Hello evryone,My name is rich and i live in most of the time warm Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.Funny thing is i live around all this water, and untill now i have just surfed all my life.Well that was untill i pressure washed a coustomer's house and he talked me into throwin a line out.bear with me i do have some questions for you guys.

So right off the bat i am catching largemouth bass left and right.The pond wasnt even big.ended up catching and releaseing 6 bass and looseing like 5 that came out of the water and hook released.That was a month ago.And got me a abu garcia baitcasting reel and 6'6" med action berkley rod.

I am haveing good luck with a worm and want to start practiceing carnks and spinners and top water.When should i start top water lures?And Alot of ponds and lakes around here are shallow,right now it is 38 what does this do to fish in shallow water,and what lures should i be useing this time of year that produce?

As part of my buisness i have access to alot of ponds and lakes that are 7 to 30 years old and every pond i fish seems to have bass in them.

I love this sight and everyone seems to want to help each other,already i thank you for your help.I have more questions but i will wait to see what i get on this one

Hi Rich,

Thanks for taking the time to introduce yourself and welcome to Bassin' USA!

The group of anglers who hang around here like to help people, so don't worry about asking questions... that's the whole reason why I created this website in the first place, to help people who want to learn more about bass fishing.

South Carolina, seasonally averages around 4-6 weeks ahead of where I am located in southern NY (Long Island). Right now the bass in your area should be semi-active and they can most certainly be caught. The worm is a great lure that you will use for the rest of your life and it will always produce. It is one of those “must knows” for bass fishing. Top water is touch and go this time of year. You would most likely need a serious warming trend to kick that type of activity level off. Crankbaits however¸ can produce all year round. In fact there was just a “Day on the Lake” article in Bassmaster Magazine this month where the featured angler was fishing a crankbait in winter water conditions. He boated 2 bass that day, one in the 6 pound class and the other was over 11 pounds!

Judging by the rod/reel combo you have and your location, I would recommend that you make your next lure to learn a spinnerbait. South Carolina produces some huge bass on spinner baits every year and especially in early spring.

Here is a general post about spinnerbaits that should help with some of the basics. After you read this post, you should come up with some more questions.

Link to Spinnebait Topic

Again, welcome to the boards...

Brendan

Thanx for that article.I went out and got a white spinner and a brown and black spinner.Went to the old air force base where they put 8 grand of fish 5 years ago.And wouldnt you know it, I caught a 4 pounder.Had 2 others but they got loose.I didnt think it would be a good day.We just had alot of rain.
The water was mud stained didnt catch one on the white and red spinner.But caught one off the brown and black spinner.Thanx alot for the page you put on your post.I slow rolled it across the bottom felt a tap cast it back past the spot where i felt that double tap and got'em.Thanx again now all i need is a fishin bud that has a boat.

Just keep in mind from the transition of winter through Spring, rain is a really good thing. It warms the cold water and draws baitfish which in turn attract bass. Whenever you have rain, you should always check areas where run off flows into the body of water you are fishing.

Glad to hear you had some success with the spinnerbait!

Hey MbBass... that was a great choice of rod and reel combo for starters. You can do a lot of different styles of bass fishing with that.

I do have a question for ya about fishing around the freshwater and ponds at the shoreline in South Carolina....

Do you have to be on the lookout for gators where you are fishing?

I don't have much to suggest for the colors on spinners and hardbaits cause I haven't had that much success with them myself, I'm mostly a soft plastics finesse guy.

Couple of things you've got to try out if you havent already. Yamamoto Fat Boy Ika in watermellon color 194J. Rig that puppy up on a 4/0 extra wide gap hook with the skirt forward and crawl it back real slow with a stop and go motion.... totally killer for largemouth.

Also the Yamamoto Senko in various sizes and colors is deadly.

And if you want to try out some straight tail plastic worms that are the real deal when it comes to dropshot... try the 4.5" Roboworm in clear neutral colors like oxblood cinnamon, or purple with redflake. Fished with a little patience you are sure to get bit good and hard on those.

Good fishing to ya, later............. geobass

Yes we do have to look out for gators.Alot of the ponds i go to have some 8 to 10 footers.Yeah the next time i go to bass pro i am getting me some senkos.I hear they are great to fish with.If you can put a picture of that setup for me that would be great.I dont have all the lingo on the baits and soft baits yet.Do you texas rig yours or do you wacky rig with a hook in the middle?Went out today caught 12 largemouth but none got up to 4 pounds,most were in the 2.5 to 3.12 pound catagory.But it was fun Plus i am secretly stocking a pond in my neighborhood so i have a place to fish close to home.Thanx for the tips geobass