These are the lures (plus some squid I found at the dock) that didn't catch anything today.
I'm targeting bass and catfish. Potomac river, near Washington DC. Got there around 7am and watched big fish splash around me for 2.5 hours before I gave up and headed home.
Nice morning, but this is my 5th skunk trip in a row.
I have had luck in the past catching catfish on hot dogs, but I didn't have any today. I'd really like to start catching bass.
Any tips?
Posted by bulletloaf
13 Comments
Need to find a nice lake, reservoir for bass. Rooster tail and senkos.
Just keep trying. Took me a year to catch my first good bass.
Getcha watermelon/pumpkin senko, Texas Rig, Cast, *pop* *pop*, let sink, rinse and repeat.
Or not, bc fish be fishin sometimes.
Tight lines
I’ve never caught a fish yet, been out for over 90 hours now. Getting super demoralized. Watching fish jump out of the water in front of me, I know they’re there.
Had two guys walk up to me yesterday and literally cast their lines while standing shoulder next to me. I packed up and went home.
Hope they caught something, pissed me off in the moment though.
Honestly sometimes it’s just time spent on the water and building confidence. Try different retrieving methods. I find I catch way more fish when I’m stoned lol maybe it’s because my retrieval gets smoother and more natural. Who knows.
Mepps Agila #3 or Rooster Tail.
The best lure for freshwater predatory fish for nearly 90 years.
I fished big rivers like that growing up (the Delaware) for catfish and honestly your best bet is real bait. Get you some sinkers (1/2 oz – 2 oz depending on the current) and some hooks (1/0 is a good starting size for catfish) and fish either a dropper loop/hi low rig or a Carolina rig with either fresh cut bait (bluegill, perch, etc) or nightcrawlers/blood worms. You will pick up on fish if they are there.
Bonus if you want to catch white perch fish night crawler chunks and use a smaller #8 – #4 hook (you will also catch catfish this way)
Ok, you’re kinda close to where I fish, but I know the Potomac gets wide and deep near DC so it’s probably a bit different than what I’m used to. Where I fish up-river, I’m targeting smallmouth and they LOVE crawfish like the one you’ve got to the right of the spinner. I think the arms aren’t separated on yours, so you’ll want to separate them so they flail about and get the fish’s attention. Idk what rig you’re using but you’ll want to use a ned rig or a texas rig on that (I use texas rig to avoid rock snags, but you may do better with a ned rig). The weight should be at the back of the lure opposite the arms, so when you bounce it on the bottom, the arms are free to float up and grab the attention of an aggressive smallie. You’ll do small bounces and twitches, but mostly let it sit with your line tight so you can feel the hit.
Is that how you fished your paddle tail?
Outside of some variant of a green worm my other confidence lure especially in spring or pressured water is a fluke. I prefer to fish it with a 1/16oz weighted belly hook but weightless is also great if you have some patience. Green watermelon w/red flake, green pumpkin with black flake, baby bass or my absolute favorite don’t tell anyone I’m telling you this- pearl white.
About half the time I’m out there, I don’t catch anything. Just keep trying.
Also just a tip….the second to the left is setup wrong. Should use a smaller, weighted jug head with that plastic
Depending on the section, catfish, carp and panfish might be your best bets. Try venturing out some to get away from the cities if you want bass. A good YouTube video for bass fishing is TacticalBassin, they have good underwater footage to go along with what they’re saying so you can get the image in your head better. For catfish, get a small panfish setup to catch your bait. A small bluegill cut into chunks is way better than most store bought bait, unless you want to make your own. Plus, it keeps you entertained while waiting for the big one to come along.
Jigs, soft plastics and no expectations.. rig wacky worm or Texas rig worm and go out to enjoy the day, not so much catch fish. 🙂
It’s a couple weeks early, but depending on water temperature, big fish splashing might be carp spawning. They are extremely unlikely to hit a lure, and are generally too preoccupied to take normal baits in normal locations. Disregard them and fish with your usual strategies.