Bass Opener!

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hamiltonangler94

Smallmouth Fanatic
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Messages
1,060
Location
Hamilton
So as bass opener is just around the corner I thought I'd post a thread where people can post pics of fish and talk what gear they'll be using etc. Can't wait for opener. Just another week and a half until lake Ontario opener and then of course the weekend after is gonna be the big one. Remember guys to release bass asap as some may still be on their beds.
 
Cant wait......Lake Erie here I come!!! There are some HUGE bass in those waters also in the Upper.
 
Ya next weekend gonna be fishing Hamilton harbour...tons of bass in the shallows right now. Hopefully they finish their spawn but stick around long enough to catch me a few. Gonna be using alot of weedless jigs worked around cover with a crayfish trailer. That setup caught alot of largies for me down there last season. Hopefully my jigging rod is back in from warranty work in time for opener. If anybody wants to join me let me know.
 
BnK said:
Going up past ottawa region ! Can't wait! Never fished that far so hopefully the smallies will come quick :D
Ya never fished that area before but I've heard there's a lot of good fishing to be had.
 
Been waiting for this!! Gonna be hitting the grand for smallies gonna be trying out some new stuff, crank baits and gonna be tosssing alot of senkos wacky rigged. Alsogood ole natural crawfish. Built alittle trap im waiting to try out.
 
I use 8 lb mono with crank bait and plastic lures on my ultra light rod.

Bass fishing has been very good in the past seasons around my marina in Cook's Bay. Haven't seen any bass so far this year. Opening is still two weeks away though.
 
On zone 16 opener gonna mostly be using tubes while fishing the Grand river for smallmouth. I haven't find a lure that works better on the river than a tube.
 
Gonna definetly be trying out some tubes aswell as everyone keeps recommending them? How do ya prevent snags tho?!. I find I use any type of weighted jig and I snag.
 
Ur gonna loose them no matter what you do. Things that help tho is to use light jigs. I rarely go heavier than 1/8 oz, unless I'm fishing in deep pockets or areas with fast current. Also if you use braid (15-20 pounds. with a heavier fluoro leader (8-10 pounds) you can retrieve most of them unless you get snagged on a rock (that's where waders come in handy). But since a lot of the river is very rocky I try to swim the tube just above the rocks. Thankfully tubes and jigheads are inexpensive
 
PUMP KNOWS said:
Question...

Will you guys be targeting Bass that are still on their beds even though season is open?
I won't be targeting them. Hopefully most of them will be off their beds by opener. But if I catch a nice fat bass by accident off its bed I wont be complaining :D But any bass caught off their beds will be released ASAP
 
This will be first opener and I am excited. I started fishing near the end of July and I only caught a few bass.

Here's my personal best...I don't know how much it weighed :(

993995_549524815114163_418647023_n.jpg
 
hamiltonangler94 said:
Ur gonna loose them no matter what you do. Things that help tho is to use light jigs. I rarely go heavier than 1/8 oz, unless I'm fishing in deep pockets or areas with fast current. Also if you use braid (15-20 pounds. with a heavier fluoro leader (8-10 pounds) you can retrieve most of them unless you get snagged on a rock (that's where waders come in handy). But since a lot of the river is very rocky I try to swim the tube just above the rocks. Thankfully tubes and jigheads are inexpensive
Cool, thanks for the info ill be trying this for sure. God im counting down the minutes lol
 
PUMP KNOWS said:
This will be first opener and I am excited. I started fishing near the end of July and I only caught a few bass.

Here's my personal best...I don't know how much it weighed :(

993995_549524815114163_418647023_n.jpg
Nice bass..its hard to tell with the angle of the camera but it has quite the gut on it!
 
Pinch down the barbs on your jigs and more snags can be shaken free. I have recently been trout fishing barbless and have begun to pinch down or remove all the barbs on my lures, it makes releasing fish much easier and I doubt I'm loosing any more fish than usual.
Thoughts ? Opinions ?
 
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