Pick my tournament baits!

[Teri C.]

Might as well turn my losses into some fun. I am going to Bass Pro or Dick's tonight to pick up essential gear for my tournament this week. Since anything that resembled a worm was stolen this weekend, help me make a list of what to get.



Neely Henry is basically a river with a few coves here and there. A few ponds off the main channel. As far as structure, fallen trees and stumps. Didn't see much grass. Hit a rock so I know they are there. Ha! The water was very stained and level seemed high. The water temp was about 62-65 degrees. We fished shallow on Sunday and rarely got a bite. I don't think they have moved up yet but might be thinking about it from the warm weather. Weather forecast is for rain.



1)So, what worms/colors/sizes should I pick up to replace my stuff?



2) What would you use to fish these conditions? I tried a black worm, black & blue jig and pig, silver & black lipless crank, bandit 200 rootbeer, spinner bait and got nothing.

 

[Bill McElroy]

Black, Dk.Brown, Mellon, Blk/Blue and Pumpk/Chart. 4"- 6" creature baits..(Twin tailed grubs, baby brush hogs and power craws) 1/6, 3/16, and 1/4oz jigs.(Round ball and football heads,....4/0 hooks)



4/0 EWG worm hooks with bullet sinkers in the same weights as noted above. 6-7.5" power worms in black, pumpkin seed and blue fleck.



Don't overload yourself mentally with too many color choices, that will only cause confusion and doubt....use a few basics and fish them thouroughly and confidently. If the fish are keying in on a color you don't have,.your Pro will give you some.

 

[Dan J.]

Try and target the fish located on your electronics with a finesse worm, jighead grub or small jig/trlr. Use your electronics and get very comfortable with them. Find/pick a long fishy point leading into the main river and TM graph it with a worm/jig/grub ready to drop straight down on a good looking hook on the monitor. A moderately stiff Snoopy pole (spinning setup LOL!) with 10lb. fluorocarbon is good for this quick spool dumping on specific targets. When you start doing this and getting comfortable, you'll find the characteristics to duplicate in patterning the fish. Roam up and down four or five good points like that and you'll be ready to target which particular bait/fishing style will enhance the catch rate of these fish under similar conditions. (i.e.: Backing off deeper and casting a crankbait through the located target area.) Natural colors in clear water and brighter colors going hand in hand with the amount of stain. I firmly believe that skill with the electronics will make or break a good fisherman. I use a Zoom finesse worm on a 3/16th oz. shaky head, a 1/4 oz. jighead with a Zoom Fat Albert grub, and a 3/16th oz. Eakins spider jig dressed with a 4" twin tail Yamamoto grub for bottom dropping. (Go up in weight 1/8 past 15'.)



You're heading into bank-beater season, which can also put a toad in the boat, but the things mentioned above are consistent to weather changes and more dependable day to day. Good luck and have a good time!!

 

[Brian Ingersoll]

Lizard - junebug or black neon in stained (<1' visibility), green pumpkin in clear

Senko

Finesse worm - green pumpkin 4"



With water that warm, they will be up shallow, you just didn't find them yet. Under those conditions I would try power techniques to catch them, but when you get behind a pro fishing power, you might have to go slower or finesse to pick up leftovers.

 

[Texas Transplant]

If the water is 62-65, they may have already come and gone! Here in Texas, we look for Crappie Spawning and moving up with that temp. Bass generally spawn (again, here in Tex) in the 55-60 degree range).



Just remember, if your angler is fishing shallow (looking for spawners), you might be wise to fish 'behind you'.



Best of luck, regardless.



Tex

 

[Greg Meyer]

In stained water for fishing shallow in rain.. pumpkin/motor oil with red and/or gold flake worm or maybe a tube (fat) in those colors fished slow rigged carolina.



gonna sound weird... but a small pre-rigged worm fished on spinning gear like a crankbait. good for back of the boat black or black/blue



jig and pig blue black

 

[Mini]

Neely Henry Lake Intro

This is another Coosa River Impoundment left down till mid-April. It is also worth mentioning a word of caution for first timers, when navigating Neely Henry's waters during winter pool.



There are some big largemouth's and huge Coosa River spotted bass taken from Neely Henry lake each spring. Fishing a low water, "wood and rock pattern" in March, can lead into fishing new growing aquatic weeds by April into the end of May.



Above Gadsden City boat launch is mostly narrow, river-type fishing conditions. Downriver, the lake widens with many feeder creeks, small cuts, pockets and main river flats.



Neely Henry Lake in March; Water levels play an important role in March, especially on Neely Henry Lake. Often the lake is down from 1-4 feet during winter and on into early spring.



Usually around 1-2 feet down is normal late winter low water levels. Other factors determine your fishing success in March. Such as cold fronts, muddy water, water temperature, heavy rains and the availability of baitfish and crayfish. Soft plastics are great during these slow, cold water times.



Above Gadsden City launch on Neely Henry Lake, is considered upriver, which consists of a narrow, winding river with few, if any backwaters, during winter pool.



There are some small feeder creeks with flats that heat up during the warming trends of March. Most backwaters upriver (all but Cove Creek) are dry from midways to the far back ends, until the lake is returned to full pool in May.



The mouths of these feeder creeks, small cuts, pockets and main lake flats, all harbor baitfish, attempting to escape the sometimes swift current during March.



There are also pre-spawn bass, of both breeds, seeking wood and rock cover, within slack current areas, for ideal ambush spots in these hideouts. Another good area to concentrate your fishing efforts is along rocky, outside river bend bluffs, for some line-stretching spotted bass.



These Coosa River spotted bass, will actively chase lures such as crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and even topwaters. Usually best, when conditions are warming, the water is clear to lightly stained and in the 60's.



Downriver, many feeder creeks such as Canoe Creek and Beaver Creek, have stump-filled flats and most display winding feeders. Most creeks are still navigable, but with extreme caution, during low pool.



Look for baitfish, clearing water conditions, good spawning habitat and the warmest water available, for actively feeding bass during March.



In both upriver and downriver situations cold, stained water, often means having to fish slower with bottom dragged lures like worms, lizards, crayfish imitations, creature baits and both Texas and Carolina-rigged plastics, for fooling numbers of bass.



The jig and pork (or plastic trailer) combo is always good for that Big bass bite, especially during the cold days of March. Tube baits are always good for prespawn bass.



Both lures simulate crayfish and color choice should vary with brown, green, black and touches of blue, purple, red or orange. Rattles and fish attractants, aid the bass in finding these and other lures, during stained water conditions.

 

[Pierre Voisine]

A very successfull T angler once told me:



Black jigs in any color are key....