Where are all the bass these days??
 

We've been visiting the lake regularly this season but have only recently started fishing for bass. We are used to fishing smaller farm ponds and we know the fishing basics. I would consider us intermediate level fisherman but we've had limited luck with bass on Winni. We spend most of our time on Paugus Bay and have tried the shoreline near the train tracks but no luck yet. We caught a couple off the east side of fish island (one smallie and one largemouth and we always throw them back). Can anyone offer any tips for me and my son? Locations, lures, depth, colors, technique...we'll take any and all advice.

Deeper water!! I have been catching them like crazy while trolling for salmon!! Please take them back to the shallows!:D

Dan

I hooked a huge one at the Barber Pole on Saturday!

Kid caught a 6lb large mouth right off thurstons gas dock yesterday while fueling using a rubber worm.

With the water as hot as it is I have been seeing them deeper. Even in small ponds where I would normally cast onto shore from a kayak and fish the banks I am getting crushed in the open deeper water.

Thank you...
 

Yes - it sounds like deeper cooler water is the place to be looking right now. I an used to fishing the shoreline but since that's not working anymore - deeper must be the way to go.

Large mouth or small mouth?

Smallies are deep (30'+) this time of year. If you can find them, respond well to a drop shot rigged Senko.

No idea on the Larry's.

Right now I use a drop shot rig between 20-40', always looking for steep ledges and I still have great luck every time. The 9" pumpkin chartreuse color MAGII worm from ZoonBait has been my go-to all summer for both top water early season and drop shot this time of year. It's bass crack.

EDIT: For smallies of course.

You can still get the large mouth in the weed beds and around structure, they are just lazy as all hell right now. I literally had a large mouth bite my lure and just kind of look at me like, "really dude? so we're doing this right now? It's too hot for this!"

Drop Shot - YES!
 

Thank you for the tip on the drop shot technique and depth. Tried it, just for practice, in a local farm pond this past weekend and got a nice smallie in about 30 minutes. Kind of a boring fishing technique but it gives me a chance to enjoy my cigar :) Will try again on the lake hopefully this Sunday. Thank you for the tips on technique and water depth. I've been scanning the lake map for steep drop offs and have a few spots in mind that I want to try (no fish finder). Hopefully we find a few good spots in and around Paugus. Thanks All! Please keep the ideas coming. Appreciate the heads up on color too because I wasn't sure on that either. Thank you.

Also with your electronics look for bait. They are eating and the bait that I have been finding is between 40 and 50 feet. If you have good Electronics you can stop directly above the bait... and see the bass, then you can drop the drod shot bait right down on top of the suspended fish and watch them come up towards your bait as its falling. Drop-shotting for suspended bass this time of year is absolutely incredible fishing....

Got a 4lb smallie on a streamer fly on 6 colors of lead core this morning...

Not on winni but smaller ponds and lakes I'm starting to see the largemouth going shallow again chasing bait fish! Been killing it on top water already this fall too!

Unfortunately, it's still summer down here in NC :D

I couldn't find decent bass for the life of me on Hermit Lake this summer. A few 1.5 - 2 pounders but that was it. Last summer at the same time I was killing it using the same methods. I guess lower water level and warmer temps had an affect. Second summer on that lake, so I'm still learning it's patterns.

I killed it at hermit lake last summer, this summer I would agree I didn't catch as many fish. The fish I did catch were quality fish, mostly 2-3 pounders, nothing over 5. But that lake just looks like it would be in bass masters magazine it has so much structure and bait running. It just looks so good! Try out spectacle pond up the street from hermit. Have caught a few good bass in there this year

I can catch shiners with hook and worm they're so big! Great little lake.