Northwest Fishing Reports

I know this won't be that popular of a technique among the diehard bass fishermen, however, dragging can cover quite a bit of water in the winter months. The fish are deep and hugging the bottom in most cases, just waiting for something to swim on by. I don't really think it makes much difference what you drag as long as it stays close to the bottom. I've picked up my fair share of winter smallies using needlefish, canadian wonders, hoochies and brad's mini cut plug rigs. I like to use a snap weight system to get down, putting the weight 50' to 100' in front of the lure, and a medium weight rod with braided line to help set the hook on the take. Vary your speed, I've had takes while barely moving all the way up to 3mph. Also, this technique works during the summer months as well, once the fish get off the beds and back to the business of hunting down food.

I know it's not much of a bass lure, but my go to bait for bass fishing is a small vibrax blue fox in chartreuse. I've caught smallies in february and largemouth in july. I dunno, I've never really fished with more than that or a bass plug. Silvery minnow suspended thing. This last year though I started using senkos, and then nailed a bunch on fishnfools, so who knows? I'm more comfortable throwing a spinner but I'll put my secnond choice as the FF sinkers.

I'm too old to be cold so I don't fish much in the winter. So if I could only use one lure for the entire year it would be a size 11 floating Rapala. I have caught more bass on that lure than any other. Besides that, nothing compares with the surface strike where you see the strike, feel the strike and hear the strike all at the same time. Fortunately, even at my age I seem to have a heart strong enough to withstand the excitement of that 3 pounder exploding on my surface lure

Jigs. On a flipping stick or just pitching it. Jigs seem to catch bigger fish.

My bait of choice is a jig. Flippping, pitching, skipping, swimming and dragging. Day in day out I catch larger fish on a jig.

Want to cash a check fish a jig..

Jiging for bass, slow light bumps keeping the jig moveing at all times by shakeing the rod tip. Using braided line so I can feel every thing the jig hits in the water and the light hits. It's fun when they set the hook on the fall. Or when they take it side ways on the drop. The spinner bait. When one finds the right color, size and blade size the lure is deadly. They are both my go to baits on any given day.

#1 mine has gotta be senkos 4'' 6'' weightless 3/0 ewg dead stickin largemouth smallies jigs jigs jigs tubes,grubs and gulps

I will say the 3/4oz Boo jig (green pumpkin) with two split tail 5in grubs (green pumpkin). Bait caster med fast act rod 7.5 foot. Pflueger(cetina)LP reel with 65lb powerpro braid.

Spinnerbait 1/2 oz black with green glitter head with a black with green glitter willow blade, Green pumpkin skirt with a trailor hook sporting a 5in split tail BPS grub. This landed my PB for Wa. last year at 8.14 With the same rod and real set up as the jig.

I have both tied on every outting all day. "I matie for here there be monsters."

If I had to choose one...it would be a 3/8 oz. jig, green pumpkin, 6 1/2 foot medium baitcaster, Curado 201 with 15 lb mono. You can drag it. hop it, swim it, dead-stick it, etc. BTW...good to see you back on Trent

Just one technique?

I would have to say for LMB, it would be a spinnerbait. I can slow roll it or jig it or burn it, and it will catch fish more often then not.

For SMB, I agree with the Jig.

Now, do I only use those techniques, or are they even my favorite methods? NO, different techniques for different conditions.

A sinko is a pretty good bet for many conditions, and I assume the sink-n-fool is simular (never fished or seen a sink-n-fool), so I can see the attraction. If I had to use only one technique for both LMB and SMB, then it would be a tie between a sinko and a jig.

My go to right now, for summer, is a Live Target Pumpkinseed. Super realistic crankbait and nearly all urban lakes have pumpkinseeds present. But I'm hoping to expand my horizons this season and get into jig fishing and drop shot.

6" Zoom U-Tail worm in green pumpkin Texposed rigged on a 1/0 Gammy EWG with a variety of sized bullet weights either slip rigged or pegged depending on cover. Fish it slow, fast, or dead still. It catches fish. Remove the weight and fish it like a semi floating worm. Rip the tail off and fish it like a Senko. Add a skirt and its a jig. Use the tail only and catch gobs of perch. Rig a spinner inline and its a spinnerbait. Very versatile and it catches fish in almost any condition.

I do like to use other lures however. I especially like a drop shot rig with a Yamamoto Kuttail worm or bastix minnow. And I am a big fan of the Fish-N-Fool Sink-N-Fool bait- 6" in white please. And, yes, I still do fish a Banjo Minnow once in a while. Honorable mention for topwater noisemaker plugs like torpedoes, poppers, and jitterbugs. Nothing like a vicious surface strike from a big bass.

Mine would definitely have to be drop shotting. it produces year round across the entire country and especially in washington where finesse if often key. there are a variety of different baits you can fish on a drop shot presentation and you can fish it deep or shallow and anywhere the fish might be. plus you can fish a drop shot in so many different ways to trigger the fish into biting given the conditions you're dealing with.

I would have to choose a 3/8-1/2 oz Skinny Bear flipping jig (Brown/Green Pumpkin) with a Berkley Chigger Craw (Green Pumpkin). Tie that on to Lamiglas CertPro XC 724 w/ Quantum Accurist PT Casting Reels. I would be using 30lb Power Pro with a 15lb Seaguar AbrazX fluorocarbon leader. It was a toss up between this setup and a setup using a "Stick Bait". I approached this by looking at the versatility of the rig and I believe I could just a jig setup like this to fish many different situations through out the year.

I love to drop shot with finesse worms I almost never seem to get skunked with that set up still a bit new to bass fishing so it's nice to catch a decent fish just about everytime I go out I do try different setups as well tho a close second would be texas rigged senko wightless.

Largemouth would be a blue and black jig with a green pumpkin trailer. And even though I caught my largest Smallmouth on that set up, for Smallies I would choose a green pumpkin tube over anything else. But, it has to be the right tube. Bass Pro Tournament Series would be the one:)

If I could only have one combo in the boat all year long it would be: 7' MH jig & worm casting rod by Trinity Custom Rods, with a Daiwa Tierra 7.2:1 casting reel, spooled with 12# McCoys 100 fluorocarbon. If I could only have one bait tied to the line it would be a 3/8 0z shakey head jig with a Berkley Crazy legs Chigger Craw in breen color. Or......maybe...
6'10" ML St Croix Legend Tournament drop shot rod with a Shimano Saros spinning reel with 15# Spider Wire braid, and a 6# McCoys 100 fluorocarbon leeder, Gamakatsu drop shot hook, Quickdrop weight, and a Sniper Bolt.
Those two setups catch the bulk of my bags. And the first one has caught the bulk of my big fish.
But then again, I'm a rookie, so I could be doing it all wrong....

f1sh1nf00l wrote:If I could only have one combo in the boat all year long it would be: 7' MH jig & worm casting rod by Trinity Custom Rods, with a Daiwa Tierra 7.2:1 casting reel, spooled with 12# McCoys 100 fluorocarbon. If I could only have one bait tied to the line it would be a 3/8 0z shakey head jig with a Berkley Crazy legs Chigger Craw in breen color. Or......maybe...
6'10" ML St Croix Legend Tournament drop shot rod with a Shimano Saros spinning reel with 15# Spider Wire braid, and a 6# McCoys 100 fluorocarbon leeder, Gamakatsu drop shot hook, Quickdrop weight, and a Sniper Bolt.
Those two setups catch the bulk of my bags. And the first one has caught the bulk of my big fish.
But then again, I'm a rookie, so I could be doing it all wrong....

o.O the tierra only comes in 6.3:1 gear ratio. i love my tierra casting reel and my 3 tierra spinning reels

Elijah.Loves.Fishin wrote:

f1sh1nf00l wrote:If I could only have one combo in the boat all year long it would be: 7' MH jig & worm casting rod by Trinity Custom Rods, with a Daiwa Tierra 7.2:1 casting reel, spooled with 12# McCoys 100 fluorocarbon. If I could only have one bait tied to the line it would be a 3/8 0z shakey head jig with a Berkley Crazy legs Chigger Craw in breen color. Or......maybe...
6'10" ML St Croix Legend Tournament drop shot rod with a Shimano Saros spinning reel with 15# Spider Wire braid, and a 6# McCoys 100 fluorocarbon leeder, Gamakatsu drop shot hook, Quickdrop weight, and a Sniper Bolt.
Those two setups catch the bulk of my bags. And the first one has caught the bulk of my big fish.
But then again, I'm a rookie, so I could be doing it all wrong....

o.O the tierra only comes in 6.3:1 gear ratio. i love my tierra casting reel and my 3 tierra spinning reels

Actually they use to make it in a 7.2, and I have one. I was dissapointed to see that they discontinued that model. It's still working as good as the first day I bought it. I just picked up one of the 6.3 on ebay last night, new in the box, for $85!