Choosing the Right Bass Crank Bait

In my opinion, the best way to pick a crank bait is to go to the lake first.  Observe the bait fish.  If it's legal in your area, you might even toss in a cast net and see what types of bait fish you pull out.

In my case, what clued me in was a thunderstorm that stranded baitfish in the grass when the water receded.  I saw lots of dead gizzard shad.  So I went to the store and got a lure that looked like a gizzard shad.

As you can see, I've had luck with it.

Here's a better look at the fish.

Not big, but fun all the same.  Below is a snapper I saw sitting on the side of the road.

I released the bass, and I left that snapper where he was!!

Tight lines!

Sunfish and Bluegill Fishing

Sunfish and bluegill are fun to catch.  This is especially true if you're fishing with kids.  Find a school of these panfish, use the right bait, and your kids won't be able to keep their hooks or lures in the water.

So let's start with step one - where to find them.  Bluegill and sunfish frequently hug the shoreline, especially when there's cover like grass or rocks.  Check this out.

That rock pile screams fish, including bluegill and sunfish.  Take a closer look.

Lots of cover, and deeper water in front of the rock pile.

Now the bait.  I'd say the big three are worms, corn, and the Rebel Crickhopper.  Today we just had corn and the Crickhopper.  As you can see, we caught some large sunfish.  The kids had a blast.

If you use corn or a worm, I recommend one split shot weight and a size six baitholder hook, which is a small hook.  To rig the Crickhopper for these fish, you need only tie the lure to the end of the line.  No weight needed.  You want to fish it on or close to the top.

All fish were returned to the water unharmed.  Use extreme caution when fishing on or around structure.

Tight lines!

Rebel Crickhopper Review

So I'm perusing the fishing aisle at Walmart on Sunday, and I'm looking at the lures.  Slowly but surely, I'm building my collection of plastics and lures in order to do more bass fishing.

Out of all those lures, what caught my eye was this very realistic-looking grasshopper lure.  So I take a closer look.  The package says that this will catch trout, bass, and panfish.

I often use non-game panfish as cut bait for my first love - catfish.

I'm thinking about my usual process to catch these panfish.  It involves going to the store, buying nightcrawlers, and then heading to my lake.  I can't help but think that it would be nice to have a lure that would catch a non-game panfish, so that I could go straight to the lake and skip the store.

So with a great deal of skepticism, I made the purchase.  Then I tried for a panfish.  The first two casts resulted immediate strikes.  Cast three resulted in this.

That lure is a Rebel Crickhopper, and that's a sunfish, my friends.  Below is the catfish that followed the sunfish.

Let's also not forget that this provides a solution to worm hands and worm dirt still caked around your fingernails after the third wash.

Last pic.  Check out that moon!  Nothing beats night fishing.

Tight lines!

How to Fish with Hotdog Weenies

One of the many beauties of fishing is how cheaply it can be done, and it doesn't get much cheaper than hotdog weenies.

Many anglers find this bait to be challenging, because it's difficult to keep on the hook.  This is especially true when attempting to cast for distance.  So let's conquer this together!

First, the hardware.  I recommend a size 2 hook.

Next up, tear off a section of the frank that's anywhere from a half inch to an inch.

Now let's thread it on the hook, fairly close to the middle of the piece.

Keep threading!

Now turn the piece 90 degrees.

Now just gently pull/push the hook up until the bottom is up against the weenie.

Notice that both times we pierced the frank, we went through the outer casing first.  It's much stronger than the meat.  See the difference?

Follow these steps, and most likely you'll end up with some nice channel cat like these!

If the cat are biting slow, you can tear a small piece of frank off and put it on a small hook, size 6.  Just make sure you pierce the casing.  Then gently cast a few feet off the bank, and hold on tight!

All fish were released.  For goodness sake, use the cheap hotdog weenies that are less than a dollar a package.  Don't use the good stuff that should go on the grill and then in your mouth!  Also, make sure your reel has no tangles that will stop the hook in mid-air as you cast.

Tight lines!

Bullhead Catfish (or Mudcat) Species

The term "mudcat" actually refers to bullhead catfish.  There are several distinct features that indicate a bullhead.  First and foremost is the size.  Most bullheads stay south of 3 lbs.  In fact, a one pound bullhead is very respectable.  The next distinct feature of a bullhead is the tail.  Similar to a flathead, the bullhead's tail is NOT forked.  Last but not least, take a look at the bullhead's mouth.  The top and bottom lips are pretty much even.  There's no under-bite or over-bite.

Now that we know about bullheads, guess what?  There's more than one species.  There are yellow bullheads, brown bullheads, and black bullheads.  As you might expect, the main method of distinguishing between the three is their color.

Here's a yellow bullhead.

 



Now here's a brown bullhead.

 

 

Notice the length on the brown bullhead.  It's the same length as the yellow bullhead or maybe even shorter.  However, look at the mouth on this thing!

 

 

 

I have not yet caught a black bullhead.  When I do, you can bet that I'll add to this post.  As usual, all fish pictured were released.  Tight lines!

 

 

 



How to Fish Flood Waters

Some people see swollen bodies of water and think that the fishing's shot.  Not me.  I look at a playa lake that's overflowing its banks, and I see one thing.  Opportunity.

Flood waters can be a cornucopia.  The reason is simple.  Fish can only go where the water is.  When that playa overflows its banks, the fish's playground gets a lot bigger.  Suddenly the fish has a whole new feeding area.  It's a shallow, grassy area full of food.

Take a look at this flooding from the rains a couple days ago.

See the sign way out in the middle left?  That's normally where the shoreline is.  So all of that space between the sign and the water's edge is a new playground and a new feeding ground for the fish.

Take a look at the submerged grass.

That submerged grass screams, "Fish!"  Maybe not right at the water's edge, but just a couple feet from it.  I actually saw some smaller fish swimming in this area.

Granted, I gave them some help.  My bait was whole kernel sweet corn.  I cracked the can and poured the juice into the water.  Then I threw some corn in.

I put some of that same corn directly on a carp hook and also on a hair rig.  Either way, the fun times rolled!

At one point, I had a fish on each line at the same time!

I strongly recommend using carp hooks because they're light weight and easier for the carp to suck in.  If you don't have carp hooks, a size 6 works well.  You need only one split shot weight.  Keep things light.

All fish were released unharmed.  Tight lines!

Best Time of Day to Fish

Hands down, the best time of day to fish is early morning, as the sun's rising.  The advantages begin before you ever put a hook in the water.  Case in point.

If you take a minute to observe the water, you'll probably notice that it's teaming with activity.  This is especially true in the summer.  Fish are a lot like you and I.  They don't do much when it's hot.

An early morning and some cut sunfish or cut bluegill can yield nice results in the catfish department.  Take a look.

Trip # 1

Trip #2

Trip # 3

You'll notice that all of these are channel catfish.  Channels thoroughly enjoy cut bait.  That said, there's an exception to every rule.  The first and largest fish was actually caught with corn.

All of the catfish were released.  Tight lines!