Help a NOOB

[vancouvercanuck]

Hi all.

So i'm heading down to Puerto Vallarta on Friday for a week and have booked a trip bass fishing to Cajon de Penas. The lake is 7,800 acres and holds a Florida strain of large mouth bass up to ten pounds.

I have a couple questions. Being that I'm from Alberta in Canada that doesn't have bass I really don't know where to target to find the lunkers. I have booked a guide and all that but was wondering all you bass experts your opinions.

Where should I target on a lake? Drop offs, sunken islands, weed beds, sandy flats? I have no idea. What depth etc etc.

What sort of baits or lures would be good to use this time of year?

Thanks all in advance.

[Jigwiggler]

Spinnerbaits are my favorite starter bait and great for big fish too.  You can burn them just under the surface if the fish are aggressive or slow roll them to just about any depth.  A chartruse/white combo with a willow leaf blade has worked for me in every body of water that I have tried.  You'll have to play the water clarity for color selection.  Also do you know what forage is in the lake for the bass to feed on?  Bass everywhere eat crawfish so that is always a given pattern ( jigs and crawfish imitators).
    Every lake is different, start shallow and work out deeper.  Your guide should be able to put you on a productive pattern.
    I think I read somewhere that south of the border bass like 8"lizards soaked in Cerveza. 

[Fat Boy]

Where to find them?  Largemouth are largemouth, and can be found on the same types of structure no matter where you fish.  One of the best places to find them on new bodies of water is points, especially long sloping ones that drop into deep water.  If there is wood cover on the points, so much the better.  If you don't get fish pounding the bank, use your sonar and try to locate them a bit deeper.  However, if they are spawning, look for areas with lots of pea sized gravel, flats, coves, etc.  Also, overlooked structure such as sunken islands or humps often will give up quality bass overlooked by others.  A good sonar teamed with a good lake map will help you pinpoint where the fish are.

Lures?  VCC, jigwiggler's advice is solid.  Throw in some jig n pigs and plastic worms (fish are big, use big worms) and you'll find fish.

[vancouvercanuck]

Thanks guys, that narrows my searching quite a bit. I'm sure the guide will know the "honey holes", but if were having no luck i'd like to be able to move abit. See you all in a week.

[Jigwiggler]

VC,

    I remember from one of your posts a mention of casting large rapalas.  Bring em' if you got em'.  These to are another excellent large bass lure.  Suspending models work best and fish them in a stop and go manner with long ( up to 30 seconds ) pauses.  Do to the difference in the seasons from here to there I'm not sure what stage the bass will be at.  Since we are at the pre-spawn stage I would have to imagine that that far south would have to be spawning or post-spawn.  I remember reading an article about the great pre-spawn bass fishing in Florida in Febuary and seeing as how you will be fishing at a similar latitude I would bet that the seasons will correspond.  Good luck!!

[Fat Boy]

Oh yeah, if you can get ahold of any of the Yamamoto Senko style baits before you go, try them down there.  These are hot baits in any largemouth water.  They work great Texas rigged with or without weight.  They are a soft plastic jerk bait and cast real well.  In my area, I like the 4 and 5 inch ones, but down there, the bigger sizes should work well.  A typical sharp worm style hook will perform nicely.  I like the Gamakatsu Wide Gap worm hooks, size 3 or 4 should work nicely on those.  I personally like to use Fireline or Powerpro line when fishing soft plastics simply because there is no line stretch and you get great hook penetration.  Colors are a matter of personal choice, but I've found the natural colors (green pumpkin, pumpkin, smoke purple) all work great.  However, a nice color for murky water in my home state is a bright chartreuse.  Give them a try.  They come in packs of 10 and are not cheap, about $6 per pack (American).  They are not durable.  I'm cheap, save up all the pieces and weld them together, LOL .  There are cheaper brands, like the Bass Pro Stick O that work well also.  These baits look pretty darn stupid in the package, but seem to have that action that all largemouth love.  You can simply cast them out and let them flutter down to the fish.  You can twitch them, drag them, hop them, don't matter...there is no wrong way to fish them.  Also, you can rig them a number of different ways.  There is a lot of info on the web about them.  You can check out Yamamoto's home page for tips, but also go to www.riversmallies.com and do a search on their forums...lots of good posts about them.  Here, you'll read also about another good way to hook them is to use small circle hooks (Gamakatsu and Yamamoto sell them) and nose hook them...

Oh yeah, and good luck!  Get that 10 pounder pic for us!

[SuperX2]

Fat Boy have you had any problems keeping fish on with the Gamakatsu hooks? I lost alot of fish last year using these hooks, I like them alot but the d**n barb is almost not visible. I wish they had a better barb and then I might not lose so many Bass in heavy cover. I switched over to Owner hooks and the problems went away. Too bad I liked the Gamakatsu.

[Fat Boy]

SuperX2, I have lost some fish using them, but I always put the blame on myself and hooksets, etc.  I'll have to investigate this.  I'll purchase some of the Owner wide gaps and try them with my tube jig rigs and see if it makes a difference.  There are a lot of proponents for fishing barbless and pinching them down.  I've done that before and have noticed a few more fish lost.

Thanks for the heads up.  I'll report back on my findings.  If it's turns out to be true and it costs me a couple fish, then maybe it's a compromise between barbless and barbs .  However, if it proves to be true, then you can bet that the next tournament I enter I'll have the Owners tied on.

Let's all save the debate on barbless hooks for another thread (in fact, I might put that one on the General forum)...

[vancouvercanuck]

Thanks all, going to take some stuff down with me. I'm off in ten minutes, and I'll be sure and post some pics for you all when I get back............back next Saturday....chow

[reubenpa]

where is this peurto vallatro  place anybody know?  VC  us still get online down there? how is it?

[vancouvercanuck]

Just a quick update for you all.

first of all, I couldn't get out of bed on holiday until well after 10 a.m. (up till 4 every night) So hence I didn't get out to the lake. It was a two hour drive one way on very terrible roads and I know for sure my gut would not have taken it.

I had a great time in Mexico non the less, saw the bull fights, went on a pub crawl, and other than that just partied at the resort 24/7.

I would like to thank you all for your posts and I know the next trip I do, the bass fishing will be first before the cervasas or Margaritas!!

P.S. My head hurts today.................

[Nightcrawler]

A true Canadian. Even passed up fishing for the booze and the babes. You've made me proud!! But a real pro would have still made it to lunkerville!!