My 2nd 3rd and 4th bass ever

Thanks... it's funny, the advice is really helpful, I would have never thought a fish would bite a soft plastic worm like that! I see all these bass fishing lures and it's hard for me to believe they actually work. In the past we only used night crawlers and didn't move them around because we thought it would scare the fish lol... To be honest when I started drop-shotting I was thinking to myself, there's no way a fish is going to bite this, why would... WHOAH I got one! I showed my Dad and he can hardly believe this type of fishing works. We have a lot to learn because bass fishing goes against all our previous habits!

Now what would really be fun would be to get some results in a natural habitat, I especially like river fishing. Gonna try to hit Phon D this weekend if I have time! For me half the fun of fishing is being out in the outdoors so I almost feel like I'm urban fishing to practice for the real thing heh...

Hellbore said:

Hey I'm already good at "no fish at all"

Maybe I should try bigger stuff though now that I already know there are fish in there. So would I just get bigger plastic worms and a bigger hook, same kind of thing? Or do I need to use something that looks like a fish, or crawdad, or whatever?

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I wouldn't suggest dropshotting a bigger worm if you are already on an 8" one. Chances are it's a 7" roboworm but still plenty big for dropshotting imho. Learning other techniques is what will start getting you into bigger fish. Dropshotting is generally known as a numbers method vs a lunker type method. I'm not saying you can't catch big fish drop shotting but I wouldn't guess it to be most anglers first choice for a big one.

Once you get some confidence in catching bass then moving to a Texas rig will generally produce bigger fish. Then you can get into the 10"-12" worms. After learning those basics I would say learning where and how to work a jig will consistentally catch you the highest quality fish. If you're really looking for a lunker some will say a big swimbait will catch the biggest fish, and it probably will, but generally that is all you are fishing for with one of those so you have to be cool with possibly fishing a whole day for maybe 1 or 2 strikes if that.

I would say before trying to learn how to really work a jig or swimbait that getting some crankbaits would be the next step. You can generally always get some action on cranks. Good second step if your dropshot isn't producing. Especially if the fish are pretty active.

Hellbore said:

Awesome thanks for the advice.

I picked up a few crank baits at Bass Pro from the clearance section. Got a couple shallow and a couple deep divers.

Is it too soon to fish cranks or should I try them? A guy at Bass Pro advised that it might be too warm still and finesse methods would work best.

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During the day it will be a little warm but in the morning and evening as the temps are cooler the fish are more active. Just remember that fish tend to slow down when the water gets warmer or colder than they like. At those times they are more lethargic and less likely to expend lots of energy chasing a crankbait. Some guys however do like using deep diving crankbaits during the summer to get down to the fish. Personally if I can get on the water early enough I like fishing a little faster. Meaning that a dropshot isn't the first thing I'm throwing. I'm looking for a quicker bite at first like a shallow crankbait, topwater, jerkbait, etc...Then I'd move to a c-rig, t-rig, senko, etc...If nothings doing I'll slow down and try and finesse a little more with a dropshot. I tend to match my depth to the time and conditions. First thing in the day i'm up high in the water column including the surface. As the sun gets higher and the heat starts coming I find techniques that will get me deeper in the water column to find bass that are suspended or laying close to the bottom.

But just remember bass are strange at times. Like everyone else said, sometimes there is just no rhyme or reason. You're not supposed to catch a lunker in 2 feet of water at noon but it happens. Best thing to do is get familiar with a few different techniques and keep adjusting until you find what they want. Knowing what technique is supposed to work at a certain time will help get you going and give you a starting point but there's never any guarantees with this sport.