How many of you fish big bass with rodents or ducklings? No, not the live thing, but a fly or other type of lure. I've heard stories of ducks nesting in a pond, but by that summer, no ducklings were left because the big bass ate them. I have never fished this type of topwater lure, so I'd like some advice. What do you think about colors and size? I'm not much of a fly-fisherman, but I'll through larger flies with a spinning reel. I'm very confident in where the fish are, but catching the lunkers is tough (I haven't done it yet). I have the ability to tie my own flies, and have all the supplies except hooks. I know some of these bass are upwards of 8lbs. Advice, how do I tie, etc?

Matt

I don't know what kind of lure you would use but I have read a lot of reports where they identified rat and duckling bones in the stomach contents of some big bass.

Yuck.

I used to live on a lake that was home to some pretty big bass, 8 lbs was my biggest but I get several every spring in the 4-6 lb range which is the only time I fish for bass anymore. at night I used to use mouse flies, 2 hours after dark when they go thru the transition or all night on a full moon. had meager success on it, frog flies work well to, 3 quick hops then let it sit for 20 seconds seemed to work for both. but a black over-sized colorado spinnerbait or a black buzzbait in 3/8 can not be beat for the pigs, even jigs in clear lakes, remember this is all at night.

yes I have witnessed on many occassions ducks being eaten by pig bass, big bass feed more on this type of food source, a good tactic is a live gartner snake about a foot long with a weedless hook with a weed guard secured by a rubberband, or a salamder from a pet shop will work to, throw them in pockets, or let them scurry on top of doller pads, pepper grass and reeds work well to.

baby ducks at feed stores and salmon leaders and rubberbands have caught big bass to (LOL), tight lines, Ben

I saw that Canadian fishing show a few weeks ago and the lake/rivers they were fishing had these nice sized brookies that were taking top water rat flies like they were candy...

I guess big bows in the Alsaskan and Canadian rivers take mice/rat flies pretty well too. That sure sounds like fun!!

Big brown's like em too.

Rockfish, you found out the secret too, huh?
the majority of the biggest bass ive caught have been from fishing black or purple buzzbaits around pads and surface structure at night.

i haven't tried using live ducklings for bait but that is an interesting thought, if your local bait shop ever stocks them, let me know :p

Well... some more thoughts to ponder. First, I would rather not use live bait. I don't fish bass as much as I do steelhead and salmon, so I find it easier to use imitation lures or just catch frogs as I'm fishing. Second, I know where and when to fish this lure, but I am in the process of making some. Third, I plan on using it as a topwater and similiar to a jerkbait. I believe a slow sinking rat or duckling struggling for air would be a huge strike producer.

Matt

didn't mean to make anybody cry with the live bait issue

Anybody fish for trout at night?I have been convinced for a long time the big brood fish feed mostly at night.The wild ponds that I like to fish have the big fish in them but I usualy find them under logs and heavy cover during the day.Back in the day when I used to keep these fish I would almost always find a crawdad in there stomachs.Some of these crustations were quite large.I have always wanted to do a night trip but never have.Anybody out there have any information to help this whim along?

Has anyone ever fished Rocky Ford Creek at night with a deer hair mouse or rat pattern? I know they use big black wooley bugger and leech patterns over there at night, but I wonder if a mouse pattern would work also. Hanging into one those big bows would be a kick.

Local Disney Store has plenty of Donalds and Mickeys you could modify to meet your needs. Should be easy enough to hang a wide gap treble off a keychain souvenir. For really big bass, try something in the Goofy line. Actually, I know a fisherman who caught a large bass and put it in the bathtub so his wife could see it when she got home from work. When the family went in to check out his catch, they found the bass had burped up a baby duck. The incident gave them something to talk about at the dinner table, and the children are recovering nicely from "post traumatic stress syndrome".

If you can tie those as lures you could make a fortune, I looked at Cabelas today and they sold lures like that and they sold for $30

Use kittens! Ever see a cat hit the water? Just kidding.

I fished with my dad many nights for bass using HUGE baits. Loud, noisy, too big to be real. The secret was that we fished them at night. I literally got the p**s scared out of me more than once when we got hits right next to the boat.

Fished Lenice on a few occassion at night. Very disturbing when you get a moster hit, but VERY cool. Used a headlight for tying/landing. ALWAYS carried a pistol for the rowdies, but then again, usually do anyway.

When I was younger, my brother & I spent many a night on Lake Kapowsin fishing for bass. Always used top water plugs, noisier the better. Jitterbugs & mouse imitations mostly. Leave the flashlight off, only ruins your night vision for 5 minutes each time. Only problem was bass missed the plugs the majority of the time as they were striking at the noise/water disturbance. We were usually the only ones on the lake, in fact I can't remember ever seeing anyone else out there, other than a couple of boats doing catfishing. Some of the funest fishing I ever did