With Spring right around the corner, all I can personally think about is Bed Fishing. To me, its one of the most exciting ways to fish other than Topwater. But I think that a lot of people wonder why they are not catching fish off "Beds" like others. I have three tips to give you: Change Baits and colors, Be Stealthy, And stay calm. Its really as simple as that. Don't get me wrong, you can be pretty technical about it but its not necessary. Ill Break in down in detail for you though.
1. Changing Colors and Baits:
If you are wanting to be a successful Bed fisherman, you will have to do this. Some of my favorite baits to throw on Beds are Poor Boys Tubes with a weedless tube head, Zoom Finesse Worms with a 1/16-1/8 ounce weight with an Owner 3/0 worm hook, and a Zoom Speed Craw rigged the same as the Finesse Worm. There are many more baits that work but these are the ones that have always worked for me. As far as colors go I ALWAYS start off with a straight white. This reason is because it tells me if the fish will hit the bait I am using or not. When I get dialed in, I use more natural colors like Green Pumkin, Watermelon Red, and Alabama Craw.
2. Be Stealthy:
This category is just as important or maybe more important than the baits you use. If you are making a lot of commotion, chances are you going to scare the fish away. One of the easiest ways to prevent this is to keep your distance away from the Bed and keep your trolling motor on low. Usually when you spook a fish its because you were either to close to him or it heard your trolling motor. But another big reason a fish gets spooked is because it see's your shadow. Always try to keep the sun facing you and hitting you right in the eyes. Now I know that you will not be able to see the Bed as well but a good pair of polarized sunglasses will fix that. Lastly, when possible, CAST ON THE BANK. This will create a more natural way for your baits to hit the water. It is not natural for a bait to land on a fishes head and you will not catch the fish if you do it.
3. Stay Calm:
You always want to stay calm, The worst thing you can do while bed fishing is get to excited. Now don't get me wrong I know what it feels like to see a 9 pound fish just sitting there waiting to be caught. But the best thing to do is remain calm, stay stealthy, and don't look your focus. You don't want to make the mistake that will cost you a tournament because that leads to loosing money and none of us like that.
I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something about bed fishing. Just remember the three simple things I told you, and you will be successful. Tightlines!