Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Best Artificial Bait For HSB?

So just in general for those who have or have had HSB in their ponds what seems to be your bait of choice for catching them? Anything that stands out above and beyond? I have caught a few on Meps/Rooster Tails, maybe 1 or 2 on Beatle Spins, but is there anything else out there that works REAL well for you, and if so what is it?

Thanks,

RC51....are HSB hard to catch in a pond?
I put a few in last Fall & have yet to see or catch one.
i dunno....maybe they all got eaten

You're gonna' laugh......but we catch ours while catfishing, using hot dogs or chicken for bait...simply suspended below a float!

Hey Zep not real hard I don't guess. I put 25 in my pond last April and I have caught about 6 of them I guess. I was just wondering if there was anything else out there that works well for others.

Sparkplug,

Quit yanking my chain man!! Bunch of hotdog eating HSB what's up with that!! LOL! No wonder I can't catch to many I haven't been using hotdogs! dang it man!!

Well I can't speak for pond raised HSBs....but we fish for them on Norfork Lake in AR every spring (headed down that way the day after tomorrow) and we do best on suspending stickbaits fished REALLY slowly and also soft swimbaits. And if you can catch them feeding towards the top a zara spook or similar is a TON of fun...they'll knock that thing 4 feet in the air!

Man I'm getting excited just thinking about it....

Hey dlowrance thanks for that info. You know last fall I was using a buzz frog and every once in a while I would have that thing fly up into the air like almost a foot but couild not catch whatever it was!! I thought it was my LMB but I bet it could have been my HSB trying to eat it they were just a little to small for the bait. I never thought of that....


Thanks

in clear water a rattle trap moved fast...
in choppy water a zara spook, torpedo, or even topwater chug

As mine are pellet-fed I've been trying to catch one as well to check their growth since stocking them Sept of last year. Even trying a pellet-fly in pantyhose but no luck (using AM500). Seems I've caught everything BUT the HSB's using night crawlers, beetle spins, tube jigs, Spooks, Sammie's, other topwaters, etc.

BUT, I just got in my first order of Stubby Steve's Buy 5 get one free or free shipping so I got 5 packs.

Originals, chubbys, and worms.

Anyone have luck with the HSB's with Stubby Steve's?

Nuff Said on that one!

Thanks Esshup!

Panther martins have worked for me, for older/smarter fish used to pellets chicken liver did the trick. Pellet fed older fish even refused stubby Steve's but they love meat...guess why hot dogs can even work....might even try that into a school of feeding HSB. Anyone have tips for the older / smarter fish in terms of artificials in clear water? They are so conditioned on pellets not sure any artificial would work.

I was worried that the brown ones may not work. At least in non-pond waters.

Must be the smell.

Were these on pellets?

If you have schooling HSB on the surface, almost anything will work. Trolling deep diving baits such as Storm Thunderstick or deep diving crankbaits work on Lake Texoma. Spoons and jigs also work.

Beast man it's not that they are conditioned to pellets but rather to humans...those fish are still eating other natural foods, it's just they get super smart and know when people are around and even when they don't know your around they can see your line and hooks, etc...they become by far the smartest fish I have ever seen...

Fast baits like a rattle trap I have been able to get em to bite on, but even then I watch them race in and swirl off short at the last second once they figure out its not real...

Makes sense Nate, I will give the rattle traps a try... Hard not to throw the liver when they are schooled up, your advice last year really helped our success at this private lake/pond. Anything else besides the traps you use in clear water? I assume the retrieve is pretty fast. How is otter creek? Saw the crazy flooding in your area on your blog. Still probably the best two days of fishing I've ever had last sept. there...

those lakes made it through the storm just fine and should be back to normal real quick....the fishing there just keeps getting better and the scenery is the icing on the cake....

I won't even mention flies - most versatile method for catching any kind of fish - wanna see my "hot dog" fly?
HSB are the easiest fish to catch that I know ... but as Nate says - too much pressure and too much noise will spook them.
G/

Hey Thanks n8ly I will try a trap. I have not had any luck with the S and S pellets. I think you are right about the clear water and the fish figuring you out. My water is quite clear and although it looks pretty and all that it's a lot harder to catch fish then in semi murky water. I.M.O. Guess that may be a good reason to start fertilizing or something else to make my pond a little less clear?

RC

Stubby Steve's - hands down. Done just like esshup's pic

4# Flurocarbon line, #10 Owner Mosquito Hook, 2 pellets to float and to cast. One up on the line right above the knot, other one on the hook, covering the knot.

Sooo you leave the actual hook bare just sitting there for the fish to see? Can't believe that works but I'll try it.... I put 4 on a hook with a bobber 3 feet up and couldn't get a bite? I was using a #6 hook though and 6lbs liine.


Rc

Not really. The 2nd pellet is over the knot, hook eye and part of the hook leaving enough room for a clean hookset. The hooks are SHARP!, you don't really need to set the hook, the HSB do it by themselves. If you drag the hook point over your thumbnail it won't slide, it'll start to dig in. Try that with an eagle claw or mustad and you'll see the difference. There's a reason why the hooks are more expensive.....

Steve is supposed to be trying out the Chubbys this afternoon (if he gets a chance ) for the larger HSB. It's terrible, but we've never even tried them in his pond. I'll be curious about the outcome!

That IS terrible and should be corrected immediately!