Helping the hungry fish

Published 2:07 pm Monday, May 23, 2011

Some mighty hot days, which we expect in this part of the South at this time of year, but with that are a few cool nights as a cool front now and then makes its way through Georgia and down into Florida. The forecast has been for a cool front to past through and drop the temperatures into the low and mid 50s with a possibility of getting into the 40s in some areas.

I don’t know as whether it is going to do that or not, but any cool in May or later in the year is well received in Bainbridge, Ga.

Even though the fish in Lake Seminole and the surrounding ponds are biting rather good, it is still not as good as it will be when the nights are even warmer. The cool air at night drops the water temperature and causing some fish not to be as active as they need to be for us to catch all we want.

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Later that reverses and a cool night will drop the temperature from hot to a little cooler and attract fish to the surface and make for some right good topwater action.

Thinking along these lines of getting the surface temperature down some, the afternoon thunder showers will drop the water temperature on and near the surface attracting both baitfish and fish that feed on baitfish to the surface of the lake. The topwater action is about as much fun as you can possibly have while bass fishing. Watching the fish strike your plug and setting the hook before you feel him is almost cheating.

This time of year into the first week of June I like to fish a spinnerbait just under the surface of the water. You can see it coming back toward the boat really good in fairly clear water and in dingy water you will see a wake on the water’s surface as it comes in.

You will see the fish take the lure and be able to set the hook before you ever feel the strike fishing like this as well as with the topwater plug. I don’t think this would be considered cheating as your timing has to be just right or you will pull the bait away from the fish before he has it.

I like a quarter-ounce spinnerbait rather than the larger ones because it is easier to keep the lighter ones on the surface. A white one with a black double-tail trailer on it will almost make you jump from the boat to get as it nears the boat. Using a trailer hook helps keep you from missing a short strike and the double-tail trailer allows the hook to ride between the two tails.

Fishing along a grass bed is the best thing to do with either the topwater bait or the spinnerbait. If the grass hasn’t reached the surface cast either bait onto the grass. Not having reached the surface the bait will not hang.

With the spinnerbait, start to retrieve as soon as it makes contact with the water so as to keep it out of the grass. Another twist with spinnerbait is to let it drop several feet as soon as it clears the grass.

Sometimes the better fish will hang back a little deeper and by dropping the bait you will put it in their house. Of course you can’t let the topwater plug fall into the deeper water off the edge of the grass so the best thing to do is to work it several feet out from the grass and then crank it on back to the boat and make another cast.

Bump it along about twice and let it sit for just a while. Do that about three times and then get ready for the next cast.

Now if you start catching fish on the fast retrieve back to the boat, keep doing it or tie on a buzz bait, which fish will hit when they want something moving fast.

Bass have just about finished bedding and they are interested in getting something to eat and a lot of it. They are aggressive and will hit most anything. Help them out.