoon! The guy I was with landed 5 and missed a couple more!

 

[shotgun]

WELCOME .... to the 2013 .... I finally got one club ... You are now offically on the score board ...

 

[colbypearson]

WELCOME .... to the 2013 .... I finally got one club ... You are now offically on the score board ...

I think I have around 12 in Oregon so far this year, hard to juggle fishing and college..... :lol:

And around 20 in northern California.

 

[Nettle]

Jan. 3rd 2013 ... 3:45

First bass for me in 2013 ... 1 1/2 lb Largemouth as pale as can be ... caught with a dark green Senko type worm in 12 ft of water next to a dock and he thumped it ..... Sorry , no water temp .... but I am sure it is cold . Fished another 30 minutes after catching it ... NOTHING ... but that is OK

Nice catch. I've been trying to catch one for the last couple weeks in a pond that I know has bass. Its been 28F at night and 35F in the days with freezing fog and clouds, the water isn't frozen but the ground is around it. I haven't caught anything yet in 2013. I've tried many different lures and jigs including many colors of Senko type worms.

 

[tomriker]

Nice catch. I've been trying to catch one for the last couple weeks in a pond that I know has bass. Its been 28F at night and 35F in the days with freezing fog and clouds, the water isn't frozen but the ground is around it. I haven't caught anything yet in 2013. I've tried many different lures and jigs including many colors of Senko type worms.

Using a senko was your first mistake

 

[Nettle]

Using a senko was your first mistake

I've been trying everything I've got. I've read a few guides specific to winter bass fishing and i feel like I've got an general understand of techniques of slowing down the performance and understanding the fish are cold and lethargic. Sounds like its pretty difficult when the water gets below 40F. The pond has a lot of shallow parts with weeds and it has some deep parts too. I've been trying everywhere around the entire thing. I'm obsessed/crazed with fishing at the moment and am trying to catch any fish. I just bought a couple black/blue and black/tan/green Booyah Boo jigs; I'm going to try them next.
With that being said, I don't think its my mistake that I've tried some senko baits. They do work for some people sometimes (original poster is proof of that). To my understanding, the same thing doesn't always work, so I'm trying different things that I've seen recommended for winter bass fishing.

 

[shotgun]

Its 28 degrees and still foggy here in Silverton .... Kinda hard to get excited about making a cast or two right now ... is Spring going to come this year ?

Tom .... what is it you have against Senko fishing ? .... Its just a fat heavy worm .... I was fishing a fat heavy worm since the early 1970's ... it was a Worth Tackle Rat Tail ( made by Bob Courtright in Port Orford ) ... and was proably the first to be salt impregnated ... fished excactly the same way ... we were also drop shoting in the early 70's way before it was called that ... just like the Senko was named by Yamoto .....

So , what is it that has soured you so bad on the Senko ? .... I like to catch fish is why I fish it ....

==========================================================================


TOMRIKER ......... Using a senko was your first mistake

 

[tomriker]

Pretty cool picture shotgun, I'm still traumatized from my last outing too, frozen reels, guides... Pretty much frozen everything... I'm just not a fan if senkos sure go ahead use em if you want to catch dinks all day. I know I know people catch big fish with senkos... There's an exception to every rule. I think "senkos" are over rated, even though I bought my first pack last fall (clearance for 99¢) throwing a plastic worm and waiting 10 minutes for To get to the bottom isn't my idea of fun. Maybe it's just that I'm no patient enough to use them? My fishing partner ryan808 loves him a senko and he always catches baby fish with em, that's where I see them the most being used and thinking why fish a 3" worm to catch a 18" bass.. No thanks.

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

I've been trying everything I've got. I've read a few guides specific to winter bass fishing and i feel like I've got an general understand of techniques of slowing down the performance and understanding the fish are cold and lethargic. Sounds like its pretty difficult when the water gets below 40F. The pond has a lot of shallow parts with weeds and it has some deep parts too. I've been trying everywhere around the entire thing. I'm obsessed/crazed with fishing at the moment and am trying to catch any fish. I just bought a couple black/blue and black/tan/green Booyah Boo jigs; I'm going to try them next.
With that being said, I don't think its my mistake that I've tried some senko baits. They do work for some people sometimes (original poster is proof of that). To my understanding, the same thing doesn't always work, so I'm trying different things that I've seen recommended for winter bass fishing.

Bass fishing in the winter is really tough. As you've experienced. Iv tried once or twice this winter for bass with no luck, but with out much hope either lol. Ill stick to trout and steelhead until it warms up. Good luck out there though, from a fellow senko tosser!

 

[billfisher]

Pretty cool picture shotgun, I'm still traumatized from my last outing too, frozen reels, guides... Pretty much frozen everything... I'm just not a fan if senkos sure go ahead use em if you want to catch dinks all day. I know I know people catch big fish with senkos... There's an exception to every rule. I think "senkos" are over rated, even though I bought my first pack last fall (clearance for 99¢) throwing a plastic worm and waiting 10 minutes for To get to the bottom isn't my idea of fun. Maybe it's just that I'm no patient enough to use them? My fishing partner ryan808 loves him a senko and he always catches baby fish with em, that's where I see them the most being used and thinking why fish a 3" worm to catch a 18" bass.. No thanks.

I,m impatient also, so I add a small cone shaped weight. Although most takes are while they are sinking.

 

[shotgun]

Sinko's Deep and Small Fish ?

Sinko's Deep and Small Fish ?

My biggest Oregon bass caught in public water was 8 3/4 pound out of Dorena on a 4 inch Ring Worm in BlueGill color fished on 6 pound line using a Carolina Rig ...



I like to also fish a Charlie Brewer Slider with a 4 inch slider worm in Grape ... swimming it for post spawn pass when they are up looking to spawn ... Back when I lived in Reedsport years ago I liked to fish Siltcoos , Tachnitch , and up the coast at Devils Lake .... when they still had lots of big fish in them .... caught many many this way in the 4 to 6 pound range ....



All to there own way of fishing .... BUT , the saying ... you have to use big baits to catch big fish .... does not mean you can't catch them on small baits .... don't get me wrong ... I like to throw jigs , big swim baits , spinner baits and cranks also ... I usuall have 4 or 5 poles rigged different in my boat when I fish ... and throw it all ... but the worm is my go to ....



On the sinko and slow sinking in deep water ... I only fish it weightless in 12 foot or shallower .... I too ... add weight when fishing it deeper ... I use what is shown in picture ... it is a Luck E Strike Perfect Worm Rig ... I use the larger 4/0 hook on senko's ... and I like the Yum Dinger because it has a slot in it for the hook point to set it ...

 

[shotgun]

SORRY ..... meant PRE-SPAWN .... not post spawn bass

 

[Scott M]

At least you know you didn't pull a hen off the nest! Well Done!!

 

[Finneus Polebender]

Again, I seldom use the true version, but the worm is always the go to when the going is tough.

 

[colbypearson]

1/24/2013, Coldest winter I have ever experienced, never seen most of these lakes freeze like they have.



The lake had coves, shallow areas completely frozen. Soft water doesn't get any colder than the water this fish came out of. Now no-one can tell me that they wont eat a swimbait 400 days a year :lol:..