Ac plugs during the spawn???

[live4trout]

Will the big females hit plugs during the spawn? I have been bed fishing one of my local small big bass lakes, but this weekend it has cooled off and the wind is blowing hard making bed fishing hard. I have read that when the temp. drops the females will move off the beds into deeper water. Would it be a good idea to fish one of my 12" ac minnows in 10 to 15 feet of water. thanks john L4T

[Allan C.]

No John, they don't hit big plugs during the spawn. They might grab something to get it off their nest but they don't eat. I've tried it and they quit biting until they get off their beds. Then after two weeks, they bite plugs like crazy, right on top...

[Webmaster]

Try throwing a 6" Casitas up on that nest...they should grab it... try the light rainbow...easier to see on the nest...

[live4trout]

Thanks for the info.

[ElkgroveBasspro]

John,
Hello, different fish react differently to threats within their nest/beds. Although most females may not attack an AC Plug on top when you can see her, however if the water is cloudy/stained, a bit overcast or windy conditions and you make long cast where the beds may be, you may be surprised that some may come up and attack. Especially if she is living alone without a buck(male bass) on the bed. Im no bed fish expert however i do like targeting pre-spawn bass with AC plugs. I usually look in flats with access to deep water. I will make long fan cast to areas where i think they may be. usually i will catch about 80% male's verses big females, however i have caught in the past some nice large females in those areas. You just have to play the percentage game and hope you get a big girl on top. Many times i have plucked a male off the bed and you know next to go is the female. But pay attention to her behavior on the bed, if she is freaked out, spooky, if she swims away when you drop a bait by here. If she comes back she may go. If she dont leave period, well then chances are you may get her. lots of variables here and what Mark said about the casitas would probably work alot better, but heck, try swimming a mag shad over a bed as that bait will dive a bit deeper. As an example for big fish on top, My buddy Don and his partner John were fishing with AC plugs on top in the delta a few weeks ago and they caught an 11 pounder..Yes the spawn is on in the delta of course differnt parts of the river are on and others may not be, depending on water temp, however the area Don was fishing.. i know for a fact they were spawing in there and he was fishing flats near the banks where they usualy spawn, so this fish that is pictured on the front of this site came from an area that they were spawning at and he caught her on top. Whether it was on a bed or not, i dont know, however i do know she was big and was caught on a rainbow trout AC plug..go figure, so yes we like to throw them up here during the spawn. good luck and tight lines!

Gabe

[live4trout]

thanks Gabe, I haven't been seeing to many larger females on the beds this year and a regular at the lake who has been fishing it for years has only caught one over ten pounds this year. The place gets a lot more pressure in the past few years, since the lake record was caught (18+). Maybe they are coming in after dark??? I'm getting tired of fishing for the males and think I'm going to spend more time throwing the big baits. I just picked up a Okuma swimbait rod and will be at it hard tomorow afternoon till sunday afternoon. john L4T

[Nor-Cal-Angler]

John is Bass Crazy right now! Every time I call him he's on the lake in his little boat trying to stick a BIG ONE!! Keep at it John Boy you'll get one soon. I'm going out this weekend on a Big Brown hunt, I hope when I get back I hear you got a BIG ONE, maybe a new lake record!!!!!!!

[ElkgroveBasspro]

John, not sure what lake you are talking about but it may not be time yet for the big girls to be on beds yet. It depends on the weather, and water and of course lunar moon pattern..so soon you may see them. Heck, even on the delta this year, we know some areas fish are spawing due to the water being at 59-64 degrees and although we are not seeing them on beds, double digit fish are being caught. One thing i have also noticed in areas that get high fishing pressure, that fish dont always return to same areas to bed up and spawn. Not sure how familiar you are with the delta, but im sure most know or have heard of franks tract. Well this is a large flooded island with flats and is well known for bass to spawn there.. heck its a bass factory.. Well areas on the south west side of the tract normally has fish on beds or you see the beds in the same areas year after year and although you would think the fish would return they dont. Im no fish bioligist expert but my opinion is they get hit so hard and feel the pressure that they move elswhere to spawn on another or newly made bed. I have found beds way dead out in the middle of knowhere in the tract not near any banks where we would most normally look. So something to think about when you are out there as conditions and fish environment and habitats change.

keep fishing the big baits and you will be rewarded.. Like i told my partner the other day on clear lake.. Good things come to those who WAKE!.. No pun intended.. LOL.

Good luck and let us know how you did..

BTW, if you are around the San Jose Area, i will be working at the Mel Cotton outdoors show this sat-sunday, so stop by and say hi. It will be alot of fun, lots of pro's, seminars, raffles and bass demo tank on hand, plus plenty of good deals in the store.

Gabe

[FishinAddiction]

So what do you guys think the best way to fish the plugs at silverwood lake would be right now? I think the bass are starting to come up, but are not spawning yet... Is this a good time to chuck the plugs? Thanks Guys

[FishinAddiction]

And as far as stripers go at silverwood, where would be the best place to try? around the marina and swim beaches? and should i fish at night? and wake it or submerge it? sorry, just really want to get a big striper.

[Allan C.]

My advice to you is if you want a big striper, fish when most of the people are gone! Right at the crack of light is really good and night till midnight is good. Cast out and wake it in slowly or quicker just under the surface... Fish anywhere around that marina at Silverwood and all around Cleghorn and Miller. Big stripers hide when there are lots of people around...so do big largemouth bass...

I'm going out in the very early morning tomorrow and no body will be around. I'll probably catch a big striper..

[live4trout]

Today was the day!!! Sunday was the fourth day in a row I was on the lake. And I pulled off the hat trick.... one just over ten on a jig and a solid eleven on a AC Casitas. Here is the story......


I've been bitten by the big Bass bug for a few weeks. I have been fishing a small lake close to home 3 or 4 times a week. The small males have been up shallow and agressively guarding the beds for the past two weeks with vary few sightings of the big females. This week the water finally warmed up enough to get them to move up and start spawning. I went out Thursday after work, launched "hillbilly deluxe" and cruised around checking beds, it was windy and hard to see but I did spot one big one. I put out my anchors and made a few pitches to her but she showed no intrest and swam off, I watched the area for a half hour but she didn't come back.
Friday morning I headed back and found her in the same area. But she didn't seem to have chosen the exact area she wanted to spawn and was swimming along a 70 yard area of shoreline, and paid no attention to the jig I was throwing. I did get to take a couple pics. of a 10 plus caught by someone else.
Saturday was more of the same. I did get her to take a one good long look at my bluegill swimbait, but that was it.
Sunday morning when the alarm went off I almost said the heck with it and went back to sleep but knew I would regret it monday morning when I had to get back to work. So Again I was on the water a little after 7, headed across the lake to the big girls area and sure enough she was there and looked to have picked her bed. I got my boat in a good angle where I could see into the water and work my lure, got my anchors out. It only took her a couple minutes to come back. I made my first pitch and she slowly swam over and angled down at the jig, while I twitched to rattle it. Then she picked it up by the tail and carried it out of the bed, over the next hour and a half she got agressive with the lure probably 7 or 8 times and picked it up and carried it out of the bed 3 times. I knew if I stayed with it I would eventually hook her. And with it going on two hours she finally picked up the jig and turned and I was able to swing on he and get the hook in. After a short but powerfull fight I was able to get her in the boat, a quick picture and check her weight on the boga and get her back to making babys. She was just over 10#. I called Cameron (nor-cal angler) to tell him "mission acomplished". I thought about heading home but decided to take a look into another area. I worked slowly along the shore looking for more fish, I worked my way into a cove that usually has a lot of fish.
There were 4 other boats and a number of people fishing from shore in the cove but figured I'd give it a quick look. I came near a deep bed that I have seen a lot of smaller bass on in the last week and spotted another big female. I let the boat drift past the bed and moved back to get the angle on the fish. She was on the bed alone, no male to help gaurd it. I made a pitch with the jig and she quickly swam over to it angled down to it and started flairing her gills. She was really agressive but wouldn't take the jig, after a few casts I decided to see what she would do if I dropped the AC Casitas swimbait that I had on another rod. I cast it beyond the bed and swam it down and let it sit in the middle of the bed. She watched it as it swam in but when it hit the bottom she dashed over grabbed it and was shaking it like a dog with a toy. I took up the slack and when I felt her weight set the hook hard. She came up and tried to jump and I put the rod in the water to keep her down, then she made a fast 20-30 foot run turned and came back under the boat blew up on the oppisite side then tried to get in the weeds under the boat, after that she was about done and I was able to get her by the lip and into the boat. A couple in another boat came over and took a couple pictures and I put her on the boga for a quick weight and got her back in the water and she took off like a shot. She weighed 11#. Pics to come!!!!!
Question.... how do you get followers to hit a swimbait? I must have had 20 nice fish follow but couldn't get one to commit. L4T john

[Nor-Cal-Angler]

Way to go John!!! Nothing like burning um with not just 1 big one but 2 BIG ONES!!! Here are your pics John, Congrats!

[Allan C.]

John, you are now a bass guy...ha ha ha

Good catch. Your hooked good now...

[ElkgroveBasspro]

John, awesome story and great catch! Patience is a virtue. Nice..

I went to the delta yesterday and threw swimbaits most of the morning while the tide was up and we had cloud cover. I threw the AC plugs Mag Shad and 2 big fish swirled on the bait but no takers. As i reeled up the bait my partner throws his own proto type swimbait where the fish had just swirled and sticks a moster 12 plus Bass. It was a toad. We ended up pitching and fliping senkos for the rest of our limit and i stuck with the mag shad and caught a 8 pounder. Pics to come once he sends them to me. At any rate the fish we were catching were near beds but dont think they were spawing yet, just feeding up. We had about 38 poounds for the best 5 including the 12. Just an awesome day of fishin and catching as the senko bite turned on. Im heading up to clearlake tomorow to fish the WON Bass pro/am so hope the plugs will get me a biggen during practice or the event..

good fishing and tight lines.

gabe