In Search of Largemouth Bass

In Search Of...Largemouth Bass
By: Bob Popp

When anglers speak of bass fishing and Lake Ontario the thoughts of tangling with monster smallmouth come to mind. For anglers In Search Of...largemouth bass the many embayments of Lake Ontario have extremely healthy populations of green backs with two-to four-pound fish being caught on a regular basis and fish up to six pounds not out of the question.
Places like Sandy Pond, Little Sodus Bay, Port Bay and Sodus Bay are all excellent choices for largemouth from the time bass season opens the third Saturday in June through late fall. One key ingredient that all of these waters have is the abundance of vegetation. Milfoil, coontail moss and lily pads can all be found here and offer bass concealment from their prey.
So how do you locate largemouth on waters as large as these? Again the key is the abundance of weeds but not just anywhere in the weeds; likely starting locations would be along weed lines or holes in the weed beds. Use a top-to-bottom approach to ensure you have covered the entire water column.
Start off by fishing shallow water, and work progressively deeper until bass are located. Bass in shallow water are usually active, especially early in the morning. One of the most productive and very exciting techniques is using some sort of top water bait. There is an old saying out there that states "I would rather catch one fish on top water than ten fish using anything else." There is nothing like having a bass explode on a top water bait. A good choice would be a Pop-A-Long made by Ambush Lures. The Pop-A-Long is designed to have many actions depending on how the angler chooses to work the lure.

The Pop-A-Long weighs a half-ounce, and you can fish the bait with much more control if you use bait-cast tackle; for example, a six-foot Kistler Top Water Rod (He60MC) paired with a Tica Sculptor reel makes an ideal setup for fishing the Pop-A-Long. Spool the reel with a good abrasive line like 17-lb. test McCoy Mean Green Copolymer. There are three conditions which determine which color of bait to use, and this basically applies to all lures: 1. Light conditions, 2. Water color, and 3. Confidence.

Color Chart Regarding Light Conditions
Bright Conditions Silvers
Medium Light Golds
Low Light Chartreuse and Black

Color Chart Regarding Water Clarity
Clear Water Silvers
Stained Water Golds
Muddy Water Chartreuse

Remember these are only guidelines; don't be afraid to experiment with different colors and if you have confidence in a particular color, USE IT regardless of conditions. Tip: with the abundance of yellow perch that swim these waters, Fire Tiger is tough to beat!
Cast the bait into likely areas and with a twitch of the rod tip, the erratic walking action will cause the bait to dive, spit and jump. The head will also roll to flash the eyes and top color to the fish below. The head will right itself when at rest. Another great retrieve is to actually pop the bait to get a terrific popping, with an additional clacking sound as the two halves come together. When a bass strikes a top water bait, always wait until you actually feel the fish before setting the hook.
There will be those days when the bass will not take top water baits and it is on those days when you have to change tactics to locate the fish. A couple of great search baits are the Ambush Stealth Diver and spinner bait, like those made by Unleaded Tackle Products.
The main feature of the Stealth Diver is the "Flo-Through Technology." "Flo-Through Technology" is a patented passageway that allows water to flow through the lure! It creates a turbine effect behind the lure like natural baitfish turbulence. The convex nose lets you fish the bait in heavy cover. You can also fill the hole with scent to create an even more natural presentation.

The Stealth Diver allows you to seine the middle depths to locate bass and will draw reaction type of strikes. The technique is very simple: this bait shines when you fan cast the bait over the top of submerged weed beds, allowing you to cover water quickly. The Stealth Diver, like the Pop-A-Long, works best when fished on bait cast tackle. A Kistler Crankbait Rod (He70MLC) paired with a high speed Tica Sculptor reel will do just fine. Since you will be fishing this bait around weeds, it is best to use a good quality high-abrasive line like McCoy Mean Green. This bait performs very well on 12-to-15 lb. test line. The color of the bait is determined by using the same charts as the Pop-A-Long.
Another excellent search bait is a spinner bait, like those made by Unleaded Fishing Products. The spinner bait also enables you to cover water quickly. With so many sizes, colors and blade combinations, it can be very intimidating selecting a bait to use unless the angler applies a few simple rules:
The most important thing to remember is to "match the hatch" in other words, most of the embayments of Lake Ontario have healthy populations of yellow perch, and a chartreuse spinner bait with gold blades would be a perfect match.
The size of the bait would be determined by the size of the baitfish. It is very important to always be aware of baitfish activity so that you can choose a bait that closely matches what the bass are eating.

The technique of fishing a spinner bait is basically the same as fishing the Stealth Diver. Fan cast the bait over the top of submerged weeds. It is always best to experiment with retrieve speeds until the bass tell you how fast they want the bait to move. Using a high quality bait cast reel like the Tica Sculptor paired with a six-foot, six-inch Kistler Spinner Bait Rod (HE66MHC) would be a great combination. 12-to 17-lb. test line works well.
There will be days when the bass are not reacting to moving baits and at that time you will need to slow your presentation down. There are many baits on the market that you can fish in and around heavy cover, but if you were to ask anglers coast to coast what type of bait they would use when fishing heavy cover for lethargic bass, a majority of anglers would say some sort of soft plastic bait. When fishing around thick vegetation, use a bait that displaces a lot of water like the Kidz Creature made by Kid Lizard Bait Company. This bait has a ringed body; a pulsating skirt and defensive-looking pincer claws create everything the bass can't resist.

Kidz Creature and Daiichi Hook

Since you will be fishing this bait in heavy weeds, you will want to rig it weedless, Texas-style. This is very simple to do: first, slide on a worm weight of sufficient weight to penetrate the cover you are fishing, normally three-eighths to one-half ounce weight will suffice. If you are looking for something new and very innovative, check out the Fishhead Weights made by Unleaded Fishing Products; they come in three sizes and since they are lead free, they are legal to use here in New York State.

Unleaded Tackle
Fish Head Weight
(Step One) Next take a 4/0 wide gap hook like those available from Daiichi or Xpoint, and insert the point of the hook in the head of the bait about a quarter of an inch.

Step One

(Step Two) Next bring the hook through the bait until only the eye of the hook is embedded into the head.

Step Two

(Step Three) Rotate the hook and then push up slightly on the bait and take the hook point through the bait and let the point rest along the side of the bait.

Step Three

Step Three

Rigged Bait
You will want to use heavy-duty bait cast tackle when fishing these baits since you will be fishing in and around heavy cover. A Kistler seven-foot, six-inch rod (He76THC) paired with a Tica Sculptor reel spooled with 20-lb. test McCoy Mean Green Line or McCoy Braid will work great. The technique of fishing soft plastics is relatively simple; flip or pitch the bait to clumps of weeds, weed lines or holes in the weeds. As the bait is falling, watch where it goes into the water; if you see the line jump or start moving to the side, set the hook! Once the bait reaches bottom, shake the bait without moving it. If no strikes after shaking it, reel it in and repeat the procedure. This is just an example of fishing one kind of plastic bait, but this basic technique can be applied to many baits.
Fishing for largemouth bass doesn't have to be complicated, just keep an open mind and let the bass guide your actions. The waters just off of Lake Ontario should be on every bass fisherman's list of destinations to fish, so take these tips, add your own twists and head to one of these great waters.

Bob Popp Professional Bass Fisherman from Minetto, NY. Radio and TV Show Host, Web site: www.basschamp.com Email: Bob@BassChamp.com