Bass Fishing With Spinner Rigs
Spinner rigs are not a common bass lure at all, but they can be highly effective for aggressive bass. The same spinner rigs that walleye anglers carry dozens of will work for bass, but you don’t have to fish them with live bait such as nightcrawlers, leeches and minnows. Live bait will work, but a spinner rig tipped with a 5 to 6 inch soft plastic minnow that has a curly type tail will catch lots of nice-sized bass. A 6 to 7 inch soft plastic worm will also work as a trailer. Fish these baits just like a spinnerbait. Cover some water and hold on because you will get bit.
Just be prepared to run into a northern pike every once in a while if you are fishing some waters that hold northern pike. If you are fishing a good northern pike lake, you may want to use 20 pound test line because northern pike will tear this bait up.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Spinner Rigs
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Bobbers
Using bobbers and live bait for bass is a popular method for beginning anglers as well as advanced anglers. Many parents introduce young kids to fishing with a simple bobber, hook and a nightcrawler at the local pond and this technique will produce plenty of bass…even big bass.
A bobber, hook and a nightcrawler, minnow or leech will do well for largemouth and smallmouth bass. It’s basic, easy and a lot of fun for younger anglers.
Some other methods for using bobbers are to keep your bait right next to a piece of cover, whether it is a shallow water brush pile, sunken logs, flooded grass, a weed line, boat dock, etc. Many very big bass are caught this way and it’s not just a technique for young anglers.
One technique used by many florida fishing guides is to troll with live shiners very slow with the trolling motor. A big bobber, big wild shiner and a big hook is all that is needed. A slow troll one #1 or #2 speed with the trolling motor will get many strikes from very big bass in Florida and this technique will also work in other parts of the country as well.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Bobbers
- Fishing With Live Bait
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Shallow Water Walleye In Dark Water Lakes
Walleye can be found in shallow water in any lakes during certain times of the day. Early morning, late evening and night time will bring some walleye in shallower to feed on bait fish. You can catch a stringer full of walleye in 2 to 3 feet of water at these times.
In darker water lakes, you can catch walleye in 4 to 6 feet of water throughout the day if you can find the right types of cover. Wood, weeds and rocks that have access to deeper water will all hold walleye at some point throughout the day in darker water.
If you can find wood and weeds, you should be able to find fish. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t fish deep as well, but there are fish to be caught shallow. Stay close to the cover and you will catch some walleye.
Any typical walleye rigs will work. Jigs tipped with minnows, leeches and crawlers work well. Crankbaits and spinners will catch walleye. Bobbers and live bait work and don’t forget about drop shotting the docks to fill your live well.
Fishing Tip provided by Kevin Sewell. Make sure to check out my videos at Fishing With Kevin Sewell.
Walleye Fishing Resources:
- Walleye Fishing Library
- Top Walleye Fishing Trips
- Walleye Fishing Articles
- More Walleye Fishing Tips
Drop Shotting The Docks For Walleye
I love to catch walleye. They don’t fight great (please don’t argue….they do not fight that hard compared to bass and northern pike), but they are fun to catch and they taste great.
I was out at Lake Carroll, which is a private lake in the northwestern part of Illinois. This lake is known for having a large population of decent-sized walleye.
I fished with my dad and brother and we targeted deeper shorelines and points early in the morning with very limited success. By 11:00 a.m. the sun was getting high and it was getting warm out since it was the end of July, so we decided to try some docks to see if the fish were in the shade.
After a few walleye were in the boat, I realized that we had the pattern. My dad and brother were throwing jigs as well as a split shot and hook rig tipped with minnows and nightcrawlers. They caught a lot of bass and a couple of walleye each.
I ended up throwing a drop shot rig with the hook about 12 inches above my weight. The weight was a half ounce weight, which most people might think is way too heavy for fishing docks in 8 to 10 feet of water, but it wasn’t.
My bait was able to get to the bottom quickly, then I would just shake my nightcrawler. I would try to avoid moving my bait back towards the boat. I wanted a heavy enough weight, so I could shake the line without my weight moving. Just shake it baby. I used this technique the rest of the day and I ended up with around a dozen bass and 9 walleye between 13 and 16.5 inches. It ended up being a great day for catching walleye and it was very sunny with hardly any clouds in the sky. The water was fairly warm and the fish were fairly shallow hanging around docks.
The shaky technique worked because I was able to keep my nightcrawler in the strike zone longer. I was able to do this because of the heavier weight.
I can’t wait to go back. Drop shotting the docks for walleye. It’s a great technique and one that bass fishermen can pick up quickly. I caught 9 walleye fishing the exact same docks with the same live bait as my dad and my brother. They only caught 4 total, although, they did catch more bass than I did. The drop shotting technique with the heavier weight allowed me to catch more walleye and I will definitely use this technique in the future.
Fishing Tip provided by Kevin Sewell. Make sure to check out my videos at Fishing With Kevin Sewell.
Walleye Fishing Resources:
- Walleye Fishing Library
- Top Walleye Fishing Trips
- Walleye Fishing Articles
- More Walleye Fishing Tips
Dock Fishing For Walleye
Walleye will hang around the docks from spring through fall and especially during the summer when it is hot. The key is to find the right docks that have plenty of shade and some depth nearby. 6 to 10 feet of water is plenty deep during the summer unless the lake is real clear. In clearer water, I’m looking for 12 to 20 feet of water near the docks which is much harder to find.
I use small jigheads tipped with leeches, nightcrawler and minnows and I will go from dock to dock getting about 8 to 10 casts in on each dock. If there aren’t a lot of docks in the lake, then I’ll spend more time at each dock to try to get an unaggressive walleye to bite. If there are hundreds of docks, then I’m moving a little quicker to try and find the active walleye.
Here’s a great tip….Don’t cast underneath the dock on your first cast. Work the outside edges, then start working in the shade farther and farther underneath and around the dock. Shade is key here, but you may be able to catch 2 or 3 walleye on one dock by working the edges first, then moving in to the hard to reach spots. Pick off the fish on the outside first so you don’t spook as many fish.
Walleye Fishing Resources:
- Walleye Fishing Library
- Top Walleye Fishing Trips
- Walleye Fishing Articles
- More Walleye Fishing Tips
Bottom Bouncing For Summer Walleye
Trolling bottom bouncer rigs are a great way to catch walleye, especially in the summer when they are deep. Here are a few things that I like to keep in mind when trolling bottom bouncers.
Make sure to use a heavy enough weight to stay on the bottom for the speed you are trolling. A slower speed will allow you to use a lighter weight. A faster trolling speed requires heavier weight.
Let out enough line so the line can get down to the bottom. If you’re not bouncing the bottom, you’re going to be missing fish most of the time when fishing for walleye. (sometimes, they will be suspended)
Spinner rigs work well with bottom bouncers. Green, chartreuse, orange and glow in the dark colors work really well. Nightcrawlers, leeches and minnows all work well with spinner rigs.
You can use bottom bouncers with live bait and just a hook as well. Leeches swim well and usually produce quality fish in the summer, but don’t forgot about nightcrawlers, minnows and chubs.
Walleye Fishing Resources:
- Shop Bottom Bouncers
- Walleye Fishing Library
- Top Walleye Fishing Trips
- Walleye Fishing Articles
- More Walleye Fishing Tips
Jig and Nightcrawler - Smallmouth Bass on Lake Geneva
I use a jig and a nightcrawler and I fish shallower than most anglers for smallmouth bass on Lake Geneva. I fish in Williams Bay and I fish just off the docks in 10 t0 15 feet of water.
I keep it basic. Lots of rock bass, small perch, bluegill and smallmouth bass. 12 to 16 inch smallmouth bass are common with some in the 3 pound range. Bigger fish are deeper, but I like action.
Just a tip…If you fish this way and you stay shallower, you may need 100 plus nightcrawlers for the day. Lots of rock bass, perch and bluegill. Oh…I almost forgot. Go light with the tackle. 6# flourocarbon line with ultra light rod and reel.
Lake Geneva Resources:
- Lake Geneva Bait Shops
- Lake Geneva Beaches
- Lake Geneva Boat Launches
- Lake Geneva Boat Rentals
- Lake Geneva Fishing Guides
- Lake Geneva Lodging
- Lake Geneva Lake Maps
Drop Shot 20 to 40 Feet of Water for Lake Geneva Smallmouth Bass
I don’t fish this lake much anymore, but when I can, I fish deep and I drop shot nightcrawlers, minnows and hair jigs tipped with some live bait.
It works. I don’t even bother to go shallow. There are always big smallmouth bass deep on this lake. It just takes some time to catch them.
Hair jigs work great when bass come up and feed on bait fish near the surface as well. 40 feet of water and bass feeding on top. Pretty cool and it happens all summer. They feed on very small minnows when they are hitting at the surface.
Lake Geneva Resources:
- Lake Geneva Bait Shops
- Lake Geneva Beaches
- Lake Geneva Boat Launches
- Lake Geneva Boat Rentals
- Lake Geneva Fishing Guides
- Lake Geneva Lodging
- Lake Geneva Lake Maps
Lake Geneva Dock Fishing for Largemouth Bass
I have a lot of success fishing the docks from spring through fall. The deeper docks produce best during the summer through fall, but bass can be found around the shallow and deep docks in the spring.
It takes time to learn which docks have the deeper water. Find deeper water with weeds near the docks and you’ll always have a place to catch largemouth bass. Try to find 20 to 30 docks like this and you’ll be able to catch fish consistently here.
Good baits during the day time hours: jigs, plastic worms, senkos, chatterbaits. Can’t go wrong with live bait either…nightcrawlers, minnows, suckers and small perch will work.
Good baits at night: topwater lures, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, chatterbaits, in-line spinners.
Lake Geneva Resources:
- Lake Geneva Bait Shops
- Lake Geneva Beaches
- Lake Geneva Boat Launches
- Lake Geneva Boat Rentals
- Lake Geneva Fishing Guides
- Lake Geneva Lodging
- Lake Geneva Lake Maps
Catch Big Summer Catfish
In the summer, big channel catfish become very active with the warmer water temperatures. While most anglers use some type of dead bait, natural baits such as cheese or dough baits and nightcrawlers, the easiest way to start landing bigger channel catfish is to use live bait fish such as bluegill, creek chubs, shiners, etc.
Catfish have been known to hit a fast-moving crankbait in the summer, so don’t think that a 10 pound catfish won’t be able to grab a live bluegill attached to a hook and a weight a foot off the bottom. Try it this summer and you’ll catch bigger catfish on average.
