freshwater fishing (northwest IN.)

Question
hey, i was wondering where bass, catfish, and bigger fish are and when. or when is the best time for which? any lure suggestions? I'm in high school, i fish almost every day and i usually use live bait, fish in ponds/lakes around my neighborhood. My i think my line can hold up to 10 lbs.
live in northwest IN
Travis

Answer
Bass tend to hold around cover in order to ambush bait fish. Cover with a bit of current works even better. This time of year the bass will be chasing crawfish on the full moon, and any place that has water dropping, like a Corps of Engineers Lake. The crawfish will have to relocate as the water drops and the movement spurs the bass to eat them.
Catfish will do the same when that happens. Jig and trailer will work well, try to match the color of the crawfish in your area.
As for what your line can hold.. that depends more on how the drag is set. If you set your drag to give at say 2 pounds of pull then you can catch almost any size fish. Fish will tire and follow the pull trying to resist. So set your drag and fish away.
Live bait will work for any type of fish. However getting it in the right places is what catches fish. Fish near cover or at the ends of current runs in streams. Fish will be bulking up for winter so now is a good time to fish.