Swim Jigs - What Are They?

 What the heck is a swim jig you might ask? It is only my favorite of all of the jigs. 

They can be fished multiple ways! They can be accented with trailers. According to Karl's the main difference between a swim jig and a casting jig is the head design. This lure has a vertical nose so that it can swim through the water column. With a trailer on it, you can basically make them look like a fish. I love them. I think they are awesome to fish with. Best news of all you can buy them so that they are Texas rigged. They also come with a weed guard if you don't prefer the Texas rig. The strike king swim jig in blue gill color is probably my favorite to use around our area. We don't have many shad around here, so the blue gill is typically what the bass are going after. 

Fishing During the Spawn - CAN I?

So, when I first started bass fishing, I saw so many anglers getting so excited about fishing during the spawn. Most states have their own rules and regulations about fishing during the spawn. Here is Pennsylvania's and I just wanted to remind everyone of this before we get started with this post.

§ 63.43. Fishing for bass during spring season.

 (a)  During the period from 12:01 a.m. on the second Saturday in April until 12:01 a.m. on the second Saturday in June:

   (1)  It is unlawful to kill or possess, while in the act of fishing, any largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass.

   (2)  Tournaments are not permitted.

   (3)  Catch and release fishing for bass is limited as follows: It is unlawful for an angler to repeatedly cast into a clearly visible bass spawning nest or redd in an effort to catch or take bass. Otherwise, a bass caught and immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which taken during this period will not be considered a violation of this section.

 (b)  This section does not apply to portions of the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers and their tributaries that are regulated under §  65.24 (relating to miscellaneous special regulations).

This law can be very confusing, but the short answer is yes you can fish during the spawn. BUT you cannot cast into beds knowingly and repeatedly and you much immediately catch and release. 

This is a subject that is very up in the air for most anglers. Alot of people believe that this can hurt the bass population because the bass do not always return to their beds when being caught. However, the bass are extremely feisty at this time because they are trying to protect their young. On the next post, I will share some videos from other states where it is legal to throw into beds. Its extremely interesting to me how aggressive they are at this time.

Here is a Spawning chart for the areas across the United States! Click on the picture below for more information. 

The Science of the Spawn

What is the spawn you might ask? Good question. I think in order to understand the spawn, it is important to know what is actually going on. 

According to Pursing Outdoors bass make nests! Their nests range from 3-5ft deep on average. It is normal for a bass to go through its first spawn when it is around one year old. 

Stages Of Spawning:

1. Building a nest
2. Finding a mate
3. Hatching fertilized eggs
4. Guarding their young

How do Bass form their beds?

• They move up shallow.
• The male comes into the area and makes a circular motion with their tale.
• This pushes the rocks and other items out of the way causing a sandy bottom or "bed." 
• The female will then come in and lay the eggs and the male will fertilize them.
• Once fertilized the bass guard the bed.

Juniata River Fishing - April 21, 22, 23

 Have you ever wondered about river fishing for bass?

This weekend, I spent time down at my camp fishing for catfish and small mouth. The water was very clear, so I tried out a Texas rig Yum Dinger worm, and guess what! I caught a beautiful smallmouth. We are almost in the spawn. I was having trouble getting a bite until I sped up my retrieval. I then changed to a wacky rig for a while and caught a rock bass. It was a slow fishing day for bass as the catfish were in full force. I ended up with three catfish, one fall fish, one small mouth and one rock bass so a successful weekend overall. Enjoy some pictures below! 

Texas Rigs - What Are Those?

Are we talking about fishing or trucks?

So, when I started really getting into bass fishing, I was fascinated with the Texas Rig and what it was. This is my most successful lure. It is 100% my go to. Below is a video of a setting up a Texas Rig. Guess what? You finally get to use your Senko's, Ocho's or Yum's! Don't forget your extra wide gap hooks!

Choosing Color

So, like I said before we are going to get into color and why color of your lurers, worms and other baits are important. 

Patterns are the most important part of bass fishing in my opinion. The reason worms work so well are because they resemble natural prey. In my opinion, you can never go wrong with the color Green Pumpkin. I've had it work on clear days, rainy days, any weather you can imagine. But there are some general ideas about what will work for what conditions, and this is very important to make sure that you are getting bites and can get a consistent bite. 

Also in my tackle box, I keep white worms and black worms. I know you're thinking black?? Yes black. Black is excellent in muddy water. The thought behind this is that they actually produce almost a silhouette which distinguishes the bait in muddy conditions. I know you're probably thinking, but chartreuse is so bright. That is true. But if you're having difficulty getting a bite in muddy conditions, try a dark blue or black worm.

This is an amazing website to check out for great advice on worm color selection, What Color Worm for Bass: The Best Colors & Patterns to Use (survivalbiz.com). But my advice to you is to grab a pack of Green Pumpkin, a pack of White and a pack of Black with Blue Flake.

Black Moshannon State Park - Philipsburg, PA

Hello everyone! You guessed it! This week's fishing spot is Black Moshannon State Park or "Blacky" as us local residents call it. Blacky is a 250-acre warmwater fishery. It is home to the Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Pike, and Crappie. The reason I like fishing at Blacky is because it is the perfect place to take a Kayak! If you haven't guessed yet I'm a kayak fisherman. I love fishing out of a kayak and this is seriously a great place to do it. *Warning make sure you have your state launch permit on your boat if you plan on kayaking here* They do also have kayak and canoe rentals. Blacky also has some great vegetation which the bass LOVE. This is great bass habitat everyone! 

For water depth information please see https://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument?docId=1743657&DocName=BLMO_LakeDepth_Black.pdf