Probable dumb question?

[cdat]

I've always been taught, used the technique, when presenting a lure designed to resemble a "baitfish" you present it swimming downstream for the most part, more natural, bass ambush prey swimming/floating downstream, am I correct on this?

Bass in the Willamette will feed on young/small shad that are moving through the area they inhabit, correct, I'm new to this area so would like to know for sure?

Should I present a swimbait that resemble a shad, swimming upstream or downstream, the shad are migrating upstream, so it would seem an upstream presentation would be "normal",

Am I just overthinking this?

thanks
John

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Yes, but also no. Sometimes, maybe.

If you are catching fish, you are doing it right.

 

[cdat]

Figuring this whole bass fishing thing is a trip, seems like the #1 rule is, "fish the lure like it was designed to be fished in the proper presentation and you will catch more fish, either that, fish it anyway you damn will feel like and you will catch more fish" Ok, we'll try upstream, downstream, jigging it, any other ways?


Thanks

 

[bass]

The shad that are migrating are way too big for bass to eat. They way several pounds each. The bass will be feeding on last year's brood which should be swimming downstream and heading out to the ocean.

My advice is to try a variety of presentations (slow, calm, fast, erratic, upstream, downstream) until you find a working pattern.

 

[cdat]

The shad that are migrating are way too big for bass to eat. They way several pounds each. The bass will be feeding on last year's brood which should be swimming downstream and heading out to the ocean.

My advice is to try a variety of presentations (slow, calm, fast, erratic, upstream, downstream) until you find a working pattern.

Thank you, was wondering about that, as I said, new to the area, new to bass fishing, would you say that a "shad pattern" 3-4" swimbait would be a good thing to toss in the Willie or C at this time of year?

Thanks
John

 

[bass]

Thank you, was wondering about that, as I said, new to the area, new to bass fishing, would you say that a "shad pattern" 3-4" swimbait would be a good thing to toss in the Willie or C at this time of year?

Thanks
John

I usually toss a crayfish pattern and switch to a shad color if I can't get bites on the crayfish color. Usually I do not end up switching colors. I do like to throw a 1/4-3/8oz white spinnerbait with gold willowleaf blades as well. This is probably triggering a shad like desire from the bass.

 

[Fishpdx]

I caught a 2 inch shad last fall and rigged it live and as soon as it hit the water huge largemouth just grabbed it. while I was fishing the whole day with no bites I would toss senkos right in front of bass and nothing not even live worms.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

I wish to heck we had shad in reservoirs. Other state agencies would plant them. We are probably warm enough in much of the state to have threadfin, but gizzard and hickory shad would for sure be OK.

Alewives are cool too, they never get too big for gamefish when they are landlocked.

But whatever. They would probably make a snail sad or something.

 

[bass]

I wish to heck we had shad in reservoirs. Other state agencies would plant them. We are probably warm enough in much of the state to have threadfin, but gizzard and hickory shad would for sure be OK.

Alewives are cool too, they never get too big for gamefish when they are landlocked.

But whatever. They would probably make a snail sad or something.

It would be nice if there were shad in the reservoirs but that would be managing for a warmwater benefit so you can just scratch that off the "hope it happens some day" list. In NC, all the lakes had shad and in PA the rivers, lakes, even some of the small fish commission lakes (50-300 acres) had shad. I used to love hanging around the balls and waiting for bass to bust up through them and then toss out a Kalin's salty grub in a shad like color and just let it fall, fall, fall like an injured shad. Man that was fun.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

... you can just scratch that off the "hope it happens some day" list.

Oh for sure, haha. Just like I would love to have a long lost relative who married into a wealthy Nigerian family leave me a fortune in bearer bonds.

I found a neat little trick to catch schoolies busting young of the year shad was to cast past the bait ball with a lure of about the same size, like a Rooster Tail or Roadrunner or whatever, then rip it through the bait. The bait would scatter like they were under attack, and it would trigger a bite often as not.

 

[Fishnbuck]

The shad that are migrating are way too big for bass to eat. They way several pounds each. The bass will be feeding on last year's brood which should be swimming downstream and heading out to the ocean.

My advice is to try a variety of presentations (slow, calm, fast, erratic, upstream, downstream) until you find a working pattern.

cdat - bass can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe he was referring to a catch pattern vice a lures appearance. Bass fisherman (I have been a member of that group sporadically since my teen years) call the combination of lure type/color/size, water depth/condition(s), structure a pattern, when it is determined that the same combination catches fish throughout the day. IE A wacky rigged 4" watermelon senko throw on the uphill side of a point in 10 ft water. If that combination produces consistently, it becomes a pattern.

My advice to start out with, is choose no more than a handful of lures you feel confident presenting properly (meaning as designed). The more comfortable you are "working" a lure, the better it will work for you. Work an area targeting as many different depths and structures (or lack there of) as possible. Work your way up the bank doing so, if you get bit, remember the combination, if your successful was limited, on the return pass, try changing color, and or size. Eventually you will determine patterns. It helps to become familiar with a particular body of water (IE Hagg) or stretch of river. Work it with love and you will be rewarded! Obviously it helps to hit the places that people are reporting catches from, but don't get hung up on what they were using.

TV fishing show I find very informative in addition to entertaining is Major League Fishing. I like to dvr it for the unfortunate times when I can't get out and fish myself.

 

[bass]

Oh for sure, haha. Just like I would love to have a long lost relative who married into a wealthy Nigerian family leave me a fortune in bearer bonds.

I found a neat little trick to catch schoolies busting young of the year shad was to cast past the bait ball with a lure of about the same size, like a Rooster Tail or Roadrunner or whatever, then rip it through the bait. The bait would scatter like they were under attack, and it would trigger a bite often as not.

That is a great idea. I wish I had thought of that back when I was fishing those shad balls. The slowly dropping kalin grub worked but it was a painfully slow way to fish.

 

[bass]

cdat - bass can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe he was referring to a catch pattern vice a lures appearance.

Good post and thanks for clarifying that!

 

[cdat]

Really appreciate the advice and info, will probably pick an area on the Willie and start working what appears to be areas that should hold bass. Thinking about concentrating on tubes and spinnerbaits. Rig my tubes with jigs, spinnerbaits, because I'm comfortable throwing those with my casting rod. Are bridge pilings, (St Johns, RR bridge) good areas to work? Thinking there are some nice stretches of rip rap, gravel, pilings and a few docks in that area.
Thanks again for the time you knowldegable folks spend to assist some of us getting started.
John

 

[Fishnbuck]

Are bridge pilings, (St Johns, RR bridge) good areas to work? Thinking there are some nice stretches of rip rap, gravel, pilings and a few docks in that area.
Thanks again for the time you knowldegable folks spend to assist some of us getting started.
John

I have limited local experience since I moved up here almost a year ago, but conventional wisdom says yes to targeting these areas. I am still as to which bridge is "RR" bridge, but if my guess is correct and its the "Steel Bridge" a bit downstream from OMSI, I venture around there 1x a month while the boy is at OMSI. There are some "regulars" on the fishing dock who always have carp in their baskets, and it has been my experience that bass and carp (I am referring to fish species at the moment!) tend to be in proximity of each other. Also we have ventured down to the Fire Station boat dock (my boy is nuts about fire equipment in addition to water, boats, and fishing) and chatted up the fire crew. One stated that they frequently get fisherman, who typically will throw to the main channel for sturgeon, and between the dock and the rip-rap shoreline for bass. So sounds as though you are on track. Our OMSI trips are done for the year, but when they resume in the fall I will be sure to share my mis-adventures

Tight lines!

 

[cdat]

Fishnbuck, appreciate you clarifying Bass's comments, didn't comprehend the "catch pattern", thought he was just referring to the lure's appearance. So.. catch pattern would include, lure's appearance, fishing it in the same rigging style, ie: texas rigged, and fishing it in the same style, say up or down the underwater bank at the same speed, did I grasp that correctly?

NO, the steel bridge is not the same as the RR bridge, the RR bridge is just upstream from St Johns bridge, lots of newbies to Portland, such as me, don't even know it exists. The Steel bridge is more downtown, just up from the 405 or Fremont bridge.
Thanks for the assistance.
john

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Don't overthink things. A "pattern" is just that, a pattern. As in we are seeing a pattern in the bites we are getting.