question - cruising bass

[yukonjack2]

question for you experts - I remember from last year, early may seeing cruising bass in the shallows on inland lakes.  Big torpedos in 2-3 fow just slowing on a mission to nowhere.  After throwing everything at them  - they seemed skittish and gone on more than one outing.  Any ideas how to interest them -

seemed CB, jerk baits (hard and soft), senkos, topwater, evne a jig sent them scurrying the other way on the cast hitting the water - even at 100 ft or more ahead of them.  Any ideas?

Getting the boat ready this week to get out fo rthe first time next weekend.

[skeeterman190]

 Those seem to be the hardest to catch!!! If you want to try, throw a senko stik worm a little ahead of them. I havent tried them in this situation yet but I bet a Nemesis Stik bait might work wonders. In this situation though id back off and figure out where those fish are coming from. Check your graph and look for a little ditch or something leading up to the area where your seeing those cruisers.thats gonna be your ticket to the gold.-skeeterman-

[SethV]

Those are the hardest fish to catch for sure.  If you find one holding still, you can catch them.  The ones on the move, especially the big females - good luck.  I have never found a way to consistently make them bite like a bedding fish.

seth

[Cy]

I agree I haven't ever been able to catch those fish either.  However I wonder if a life like swim bait thumping along would get them.  I think you need a natural presentation due to the good look they are getting at the bait.  Reaction baits don't seem to work but perhaps a more intentional, natural bait would.

Cy

[Cheetam]

I remember only one time where I was ever somewhat successful in conditions like you are talking about.  No matter what I threw the fish would bolt off, even when throwing a long way ahead of them.  Anyways, I used a very light jig (1/16 maybe?) with a Yammie Hula Grub.  It was a very natural color that matched closely with the bottom, light cinnamon w/black flake.  I used light line (6-pound XL at the time) and was able to pick up a couple.  Throw way ahead of the fish and let the bait soak. No movement really...I just let that little skirt work it's magic.

[rufus]

Cruising bass are almost as fun to catch as a spawner. The most important thing to remember when finding that fish are cruising is not to alert them to your presence. Once they know you are there they are very difficult to catch. Keep your distance and find soemthig that the bass may stop on such as a stick or a patch of grass or even just a small dark spot or a stone it really doesn't take much. You must get your bait to that spot before the bass knows it is there. Never throw a bait at a bass or just ahead of him or at him as most of you know. You must use the element of surprise. I like to use a Poor Boy's small Erie Darter or a crawdaddy and sometimes a centipede. If you guess right about the place he will soon cruise by or stop you will catch 70-80% of these fish. Once he stops or gets at the "right" place shake your lure in place or snap it depending on the stituation. Again the single most important element is making sure they do not know you are there. If they do spot you back off and let them cruise until they settle down. Turn all your electronics off and go as slowly as possible when following. I have had a lot of success on out NE Indiana lakes at catching cruisers and have found the same techniques have worked everywhere I went. God Bless and Good Luck!

[fishstick]

I agree with rufus that cruising bass are almost as fun to catch as spawners its one of my favorite ways to fish in the spring. I usually do real well on with a drop shot, small jig, tube, and sometimes a fluke. one trick I've learned is to throw way ahead of them with either a tube or a small jig and just let the wind drift it or drag it back to the boat like its a crawfish crawling along the bottom. A lot of the time this really works well for me the only problem is you usually have to have a pretty sandy bottom. otherwise they just cant stand that drop shot. I've also noticed that some of these fish will have a preference as to whether they want something up in the water column like the dropshot or the jig on the bottom. I've also had some success with fishing a jig real aggressively for some reason that seems to get their attention as well. good luck!

[motocross269]

When they are cruising it can be frustrating..I usually try to pull back to the first break off of the flat and work that in the spring.
If you are seeing them cruising chances are it is sunny and not very windy, which can make them hard to catch on shallow flats..
Has anyone tried buzzbaits??? I am going to fish buzzbaits a little more this year for smallmouth....

[djkimmel]

I enjoy all kinds of sightfishing. I've had some really good times fishing cruising bass and some really tough times. It seems like a feast or famine type of fishing.

I will sometimes even throw right at the bass when I think they seem aggressive. That can really be fun. Other times I cast ahead a ways as others point out. Sometimes 10 feet away. Sometimes more. Sometimes as far out or slightly farther out than I can see my lure if that is what it seems to take.

Dogfish are really fun to practice this on since they make it easier more often to start, but still teach you a thing or two about getting the correct reaction.

[5alive]

I have had very good luck with skipping a bait just off to the side of an unaware I 'm there fish. It seems the fish think it is an escaping prey.

[djkimmel]

Yes - that is the ticket - imitate something that fits in their world and they will react accordingly. (Not every time, but enough.)

[hunlee]

When bass are crusing Hunlee will cast out a peed out from of them a good way and ifin they bite this is very good for Hunlee...Ifin they dont bite Hunlee will cast again and again till they do and then that is very good for Hunlee

hunlee

[Jay-MadWags]

Hey Jack haven't seen you since the DK event on Lake Ovid this past Fall.  Sorry I missed those pigs on the frogs.

If these are largemouth bass you are talking about I've found two things that work for me.  A four or five inch white Yum Dinger worked erradically to get their attention or go with a lizard on a 3/16 oz. slip sinker.  Something about lizards early season that really pee off the largemouth.  The bass think it is a critter that will steal some eggs from the beds.

Good luck,
Jason

[skeeterman190]

 Thats a good point there motocross. a topwater is another option. I cant count the number of big fish ive caught in the prespawn, cruising stage on an 1/8 or 1/4oz buzzbait.-skeeterman-ps for you old schoolers a devilshorse is another option.-