Hey Sharon one thing I totally disagree with is what you read about fishing a plastic worm.  I actually believe it is the most widely effective lure made.  What I mean by that is when fishing different bodies of water there are small differences in lure and presentations that make a huge difference in the amount of fish you’ll catch! But plastic worms work everywhere!  

                For example, I fish consistently three bodies of water in the Baltimore MD region.  They are Liberty Reservoir, Loch Raven Reservoir, and Piney Run (aka the lake that Jim Gronaw Built).   I can use a plastic worm on all these lakes with great results however; there’re slight variations to my worm and presentation. 

At Liberty Reservoir the best plastic worm is a wacky rigged senko green pumpkin black flake.  Sure you can catch bass, smallmouth and largemouth on other colored worms however; any angler who fishes Liberty consistently will tell you green pumpkin is king.

Now at Loch Raven, senkos are effective but, a simple power worm fished on bottom working your rod tip between 10 and 12 o’clock will have your thumb tore up by the end of the day from them joker’s teeth!  I can’t tell you exactly the color I use on this lake but I will say it is in the family of green pumpkin with some brown shading.  And the funny thing is the same color worm that I use on Loch Raven with great success does not yield me anywhere near the same results on Liberty.

And lastly on Piney Run, I use the same kind of worm and technique that I use at Loch Raven however; the worm must be jet black!  For some reason the bass at Piney only respond to jet black plastic worms consistently.

So Sharon sorry for how long of an answer this was but in conclusion I would say keep trying plastics worms but change up the style of worm, color, and the way you have it rigged.  Also use a scent?  The fish can taste the scent of your bait before they even open their mouths.  And having a natural scent added to any soft plastic will increase the amount of time the fish will hold the bait in their mouths before spitting it out.

Thank you Andre, all suggestions are welcome. Off to get bait scent and look at the worms.

Sharon-I hook them through the front of the Dorsal and put them a few feet under a float .It may take a 20 minute wait but a hungry  bass should find the bait eventually.Give the fish a little time before setting the hook .My problem has been giving  the Bass too much time and I have to cut the line and leave the hook in the bass and release.I really dont like doing that!

What size hook do you use? I only have bluegill hooks (10-12) or trotline hooks (giant) I have I think caught (?) a few bass on the little bg hooks, but they always pull loose, so I know they don't work.

How big do you suspect those Bass are ?I'm thinking a size 6 or 4  if its 2-3" bait . 2 hook if its 4". Work up to a 1 with 5' bait.

I think they are about 24". There may or may not be smaller ones that have spawned this or last year. Haven't caught or seen any, so I'm not sure. I'll get some new hooks though, thanks for the info.

If they are That BIG!!!! Use a 6" shiner or Gill with a 1/0 or 2/0 size hook ! Sharon, check with the Eagle Claw hook chart :http://www.eagleclaw.com/site/products/eagle-claw-classic/classic-h...  I would love to see you post a 24" Bass you caught !!

I checked it. Will do. Thanks a lot, I would like to catch one too.

Go for it !

I caught a bass!!! Boing! Boing! Boing!  This one was 16" so I put it back. Things are looking up though. John, your suggestions worked. Thank you.

Thats a nice Bass Sharon .Now what size bait and hook did you end up using?Did you use a Float?I'd like to know the rig you used.

Nice fish Sharon very nice!!

Thank you, hold the applause please, ha. John, I used a  eagle claw #2 hook which I got because I didn't remember correctly you had said 2/0. It worked though it was bent all out of shape. Also got huge nightcrawlers which the bluegill were apparently scared of cause they never messed with them. Used a float above 18" of line. There is a spot right behind me that I see bass feeding from every night. So, I went over there and just plopped it about a foot from the bank. I caught the bass within 5 minutes. You can actually see them coming under water like a torpedo. Do a swim by, nibble, gulp. I was so excited.

A nightcrawler /Float #2great!  Did you use and split shot above the hook and below the float or did you forego the shot and have the worm sink slowly .I'm full of questions for you Sharon . I suspect there will be more pics of Bass coming from you in the Future!

No weight. No swivel on hook. As far as the bass could see, there was nothing but the worm. I have tried without the float too, but the hook invaribly catches on something on the bottom. 'This area where I caught that bass is tricking because there are so many overhanging branches in the water the bass can wrap itself around them.

Ah good then .One more detail and I'll leave you alone .Do you have a pic of the float you used I'm curious how big a profile it was  and how sensitive it is .

Oh by the way Sharon you got the Thumbs up from Andre!! He 's a great Bass Fisherman .You should feel good about that !:)

Here you go John. It's a small float. Feel free to ask any further questions you want. I love talking about my first bass.

Ah ha a  Thill pencil float ,good choice ! I use those

too.I'm not Johnny Wilkins but thats a good choice and you got a nice 16" Bass!

Ain't she sweet?

ya see her swimming down the creek

Well, I ask you very confidentially

Ain't she sweet?

I think I caught this same bass again, same place, same size. Let it go again as it hadn't grown any. Hopefully, it will reproduce more retarded bass I can catch.

Todays catch. Bass were 11.5 and 12". Would have put them back in the pond to grow, but they both died from shock or the hook, or I squeezed them to death trying to get the hook out. Anyway, we ate them, first time I've been able to eat bass. Was great. Don't understand why lots of people think it tastes bad.

IMHO, bass are great to eat. And not as much trouble to clean as bluegill or catfish.

Topwater is underway:

Whenever I have been unsuccessful catching fish from my pond, I can go the "bass spot" and catch my pet bass. He never fails to be there, or gobble my hook. He gets a snack, I feel better having caught at least one fish.

I caught what appeared to be a 24" bass in my pond, but it turned out to be a nasty old catfish!

And then today I really did catch a bass. 17.5" so I put him back. Getting better at it.

Caught a 16.5"  and 17.5" bass today. Put them back to spawn. They are 2 years old this summer. Anyone know when bass spawn? I haven't seen any fry yet.

Sharon-Up here in NE NJ last year I saw a Male guarding a ball of fry in the first week of June .

Can you describe what bass fry look like. I keep getting them (I think) mixed up with shiners. The fish have green backs and swim in schools and are very fast. And swarm the food.

When you see a male guarding fry and not hitting your bait cast behind the fish into deeper water as there  may be a nice Female ready to strike from hunger after the exhaustion of carring and dropping eggs.This 20" Female was possibly the mate  of the Male I mentioned.

I just noticed a soccer ball sized group of 1" fish   hovering over a nest with a male bass swimming underneath and staying with the group but not feeding on them .I assumed it was the bass fry as weeks before I saw a female and smaller male on the same nest .

I think these I have must be a different fish. They don't act like you describe, but they are about 3". Maybe they are older.

Crankbait season in New Jersey !July and August especially!

I found something that works for catching bass in my pond 100% of the time. I accidently killed 29 of my 3-4" koi. So, I froze them on parchment paper and bagged them. I have been thawing them a few at a time and using them for bass bait. They stand out like a neon sign, are the right smell, texture, and they float, so I can see the action. I caught 2 bass in 5 minutes this morning.

Anyone know approximately how long a bass will survive in a regular size fish trap put back in the pond? Can I put two in there? I have been trying to keep the smaller ones I catch out of the water until I catch the size I want. Don't want them to die though.

Sharon contact Bomber Baits and have them make up a Koi Crankbait WITH YOUR SPECS! You can be famous!

My bass (or any fish in my pond for that matter) won't touch anything artificial. Which is why I was so excited about finding a bait they like.

Ah ha! Don't let that spoil your chance at lure fame ! Lol!

Fished with koi, shrimp, minnows, nothing feeding today except turtles. Anyone think a bass could do this?

That is not Bass style there .

Turtle then, I guess

You might be right Sharon .

After fishing for bass for an hour, and getting not a bite, I switched to berkeley balls and fished for bluegill. Caught a 16" bass with berkeley balls.

Anyone know if bass have perforated tongues or have I just caught this particular bass so many times his tongue is like swiss cheese?

Sharon...I don't believe that bass have perforated tongues...might just be a freak or maybe too many times on the hook!

We are going deep sea fishing in Jan off the coast of N. Califoria. Fishing for striped bass and sturgeon. Anyone have any clues on fishing for these fish?

Can anyone tell me how to tell a male from a female bass?