Freshwater Fishing Advice

Saltwater Kayak Fishing
1

I need some fresh water fishing advice for next month’s fish & meet on Lake Moultrie since I haven’t fished freshwater since I was a kid.

Can anyone offer advice on how a strictly saltwater fisherman can transition from redfish/trout to largemouth bass?

I usually just stick to the 3-rod prospecting method when saltwater fishing. I’m assuming bass fishing will require mostly artificial lures so is there a comparable setup for targeting bass?

James

2

If you are going to use the three rod technique I would recommend that you rig a Texas worm, a jig, and a lipless crank bait. I am not sure what the fish are going to be doing during that period but that is what this Meet and Fish is for. I would like to have everyone meet back up after we get done fishing to discuss how they did and what they learned to help everyone out.

3

Thanks Justin.

With the jig, would you rig it with a paddle tail or jerk shad like we do for redfish? Then fish it slow on the bottom or faster retrieve higher in the water column?

4

I’d also go with some shaky-head jigs & finesse worms. I fish Lake Murray & nearby ponds a good bit & have had more success than with anything else in recent years. If water temps don’t plummet, they will likely be coming shallow with lovin’ on their mind.

5

Tiny crank baits work well in cold water… I mean TINY ones… any color will work as long as it’s chartreuse…

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6

In cold water (winter) i fish big weedless bass jigs with a craw trailer. black and red or a dark brown and yellow,with a red crawdad trailer. i also spray it with BANG pure craw oil. I spend 90% of my time fishing drop offs and points, in 10 to 25 feet of water. crawfish are very active in cold water and a hearty meal for a mostly inactive fish. fish them slow and work them up the drop offs NOT down! crawfish have a hard time crawling up hill so they have to swim off the bottom making them easy targets. My personal best 13lbs 2oz came in febuary, 22 feet of water, pre spawn, lake Marion,on the jig. The more bottom stucture the better. stumps logs brush piles ect… Hope this helps and good luck TD

7

The fish will be in there pre-spawn activity if not spawning by March , a spinnerbait w/a frog trailer or plastic worm carolina rig fished slow has always worked for me in the hatchery that time of the year.

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8

Thanks for the advice everyone.

9

bass fishing i usually rig up a plastic bait on 1 rod, crankbait on another, and small spinner for crappie/bass on the 3rd and usually get at least something

10

There are hydrilla weeds all over the place in Moultrie, and the mild winter hasn’t done much to benefit us. I suggest you take a good variety of soft plastics.

11

I used to “tear them up” in the early spring with a white 2" paddle tail minnow on a jig head at The Hatchery. That was a while back though; no hydrilla to contend with back then.