Largemouth Bass 2000

This was my first year fishing for bass.

See our catch :

We had a lot of fun bass fishing this past year. The favorite and most productive baits were small shallow running crankbaits (above), and double willow spinnerbaits (above).

These small shallow running crankbaits were unbeatable this year before the weedbeds fully developed. They perfectly mimic small bluegill, a main food source in both Busse Woods and Shabbona.

The most productive spinnerbaits in 2000 were gold and silver with tandem willow blades. The bass staged in the shallow weedbeds in late Spring and remained active along outside weedbed edges until ice-up.

One 17 inch bass was caught on a live leech during the spawn when fish were completely inactive. Several other undersized bass were also biting the leeches (11 to 13 inches) at that time.