Northwest Fishing Reports

Now that the rivers are opening up the lakes are seeing fewer sport fishermen, so for people like me who love to fish other species its perfect time to get out there in between salmon fishing. Only problem is I have came out skunked from every lake/pond I've been to with the exception of one in which I can C&R little Largies almost all day, but they average very small(biggest I got was maybe 1.5lbs. Otherwise, I can't seem to either find the Bass or get them interested anywhere else. I was wondering what some other peoples methods are for this late in the season?

FROG. That rod seems to be glued to my hand. Either that or a punch rig.

I've noticed they seem a lot more interested in topwater in am/pm hours but outside of that especially in the heat I find topwater producing little results and find more action(at least from the little fish) in salamanders with dropshots. You said you did good in the middle of the night, right? I've been giving up once the sun goes down... Might explain my failure lol... What is a punch rig?

i just recently started night fishing so im no expert on that but i have learned a few things. A punch rig is a weedless rig employing a heavy weight (tungsten) to punch throw vegetation or heavy wood to get to the open water underneath. SO all the pad fields people pass over i punch through them to the open water underneath. i use a bobber stop,1oz weight, punch skirt, gamaktsu flippin hook and a beaver

Other than spring spawn, late summer on into fall can be some of the most memorable bass fishing to be had. Sept and Oct seems to be the time when bigger bass are caught. Not only in my own personal experiences, but also many of my bass fishing buddies have caught many of their biggest bass during those months. As the water begins cooling largemouth move back into the shallows and go on feeding binges before winter comes. Plastics and jigs can be good, along with the hollow bodied frogs and other top waters. But, for reasons I don't understand, buzzbaits can be real killers in the fall. Smallmouth fishing during the fall can be memorable. They become very predictable and, with the use of a graph recorder, easy to find, schooling up on steep ledges and rocky bottoms in 18 to 25 feet of water. Sometimes deeper. In that case, dropshot rigs, football heads, and Carolina Rigs are usually the best options. But whether it be largemouth or smallmouth, what I like most about fall fishing is right after labor Day most of the pleasure boaters and jet skiers disappear, making for much more quiet and enjoyable days on the water. Hang in there. You could have a wall hanger about to bite.

Thanks for the help guys!

Do these tactics work well from shore? Thats where I will be doing most of my fishing from and if not from a rowboat. Any particular colors? I've gotten most my action on darker shades of green and black. Do colors matter at night when they cant see? Also, what are the best times to be out? Dawn/Dusk I assume as they don't seem to like the heat. Do you guys use braid? I hear of alot of Bass Fishermen using it to rip through weeds or lily's.

Punching and frogging from shore can be dificult. if the pond is small enough the frog would work. Night fishing ive found dark colors like blacks to be best just to create that shadow. I sharpied the bottom of my frog black. When frogging and punching i use strictly 65lb braid.

Fishingmachine is right on. Bass fishing is difficult from shore, if for any reason you're really limited on how much area you have to fish. Largemouth are somewhat loners when prowling the shoreline, so, inturn, are scattered. So the more shoreline you can cover the better the odds. When fishing morning or evening, heat has little to do with it. Bass are active during those times for one reason. Low light. Think of bass as a mugger looking for someone to pounce on. The mugger prefers to lay back in dark alleys where they can't be easily seen, and then strike out at a victim passing by in the lit area. Same way with bass. Except their alleys are shaded dark areas such as under wood, docks, weeds and lillypads. I've always preferred fishing in the morning, if for any reason there is a longer period the bass are actively feeding. As far as color, at night larger lures in darker colors. Something that is easily silloetted when the bass look up. During daylight hours, watermellonseed has always been my go to color. I also use braid on all my spinning rods, with a mono leader, and straight braid when fishing a frog.....Hope this helps.

Thanks guys, this helps a lot. I don't know if I'll be getting any braid to use, but Im gonna try throwing frogs and buzzbaits next time. Do you guys generally catch small ones in between larger ones in the night or do you fish with no results untill you get that one? Also, fishingmachine are you leaving your headlamp on the whole time or just when you hook up?

I cant stress enough the need for braid when frog fishing. The no stretch is needed to drive the hooks home. U catch small fish at night too. But I feel your odds are greater of getting a true giant. That same night I caught another good one. and some 2-3lbers. I leave my headlamp off until i hook up and thats just so i can guide a buddy with the net.

This year was the first year I tried braid. I loved it so much I eventually loaded all my spinning reels with it, and one bait casters for throwing frogs and jigs in heavy cover. On my spinning reels I connect a low viz mono leader using an Albright Knot. When fishing a weightless Stik-0, braid floats making the line become a bobber, making the lightest strikes visible. For bottom bouncing the no stretch braid telegraphs every little pebble the lead is dragging over, not to mention light bites. This is especially important when fishing smallmouth deep. And hook sets are immediate. Lastly, braid lays so nice a the spool, with no springy memory like mono. Braid is alittle expensive, but in the long run, cheaper. I had to change my mono at least three times a year. I'm still using my original braid. Anyway, love the stuff.

Yeah expense is my only issue, or else I would likely already have it! Ill probably end up getting some anyways, doesn't hurt to invest in something for the long run like you said. I might go mess around at a few ponds tonight and see if anything big is hanging around still. Ill be stopping to grab a frog and maybe broaden my buzzbait collection!

Check out florida rattling weights for punch it rigs, the rattle will call the bass.

Pretty much what the guys are saying frogs.

Try using standard popper baits near vegetation too especially late evenings.

Tough fishing from shore, my advice is to go super early or really late, or look for the weather changes to some overcast/rain.

From my expierence in AZ bass fishing, move around alot to find fish.

Drilled 3 more big ones night fishing all over 5lbs. im a firm believer now in night time being the right time

You fishing tonight?

I dont believe so. Last night i wasnt expecting it to be too hot but i capitalized on the bites i was given.

I went out last night and casted a frog a few times from shore. What do ya know, bout 20 casts in I lost it :/ It was a lot cooler last night and I didn't hear as many fish surfacing.

How did u manage to lose the frog??

fishingmachine wrote:How did u manage to lose the frog??

Snagged in a big mess of lily pads and I was only using 6lb
Oh well, I found those frogs on sale for 2.50 so I don't mind buying another one or two. I just don't think there are any big fish in the lakes im fishing, maybe they have sprayed them for weeds or something cuz they are pretty discolored.

Do you guys know of any good lakes in Pierce County for Bass Fishing?