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Tips for bass from shore?

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Tips for bass from shore?
Just got my new license today, and since it's been about two months since I've gotten out to the lake I'm getting antsy.

Anyway, I've never been very successful at catching lmb, and I've never caught a smallie. I want that to change in 2012, and I was hoping some of you might have some tips on catching these guys from shore in the Las Vegas Wash area (I generally park at the 33 hole overlook). Preferred lures, techniques, cover to look for, I'm open to any suggestions.

Thanks in advance

Aidan

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Re: [AidanInSpace] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Find an area with submerged salt cedar, in the back of one of those coves at 33, and toss anything topwater right over the salt cedar once it warms up a little. You might have to crank it in fast one day, but the next extremely slow. Just change it up until you find whats hitting that day. Find a threadfin shad looking lure and your in the money. Good luck.

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Re: [playa702] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Quote:
Find a threadfin shad looking lure and your in the money.

Does anyone have a picture of what a threadfin shad lure they like using in Southern Nevada?

I know slight variances in colors and patterns can make a big difference. For example, on Lake Shasta in Northern California the Rapala Fat Rap is the best lure to use for bass. But only the ones with a white bottom and black back. Get a gold bottom and your hit percentage drops substantially.

Thanks!


Gvec

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Re: [Gvec] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
I find that the 1/2 oz silver/black back Rat-L-Traps work great. Walmart (Centennial Pkwy) have the Cotton Cordell 1/2 oz Super Spot red tagged at $2.50 ea. These work as well and are cheap enough to stock up. I also go with the 1/4 oz, they were cheap enough





"A man has to believe in something. I believe I'll go fishing."
(This post was edited by gnelson651 on Mar 3, 2012, 10:55 AM)

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Re: [gnelson651] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
I know folks talk a lot about color preferences. And surely running depth, wobble factors, rattle or hum - lots of variations.

But I'd seen these "cheapo" lures at Wally World - and have tried a few. Landed a nice smallie on a Cordell fat-body crank, so I'm a believer they can work.

Grabbed a set of poppers, and cranks in one of those off-brands, so I get a whole color set for the price of maybe one or two high-end cranks. I know everytime I break of a $5-$10 lure - a little part of me dies inside! (and then my skin turns green, and my clothes start shredding - you get the picture)

I hear of taking off the front hook, and bending in the back hook to help avoid snags, and allow you to "tick off" the bottom, or debris. I just seem to spend more time fouling fresh water by moving in to retrieve a snag!

How do you guys do it with cranks?

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Re: [Gvec] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
CoolI've used silver,gray, and white rattletraps and have success with all of them. I believe anything with white and maybe a lttle gray will do just fine. Once you get it close to a fish he will bounce on it.
Don't be afraid of trying other colors. Light blue and chartruese are also good. Also when going deeper you may have to change it up a bit.Experimentation is a good thing.Good luck.

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Re: [Gvec] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Some great Mead lures:

A spook


A popper


A shallow diving squarebill


A Lipless crank


A Deep diver





That should get you through to the winter. Drop shot a finesse worm when things get tough.



The Whizzle




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Nevada BFT Forum Moderator


A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.



(This post was edited by Erawk on Mar 30, 2013, 8:54 PM)

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Re: [TheWhizzle] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
A spook
A popper
A shallow diving squarebill
A Lipless crank
A Deep diver

Have you been looking in my tackle box?
BaySport

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Re: [BaySport] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
"Have you been looking in my tackle box?"



I am guilty....

I wanted to know how you consistently put together a solid stringer, and I just knew it wasn't ALWAYS live shad! I had to go snooping in your boat late one night. I followed the blood and scale trail right to your front door.

I took those pictures on Baysport's front deck at 2am!



The Whizzle




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Nevada BFT Forum Moderator


A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.




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Re: [AidanInSpace] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Take a 3 to 5 silver/black shad rap and solder a bit of lead on the shaft of the center hook so it almost, but doesn't quite suspend when jerked. Up-size the hooks from a #6 or #8 to a #4 front and aft. Good here in the early spring and you can run it shallow with 10lb test.

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Re: [TheWhizzle] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Whizzle, just wanted to bring this post from the dead. Of the lures you posted, are those straight from your tackle box, or we're you just posting types? Overall, i am trying to figure out good colors or patterns for this time of year.

Thanks.


Gvec

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Re: [Gvec] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Those pics were pulled from the internet, but I own at least one of each of those plugs in similar colors.

I posted those pics cause the color selection and style of bait are both proven for Mead.

You want those colors as your base.



The Whizzle




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Nevada BFT Forum Moderator


A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.




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Re: [TheWhizzle] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Gentlemen...

I'm here to catch Bass and chew bubble gum... and I'm all outta gum.Cool

reellittlephish gave me a tip about Kingman Wash and I'm going loaded for bear... or I guess it would be loaded for Bass in this case.

I'll be out there early tomorrow morning fishing the sun up.
image/jpeg tackle.JPG (703 KB)

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Re: [bigdaddy_lv] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Looks good man... If you put a chigger craw on one of those tour grade football jig heads and drag it along bottom, you should connect with something. Make sure to separate the appendages of the craw before fishing with it.

If you aren't getting bit, just keep throwing it. Have confidence!



The Whizzle




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Nevada BFT Forum Moderator


A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.




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Re: [TheWhizzle] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
I'm already back and didn't catch a thing. I left after the boats, jetards, and divers showed up, all in the cove. As soon as the sun hit the water my fishing trip turned into a water circus.

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Re: [bigdaddy_lv] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Timing is everything. You gotta know Saturday morning is testosterone time followed by beer and then things get out of hand. Where is the ranger when you need one? Places like Kingman get party action because they are accessible; the water tends to be flat and protected....the action however is just not as bad as Las Vegas Wash.

Nevertheless, if you can endure the noise, tow wakes and the Jet-tards there are still good opportunities to catch bass. I've noticed before a mudline or current against a rocky shoreline created by the boats can actually turn the bite on. Perhaps in high traffic areas the bass and stripers have adapted to the wave disturbance and use it to feed off the disoriented baitfish and crawdads. I'll cast right as the wake is hitting the shoreline. For some reason ...perhaps because a long cast from shore is over 80 ft deep...this place fishes different from Las Vegas Wash, Callville Bay or Crawdad Cove area.

The local tournament boys call this place "The Pig Pen"; there's a reason for that. Smile

I saw your "rack" of lures. All good. I'd go with about 10 bullet weights (5/32oz and 3/16 oz.) and hook set ups for worm fishing and figure to lose half of them. Maybe 2 crank baits, That sexy shad is good, Your Spook for later and rig the senkos with a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG braid weight hook...no additional weight right now.

It's a bluegill and shad bite with some red/black craws in the mix, though I think purple/brown is also good. 10 drop shot weights in 1/4 oz and #2 or #4 drop shot hooks. Some Roboworms or equivalent. Aaron Martens had a good article on Mead worm colors..You might try searching on the internet. He won the US Open here 3 times so he must know something.

If you hiked out south from the parking area to the first point and then around the second cove to its main lake point (which is a good place...there is a shallow flat there and a deep drop into 80+ ft just beyond) ...you had about 300 yards of good territory to fish. The shore drops off steeply enough there the wakes are not such a big issue. With lowering water levels the quagga mussels are again becoming something to consider; the edges of their shells are razor sharp.

It was Gary Dobyns ( he won the US Open here in past years) who clued me to Mead; fish bite if you get the lure in front of them. If you don't get bit almost immediately then move on. Friday 6/1/2012 I was dead sticking a Senko (bluegill colors) and got bit twice while picking out an over run. I had 2 follows....I think because they are beginning to chase. The rest of the time I got bit within seconds of the lure touching down...not counting sink time, though sometimes they would hit it as it was sinking. I am transitioning from a dead-sticking or lift and drop technique to fishing a 5" grub or something with a bit more vibration as the water warms.

What The Whizzle said about a football head and craw bait I second.. That shore is good jig territory. Also a good place to use a glass bead and a bullet sinker with a worm to mimic the click sound of a crayfish. Check out the technique called "Doodle Sliding" if you don't know it.

I'm using liberal amounts of Megastrike on the plastic; I seldom get a rejection or a dropped bait...in fact I have pulled them a long way without the hook being stuck in them; they don't want to let go. You might consider a hollow body 4" shad swimbait...Lube this also and it will come through the cover better. Lately, a number of smallmouth bass have regurgitated small shad as they are coming to the boat.

If I were shore fishing in Kingman, I'd go Saturday afternoon, take a head light and plan to stay late. Preferably I'd go Sunday when everyone is either hung over or in church, with Sunday afternoon being a prime time. Once the shoreline shades and you get low light I'd consider throwing a smaller Vixen in shad color or a Lucky Craft Gunfish or 100 Pointer ( they are expensive however).

You can even catch fish listening to club mixes, trance, rap and classic rock and roll. Wink
(This post was edited by reellittlephish on Jun 4, 2012, 1:16 PM)

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Re: [reellittlephish] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Thank You very much for the help. I'm almost certain now my issue is I wasn't fishing deep enough. I've included a picture of the area I was in showing my path of travel. The red x's are where I tried fishing from and the blue line in the water is where I was casting. I also think I may be reeling in my lures too fast. I was on the cliff at the second point looking into the big drop off but I only casted there about 5 times as there was still a group of guys there striper fishing from the night before. After I moved down the shore a couple guys came over the hill on the back side of the cove from the parking area. They said they fish in the tournaments and usually catch bass there. They spent about an hour working all the way around the cove only to catch one small mouth and then left. I was only there about about 15 mins after they left when the boat traffic rolled in.

I was also under the impression that bass liked shallow cover and thought they would be closer to trees and that the drop off would be too deep for them after about 15 feet. I tried the football jig with a 10" Powerbait worm off the cliff but I was fishing it more like a swim bait than anything. After I worked my way down the shore with it I switched it up to the 2.5 Sexy Ghost Minnow shallow diver. I was considering switching up again after the guys left but I decided to go myself as stated previously.

I'm confident I can catch fish. I have the gear, the location, and thanks to you guys; some know how. I just need to get my techniques down. I can't help but feeling like there's something wrong with my presentation that's causing a big part of my issue, but then again; I watch so many fishing how to's online it's ridiculous. And I run my set up to the letter in most cases.

I will say I ended the no Bass streak last week at 33 hole. It wasn't a keeper by any means but I managed to catch an 8" smallie on a 1.5 Sexy Ghost minnow... took all three points of the rear treble. So I can officially say I've caught a bass, now I just need one worth catching.

Also, I haven't tried using Megastrike yet, but I do spray all my baits down with BANG Combo Shad/Craw before I pitch it to get my smell off of it.
image/jpeg huVle2YzW8.jpg (383 KB)

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Re: [bigdaddy_lv] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Don't get discouraged man. Mead is a hard lake to fish, and even when you do everything right, you can still get skunked.

What reellittlephish said is golden information.

My biggest issue learning to fish Mead was all about learning to fish EFFECTIVELY. If you aren't in the fish strike zone, you will most likely come up empty handed.

Get your baits to the bottom (if you're using plastics or what-not) and work em slow. Keep a tight line too, so you can feel subtle strikes. Always stay in contact with your lure.



The Whizzle




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Nevada BFT Forum Moderator


A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.




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Re: [TheWhizzle] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
I will continue to try but maybe a little more clarification would be helpful.

I've been told to work it slow before, but how slow? Should the bait be: almost stationary most of the time, slow but steady retrieve - constantly cranking, or just slower than a burn retrieve? I know bass are ambush predators and I know motion makes them strike. I don't want to be going too slow to interest them or too fast to know what the hell just whizzed by them.

As far as depth, using Kingman Wash as an example... There are some shallow rocks near shore that very quickly drop off into the abyss. Is my target depth 20', 35', rock bottom, or somewhere in between? I know you said bottom but the bottom in that area is a steep rock grade so the depth changes depending on how far out you cast.

Also I have football head hooks (the ones pictured previously) and I have also acquired a couple football head hooks with worm rattles in them parallel to the shank and plastic weed guards. Does the sound make much difference?

What about other fish in the area. I know stripers are more aggressive than the green bass. If people are catching large quantities of striper does that mean the other species could have been run off?

I'll admit I could be missing subtle strikes as well because other than that smallie I got last week, I'm not accustom to fishing with a moving lure just yet and I'm not sure how to tell a strike from just bouncing off the bottom. When that smallie hit I saw him come up from the bottom to the lure so I slowed it down long enough for him to grab it. I never felt a hit, I just eyeballed it.
(This post was edited by bigdaddy_lv on Jun 4, 2012, 3:48 PM)

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Re: [reellittlephish] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
Also, reellittlephish, where in town do you buy Megastrike? or do I have to order it online?

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Re: [bigdaddy_lv] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
I think you have been giving real sound advice man I have even learned a thing or 2.... I don't go chasing bass just Stripers there more fun to me but each there own.... I know one thing it seems like only little schoolie Stripers from shore but Hemingway marina has some stout 10 to 12 pound Stripers hooked on popcorn of all things haha.... I was out there yesterday on my boat to just hang out didn't fish since I hit the water at noon but I was shocked how many Stripers big ones are at the marina.... The few bass I have caught at mead came from hole 33 using live shad which I haven't seen since the fall myself.... My first bass came using a half dead shad I casted and when it hit bottom I gave it 2 little cranks and my pole took off.... They def like it on the bottom and slow... Not a crawl but enough to drag it on the bottom if you get my drift....
(This post was edited by Troylee on Jun 4, 2012, 4:50 PM)

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Re: [bigdaddy_lv] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
I looked at your map. You stopped before getting to the best spot. Continue around that cove where you stopped fishing till you are on the other side and a lot closer to the Dam.

The bass are seldom threatened by the stripers, in fact when the stripers are tearing up the surface killing shad, bass...big bass ...will hang out underneath them and pick off the easy meals.

Right now - this time of year...I am catching bass from 2 ft in brush to over 30 ft. I am fishing down to 50 ft at times. A lot of time that point where you can no longer see a white lure on the bottom is where they are. Don't forget shading pockets formed by boulders, but the high percentage spots are 45 degree chunk rock banks...rocks the size of oranges to small melons. A little later in the year they may be up marauding on the flats in wolf pack schools. I haven't seen that yet in the lower basin.

OK...I gotta say something about that 10" power worm on a jig head. You are swinging for the fences. That setup could be good but a little later in the year and rig it shaky head style so its weedless. Right now I would not give that lure as much time as a juicy jig, a senko, a dropshot or a Texas rigged worm with a glass bead or a crankbait. If you had fish located then you might consider tying one of those on and going for the Kicker fish. A good alternative is a 3/16 oz. darter head with a 5" Kalins or Yamamoto grub. Swim it and drop it into holes. Add a little crazy glue to keep the grub on the darter head.

That first main point is a spawning flat but with the water dropping the bass may not be on it...except to feed. It is shallower to the north (where the boats zoom by) and as you remarked falls off steep on the south side.

Breaking out your bass fishing textbook...remember it is known bass follow a path up onto a flat. Rock to rock or bush or some other object cause they are object oriented. You would have to wade a bit to reach the entry point where they come on the flat...probably in about 25 ft of water right now. That's unreachable without a big stick so if you throw a few casts and don't hook up then move on. They are not there right now. They could be there first thing in the morning, mid day or late at night.

Going into that bigger cove you show on your map, I'd bet you a doughnut there are some shad in there; surely some baby bass. You could drop shot that steep shore you fished, effectively to see if they are deep. Cast out as far as you can, feed out slack and wait for your line to go slack. You are on the bottom. Let it sit there. One thousand, 2 thousand, 3 thousand, 4 thousand for starters. If a bass is in the vicinity he is eyeballing your worm right now. The current is moving your worm for you. Slack your line a bit then pick it up till you feel the sinker move (that will "pop" your worm). Slack again and then stroke the rod upwards to lift the weight up off the deck and bring it uphill, slack the line a little, then let it sit again. 1,2,3,4,5..Repeat. some people shake the worm without moving the weight (they would use 3/8 oz for this). That takes a bit of practice, but you know, it may be how they want it. Really tough to do fishing uphill from shore without donating to the tackle gods. Hint: bend the drop shot sinker into a soft curve and it will get through rocks easier.

In the back of the big cove ( I would consider it low percentage place, but worth a few tries) you can cast to some brush piles and some huge boulders. I'd use a Senko here. Bluegill and baby bass country...A week or so from now I'd try a popper in low light or even a frog. Throw out a medium distance and let it sink on a slack line. If you keep a tight line it won't vibrate like the designer intended. Still I believe there is no wrong way to fish one. Let it sink till your line goes slack and then lift the rod to 11:00 and lower as your reel in a bit of the slack. When you are reeling in (spinning rod) you can have your hand fingering the line...Then you feel the bite and also keeps loops out of your spool. Wait...1,2,3,4,5. Lift your lure again- let it sink and flutter down. Once you feel you are out of the strike zone don't waste time fishing dead water.

Ideally there should always be a sag in your line as it enters the water. Watch that spot for anything un-natural. a tick...it moves to the side, a little jump, you lose contact with the bait...That fish doesn't have hands!. you just got bit.

We are not getting the aggressive strikes all the time that we were getting during the spawn. now the pick up can be much more subtle as the bass suck it in...you almost feel nothing or like a baby bluegill is pecking at it. Point the rod, bow to the fish, reel in some slack....Remember Swings are Free!

Now you get to the main lake secondary point you did not get to last time.

I consider this a high percentage area. After scrambling to where I was going to cast, I'd rest the area a few minutes. Fish it carefully first with a senko near shore and I mean in 15 ft to 0 feet. Then if the water is calm to 25 ft. One presentation might take 3 to 5 minutes if you are going deep. Walk that senko back up from the depths and if you do things right and a bass is around you are going to get bit. From his viewpoint as the bait target gets shallower there are fewer and fewer places for the prey to escape, but he also has to make a decision to commit in coming shallow because he has to adjust his swim bladder. In between movements you can feel the line in your hand perhaps. I hold my baitcaster in such a way my fingers are always in contact with the line. Play a game...you are only allowed 7 presentations from this spot. ...make each one count. then it's time to move.

From that one spot I'd be throwing from parallel to shore to a far out as I could. These smallies sometimes suspend over deeper spots and wait to ambush baitfish. They will also during high sun use the submerged rock shade for cover. You never see them till they move.

No bite there then begin to move south down the rocky shoreline. You got 300 yards of prime territory. Here you can change it up depending on your inclination...cranks, drop shot, bullet weight and standard worm, jig or even the senko thrown parallel to shore - 15 to 20 ft off shore in front of your direction of travel. The hollow body swimbait, I start out slow retrieve...just enough for some tail action and fish by letting it sink between pulls so it looks like struggling shad. Stealth is key here as grinding rocks together or dropping stuff in the water is not natural...even the sheep seldom do it.

Stripers hang out there usually deeper than you can reach shore fishing...except if they surface chasing shad schools. You see them boiling. .

On that shore the brush line ends with dropping water now about 27 ft. A lot of bigger fish hang on the deep side of the brush line. To get feel for that thrown off shore as far as you can and bring a worm rig uphill till you feel yourself hit the brush. use the Bill Murphy "stitching technique" to feel the wood out. There is no substitute for learning the place and that takes time to identify the better zones. I taught my friend how to fish and she went 13 times before she caught anything...it's that hard a lake.. Then she fished everything on her dropshot wrong and kicked my ass with the biggest bass of the season. .

Generally ...if it's calm to 10 mph winds...slow dooooown. if it's windy and frothy with waves slapping the shore be throwing your crank bait and burning it. Or fish the spook or pointer or Rebel jumping shad. That wave action starts a current and the fish will face into it. Cast accordingly. Similarly when the engineers begin a run water through the dam a current is present along that shore and the fish face east.

Megastrike: http://www.megastrike.com/#!products
(This post was edited by reellittlephish on Jun 4, 2012, 9:47 PM)

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Re: [reellittlephish] Tips for bass from shore? In reply to
I found out a place in town to buy the Mega Strike. They carry it at:

Pro Tackle & Marine
141 Industrial Park Rd # 306
Henderson, NV

It's right off Lake Mead near Fiesta Henderson.