W2F Blog

Using Soft Jerkbaits to Find Bass

Walker Smith — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Soft jerkbait fishing is a technique that, in some way, shape or form, most anglers are somewhat familiar with. While many of us can remember bombing these baits across small farm ponds as children, they actually play a huge role in many professional anglers’ arsenals as well.

Whenever he’s searching for bass, Big Bite Baits pro Russ Lane relies heavily on a soft jerkbait. For both tournament and recreational purposes, he considers this technique one of the most effective ways to find large concentrations of bass.

Why choose a soft jerkbait

Finding bass often means one thing for Lane—speed. As he dissects fisheries in search of productive fishing areas, a soft jerkbait allows him to move quickly and eliminate water while remaining efficient.

“I prefer using a Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow when I’m looking for fish,” Lane said. “It’s bulkier and beefier than other soft jerkbaits, which allows me to fish quickly. I can bomb long casts with it and work it quickly without it hopping out of the water and leaving the most productive strike zones.”

Although it’s equally effective for deep water applications, he quickly targets shallow areas when he’s on the hunt for bass. After a long cast, Lane works the Jerk Minnow with a “pop, pop, pop, pause” cadence to draw reaction strikes from the most aggressive bass. He warns, however, that pulling soft jerkbaits through the water column will significantly decrease their action.

“It’s important to work a soft jerkbait just as you would a hard jerkbait,” Lane said. “I make sure to pop the slack in my line to avoid pulling it. Ideally, you’re looking for a very wide, darting action and it will shoot up just below the surface and suspend for a few seconds if you give it enough slack to work its magic.”

Finding bass with soft jerkbaits is not only a very visual presentation for the bass, but also for the angler. Because the majority of his bites occur on slack line, Lane keeps his eyes fixated on his Jerk Minnow throughout the entire retrieve.

“Even when it’s cloudy outside, it’s important to keep a close eye on your soft jerkbait,” Lane said. “If I know there’s fish in an area, I’ll slow down and will feel more bites as a result, but when I’m using it as a search bait and fishing fast, it’s mostly visual. I make sure to have my Typhoon Optics on at all times so I can see everything happen.”

Keep your color selection simple

Some bass fishing techniques require great attention to bait details such as color, but Lane doesn’t get carried away when choosing a suitable color for his Jerk Minnow. Instead of concentrating solely on water clarity, he actually pays more attention to the sky.

“If I’m searching for bass in lowlight conditions or specifically targeting shade, I have the best results with shad imitation colors, such as Glow Silver,” Lane said. “If the sun is high and I’m covering big, sunny flats I prefer the Tilapia color with about an inch of chartreuse dye on the tail.”

Shad don’t have chartreuse tails, so what gives? For Lane, it’s all about differentiating his bait from the surrounding forage. If he notices a lot of baitfish in the area in situations such as shad spawns, he believes dye gives him an edge—instead of the bait becoming one in a thousand for a bass to choose from, the added chartreuse flash gives them something to key in on.

When to burn it and when to soak it

As mentioned earlier, Lane primarily fishes a Jerk Minnow quickly in order to efficiently cover water and find the best concentrations of bass. There are times, however, such as the spawn, when he slows his roll and lets the bait soak.

“If I know bass are on bed, I still use a soft jerkbait as a search bait, but I’ll certainly slow it down,” Lane said. “When they’re bedding off of the banks on secondary cover, such as stumps, I’ll make a really long cast with a Jerk Minnow before I get close and start sight fishing. In these situations, it’s not uncommon for me to pause the bait for 5 seconds or more.”

Working a soft jerkbait quickly is most productive throughout the summer, according to Lane. In the warmer months, it’s not uncommon to see big groups of bass chasing shad in the shallows—especially when blueback herring are present. If he’s fishing a clear fishery with a lot of bluebacks, he gives the word “fast” a whole new meaning.

“It can be absolutely killer to work a Jerk Minnow as fast as you can when you’re around bluebacks,” Lane said. “I’m not talking about simply speeding your cadence, either. I’ll reel it almost as fast as I can across the top of the water and kill it just a couple of times. You’ll be surprised at some of the huge blowups you’ll get.”

Use the right gear to increase your hookup ratio

Many of us are accustomed to rigging our soft jerkbaits weightless Texas-style and burying the hook point in the back of the bait. Lane used to do the same thing until he ran across the perfect hook for a Jerk Minnow. Since his discovery, he’s enjoyed more fish catches and isn’t changing any time soon.

“It’s almost as if the 5/0 Gamakatsu Offset Round Bend Worm Hook is tailor-made for a Jerk Minnow,” Lane said. “The correct rigging method is essential—when you stick the hook point in the nose, don’t go too far. Instead, just leave enough room so half of the hook eye is covered by the plastic. Then, push the hook through the body and don’t skin hook it. You’ll catch more fish that way.”

Lane further increases his hookup ratio by executing a proper hookset. Bass anglers have a tendency to wind down and come off of the ground with monster hooksets, but that won’t help your cause when soft jerkbait fishing. When you see a fish eat the bait, simply wind in your slack and lean into the fish when it gets heavy.

Because the Jerk Minnow is heavier than other soft jerkbaits, Lane is able to use heavier gear which gives him more control over the fish. With 16-pound Sunline Super FC Sniper Fluorocarbon and a 7-foot, medium-heavy Castaway Skeleton Casting Rod, he’s not afraid to get his bait into the crud.

“It won’t do much good if you can skip a soft jerkbait into tight spots and not have gear that’s able to pull ‘em out,” Lane said. “Using the heaviest equipment you can get away with is always the safest bet.”

Throughout the summer, you can be sure that nearby bass will be chomping on soft jerkbaits. If you keep your color selection simple, learn how and when to differentiate your retrieve speed and use optimal gear, you’re going to have a hard time getting off the water.

Fishing a Drop Shot for Suspended Bass

Walker Smith — Wed, 29 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

The thought of suspended bass can make a grown man shudder. You can see them on your graph, you know where they’re living, but you can’t buy a bite to save your life. You’re not alone—this is a very common frustration among bass anglers. Fortunately, there’s an effective solution to the problem.

Big Bite Baits pro Jeff Kriet is a big believer in fishing with a drop shot for suspended bass. Although many anglers consider bottom contact a necessity for this technique, he’s had a great deal of success without it.

Important signs to look for

Throughout the summer and early fall, bass are notorious for herding big pods of shad into tight balls when feeding. If Kriet is fishing a ledge with a big worm or a football jig and notices bait on his Lowrance, he’ll stop what he’s doing and begin drop shotting.

“I truly believe there are always more fish suspended than there are related to the bottom,” Kriet said. “Unless I’m bed fishing, I’m always watching my Lowrance for any signs of heavy bait activity. Schools of bait will show up as big balls on your sonar, and that tells you bass are nearby. Shad don’t just travel in balls—something is pushing them into that position.”

While he catches plenty of fish drop shotting in the middle of these bait balls, his biggest bass often come from elsewhere. If he notices a ball of bait on his graph, he’ll slowly circle the school looking for big, rogue bass.

“It’s definitely possible to catch big bass simply targeting bait balls, but sometimes the biggest fish tend to hang out away from all of the action,” Kriet said. “If you see arches on your graph that are 10 or 20 yards away from the bait pod, it’s probably a big one.”

How to make the bass eat

Kriet often refers to drop shotting suspended fish as a cat and mouse game. Although there’s not necessarily a wrong way to target these finicky bass, he approaches each situation in a specific manner.

“I start out by positioning my boat right above the bait ball and drop my drop shot directly through the middle of it,” Kriet said. “Many times you’ll see a bass break out of the bait ball and follow your worm to eat it. Most of the time, however, you have to play with them. I’ll reel back up, drop my bait right above the bait, shake it around and then drop it back down through the bait. If you see the bass reacting, you’ll eventually catch it.”

Time management is an essential part of Kriet’s approach. He’d much rather capitalize on the most aggressive schools than waste time on inactive fish.

“Realistically, you’ll probably only catch a couple fish from each school,” Kriet said. “I have a fairly simple rule of thumb when I drop shot for suspended fish—as long as they’re reacting to my presentation on the graph, I’ll keep dropping on them. If they’re ‘flat-lining’ and not paying any attention to your bait, you probably won’t catch them.”

If he runs into a stubborn school of bass, Kriet doesn’t let it fluster him. Instead of trying to force a bite, he’ll simply leave the school and come back to it later in the day. It’s not uncommon to catch a big limit of bass out of a school that was totally inactive earlier in the day.

Your sonar is essential

Most bass fishing techniques are possible without the use of electronics, but drop shotting for suspended bass isn’t really one of them. Kriet keeps his eyes glued to his sonar at all times—almost as if he’s playing a video game.

“It’s very important to have your sonar set correctly,” Kriet said. “In depths over 30 feet, I make sure to set my range from 20 to 50 so I can really key in on the most productive zone. I also turn my ping speed down and increase my sensitivity. If you’re dropping on them in 20 feet or less, however, you can usually run your graph on its normal settings.”

It’s also very important to look at the right spot on your sonar. All too often, anglers have a misconstrued view of what’s really happening under the surface.

“When you’re fishing vertically, the only thing you need to be concerned with is the far right corner of your sonar picture,” Kriet said. “That shows you what is going on at that given time and will allow you to paint a good picture of your worm and weight. If you don’t know where your drop shot is, it’s pointless to drop on them.”

Don’t overlook your worm color or gear selection

According to Kriet, one of the biggest mistakes anglers make when drop shotting is becoming stubborn to a certain color worm. If you’re catching fish in an area and the action stops, don’t leave before trying a few different colors, as color preference often changes from fish to fish.

“I’m always going to have a handful of different color Big Bite Baits Shaking Squirrel Worms next to me on the front deck,” Kriet said. “Drop shotting is a very visually oriented technique, so color really matters. I use 3 colors almost all of the time—Hologram Shad, Kriet’s Magic and Bold Gill. If they don’t eat that, I’m doing something wrong.”

Kriet’s Hydrowave unit has totally changed his approach to suspended fish by stirring up deep bait balls. Although it’s been a huge help to his fishing game, it’s a tool you need to be careful with.

“I usually run my unit in a Shad Frenzy mode with 3 or 4 bars of volume,” Kriet said. “Sometimes, however, it can pull the fish too far up to the boat and make them uncatchable. If you notice that happening, turn your volume down, pause it or turn it to a 30-second loop. As long as they’re 15 to 18 feet under the boat, you can catch them.”

Drop shot setups can get pretty elaborate, but Kriet prefers to keep his rigs as simple as possible. When dropping on suspended fish, he uses a 10-pound HI-SEAS Quattro Braided Line and 6-pound HI-SEAS 100% Fluorocarbon combination and a 12 to 14-inch leader to avoid spooking fish.

He prefers a 7-foot, medium action Falcon T7 Kriet Squirrel Tail Spinning Rod due to its soft tip and strong backbone. When targeting in water deeper than 30 feet, he uses a 3/8-ounce or 1/4-ounce drop shot weight. In depths shallow than 20 feet, he downsizes to a 3/16-ounce weight. A sharp hook is essential for this technique.

“Good hooks are extremely important and you’ll always get more bites nose hooking your baits around suspended fish,” Kriet said. “I use a No. 1 Lazer Trokar Drop Shot Hook almost exclusively. If I’m catching them out of brush piles, I’ll Texas rig my worm on a 1/0 straight shank hook.”

Drop shotting for suspended bass takes a lot of practice to master, but knowing what to look for, how to make the bass eat and understanding your sonar can great accelerate your learning curve. Stay tuned for more drop shot fishing features this summer.

Jerkbait Fishing around Floating Docks

Walker Smith — Mon, 27 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

When many anglers think of fishing docks, wooden pier docks often come to mind. Floating docks, however, are excellent places to fish throughout the entire spring. As the bass move to and from spawning flats, the abundant shade and feeding opportunities floating docks provide make them ideal staging areas for bass.

If SPRO pro Mike McClelland is targeting floating docks in the spring, you can be sure he’ll have a jerkbait in his hand. Due to the jerkbait’s ability to cover a multitude of water depths, he’s weighed in numerous big bags with this technique.

The method behind the madness

Throughout spring, bass will flock to floating docks—especially in fisheries void of natural cover. While soft plastics and jigs are the most popular techniques for fishing pier docks, floating docks call for a different approach.

“A jerkbait is just an awesome selection when you’re fishing floating docks,” McClelland said. “Floating docks don’t always offer poles or other cover for the bass to hold tightly to, so they’ll simply suspend under them. Jerkbaits allow you to easily key in on specific depths while also keeping your bait in the most productive strike zones longer.”

Floating docks aren’t always the most appealing type of cover to fish for some anglers. Although they may not be adorned with cross braces, wooden ladders and other known bass holding features, these docks often play host to their own ecosystem.

“The abundance of bass forage floating docks hold for bass is incredible,” McClelland said. “On clear water fisheries, it’s pretty amazing to see how many big bream and shad live under them. The algae that grows on the underside of their floats is a magnet for all kinds of food for bass, and wherever there’s food, bass won’t be far away.”

Look for prespawners holding close to the floats

The prespawn period on many lakes can be quite finicky at times. As the bass begin moving from deeper water in search of spawning areas, cold water temperatures and slow metabolism can make it difficult to get consistent bites. Floating docks offer a remedy to slow, cold water prespawn fishing.

“Most floating docks have black plastic floats,” McClelland said. “The black plastic warms up quickly and provides more comfortable conditions for prespawn bass. Although it may only make the water temperature a degree or two warmer, the smallest increases in water temperature can play a huge role in prespawn fishing.”

When targeting prespawn bass on floating docks, McClelland instinctively reaches for a suspending jerkbait. Because the bass may still be slow to attack a fast moving presentation, he wants to keep his bait in front of the bass until they decide to strike.

“A SPRO McStick 110, 95 and 85 are perfect jerkbaits for this situation,” McClelland said. “Each model allows you to cover all of your depth ranges while giving you 3 different sizes to match the available forage.”

His jerkbait cadence is very slow and deliberate throughout the prespawn. After pulling the McStick down to his desired depth, he follows with 2 short twitches. Following the twitches, it’s somewhat of a waiting game.

“I start out by letting the McStick sit still for 5 seconds,” McClelland said. “After 5 seconds, I’ll twitch it some more and continue to let it sit. If I don’t get any bites, I’ll increase my cadence to a 10-count. You have to be very patient, but it’s worth it.”

Target hungry post-spawners and fry guarders in the late spring

As bass finish their annual spawning ritual, they seek refuge under nearby floating docks in order to feed, recuperate and guard newly hatched fry. McClelland utilizes a SPRO McStick 115 to fool these hungry post-spawners.

“The McStick 115 is a great choice for post-spawn bass around floating docks because it only dives to about 3 feet and it also floats,” McClelland said. “Post-spawn fry guarders have a hard time passing on a floating jerkbait, so I always have one tied on.”

Floating marina docks also have a lot to offer for post-spawners. The extensive shade they provide and their strategic locations give bass a perfect opportunity to replenish after a rigorous spawn.

“Marinas are a big key to post-spawn jerkbait fishing,” McClelland said. “On most fisheries we visit, a bunch of bass spawn in the shallow areas behind the marinas, making them convenient post-spawn staging areas. You’ll find a ton of forage, protection for fry and also the occasional shad spawn that big bass will capitalize on. It’s like a big bass dinner buffet.”

McClelland uses a much more aggressive, erratic cadence during the post-spawn. You’ll rarely find him fishing a McStick slowly.

“I’m going to jerk it pretty hard and keep it down in the water column in most situations,” McClelland said. “It’s almost like I’m ‘walking the dog’ with a topwater, except underwater. All I’m trying to do is make the most aggressive bass react to the erratic movement. I’ll jerk it a couple of times, quickly reel up my slack and do it all over again—it’s all about reaction bites.”

Get more bites with the right approach

When fishing jerkbaits around floating docks, McClelland has developed a very methodical approach that continues to pay big dividends for him. Instead of haphazardly casting, he knows exactly where he’s going to cast.

“I always approach floating docks in line with the back side,” McClelland said. “I stop about a cast’s length away from the dock, cast to the back corner, swing the boat around and throw down the side of the dock. I’m always careful to cover all of the corners, because they’re a hotspot for big bass.”

Surprisingly, he doesn’t make a concerted effort to get his jerkbait underneath the docks. Because jerkbait fishing is more of a sight technique, the fish will swim a considerable distance to eat it. More times than not, he’s found that getting a jerkbait too close to the bass will actually spook it and decrease his productivity.

Floating docks are also very easy to pattern, according to McClelland. Although there may be an oddball bass that bites in a random place, developing a solid floating dock pattern can be fairly simple.

“Most importantly, you have to figure out whether they want to be tucked into the deep shade or on the edges of the shade,” said McClelland. “The angle of the sun is usually the deciding factor with a floating dock pattern. When the sun is high, bass will tend to be in the deep shade provided by boat slips. In the early morning and late evening, however, I’ve found the shade edges to be most productive.”

Whether you’re fishing for prespawn bass in the north or targeting post-spawners in the south, try fishing floating docks with a jerkbait. With an understanding of the bass’ behavior, an efficient approach and the proper jerkbait, you’re likely to catch a lot of fish with this technique.

Late Spring Bass | Cranking for Post-Spawners

Walker Smith — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

There always seems to be an awkward adjustment period that both anglers and bass undergo in the beginning stages of the post-spawn. Late spring bass are worn out from spawning, searching for new homes in deeper water and anglers aren’t ready to give up on their hot spring fishing spots.

When faced with lethargic, transitioning post-spawn bass, SPRO pro John Crews turns to a crankbait for the majority of his fish catching needs. Not only does it allow him to cover more water than other methods, but it also leads to plenty of big bass.

A different approach to post-spawn bass

We’ve all heard it hundreds of times—look for post-spawn bass on the first drops near spawning flats. Crews, however, isn’t totally sold on this theory. While it may certainly work for some people, the majority of his better fish come from elsewhere.

“I think people get caught up in the ‘first drop’ theory a little too much,” Crews said. “The largest groups of bass don’t always stay in close proximity of the spawning flats. Instead of finding the first break, the bigger bass will often look for the best break.”

It’s not uncommon for Crews to find groups of big females gathered on break lines over 1/4-mile away from their shallow spawning grounds. The most productive breaks tend to share hard bottom composition and a large, flat surface on one side. Dramatic depth changes aren’t always a necessity, either.

“In the early post-spawn, you don’t have to worry too much about finding sharp break lines,” Crews said. “That’s a little more of a summer pattern. This time of year, sometimes the most subtle drops, whether they’re 2 feet or 4 feet, hold the most fish. Bottom composition is probably the biggest deciding factor for a bass.”

There are several different theories as to why post-spawn bass inhabit hard bottom areas, but Crews believes the answer is simpler than we may realize. When bass feed in hard bottom locations, the rigidity of the bottom composition serves as a dinner plate for bass—they can simply pin their prey against it for easier feeding.

Break up the party before you bring in the vacuum cleaners

Soft plastic presentations such as drop shots and Carolina rigs certainly have their place in the post-spawn spectrum, but Crews prefers deep crankbaits for a very specific reason.

“Crankbaits help me cover more water, which is crucial to post-spawn fishing,” Crews said. “I can cover an entire break line in 6 or 8 casts with a SPRO Little John Baby DD, but it may take me 5 or 10 minutes with a soft plastic presentation.”

Covering water has proved especially useful for him on river systems. In just 2 hours of fishing with his trolling motor at a steady 2 miles per hour, he is able to cover almost a mile-long stretch of ledge with his SPRO Little John DD crankbait. Ledges are a strange beast—sometimes you can fish a mile without any bites, then find several quality schools of bass in the next mile. His productivity would be cut in half with a slower presentation.

“When I throw a Little John DD on a school of deep post-spawners, I relate it to breaking up a big party,” Crews said. “I bust it up by catching a bunch of fish on the crankbait, then I clean up the crumbs the party left behind with my vacuum cleaners—a big worm, a shaky head or a drop shot. Sometimes those ‘crumbs’ can be pretty big.”

Rely on your rod and reel more than your graphs

While Crews will look for yellow, tight lines on his Lowrance electronics that signify hard bottom composition, he primarily relies on his instincts when locating post-spawners.

“I find a lot more fish with a rod and reel than I do with a depth finder,” Crews said. “I’ve idled over places that look okay without many fish, then turn around and absolutely wear them out. If I passed it over, I would have never caught them.”

Shutting down your graphs and simply “going fishing” is a great way to learn how to interpret the bottom composition of your favorite fishery, according to Crews. He’ll often fish an area without using his graphs, and then turn his graphs back on to see what the breaks really look like. This helps him learn much faster.

“I’ve had tournaments in the past where I busted my transducer and was left without any readings on my electronics,” Crews said. “I felt a little lost at first, but I ended up getting a much better, more thorough feel for my areas. Your rod and reel is a very powerful tool when searching for post-spawn bass.”

Experiment with boat positioning

When approaching a prime post-spawn area for the first time, Crews has one thing on his mind in regard to crankbait fishing—bottom contact. Because he gets the majority of his bites when his crankbaits dredge the bottom, it’s always his number-one concern.

“When you maximize your crankbait’s bottom contact, you maximize your strike zone,” Crews said.

Once he establishes an angle that allows for ample bottom contact, his next order of business is to locate the “trigger angle”. While many anglers may catch a fish and continue fan casting in an area, Crews pays close attention to the details.

“Most deeper, post-spawn areas have that special angle that will help you get more crankbait bites,” Crews said. “There are a lot of factors that many of us, myself included, can overlook at times, such as sunlight angle, baitfish orientation and current direction and speed.”

To find the sweet spot, Crews will circle the underwater structure—whether it’s a break line, ledge or even a hump—until he gets consistent bites at specific angles. He tends to have the most success when casting his crankbait cross-current. As the bass are facing into the current, cross-current presentations allow the bait to cross through their entire field of vision, giving them ample time to react to it.

When he starts catching fish, especially on a Little John DD, Crews makes certain to drop an old fashioned marker buoy to give him a good frame of reference.

“When you find a good school of bass, make sure you drop a marker buoy,” Crews said. “GPS coordinates are good, but buoys don’t move which helps a lot of anglers get a better visualization of their key casting angles.

An open mind is essential when throwing a crankbait for post-spawn bass. If you can find quality drops, know when to throw a crankbait instead of soft plastics, rely on your fishing instincts and experiment with boat positioning, you’ll be able to catch more post-spawn bass on a crankbait this year.

Deep Fishing Spots | Cover Water Quickly

Walker Smith — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

As the spawn dies down in many parts of the country, you can expect the majority of bass to vacate their temporary shallow homes in search of deeper summertime dwellings. Dissecting these deep fishing spots for bass doesn’t always mean dragging soft plastics and staying in one spot for hours on end, however.

Cheez-It pro Shin Fukae’s ability to fish deep quickly propelled him to a recent PAA win on Lake Douglas. While many anglers fished underwater cover slowly and methodically, Fukae visited dozens of spots each day, efficiently covering key pieces of cover.

Prime targets

When the late spring water and early summer water temperatures reach the 70 to 75-degree range, Fukae begins his search for deep cover such as brush piles, rock piles, shell beds, vegetation and timber. In the early post-spawn period, deeper cover close to shallow water is essential for finding big bass. He advises, however, that depth is a relative term in this case.

“The depth of post-spawn cover you’re looking for really depends on what type of lake you’re fishing,” Fukae said. “In some shallow fisheries, a brush pile in 8 feet of water is considered deep, while in deeper, clear lakes I’ll focus on the 20-foot depth range a bit more. Either way, you want to find deep cover adjacent to spawning flats.”

Just because the cover is in deep water doesn’t mean there will be bass present. Fukae looks for submerged cover strategically located in or around “bass highways”—creek and river channels bass use as travel routes to and from deep water. In addition to using these areas as natural pathways, bass will also use these areas to recover from the rigors of the spawn.

“I look for brush located in and around points, in the mouths of short pockets and creeks and in creek channel bends,” Fukae said. “It’s the path of least resistance to deeper water, making them great staging areas for early summer bass.”

Efficiency is key

If you’ve been idling around all day looking for deep cover, it’s tempting to “camp out” when you finally find a good looking area. It’s in the right depth, it’s close to deep water and the conditions are perfect—there must be fish there, right? Fukae takes a much different approach that allows him to fish more productive areas while eliminating dead water.

“At the very most, I’ll make about 5 casts to each piece of cover without getting bit,” Fukae said. “In my opinion, the first couple of casts are simply getting the fish’s attention. If I still can’t get them to bite after a few more casts, I either change baits or move on. There’s too many fish in the lake to get caught up on a single piece of cover.”

As he approaches submerged cover, Fukae prefers to keep his distance so he doesn’t risk spooking wary bass. This extra distance also allows him to use his trolling motor more while frequently changing his casting angles.

“Casting angles are very important—it’s what helped me win the PAA event on Lake Douglas,” Fukae said. “I make about 2 casts at each angle—to the front, the back and the sides. This gives me confidence that the fish have gotten a good look at my bait.”

Change approach to match the conditions

Bass are fierce predators and will use deep cover as ambush points for prey, such as shad and crawfish. In windy conditions, Fukae takes advantage of their instincts by casting into the wind.

“Bass tend to face up-current when they’re positioned on deep cover,” Fukae said. “When baitfish get blown by the wind, the bass will hide in the cover and ambush them as they pass. I cast into the wind to replicate this natural occurrence so my bait will come at the bass head-on.”

In calmer, sunny conditions, you’ll find Fukae making more precise casts to cover. Bass stay tight to cover in these situations, making accurate, deliberate casts much more important.

“I really slow down my approach when fishing in sunny conditions,” Fukae said. “The bait probably isn’t moving around as much and everything underwater is much calmer. A fast or noisy approach can seem very unnatural to bass in these situations, so make sure to slow your presentation. That doesn’t mean you need to sit on a brush pile for hours, but just make your 5 casts count.”

Mistakes to avoid

Fishing deep cover efficiently takes a great deal of time and practice. After years of practice and catching numerous big bags with this technique, Fukae urges anglers to spend time on their electronics.

“You’ve got to idle and watch your graphs—a lot—to find productive areas,” Fukae said. “It’s going to be tough to fish deep cover quickly if you don’t have enough spots to last throughout the day. I dedicate entire days to searching for cover, and as a result I have over 1,000 pieces of deep cover marked on several fisheries. You have to give yourself options.”

Fukae is also a staunch believer in big electronic displays. The large screens help him make better sense of the surrounding bottom composition, therefore allowing him to quickly eliminate areas if the needed factors aren’t present.

“I love my Lowrance Gen2 HDS-10 graphs,” Fukae said. “They help me key in on very small details, especially bottom composition. If your wallet—or spouse—allows you to step up to larger electronics, by all means, do it!”

If you’ve found great looking cover on your graph, don’t get discouraged if you don’t get any bites. This happens to Fukae frequently, but he doesn’t let it fluster him. Instead, he’ll come back to the area throughout the day in hopes of catching them in a feeding period.

“Deep cover bass aren’t going to eat all day, every day,” Fukae said. “They’ll go through periodic feeding windows, making it important to keep checking on your best cover. You can fish a specific piece of cover 4 times and not get any bites, and then catch 20 pounds of fish on your fifth visit. Stay calm, have fun and you’ll hit it right if you keep trying.”

Deep water fishing takes some getting used to, but if you spend time idling and graphing with your electronics, you’ll give yourself the ability to quickly cover deep cover. The more options you uncover, the better chance you have at running across a school of huge bass.

Fishing Deep Early

Jason Sealock — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

If you're like me, you grew up beating the bank with spinnerbaits, crankbaits and worms. The thought of fishing deep never really entered my mind until winter most of the time. I just thought if there was stuff shallow, that's where I'd find a bass. Truth be told that's not irrational thought, but it's a little narrow sighted. Fact is there is "stuff" deep too.

We didn't have fancy side imaging or gps. We had to just fish spots from memory and finding something off the bank was a lot more luck than strategy. Sure I caught fish deep at some point in my youth but it seemed a whole lot easier to just stay on the bank and fish.

Now with the introduction of GPS, Side Scan, Down Scan, contour mapping chips, waypoints, Structure Maps and more, fishing deep has gotten a whole lot easier and savvy anglers have found that it's a way to load the boat much faster once you find a school of bass grouped up away from the bank staging, feeding or otherwise congregating.

But the key in recent years on a lot of pressured fisheries can be moving out early with the first wave of fish. And this is where a few key points can be made about why bass appear to leave the shallows earlier than a lot of anglers think. Here are just four reasons we came up with why you should start looking for deep fishing spots earlier:

Not all bass spawn at the same time
Not all bass spawn
Big fish can spawn earlier
Shallow pressure moves fish

I spent some time filming with Casey Martin and Jamie Horton on Lake Guntersville recently, and they both looked for spots off the bank and away from shallow water even though it was late April and most folks would say the spawn was in full swing on the lake. At first I thought it was a little silly, until both Martin and Horton whacked some nice bass on both of their first stops offshore. Point taken.

Why go deep early

"I've had a 30-pound-plus limit in a tournament fishing a crankbait deep offshore the first week of April," Horton said. "I always look both deep and shallow when I'm preparing for a tournament in the spring. I know some bass move up, spawn and move out earlier than the rest, and if you can be the guy to find them first, you can really do something impressive in a tournament."

"It seems like on good lakes, especially ones like you have on the TVA, if you want to get beat in a tournament, just go into the bays," Martin said. "If you want to win on good lakes like Guntersville, you need to be away from the bank in the spring. Finding those first active schools can be tough but really rewarding for your efforts."

Both agree you can still get lucky and win shallow if you get enough big bites, but they always spend time looking both shallow and deep to fish more thoroughly for bass in all three stages of the spawn.

Go to baits for early deep fishing

Both Horton and Martin did some damage with deep crankbaits, namely the Strike King 5XD and 6XD crankbaits, on our trip to Guntersville. Like we've all heard before and those of us that live on ledge lakes preach, you're just trying to trigger the school into starting a feeding cycle. A deep-diving crankbait can be very effective for doing that.

Martin did a lot of damage with a Picasso Bait Ball umbrella rig on an early ledge spot recently. The umbrella rig has a lot of controversy swirling around it, but Martin has been forced to learn all he can about it because the tournaments he fishes allows it and he has spent a lot of time figuring out how to use it to trigger schools with a fast retrieve with occasional stops.

A big single swimbait can be a good bait to catch some of those early post-spawn females as well we've found. Big worms, football jigs, flutter spoons and other deep water staples can all have their place at times to get a school going or to keep fishing biting when they quit biting another style bass lure.

Where to look deep first

"It sounds redundant but you're looking for the first deep holding spots coming out of the spawning bays and flats," Horton said. "I like finding those long points with some creek channels close to them on the way out of the major spawning bays. And, the best part of those type spots is when you find the fish loaded on one of those type spots, their usually on several other similar spots."

A creek channel that intersects a tapering point toward the mouth of a bay or just out of the bay into the main lake can be a textbook spot to find those early deep bass. Deep is relative of course. Those fish might be up on the last bit of the point near the channel or they may be way up on the point. But they are usually deeper than they were weeks earlier while spawning.

As they leave those bay areas, they work out to the main lake features like humps, main lake points, river channel ledges, deep flats off the ledges and other main lake features where they can relate to structure and run baitfish up on hard bottoms.

Scanning for spots and fishing deep has become a lot more prevalent in the last decade, so getting a jump on those early fish sliding out deep before the big wave of bass does can often be very rewarding, even during the post-spawn period where folks often say bass fishing is the toughest. Some of Horton's best days have been fishing this way while others were still sight fishing and flipping shallow cover. It won't always pan out, but when it does, it's some of the most fun fishing you'll find.

Fishing Stick Worms for Bass in the Spring

Walker Smith — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

By Walker Smith

Stick worms for bass are widely regarded as one of the most simple, yet effective ways to catch more fish. In a time where many soft plastic baits look more like spaceships than bass cuisine, sometimes keeping your bait selection simple can pay big dividends.

Throughout the spring, it’s not uncommon to see Yum pro Matt Reed and Keystone Light pro Brent Ehrler ditch the appendages and opt for the simple, subtle profile of a stick worm. It’s almost impossible to fish a stick worm incorrectly, but Reed and Ehrler have keyed in on a few simple, yet very useful tips.

Throw it early and often

Photo courtesy of FishPAA.com

When the water temperature is in the 55-degree range, Reed instinctively reaches for his favorite stick worm, the Yum F2 Dinger. Although many anglers utilize stick worms solely on light or weightless Texas rigs, he takes a different approach in the early spring.

“Carolina rigging an F2 Dinger on deep points is one of the best ways to catch those sluggish, prespawn bass,” Reed said. “When the water temperature is cold, you always want a very subtle bait without a lot of action. I’ve had some awesome days doing this.”

Ehrler prefers to disregard the water temperature and throw his go-to stick worm, a Gary Yamamoto 5-inch Senko, based only on environmental cues. He’s noticed one important clue that serves as a dead-giveaway for a hot stick worm bite.

“It doesn’t matter what the water temperature is because every lake is different,” Ehrler said. “However, whenever I see fish cruising the shallows, they will, without question, eat a Senko. If the water is wet and bass live in it, you’ll catch them on a Senko.”

A versatile tool for spawning bass

As prespawn bass make their way into spawning coves, Reed uses a small Texas rig to catch roaming bass. He jokingly blames his lack of patience as the primary need for a bullet weight.

“I just don’t like to fish very slow, so I tend to use a 1/16 or 1/8-ounce bullet weight when I’m bed fishing or just covering flats looking for spawners,” Reed said. “You’d think it would hurt your number of bites, but I catch plenty of good fish on it and I can also fish it quicker.”

Both Ehrler and Reed are big believers in “long lining” for spawning bass—a technique in which they locate a bass bed, return at a later time and make very long casts to it with a weightless stick worm. They have fooled countless big bass using this technique.

“If you can make that long cast past the bed before the fish sees you, they will almost always bite on the very first cast,” Ehrler said. “You can land your cast a couple feet to the side of the bed and they’ll actually leave the bed and eat it. It’s crazy how they’ll eat that thing.”

Cover water for cruising post-spawners

It’s a common occurrence to see big, post-spawn bass cruising the shallows. Whether they’re hunting bluegill beds or capitalizing on a recent mayfly hatch, these fish are some of the toughest to catch. To intercept these gypsy bass, Ehrler uses a weightless, Texas-rigged 5-inch Senko as a search bait.

“Again, the biggest key to this technique is making an ultra-long cast,” Ehrler said. “After a long cast, I simply let it free-fall to the bottom, pop it twice and do it all over again. I’m more worried about the initial fall, because that’s how you’ll get 90 percent of your bites.”

Although Reed prefers to target cast a stick worm for post-spawn bass, he echoes Ehrler’s sentiments regarding the importance of the initial fall. He doesn’t leave it in one place too long.

Photo courtesy of FishPAA.com

“I get almost all of my bites on the initial fall when I’m flipping an F2 Dinger to cover,” Reed said. “The only time I try to cover water with a stick worm is when I’m fishing long grass lines. Even then, I’ll twitch it a couple times and keep making casts.”

Wacky rig it for a totally different look

Docks and pontoon boats mean one thing for Ehrler—a wacky rigged stick worm. While he uses a weightless Texas rig to cover water, he puts his wacky rig and spinning gear to work when he’s making quick casts to precise cover.

“You’ll get a lot more action rigging the Senko wacky style,” Ehrler said. “It will fall slower which may require more patience for the angler, but the slow fall will make bass swim from further away to bite it. Any time you need to skip a stick worm into a small area, a wacky rig is the way to go.”

Reed also wacky rigs his F2 Dingers in the post-spawn, but primarily around grass.

“I still don’t work my Dinger too far when it’s wacky rigged, but I’ve found it to be an outstanding choice around grass,” Reed said. “It doesn’t hang up very much and it gives those grass fish a totally different presentation that many people don’t use in those areas.”

Get creative with your presentation

There are endless ways to fish a stick worm, making experimentation essential. For instance, Reed makes good use of nail weights with his F2 Dingers.

“When I really want it to shimmy on the way down, I’ll Texas rig it an insert nail weights sideways,” Reed said. “I’ll actually use 2 or 3 nail weights to match the width of the worm, and I put them in sideways so the Dinger is still pliable.”

Ehrler has had a lot of success fishing a 5-inch Senko on a 1/8-ounce Picasso Shakedown shaky head. While many anglers prefer to Texas rig stick worms, Ehrler finds his approach more erratic on the fall.

“The stick worm will definitely ‘play’ more on a Shakedown,” Ehrler said. “As it falls, the bait and weight are essentially one piece, causing it to spiral. With traditional bullet weights, the bait just follows the weight straight down.”

Equipment suggestions

When fishing a stick worm, Reed uses a 7-foot, medium-heavy Johnny Morris Carbon Lite Casting Rod and 12 to 14-pound Bass Pro XPS Fluorocarbon. In clear water situations, he doesn’t hesitate to downsize to 8-pound test.

If Ehrler is wacky rigging a stick worm, he always opts for spinning gear due to the increased castability. He exclusively uses a 7-foot, heavy action Lucky Craft Reaction 2 Spinning Rod and an Abu Garcia Revo Premier 40 spooled with 12-pound Sunline SX1 Braided Line for the mainline with a 6-foot leader of 8-pound Sunline FC Sniper Fluorocarbon. For the business end, he opts for a 1/0 Gamakatsu Weedless Drop/Split Shot Hook.

When throwing a weightless Texas-rigged stick worm, Ehrler uses a 7-foot, medium-heavy Lucky Craft Pitching Rod with a 7.3:1 Abu Garcia Revo STX spooled with 16-pound Sunline FC Sniper Fluorocarbon. He keeps his hook selection simple with a 4/0 Gamakatsu Offset EWG Hook.

When you hit the water this spring, experiment with these stick worm techniques and develop your own customizations, too. Whether it’s the prespawn, spawn or post-spawn, throwing a stick worm is always a safe bet.

How to Cast to Shallow Cover | The Lost Art

Jason Sealock — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

By Jason Sealock

"I'm not as smart as Kevin Van Dam and I'm not as good as David Dudley; I can just get my baits in some places others can't."

Craig Powers shared that thought with me on a day of fishing Kentucky Lake years ago. At the time, I didn't grasp the importance of knowing how to cast to tight openings in cover, especially in the shallow-water professional fishing game. Not every lake offers great offshore fishing, but most offer windows of opportunity for shallow fishing, especially around cover like laydowns, grass, bushes, overhanging trees, docks and more.

There are 7 things that will improve your shallow casting:

Be Patient
Get in position
Don't throw too hard
Train your thumb and wrist
See your targets
Rods and lines matter
Cast by any means necessary

We'll discuss how to cast better in a minute, but it's probably better to understand why you need to from these pros.

Our casting has gotten lazy

I shared a boat with FLW Tour pro Terry Bolton so we could shoot some video for Wired2fish. Now, I consider myself a decent angler, probably more a student of the game than a guru like those who do it for a living, but I can hold my own most of the time. After spending one day with Terry Bolton, I realized I'd forgotten the importance of making precision casts to and beyond a target.

"I can't hold Andy Morgan's minnow bucket," Bolton said in reference to his own casting. Lord help me, I have a ways to go if that's the case. And so do a bunch of anglers I'm sure. Bolton placed his importance on casting after spending one day as an observer back in 1994 with Andy Morgan. He left the boat that day, deciding he did in fact know nothing about how to cast, and he should probably remedy that if he was going to pursue a professional fishing career.

The fact is with side scanning and offshore fishing becoming more prominent, the desire to dice up shallow cover has dwindled in recent years. Now we're all bombing long casts offshore. Yet, in talking with several pros the last two weeks, the same few names kept coming up as great casters, all who have won or do consistently well fishing shallow: Andy Morgan, Andy Montgomery, Bryan Thrift, Tommy Biffle, Chris Baumgardner and Jason Christie.

One cast is critical, always

Elite Series pro Gerald Swindle probably doesn't view himself as a brilliant caster, but he's mentioned too when it comes to getting a little jig into tight places around a dock. He explained the importance of one cast to me recently.

"I've seen times where one fish meant your whole tournament, even your whole season. Because one 3-pounder late in the day to make the cut, that would seal the deal for you making the Classic was all you needed, and you saw that fish up shallow near a piece of cover. You make a big splash, loud commotion and plunk down on top of it, and the bass is gone with your season. You've got to be able to lay it in there perfectly, quietly, effortlessly. You've got to psyche yourself up like that all the time to keep from getting lazy. Tell yourself that this cast is going to get you that bite you need to make the cut. Put that pressure on yourself to get good with your casting."

Casting as a necessity

FLW Tour pro Andy Morgan won dozens and dozens of tournaments fishing shallow for bass.

"It really pisses me off when I make a bad cast," Morgan said, half joking. "The older I get though, the more I seem to make. I can't always lay it in there perfectly like I used to."

Morgan's father taught him to cast well to shallow cover. Out of necessity, Morgan learned to do it both left and right handed because his father was yanking big bass way up under and behind close cover and if you were behind him there was nowhere to cast right handed. So he had to teach himself how to lay a bait in there quietly with a backhanded left-hand pitch. He would see his father catch em up there and decided he need to learn how to cast his baits way up under and around shallow cover as quietly as possible too.

photo courtesy of FLW / Rob Newell

According to Morgan, Swindle and Bolton, these 7 things will help improve your casting:

1. Patience to target

Yes you'll need to be patient because you're going to back lash, tangle and lose tackle through the process of improving your shallow casting. So stick it out. But more importantly as you get better with casting you need to be patient and not bomb a long cast a good looking piece of cover. Fish what is in front of you a piece of cover at a time.

2. Get in position

This might be the number one rule of being a good caster. There are angles and openings that become apparent in all types of cover depending on where your boat is relative to the target. Don't force a cast into a small opening, if the opening becomes a bit larger by inching forward a few feet on the trolling motor. You'll find that getting in position often allows you to get your bait a lot further back into cover where it's likely other anglers have missed.

3. Don't throw too hard

This is an obvious mistake. We see an opening, we want our bait to go back their ten feet past the opening so we think we need to catapult it in there to get it there. When in essence a good roll cast, with a sufficiently weighted bait and a nice load on a rod will shoot the bait plenty far in and past the cover without causing you so much headache with backlash and tangled lures.

4. Learn the underhand roll cast

This might be a separate article, but essentially, a roll cast is performed with the lure about 8-12 inches from your tip and drawing a circle with your rod tip out to the side from 10 o'clock all the way back around to 10 o'clock. The trick is training your wrist to swirl the bait and rod around sufficiently to load the rod and send the lure shooting very low to the water to its target, thus minimizing the splash and commotion of the cast. You can practice this in your yard or out on open water away from targets.

5. See your targets

The fact is many anglers recognize bass holding targets, but in the anxiety of making a good cast to the target they lose focus on the target and focus on their rod or lure. Always focus on the target the whole cast. And back to No. 2, look ahead for your targets and wait until you're in position to make the proper cast. Don't miss a good presentation because you didn't see the next bush coming.

6. Match rods and line

A 5-foot tall angler will have a hard time roll casting a 7-foot, 6-inch rod. You want to use a rod that you can cast well without hitting the tip on the boat or the water when casting. The longer the rod, the more out instead of down your rod position will be on the cast. The only drawback can be that it's harder to horse fish out of heavy cover with a shorter rod. So use the longest rod you can get away with and still be efficient. Andy Morgan uses a 7-foot, 3-inch a lot, but he's really tall. Bolton likes a 6-foot, 10-inch rod for his stature. Likewise Swindle often uses a 6-foot, 10-inch rod to shoot small jigs way up under docks.

7. Master all the casts

The fact is you don't have to just roll cast. Maybe based on the angle, a pitch, flip or skip, or as Morgan called it a "roll cast with some heat on it", presents the lure more effectively in the cover. Morgan recalled winning a BFL (Redman) Regional on Kerr Lake many years ago fishing behind other guys and pitching a spinnerbait deep behind docks and between docks and pontoons with 3-inch openings. He caught two big key fish right behind another competitor on a set of docks that sealed the win and his All-American berth. The fact was the bass hadn't see a spinnerbait presented in those places, and it paid off with a big win.

Casting, like anything else takes a lot of practice if you want to get really good at it. No amount of reading will do that for you unfortunately. But at least you have an idea of why and how to cast to shallow cover. Take the time to put your baits quietly where the bass don't see many, and these pros guarantee it will improve your fishing.

Spring Bass Fishing with the Micro Bass Grub

Walker Smith — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Jared Lintner shows off one of his favorite ways to catch spring bass

By Walker Smith

Spring bass have a reputation for being especially gullible throughout the spawn—it’s a welcomed occurrence for anglers after enduring a long, brutal winter. As the spawn begins to die down, however, and the last waves of spawners move onto sandy, shallow areas, they can actually become a bit difficult to catch. After being relentlessly pursued for weeks on-end, these wary bass become wise to our tricks.

Tackle Warehouse pro Jared Lintner has found a way to overcome suspicious late spring bass. For the past 2 years, he has been using an ultra-finesse technique that has fooled countless giant bass—he calls it the “micro bass grub”. With a basic understanding of when, where and how to use it, you can make the most out of tricky late spring bass fishing.

What is it?

At one point or another, most of us have caught bass on soft plastic grubs—many of us have probably caught our first bass on it. If you thought that was a finesse technique, Lintner’s technique will make it seem like power fishing.

When rigging his micro grub, Lintner uses a 3/32-ounce Keitech Super Round Tungsten Jig Head for calmer conditions and a heavier 1/8-ounce model for easier casting in breezy conditions. If he’s around particularly large bass or thick cover, he prefers a Jackall Weedless Wacky Jig Head due to its thicker hook and small weed guard. Lintner maintains his ultra-finesse mindset when selecting an appropriate soft plastic bait.

“Don’t be afraid to throw a really small bait with this technique,” Lintner said. “I like to use a 1-inch or 1 1/2-inch Yamamoto Single Tail Grub. They’re loaded with salt and have an excellent swimming action. In reality, you can use other tiny grub models, too, but I have the most confidence with the Yamamotos.”

Where to start

When the fishing gets tough, Lintner turns to his micro bass grub in areas likely to hold both bass and bream beds—shallow, sandy flats. As he approaches these areas with his trolling motor, he keeps an eye out for any white spots on the bottom. These spots are indicative of bass and bream beds, which make them prime candidates for the often-overlooked micro grub.

On popular, heavily pressured fisheries, the majority of anglers power fish with big, bright-colored baits and heavy line. Lintner is a staunch believer that late spring bass get accustomed to these techniques, which lets him take a totally different approach with the micro grub.

“When I’m faced with bass that have been bothered by big, bulky tackle for the entire spring, the micro grub allows me to show them something they’ve probably never seen,” Lintner said. “Basically, if I see a late spring bass on bed or a big bass hovering around a bream bed, it won’t take more than 2 casts to catch them with this technique.”

How to fish it

The biggest key to effectively utilizing the micro grub is making the longest casts you can possibly make. Because Lintner most often uses this technique in clear water, heavy pressure situations, the bass will easily spook if you get too close.

“I like to keep my trolling motor on a fairly low setting and stay far away from the fish,” Lintner said. “Once I get my boat into position, I always want to cast past my target. Whether I’m casting to a visible bed or simply blind casting to shallow cover, I don’t want the grub to plop down on top of the bass.”

Following a long cast, Lintner lets the Single Tail Grub do most of the work. Reeling just fast enough to keep a small bow in his line, he’ll incorporate an occasional twitch or pause as the micro grub rig nears pieces of key cover. He uses extremely light tackle for this technique, so a strike isn’t difficult to detect.

“Whenever you get a bite, you’ll know it,” Lintner said. “Most of the times you’ll feel it in your line, but I’ve noticed a similarity with a lot of the bigger fish I’ve caught on it—a lot of times you’ll just see your line slowly swimming to the side. You don’t want to go crazy on your hookset with such light tackle, so just reel and smoothly sweep on the hookset.”

Conditions to look for

Because the micro grub technique calls for such a lightweight jig head, wind is not necessarily your friend in this case. A slight breeze, however, is a very different story.

“I like sunny conditions with a small ripple on the water,” Lintner said. “Too much wind will not only mess up your casting, but it will also hinder your ability to feel the bait, which is a big deal when fishing the micro grub.”

If you’re faced with cloudy conditions, don’t give up on the micro grub altogether. Although the location of bass may not be as easy to predict with the decreased visibility, it also doubles as an effective search bait, too.

“This rig isn’t as easy to use in cloudy conditions, but it will still definitely catch fish,” Lintner said. “I’ll just get on sandy, shallow flats and fan cast it to probable bedding areas—they’ll still bite it.”

Equipment and color selection

According to Lintner, there are two key factors to your equipment selection for throwing the micro grub—a high-quality rod and excellent line. Due to its fast taper and powerful butt-section, Lintner exclusively uses a 6-foot, 8-inch medium-light action G. Loomis GLX Spinning Rod.

When it comes to his reel and line selection, he trusts 6-pound Sunline FC Sniper and a Shimano Sustain Spinning Reel.

“I’ll definitely take my chances with the light tackle,” Lintner said. “I’ve caught fish up to 12 pounds on the micro grub around heavy cover. If you just hold steady and avoid getting in a big hurry and horsing them in, they usually swim away from cover. They’ll initially want to go in there, but if you just hold pressure on them, they’ll come right out and you’ll get ‘em.”

Regardless of the conditions, Lintner keeps his grub color selection very simple. Because of the abundance of small baitfish and bluegill that inhabit the shallows during the spring, he chooses natural colors.

“99 percent of the time, I’m throwing very subtle, non-aggressive colors,” Lintner said. “My favorites are green pumpkin, watermelon and watermelon red flake.”

If you’re dealing with spooky, stubborn fish this spring, break out the lightest tackle you have and try the micro grub. Although it may seem dainty, your opinion may be changed when you see the fish it will catch.

Small Waters | Stock a Fish; Grow a Record

Jason Sealock — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

By Mike Pehanich

Lake management expert Nate Herman knows a thing or two about growing big fish, but his records aren’t the only ones that prove “ transplants” grow biggest and best.

The accumulation of state record data adds weight to Herman’s contention that extremely large fish are:

usually introduced to a body of water after they have grown past the perilous early stages of fish life, and ...
generally few in number for their species in the water they grew up in!

When Nate Herman calls, I listen

A discussion about lake and farm pond management practices with Nate, the mind behind Herman Brothers Pond Management, sets my mind reeling for weeks on end.

Herman creates countless fisheries, from tiny ponds to lakes of several hundred acres. Some of his waters have such varied and complex structure and biodiversity that, had you come blindfolded, you would swear you were fishing a vast reservoir.

Musky sighting

Last week, Herman sent me photos of a musky and hybrid striper caught at one of the lakes he manages. The musky photo showed a fat 42-incher that he might have passed off as a 42-pounder were the truth not in him. The hybrid striper was thick and well fed, to say the least.

The musky was only four years old!

Neither catch surprised me. Herman often grows huge fish on lakes he has designed or managed. But the recent catches compelled the Peoria, Ill.-based lake maker to reflect on the reasons behind his success.

“Whether the species is smallmouth bass, catfish, hybrids, crappie…we can always grow the fish we stock into big fish. Why?” Herman asked himself. “With any game fish, the first year or two of life is pretty rough in a pond, small lake or even a big body of water. But when we can grow a fish first at a hatchery pond or fish farm or sanctuary of some sort, they really have a chance to grow into trophy fish.”

What particularly interested Nate was that it didn’t matter if he had tailored lake management practices to a specific species. He often could grow giant fish -- largemouth bass, smallmouth, hybrid stripers or muskellunge -- with multiple species in the same body of water.

His memory flooded with more examples, and the questions each raised. Why , for instance, was the rare catfish always growing to big proportions in a pond where bass “stunted out” at 12 inches?

In most cases, the lone or “outsider” species wasn’t reproducing.

Controlling numbers of the species reduced competition in the niche the fish occupied. They may even have spared individual fish the stress of annual spawning.

State record fish catches also convinced him he could turn this knowledge into a fisheries management principle.

“I’ve really dug into it, and I’m finding that state record fish basically are stocked fish,” he assesses. “Rarely do you find a trophy of record proportions that is born in a given body of water and has lived in that body of water his whole life.”

Herman’s observation got me thinking, too, about countless records and fish anecdotes. I recalled a northern pike from a private strip mine lake that briefly held the Illinois state record. I used to fish that lake regularly with friends, and rare indeed were the pike we caught.

My fishing buddy John Hynds manages a 28-acre lake with an abundance of relatively small carp but nary a big buglemouth in the bunch! My cousins, on the other hand, own a farm pond that everyone believed to be carp-free -- until a 35 pounder surfaced one day.

Head start program

Herman has been applying this simple principle to pond and lake management practices.

“I am growing bigger fish by stocking them at one to two years old,” he explains. “I am especially applying this to managing smallmouth in ponds. We can grow really big smallmouth just by stocking fish at a slightly advanced stage of development. You really don’t need them to reproduce. In fact, the research on stocking sterile largemouth bass seems to indicate we can grow almost all these fish to three or four… on up to six or seven pounds.”

Food source

The management logic goes beyond stocking a fish too big to get eaten, too, Herman stresses. Fish need an adequate food source at each stage of their development! And sparking an early growth spurt helps them in multiple ways.

“Often by stocking musky at 12 to 16 inches, they have a much better chance of growing big,” he explains. “If they are only eight to 10 inches when they enter the system, yes, they can be eaten, but they also may not have a food source sufficient for them to do well, to hunt effectively.”

He has stepped outside the box to apply the principle to stunted bass populations, too.

“People think I am insane when I tell them to stock 50 14-inch bass per acre in a lake with a bass population stunted at 12 inches,” Herman said. “The key point is that stunted fish are old by the time they reach 12 to 14 inches. But once a fish gets past the (size) hump of that population, it finds so much food available!”

Mike Pehanich is publisher of Mike Pehanich’s Small Waters Fishing website (www.smallwatersfishing.com ) featuring videos, articles, multi-species angling tips, and in-depth information on small waters fishing and management.

How to Swim a Jig for Bass around Other Cover

Jason Sealock — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

By Jason Sealock

Some bass fishing techniques still excite us year after year when that "certain bite is on" as fishermen say. Swimming a jig for me is one of those techniques. I'm fond of sight fishing and love to flip bushes. But there is just something about the kind of hits you get on a swim jig that really gets me amped about fishing shallow. So I picked the brains of four Elite Series pros who have reputations as great "jig swimmers" to see what we could learn about how to swim a jig around shallow cover and not just grass.

James Niggemeyer not only fishes professionally but also guides full-time down on Lake Fork. Over the years his eyes have been opened to the effectiveness of a swim jig by other pros like Bill Lowen. Lowen is often referred to in swim jig discussions because he's proven how efficient it is for pressured bass. Jamie Horton has won more than 100 tournaments in his career and a large percentage has come "swimming." Randy Howell won the first E-50 tournament on Lake Dardanelle "power swimming" a jig and uses it often in competition.

In talking with four successful swim jig anglers, there are essentially 6 things you need to know to be good with a swim jig in bass fishing:

Swim it high
Power swim to slow the bait
Contact the cover
Take a step towards the bass
No cover necessary
Tackle matters

Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S./Bill Lowen fights a bass to the boat on a swim jig

Keep it up

All four anglers agree that it's a high in the water column retrieve that often produces better. They want the fish to see it and come get it rather than dangling it right in front of them. So they will keep the swim jig usually within sight the whole cast. And for that reason, all agree it's more effective in stained to more clear water.

"I reel it slow and high in the water column and it doesn't seem to matter whether it's sunny, cloudy, raining or windy," Lowen said. "I haven't found one magic condition where they bite it better. It comes through all sorts of cover but I like to keep a visual on the jig when I swim it."

Pump the rod for longer strike zones

Howell and Horton advocate swimming a jig with a series of rod pumps. The will hold their rod at about 10 o'clock and pump the rod tip succesively to cause the jig to pulse through the water.

This action makes the skirt and trailer pulse as it ticks through cover, but more importantly, it slows the bait's forward progression. It seems to cause the bait to stall half the time and what you end up with is a very active jig that stays in the strike zone longer.

"I call it power swimming," Howell said. "It can be a lot of work to swim a jig this way, but at times it's the best way to present a jig to pressured, spawning or otherwise leary bass."

It bears mentioning that Lowen and Niggemeyer almost exclusively just swim the jig with no rod pumping. So a straight retrieve obviously works too. But that power swim gives the fish more of a chance to get the bait when they are sometimes leary due to pressure and can give you a good way to free a jig of cover more naturally.

Cover contact draws big bass

Horton gave up one of his best kept secrets and admitted he might have angered a few friends over it. Over the course of hundreds of tournaments, he has witnessed many of his biggest swim jig bass have come when his jig actually "hung up" for a second on the cover.

"It seems like when that jig actually hangs on a limb or a clump of grass and then you pop it a couple of times to free it, the bigger bass take that as an opportunity to get an easy defenseless meal," Horton said.

For that reason, he constantly tries to work angles where he can catch the corner of likely bass-holding cover and almost stop his jig for a second before continuing with a retrieve. Swim jigs are relatively snagfree, so he often upsizes to a 1/2-ounce jig to keep in good contact with the cover and not "ride over" it too much.

Give the bass one step to increase hookups

Another great tip from Horton was a simple but extremely effective way to increase your hookups with a swim jig. Most folks want to jerk when they see or feel the violently strikes you often get on a swim jig. To combat this, Horton has developed a one-step approach to hooking more swim jig bass.

As the bass strikes, Horton turns his body towards the fish and takes a step towards the bass. This forces an additional amount of line to take up and causes him to reel down quickly for another second. This gives the bass time to turn with the jig in its mouth. The pause, reel down and turn gives him a rock hard hookset nearly every time. This technique is very similar to waiting on a frog bite.

Cover optional

Good swim jig areas don't only involve swimming it over grass.

"I love a swim jig around stumps or transition areas where a creek channel winds through a flat or maybe comes in close to the bank," Niggemeyer said.

When they fish around grass they will hit the points, cuts, holes in the grass and anywhere that a bass can ambush something passing by the cover. Grass is the best option for Lowen, but he also likes it around stumps, laydowns, rip rap, chunk rock banks. Niggemeyer has had big catches on completely barren looking banks, like off of ditches running through a flat or barren banks other anglers may just skip in a highly pressured tournament.

"I've caught swim jig bass off nearly every type of cover you can encounter and on banks completely void of cover," Lowen said. "You can run it down a log and flutter it just like a spinnerbait and draw some awesome strikes."

Tackle matters

All four anglers fish only braid, mostly 30-pound braid or better. Lowen reaches for Spiderwire or Stren Braid while Niggemeyer prefers Tuff Line XP. They need power to horse on fish around cover, but they also want maximum castability with the swim jigs.

Lowen uses a 1/4 ounce D&L Swim Jig that he designed 90 percent of the time. Occasionally in really cold water he'll use a 3/16 ounce D&L Baby Advantage jig. He likes to tip his jigs with one of three types of trailers – a do-nothing trailer, a flapping trailer and a curly leg trailer. For the do-nothing trailer he'll thread a Tightlines UV Craw, for the flapping trailer he likes something like a NetBait Paca Craw and for the curl tails he likes Tightlines UV twin tail on it.

Niggemeyer loves the Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover swim jig in either 1/4-ounce or 3/8 ounce if he's following those bottom contours.

Howell prefers a Lunker Lure Skip and Swim jig that has the weight further bank on the shank with a smaller head to give the jig a narrow profile for slithering through dense cover easily. He usually tips it with a Yamamoto Single or Twin Tail Grub. He often uses a high contrast grub like white on a dark jig and vice versa to give the bait more flash in the water.

Horton on the other hand prefers a Dirty Jigs Swim Jig in 3/8 or 1/2 ounce because he feels that cover contact is critical and he doesn't want his jig riding over the cover but instead crashing through it. He will thread a NetBait Kickin B Chunk on the jig for more turbulence and attraction.

Lowen uses a rod he's designing with Castaway rods that he described as having a flipping backbone with a spinnerbait tip. It gives him a lot of accuracy on the cast but a lot of power to move fish out of cover too. Niggemeyer opts for a St. Croix Legend Tournament Carolina-rig rod again with a stout back bone but some tip action for casting. All use the fastest baitcasters they can get because swim jig bass attack aggressively and you need to take up line fast on a strike.

Simple colors count

All four anglers keep colors simple – Black and blue, bluegill and a shad pattern. One of those three colors will work at any given time.

But Lowen gave great advice on changing colors and trailers on the fly.

"I've learned through many years of throwing swim jigs that you can tell which part of the swim jig you have wrong, just by how the fish reacts to the lure," Lowen said. "If they are following the jig but never attacking, your color is wrong. If they are coming up and bumping or nipping at the jig, your trailer action is wrong."

It was hard for each angler to name a specific swim jig time where it bailed them out of a tournament situation.

"I can't name one time where the swim jig saved me because I always have one tied on," Lowen said. "It's like Dean Rojas with his Spro Frog. I have so much confidence in my D&L Swim Jig that I don't ever leave the dock without at least one tied on and when it's my main pattern, I'll have four or five swim jig rods rigged.

"I tell folks in my seminars, the easiest way to get good with a swim jig is to just fish it where you would fish a spinnerbait. But you'll find that it comes through cover so well, that it can go places where spinnerbaits and chatterbaits can't."

Left: Strike King Hack Attack Swim Jigs with Rage Tail Grubs and Swimmin' Caffiene Shads. Right: D&L Bill Lowen Swim Jigs with grubs and Paca Craws.

4 Tips for Better Crankbait Fishing

Walker Smith — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Small, easy changes can lead to big increases in your crankbait fishing success

By Walker Smith

Crankbait fishing is widely misunderstood. While many brand it as a technique as simple as casting and reeling, paying attention to the smallest details will greatly increase your catch.

I have the opportunity to take a lot of novice anglers fishing when I guide trips on my home lake, and over the years, I have found 4 effective ways to land more crankbait fish. It’s important to understand that there isn’t a “right” or “wrong” way to fish a crankbait, but the following tips have helped both myself and my clients enjoy more success on the water.

Keep your rod tip at a 45-degree angle to your target

One of the biggest mistakes anglers make when crankbait fishing is holding their rod tip at a 90-degree angle to their target. When I first started crankbait fishing, I did the same thing—it feels most natural at first. Try to fight that instinct whenever possible.

When you hold the rod in this manner, you don’t leave yourself enough room or leverage to set the hook. If a bass happens to bite when you’re in this position, you’re left having to torque your back in order to make up for your decrease in leverage. Doing so results in a delayed hookset and it also takes you out of position to counter any strong runs or jumps the bass may make. I jokingly refer to this as being “caught with your pants down”.

Instead, try to keep your rod tip at a 45-degree angle to your target. When a bass bites your crankbait, you leave yourself an additional 45 degrees to lean into your hookset while also staying in position to effectively fight the fish. This approach also allows the bass to eat the entire crankbait and get both hooks in its mouth, therefore increasing your chances of landing it.

Make sure to keep your rod tip low to the water

When you fish a crankbait with a high rod tip, you’re immediately taking the control from yourself and giving it to the fish. If you get bit with your rod tip in the air, you have to make an extra, downward movement in order to get into fish-fighting position.

This position can also tempt you to set the hook upward when you get a bite. When a bass eats your crankbait, you want to drive the hooks that are on the bottom on the bait into its mouth. Pulling upward on the hookset drives the top of the crankbait—the part with no hooks—into the top of the fish’s mouth, resulting in a decreased probability of getting a solid hookup.

To counter this issue, simply keep your rod tip low to the water. I prefer to keep my rod tip approximately one foot above the surface. When I sweep to the side on the hookset, this technique makes sure that I am driving the hooks downward into the mouth of the bass. If you combine a low rod tip with a 45-degree angle to your target, you’re going to notice an immediate improvement.

There’s one exception to this tip. When fishing in ultra-shallow water, sometimes you have to “high stick” your crankbait to avoid snagging vegetation or other cover. If you find yourself in this situation, make sure to give the bass a little “tip” when it bites. Pointing the tip of the rod toward the bass will give you a little extra time to drop the rod tip and get into position to execute a proper hookset.

Pull, don’t snatch

This is a mistake that I still make sometimes. Assuming you’ve got your rod tip dropped and at a 45-degree angle, always pull on a crankbait hookset—don’t snatch. When you snatch the crankbait during the hookset, you’re actually pulling the bait away from the bass before they can really eat it.

Next time you get a crankbait bite, reel a couple times to ensure a solid hookup and then swiftly sweep your rod tip to the side. You’ll hook more fish than you’ll lose with this technique.

Play the bass slowly

We always see pros on television making huge hooksets and skiing bass across the top of the water. That type of approach is necessary at times, but try not to do that with crankbait fish. I had a guy in my boat lose a 7-pounder on a crankbait a couple of weeks ago because he “horsed” it too much.

You can categorize the majority of crankbait bites into 2 categories—“pops” and “stops”. Most, but not all, smaller fish tend to pop the crankbait. When I feel this, I sweep to the side and slowly reel it in. Nothing too crazy. Sounds simple, right?

It gets more interesting when you get a good, old fashioned “stop”. It’s either going to be a giant bass or a big stump. Either way, it’s important to always set the hook. I’ve seen a lot of folks mistake a 5-pounder for a stump and get their hearts broken when they didn’t set the hook. If your line stops, set the hook. You can always get your crankbait unhung, but you can’t make that big bass bite again.

When I lay into a big crankbait bass, I drop to one knee on my front deck. Not to be dramatic, but to discourage the bass from jumping. While I am on one knee, my rod tip is underwater—the lower you keep your rod tip, the more unlikely the bass is to jump.

If I feel a big head shake, I stop reeling and keep steady pressure on the fish. It’s important to remember that you don’t have the bass in these situations—the bass has you. Let the bass do what it wants to do. When the head shakes stop, slowly reel the fish in while remaining on one knee. Not only does this discourage jumping, but it also puts you in position to quickly belly land a big bass if you’re without a net.

This is a great time of year to be cranking, so try these quick tips next time you’re chunking a crankbait around. Everyone does things a little different, but I’ve seen proper rod angles, a methodical hookset and patient fish fighting greatly improve anglers’ crankbait success.

Spinnerbait Tips for Spring Bass

Jason Sealock — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

By Jason Sealock

What's up? In this article, let's just say the bass are. There are lots of ways to catch bass in the spring, but for some reason, the spinnerbait seems to have taken a backseat to swimbaits, Senkos, Chatterbaits and other trendy tackle. But several anglers still rely heavily on the spinnerbait for bass in the prespawn, spawn and post spawn periods of spring.

Elite Series pro Keith Combs employs a spinnerbait a lot in his fishing, and his experience on multiple fishing tours travelling the country, especially around Texas, has taught him some valuable input on spinnerbait applications around the bass spawn.

These simple tips will help you catch more spinnerbait bass in the spring:

Fish high for warming bass
Go small for spawners
Scatter fry like turkeys
Bump the shad
Go big on tackle

Follow the bass upward in the prespawn

"Prespawn is easily my favorite time to throw a spinnerbait," Combs said. "The big females suspend up in the water column to sun themselves in cold water. They're not ready to spawn yet and generally I catch them best around standing timber or over other cover in stained water."

The early spring bass tend to relate to cover but they are up in the water column. So many bass anglers will miss them fishing crankbaits and bottom bouncing baits like jigs. Those warming trends can really get big bass up higher in the water column.

"It's not a numbers deal for me," Combs said. "But it's a 30-pound limit deal. You don't get a bunch of bites fishing like this, but you get big ones."

Combs runs his bait slow fishing it 5-8 feet down over 12-15 feet of water with standing timber on a lot of lakes he frequents all through Texas and various lakes across the country. The fish that come up and suspend in the tops of the trees will react to a big slow rolling spinnerbait. Combs likes a willow Colorado combination in a 3/4 ounce Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover spinnerbait.

Spin small for bedding bass

Comparatively speaking, Combs reaches for a much smaller spinnerbait when the bass move to the beds. Most guys put the spinnerbait away when bass are on the beds, but Combs has found that big bed guarding bass will crush a 1/4-ounce Strike King Baby Burner Spinnerbait.

He targets heavy cover-laden banks and that 1/4 ounce burner and small blades pulls through and over cover easily. The spinnerbait gives him an advantage over flipping and pitching because he can target a lot of cover on a single cast and find active fish without even having to see them.

But he admits that spawn is still very situational for spinnerbaits. "I like those dark, cloudy days with some wind when they are bedding for using a spinnerbait. It's a lot more effective when you can't sight fish or flip well because of wind. "

You want fries with that shake

There is definitely at time after the spawn when spinnerbaits produce well for Combs again – fry guarders. After the bass have guarded the nest and their offspring are hatched, they will spend more time lurking in the shallows seeking cover for the fry to hide as they watch and ward off fry eaters. This makes them vulnerable to a blade again.

Combs opts for a big blade in the post spawn. He likes a 1/2 ounce Hack Attack Heavy Cover spinnerbait with a big willow leaf blade on it. He's purposely trying to get the fry around bushes and wood cover to scatter so he can draw the attention of momma. The round head of the Hack Attack spinnerbait comes through cover easily.

The other spawn

Another time when bass seemingly get "dumb" involves the spawning of their favorite bait fish. When Combs fishes lakes with shad, he will throw a blade on a fast retrieve and keep his bait up near the top.

"You know you're in the right area when you feel shad bumping your blade all the way back to the boat," Combs said. "I will work areas of hard bottoms, floating docks, shallow cover fast trying to draw shad to my bait and likewise bass."

Go big on spinnerbait tackle

Because Combs has caught some big bass on Texas lakes and all over the country for that matter, he really beefs up his tackle when spinnerbait fishing around the spring spawn. He likes 25-pound Seaguar Abraz-X in the prespawn fishing wood cover and hoping to catch double digit bass around said cover. After the prespawn, he drops down to 20-pound Seaguar Tatsu.

He'll use a stouter rod in the prespawn, choosing a Power Tackle PG144 rod because the fish are much bigger then. All the rest of the time he'll use a Medium Heavy PG 143 Power Tackle rod with a 7.3:1 gear ratio reel. He likes the faster speed because those big fish swim fast and he needs to be able to take up a lot of line to get a good hookset as those fish notoriously seem to swim right at him at high speed.

The spinnerbait has become slightly passé in recent years, and Combs admitted he still switches to a vibrating jig or swim jig at times. He, however, always seems to end up back at the spinnerbait because he's developed so much confidence in it as a big fish bait. He uses heavy line, strong rods and spinnerbaits with stout hooks because as he says, "It catches big ones in the spring."

Breaking Down Flats for Spring Bass

Walker Smith — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:10:00 GMT

There’s a method to Stephen Browning’s madness

By Walker Smith

Many bass anglers look forward to spring bass fishing throughout the entire year. When spring finally arrives and bass begin roaming flats in search of warmer water and bedding areas, it gives us the ability to chase after them with a plethora of moving baits—the key word being “chase”.

Bass fishing flats isn’t as straight forward as it may sound. Instead of wandering around shallow water areas hoping to luckily intercept a big bass, LIVETARGET pro Stephen Browning considers 4 key elements that can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary one.

•   Structure and cover
•   Weather
•   Presentation
•   Timing

Pay close attention to structure and cover

In many fisheries, the majority of flats are adorned with some sort of depth change. Whether it is a small, 2-foot depth change or a large drain resulting from fluctuating water levels, Browning considers these small variations essential when dissecting flats.

“You absolutely have to use your electronics to find the depth change—that is always my first step,” Browning said. “Start out at the very beginning of the flat and try to find a small drainage ditch that leads into it. You need to find the highway the fish are using to travel to and from the flat.”

He also makes it a point to monitor the bottom composition. Bass don’t prefer muck-covered bottoms, especially in the spring. As they prepare to spawn, they will be on the lookout for hard bottom areas, such as sand or gravel. Without a hard bottom, your search for big bass will be hindered.

His next order of business is finding any available cover on the flat such as stumps, rock piles or submerged vegetation. As he makes his way onto the flat, Browning uses a wide variety of search baits to simply feel for cover. Whenever he notices his bait deflect off of something, he takes advantage of his electronics.

“Every time I feel my bait hit something, I make sure to enter a waypoint on my graph,” Browning said. “This helps me fish more efficiently when I come back to it. Instead of bombing casts to low percentage areas, I’m able to pinpoint exactly what I’m casting to. Sure, bass will roam around on these flats and you can catch those fish, but they’d much rather be snugged-up to some type of cover.”

Two conditions are necessary

When he’s looking for productive bass fishing on flats, Browning has noticed two key conditions that are essential for his success—wind and direct sunlight. Although one or the other is sufficient for big bass, both of the conditions combined can lead to some huge catches.

“A really bright, sunny day really makes spring bass jump onto the flats,” Browning said. “They’re not always up there to feed, either. Most of the time they’re just searching for warm water.”

Wind is also critical as it churns the water and increases oxygen levels. Whenever there is an increase in the oxygen level, both the bass and baitfish become more active and easier to find.

“Catching fish on moving baits is always easier with wind,” Browning said. “It lets the bass use cover as a current break and ambush point. They’ll sit on the downwind side of a stump and just wait for a group of shad to get blown by. The fish get positioned better which makes them easier to pinpoint.”

On bright, sunny days, Browning turns to 3 specific baits. If he notices a lack of wind, he’ll throw a Z Man Original Chatterbait Elite on a 7-foot medium-heavy St. Croix Legend Extreme paired up with a 6.4:1 Lew’s Team Gold Speed Spool Casting Reel and 16-pound Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon.

If there’s a stiff breeze blowing, he covers water with a Koppers LIVETARGET Crawfish Squarebill Crankbait and a Koppers LIVETARGET Golden Shiner Vibration Trap, both on a 6-foot, 10-inch medium-action St. Croix Mojo Glass Crankbait Rod teamed with a 6.4:1 Lew's BB-1 Speed Spool Casting Reel.

Presentation is always important

Regardless of the conditions, Browning usually begins his approach focused on the depth change. Even if it’s just a small depression in the middle of the flat, bass will use it as a travel route. Using this method, he’s noticed 2 presentations that work better than others.

“If the flat is laid out correctly, I really prefer to parallel any available break lines,” Browning said. “Even if the bass aren’t particularly active, they’ll slide off the flat and sit on those break lines.”

You’ll also find him throwing his bait onto the flat and retrieving it towards deeper water. For instance, if the average depth of the flat is 3 feet, it’s not uncommon to see his boat sitting in 6 to 8 feet of water. In a way, this gives him the best of both worlds.

“This presentation lets me make long casts onto the flat to pick off the more aggressive fish while also allowing me to target the more inactive fish that may be suspended along the break line,” Browning said. “It’s a good way to fish for two different types of fish.”

Timing is a big deal

Many of us consider early spring mornings to be the best time to draw a strike from a big bass. While Browning doesn’t necessarily disagree, he’s found flats to be most productive during a totally different timeframe.

“Early in the morning is good, but the early afternoon is the prime time for targeting flats,” Browning said. “During the springtime, that’s usually the warmest period of the day, which is when the bass will flock to these areas. If I’m fishing during the spring and notice my temperature gauge bump up a couple degrees, you can bet I’ll be headed towards a nearby flat.”

If he fishes a flat thoroughly without getting a quality bite, Browning doesn’t just give up on it. Many times, after letting the area rest for an hour or two, he’ll revisit it. Bass move onto flats in short spurts throughout the day, so never get discouraged if you have a slow start.

“Ideally, I want to find several places where I can establish a pattern and rotate areas throughout the day,” Browning said. “You may only get one bite at a time, but more times than not it’s a big bite. If you have enough areas, you can have a fat sack at the end of the day.”

When you’re on the water this spring, don’t just pass by those light blue areas on your GPS map. Flats offer some of the best fishing of the spring and if you follow Browning’s advice, you’ll probably end up using a few more “sick” days than anticipated.

Veteran Pro Versus Young Pro Fishing Sponsorship Debate

Jason Sealock — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:23:00 GMT

Anti-Swindle rant belies fact that youth is not ready to be served

By Ronell Smith

“Help me make sense of this,” said the voice on the other end of the line. “How is it that B.A.S.S. and FLW sponsors keep recycling the same pros?”

At this point, I had yet to say a word. The person speaking (loudly) into my ear was doing all of the talking and didn’t appear willing to give up the floor. All I got in was, “What do you mean?” before the fusillade tore into me.

“I just saw that B.A.S.S. signed Diet Mountain Dew as a sponsor, and what do you know? Gerald Swindle’s mug is right there on the page. He’s now one of [Diet Mountain Dew's] roster of athletes. Give me a break ... Hear me out, I have nothing against Gerald personally, but why in the heck would a big sponsor like Diet Dew, who can have whoever they want, recycle him or any of these other guys, like Ike or Skeet, when they have their pick of quality young pros?”

Well, that’s quite a way to enjoy your lunch.

Needless to say, I went to Bassmaster.com and saw what the caller was making such a ruckus about. Diet Mountain Dew signed a one-year sponsorship for all B.A.S.S tournament circuits, which includes the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series, and Swindle was indeed listed as one of the Diet Dew pros.

I get it: marketable, well-liked, popular pro and good stick seems a good fit for a brand that is synonymous with the young, hip, in-crowd, whether they are skate boarders, bikers, surfers...or anglers. Say what you want about Swindle, he’s anything but stodgy, and by most folks’ standards, he’s, well, hip. Oh, and by the way, last time I checked, he’s good on the water, too, with 13 Classic appearances and more than $1.4 million dollars in winnings from B.A.S.S. alone.

But the caller wasn’t attacking Swindle’s prowess on the water. Neither, mind you, was he attacking Swindle personally. No, his complaint was “Why are these companies choosing established vets, who’ve had their time, over an up-and-comer?”

Ready for this? Because sponsors are smart. That’s why.

“Name me one up-and-comer who’ll give Diet Dew a better bang for their buck,” I shot back, tired of listening to the rant.

[Ed. note: I often get calls from folks who, whether to feel me out for information or because I have a willing ear, gossip or carry on more than they should about a company or pro. This call resonated because (a) it came from a industry person I’m not accustomed to hearing rant and (b) he was flat-out wrong.]

To be sure, this is not exactly what I told the person on the phone, but I’ll give you 3 reasons Diet Dew, or any sponsor for that matter, is wise to consider a vet like Swindle over some of the young guns.

The vets get it. Talk to a grizzled vet for any length of time, and you come away knowing one thing for sure: They know it’s not just about little green fish. They realize that sponsors’ commitments, being an ambassador for the sport and lengthening their career are paramount. They aren’t trying to wow you with their exploits on the water or convince you that they’re better than KVD.

In other words, they see the big picture, which means they know it’s not all about them. They have come to realize that if they can catch ‘em sometimes but are always good to the sport, to sponsors and to fans, karma is good to them. And they reap the rewards, as they should.

I remember asking Swindle, in 2009, what the response was from grizzled vets like Denny Brauer upon hearing the former signing a new sponsor. “You kidding me? Denny is great. He’s happy. He says, ‘Get it while you can. You earned it.’”

The youth need seasoning. I’ve yet to work with most of the latest crop of young anglers, but I’m frequently on the phone with their sponsors, and because of that I can safely attest to what I’m about the write: Many of them are not ready for the big time. Yeah, they can catch ‘em, but the little things are lacking.

Little things like honoring sponsors’ commitments; damning sponsors’ products in public. Let me be clear, I’m not saying all young pros engage in said behavior; I’m also not saying some vets don’t do the same things.

However, as the sponsor for one of the hottest young sticks recently said to me, “It’s like he just doesn’t get the business side of things. The fishing...he’s good there. But things like forgetting—or refusing—to talk about a lure is a problem. And when you’re in contention to win, and a media member asks what you are using, you can’t say, ‘no comment’ ... not when that’s the only chance you might have to help the company.”

I’ve heard this complaint often.

The arrogance is undeniable. I’m guessing I’m not alone here, but the level of arrogance emanating from some of the young, successful pros is beyond comprehension. I see that with my own eyes. I hear it with my own ears. In conversation, it’s all about how “I’m better than KVD”; “I’d have caught 25 pounds today, were it not for [put generic blame-anyone-but-me comment here]”; and “My sponsors need to step it up, or I’m not going to be with these guys next year.”

The one that always—always—gets me is the “I’m better than KVD” fiction. By what standard of measurement I wonder. But it’s nearly always said. The most worrying of all, though, is how some young pros totally look over providing any assistance to sponsors. I’ve heard them say, “I fish for a living. I don’t get paid to work shows.”

Oh, really. Read your contract, Einstein. The worst of all, and the one that I’ve personally been stung by is ignoring the chance to give a sponsor some publicity by refusing to return calls, even if the sponsor himself practically begs them.

I get it. They’re busy, right? Hmm... I’ve had Swindle call me, whispering, from a tree stand in Kansas; Skeet has returned my call on a Sunday, on the way to a World Series game; Pete Ponds has pulled himself away from actual work to listen to me ask dumb questions; and Mike McClelland has never let a voicemail go unanswered.

I can name several young pros who have yet to return more than a dozen calls and texts each, not including those from a (big-name) sponsor.

I, like most of you, would love to see the young pros get it together, as a whole, and take their career to the heights they envision. In the meantime, I’m happy Swindle, Ponds, Ike, Reese and McClelland won’t be making it easy for them any time soon.

Ronell Smith, whose blog can be found here, is widely considered a tackle expert and business insider for the sportfishing industry. Follow him on Twitter and FaceBook to learn more about the business side.

Small Crankbait Fishing in the Early Spring

Walker Smith — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Downsize your crankbait to catch bigger fish in the early spring, according to Brandon Palaniuk

By Walker Smith

Crankbait fishing is a phenomenal way to catch big bass throughout the early spring. When the fish start to venture to warmer, shallower water to shake off the chill of the winter, they become especially susceptible to smaller crankbaits.

Rigid Industries pro Brandon Palaniuk has enjoyed a great deal of success in his early career, with many of his heavy limits coming on small crankbaits. With some basic understanding of early spring bass behavior and small crankbait techniques, you’ll be able to enjoy some outstanding bass fishing throughout this early spring.

Where to start your search

We always hear about anglers utilizing wood cover during the spring, but many of us tend to overlook docks. They may not be as eye catching as a good looking blowdown, but Palaniuk jumps as the chance to fish docks for big, prespawn females.

“Docks that have a little flat on the shallow side with a good break midway down them are ideal places to use small crankbaits in the early spring,” Palaniuk said. “Bass will position on those breaks while using the docks as cover.”

During this time of year, it’s not uncommon to see multiple bass sitting under a single dock. If they ignore multiple flips and pitches with soft plastic baits, there’s a great chance they’ll react to a subtle crankbait.

“A lot of fishermen get spun out when they see a bunch of big bass they can’t catch,” Palaniuk said. “It gets me excited because when early spring bass get into this neutral state, they will absolutely crush a small crankbait.”

When fishing a body of water void of docks, Palaniuk turns to isolated wood cover. To find high percentage areas, he carefully studies his Navionics map. Whenever he notices tight contour lines near a shallow bank, he puts his trolling motor down and goes to work.

“Whether it’s a 45-degree bank or an expansive flat like the one I fished during the 2011 Classic, prespawn bass flock to wood cover with deep water nearby,” Palaniuk said. “Warm water is key during this time of year and wood holds a lot of heat for the bass to absorb. It doesn’t have to be right on the bank, either—as long as there’s deep water somewhere nearby, there are going to be some fat bass.”

With crawfish being a major food source for bass in the early spring, rock can also be a big player. In addition to hosting a multitude of easy meals for hungry prespawn bass, rocks also hold heat very well. Plainly stated, rocks offer bass two critical elements—food and warmth.

When to use a small crankbait

If we all had a dime for every time we heard an angler preach about “matching the hatch”, we’d all be millionaires by now. They don’t just say because it sounds cool—it’s an essential practice for catching big bass. According to Palaniuk, it’s never more important than right now.

“Earlier in the year, most of the baitfish are still somewhat small,” Palaniuk said. “When you compound the small baitfish with the slow metabolism of a prespawn bass, it makes perfect sense to downsize to a small crankbait. Bass are smart and won’t eat something if it looks unnatural for the time of year.”

As bass make their first move toward shallow water, they’re not necessarily looking for big meals. After being in cold water during the winter, they’re simply trying to warm up and search for suitable bedding areas.

“Just because they’re not actively feeding doesn’t mean they won’t eat a small crankbait if it passes in front of their face,” Palaniuk said. “They’ll be a little less apt to chase down big prey, so downsizing your crankbait to a smaller size gives them a better opportunity to eat it.”

Angles and retrieve speed

When fishing wood cover with small crankbaits, Palaniuk starts out with a slower retrieve in order to reduce hang-ups and concentrate on the most productive pieces of cover. His cranking angles make the biggest difference, however.

“I change up my angles constantly, especially around laydowns,” Palaniuk said. “I try to bring the crankbait straight down both sides of the cover, but it’s very important to make multiple casts. The first couple casts may just get the bass’ attention while following casts give them the opportunity to actually eat it.”

Making multiple casts to a single piece of cover may seem overkill to some anglers, but if the wood cover is located in a prime location, it can be well worth it.

“I’ve made upwards of 15 casts with a small crankbait to a single laydown before finally catching a really big one,” Palaniuk said. “I do this a lot when the laydown I’m fishing is located close to a creek channel because more often than not, they’ll continuously refresh with big bass.”

His approach changes when he finds himself fishing around rocky riprap banks. Bass usually don’t hold as tightly to rock as they do wood, so he prefers to burn small crankbaits parallel to the rocks in order to cover more water and force reaction bites.

“Rocks hold more heat, so it speeds up the metabolism of the bass,” Palaniuk said. “When you’re fishing wood, you’ve got a couple of pieces to hit, but big wing dams and riprap banks provide more surface area which allows you to move faster and fish more efficiently.”

Favorite small crankbaits

When targeting early spring bass around cover, Palaniuk has a lot of confidence in a Rapala DT4. Its ability to come through cover makes it a must-have for these situations.

“The DT4 is made out of balsa and has a very tight wiggle,” Palaniuk said. “Its small, compact profile allows the bass to eat the whole thing while the angle of the line tie and natural buoyancy lets it come through the nastiest cover on the lake.”

For rocky areas, such as wing dams and riprap banks, the new Rapala Scatter Rap in a crawfish pattern is tough to beat.

“The action is unreal,” Palaniuk said. “Its evasive, sweeping action looks like a crawfish darting in and out of the rocks. Once it hits the riprap and darts the opposite direction, it looks just like injured prey. You get some insane bites with the Scatter Rap.”

If he’s faced with clean water and ultra-timid bass, Palaniuk prefers a Rapala Crankin Rap 03. Measuring 2 inches long and weighing 3/8-ounce, it’s the perfect remedy to stubborn bass.

“The Crankin Rap 03 is made of plastic which allows for some really awesome translucent finishes,” Palaniuk said. “Translucent baits look very realistic in clear water which, of course, results in bigger fish and a lot more bites.”

As you head to your favorite lake for some early spring fishing, keep some smaller crankbaits on hand. When you can’t get a bite on anything else, downsizing your crankbait can lead to huge prespawn bass.

Dealing with Internal Fishing Pressure

Jason Sealock — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Michael Murphy is back on the right track after removing pressure and stress (photo courtesy of BASS/James Overstreet)

By Jason Sealock

Anger management courses withstanding, most common folks don't deal well with pressure, myself included. Most folks manifest their own pressure causing an unnecessary amount of stress, even in activities as simple as fishing. Fishing pressure no doubt affects how we fish and more importantly whether we catch or not.

We've got 5 tips to help you remove the fishing pressure. This is largely from analyzing the recent fishing trends of two very different professional anglers in Denny Brauer and Michael Murphy.

Denny retires from pressure

Brauer has had one of the greatest tournament fishing careers in professional fishing. He fished in 317 Bassmaster events and finished in the money in 2/3 of those events, winning 17. He managed, however, just one win in the last 7 years of his Bassmaster career. As a highly successful legend in fishing, there is an added pressure to be a top finisher in every event.

Last fall he announced his retirement from the Bassmaster Elite Series. He was still going to fish some tournaments for "fun" and work with his sponsors, but the pressure of the grind of regular competition had gotten to him.

Next thing you know, he's having fun, fishing the way he liked to fish and low and behold, he wins not only his first event after retiring, the Major League Summit Cup on Chautauqua Lake, but he turns around and wins his next tournament on Toledo Bend. He kept it simple and flipped docks in both events – something he loves to do.

Murphy forced to make fishing small and simple

Michael Murphy fished five seasons on the FLW Tour, three of them as a National Guard Team pro. Arguably the worst seasons of his fishing career were as the National Guard pro.

"I felt so stressed because I was dealing with the naysayers saying that I didn't deserve a team deal," Murphy said. "I put pressure on myself to go out and produce for my sponsors. I had newborns in my family, and then I had a boating accident that ripped my shoulder apart. "

All that added up to too much internal pressure to fish effectively. But losing his team deal and hurting his shoulder turned out to be the "most rewarding blessings in his career."

After the team deal dissolved he was able to work with companies like Navionics, Ima, Optimum Baits and others outside of the fishing tournaments to keep his career going. He had a bad boating accident that required total reconstruction of one of his shoulders. That limitation forced him to go back and make fishing very simple because he could basically only roll cast.

Since then he has qualified for the All-American in his first season fishing the South Carolina BFLs, won local CBC team tournaments and $10,000 checks, done well in the Bassmaster Opens and completely revamped his fishing by using simple techniques and not being afraid to try something that might not sound like the best way to catch fish on a certain fishery. The whole thing came down to removing the pressure and making fishing simple and fun again.

How to remove internal fishing pressure

Murphy offered some good tips on how to remove internal fishing pressure, including the following:

Check something for 5 minutes
Focus on fishing fun
Get better every time
Fix the little mistakes
Avoid the highs and lows

There are 96 5-minute intervals in an 8-hour fishing day

When we're fishing we get these instincts that tell us to try this or check this. A lot of the time when you're pressuring yourself to do well, you won't listen to your gut. It never hurts to try something else for 5-minutes, or go check a certain spot or type of area for a few minutes just to see if a "hunch" is right. Sometimes those hunches are differences between catching and not catching. If it doesn't pan out after 5-10 minutes you can always go back to what you were doing.

Fishing should be fun

Whether you're out with a buddy, or fishing for $10,000, you should enjoy fishing and the pursuit of bass or crappie or whatever fish you're after. If you're not having fun actually fishing, then you've got to make an attitude adjustment or go find something else that is fun. Some days you won't catch them. And that's okay. It happens to all anglers. Just feel like you're getting better each time, and you'll have more fun.

Simple is better

If you keep fishing fun, you'll fish better. But some anglers focus too much on catching big limits or placing high in a tournament. In the age of social media, it seems fishing has become more of a bragging platform for anglers and that causes them to put undue pressure on themselves to always catch big ones. Murphy suggests focusing on getting better every trip. Get better at your presentations, your mechanics, your decision making, etc. It's a process that will take the stress off that comes from not catching them.

Fix the little mistakes

A huge influence on Murphy and his fishing has been Bill McGuire, a competitive trap shooter who has coached him on how to deal with pressure in competition. McGuire told Murphy he was trying too hard to please everyone and prove himself. All he had to do was just focus on the mistakes and fix those. Then just have fun and fish loose. And the improvements will come.

Avoid the highs and lows

The biggest pitfall Murphy saw in himself and in new anglers fishing tournaments is their mental swings. They overemphasize doing well and are crushed when they bomb. Anglers psyche themselves up by saying they are going to win every tournament or catch huge limits. Then they are crushed when they don't catch fish because they were operating on such high preconceived notions.

You've got to learn to just fish your gut feeling and not force anything. And be okay with missing the fish sometimes. Add the fun back in your fishing, don't be afraid to try different stuff and fish loose. Don't get crushed when you don't catch them. Everyone goes through the same thing at some point in fishing. The fish are changing all the time and you've got to just have fun and try to learn as much as possible on every trip.

How to Fish a Floating Bass Worm in the Spring

Walker Smith — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Floating worms are an overlooked spring technique, according to Mike McClelland

By Walker Smith

A floating bass worm is responsible for many of our oldest fishing memories. It proves equally effective in ponds, rivers, lakes and reservoirs alike. Despite its proven effectiveness, this method of fishing is quickly becoming a lost art, according to SPRO pro Mike McClelland. While the worms don't in fact float, they fall so slow that they appear to be neutrally bouyant like much of the prey bass eat.

McClelland finds spring to be the perfect time to break out his personal favorite floating worm, the Zoom Trick Worm, to catch big bass. Understanding when, where, why and how to fish them will drastically increase your success this spring.

Primary targets

While many of us have had great success throwing Trick Worms toward blowdowns and other eye catching cover, McClelland knows exactly where to go when the water temperature passes the 50 degree mark.

“When I first start throwing the Trick Worm, I’m targeting the same areas I fish with a jerkbait in late winter—secondaries, channel swings and steeper banks—except just moving to the bank,” McClelland said. “As those deep, wintertime fish start to migrate and get ready for the spawn, it’s prime Trick Worm time.”

As spring progresses into the spawning period, he makes sure to avoid over complicating his approach. He targets generic spawning areas, but he doesn’t necessarily use the technique to sight fish.

“Anywhere you find typical spawning areas, such as sand and gravel flats, you can’t forget about the Trick Worm,” McClelland said. “Even if they’re not locked onto beds, they’ll swarm to these areas and roam around. A weightless Trick Worm is an outstanding way to catch those bass.”

Even after the spawn, in the post-spawn period, you’ll find him throwing Trick Worms to catch bass guarding newly hatched fry. The slow fall and subtle shimmy triggers big females’ protective instincts.

“Something about this bait really ticks off bass when they’re guarding their young,” McClelland said. “Some of my most aggressive strikes of the year come when I’m twitching a Trick Worm over fry in post-spawn areas.”

Ideal conditions

McClelland always considers throwing a Trick Worm throughout the entire spring but there are a few specific conditions that make it his go-to technique.

“One thing that makes me want to throw it more than anything is a cloudy, rainy and misty day,” McClelland said. “Something about that combination is just phenomenal. That’s not to say they won’t bite it on a sunny day, but that’s absolutely an ideal scenario.”

Another phenomenon that has produced some great results for him is warm runoff. A lot of anglers get frustrated by spring’s seemingly never ending rain storms, but McClelland embraces them.

“If the bass are just starting to get shallow but aren’t all the way there yet, warm runoff from recent rains make them move up in a hurry,” McClelland said.

Water clarity has little or no influence on his decision to throw a floating worm. After catching several giant bass in water with as little as 5 inches of visibility, he doesn’t let nasty water deter him. He will, however, break out some “loud” colors such as Merthiolate, pink, white and yellow. Conversely, he’ll reach for more natural colors in clear water situations such as green pumpkin or watermelon red.

Presentation

As with many bass fishing techniques, there’s no concrete set of rules when it comes to effectively fishing a floating worm. McClelland is a strong believer in letting the bass tell you how they want it.

“You want to fish it slow in two specific situations—when the bass first move up to get ready for the spawn and when you’re fishing around possible bedding bass,” McClelland said. “I like to start out with a retrieve cadence similar to fishing a SPRO McStick jerkbait, just twitching it along and then letting it settle.”

When the water warms up into the high 60-degree range and post-spawn females begin guarding their fry, he speeds his retrieve considerably. Keeping the Trick Worm close to surface, he uses a presentation similar to a popular topwater technique.

“If I’m fishing a Trick Worm at a rapid pace close to the surface, I fish it just like I would fish a Heddon Spook,” McClelland said. “I use the same cadence in both my wrist and rod. You want it to just barely break the surface because that’s when you’ll get the majority of your strikes.”

When the time comes to set the hook, McClelland has two different strategies. If he’s fishing it close to the surface and sees the bass boil or flash on the bait, he never sets the hook immediately. Instead, he waits a few short seconds until he feels the fish in order to ensure a solid hookup. When fishing it slow, he waits for a “spongy” feeling and any added pressure on his line.

“If you swing hard on your hookset, you’re going to miss a lot of fish,” McClelland said. “Instead of jerking, simply lean into the fish and reel faster. That small adjustment will help you land a lot more big fish.”

Mike McClelland fishes floating worms shallow around available cover (photo courtesy of B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito)

Two ways to rig it

When McClelland suspects that the bass may be locked on to their beds, he primarily rigs his Trick Worms wacky style on a Gamakatsu Wicked Wacky Hook. Although it’s a fairly simple rig, he modifies it to achieve a better action.

“Nail weights are essential to catching more wacky rig fish,” McClelland said. “I’ll almost always put half of a lead nail weight into the head of the Trick Worm to help me cast it more accurately to bedding areas around bushes and laydowns. The nail weight helps it fall straight and only gets crazy when you start twitching it.”

If he’s covering water and looking for reaction strikes, McClelland uses a weightless Texas rig on a Gamakatsu Offset Round Bend Worm Hook. Keeping things simple, he primarily uses a 3/0 or 4/0 hook size, but when faced with pressured bass, he’ll downsize to a 2/0.

“When you rig the worm, it’s important to just skin hook the point of the hook into the backside of the worm,” McClelland said. “You don’t want to make yourself pull the hook through the entire worm—you just need to pop the hook point free on the hookset. To make sure it swims correctly, just be certain that the worm lies flat on the hook.”

Spinning or casting gear?

When throwing a wacky rigged Trick Worm, McClelland uses spinning gear in order to make more accurate presentations. To achieve maximum castability and line strength, he’s a big believer in 10-pound Sunline SX1 Braided Line for his main line with a 8 or 10-pound fluorocarbon leader. For precise casts, he prefers a shorter, 6-foot, 9-inch medium-action Falcon Cara T7 Spinning Rod with a 2500 Series Quantum Smoke PT Spinning Reel.

If conditions call for a weightless Texas rig, he tends to beef up his tackle a bit. Because he likes to throw this rig in heavier cover, he opts for 16-pound Sunline FC Reaction Fluorocarbon and a 6-foot, 7-inch medium-heavy Falcon LowRider XG Split-Grip Weightless Worm Rod.

“The Falcon Weightless Worm Rod is honestly the best Trick Worm rod you could ever possibly use,” McClelland said. “It’s helped me catch a ton of big fish.”

Now is a perfect time in much of the country to start throwing a Zoom Trick Worm. It’s by no means a new or fancy bass fishing technique, but if you follow McClelland’s suggestions, there’s a good chance you’ll stick some big bass with it this spring.

Finesse Fishing for Spawning Bass

Walker Smith — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Break out the spinning gear for hot bed fishing action, according to Shaw Grigsby

By Walker Smith

Spawning bass give anglers the opportunity to catch some of the year’s biggest fish. As big females make their way to the shallows to deposit their eggs, their protective instincts make them especially vulnerable to big, bulky soft plastic baits. What happens, however, when you can’t get that monster bass to bite?

FIRST pro Shaw Grigsby doesn’t let stubborn bedding bass get the best of him. Instead, he simply downsizes his tackle to coax them into biting.

When to go finesse

Catching spawning bass on stout tackle and 60-pound braided line is certainly fun, but Grigsby allows each individual fish to tell him whether or not to downsize his offering.

“Fish are very individualistic creatures,” Grigsby said. “Some are very protective and will eat anything while others are more passive. When you encounter those very timid, skittish fish on bed, you’ll probably have to catch them with finesse gear.”

To determine whether or not a spawning bass is skittish, Grigsby pays close attention to their movements and demeanor. Although it’s not always as simple as it sounds, he has developed a general rule-of-thumb to determine his approach.

“You can never really tell ahead of time whether or not you’re going to have to finesse them,” Grigsby said. “But if that fish just stays in once place watching your bait, you can probably catch them with heavier equipment. When the big female blisters out of there when I make my first cast, I back off a bit and break out my finesse gear.”

The most important thing to decipher when determining how to approach a spawning bass is the cycle of the spawn. Grigsby has noticed a direct correlation between bass behavior and the period in which they lay their eggs.

“Late spawners are notorious for being more finicky than early spawners,” Grigsby said. “If you’re targeting these spawning bass within 3 or 4 days of them laying eggs, they’re generally very aggressive and fairly easy to catch. The later it gets, however, the less protective the females are. When they’re not as protective, finesse fishing is the way to go.”

The secret weapon

Grigsby’s favorite finesse bed fishing rig is a Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Caffeine Shad. Although many anglers don’t pay much attention to swimbaits for bed fishing, this bait has made him a big believer.

“The Caffeine Shad is one of my primary bed fishing baits—it even caught a 10-pounder for me during the Harris Chain event that I won,” Grigsby said. “I threw everything I had at her and she wouldn’t react to it, but she inhaled the Caffeine Shad.”

Since it’s a swimbait, it would make sense to swim it through the bed, right? He’s caught plenty of bedding bass swimming the Caffeine Shad, but has noticed the biggest bass are more apt to attack a bait that poses more of a threat.

“When you put a light bullet weight on the Caffeine Shad, it looks just like a bream sitting nose-down in a bass bed feeding on eggs, which drives a big female absolutely nuts,” Grigsby said. “A big bedding bass doesn’t take kindly to bream, especially when they’re feeding on its eggs, which makes this bait a phenomenal choice.”

Drop shot

When spawning bass are especially stubborn, Grigsby won’t hesitate to throw a drop shot in a bed. It’s lively presentation seems to coax bass into biting when bulkier baits fail.

“The drop shot is a big player in my bed fishing arsenal,” Grigsby said. “The way it’s rigged gives the bait a really live action because it just suspends over the bed and slowly flutters down with slack line.”

In ultra-clear fisheries, Grigsby throws his drop shot rig on 6 or 8-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon. Although it may seem a bit lite for targeting big fish, it’s all about how you fight the fish once it’s taken the bait.

“You absolutely cannot horse a drop shot fish—especially one that’s bedding in shallow water,” Grigsby said. “It’s important to remember in this situation that the bass has you—you don’t have the bass. Set the drag fairly loose and just let her do what she wants to do.”

Light Texas rig or shaky head

Grigsby has also had a lot of bed fishing success on light Texas rigs and shaky heads. Downsizing to 8 or 10-pound test and using a smaller weight, such as a 1/8-ounce or 1/16-ounce, is often all that’s needed to convince otherwise suspicious bass to bite.

When selecting a soft plastic bait to use on this rig, Grigsby wants something small and soft for a very specific reason.

“I love using a Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Finesse Worm in these situations,” Grigsby said. “Sure, it’s small and dainty, but that doesn’t mean it won’t catch a huge bass. I like using a small finesse worm because when they pick it up to move it off of the bed, they’re more likely to grab the hook.”

For the business end of the rig, he primarily uses a 3/0 or 4/0 Lazer Trokar TK 110 hook. It’s important to have a thin, light wire hook that penetrates both the bait and the fish easily to avoid break-offs with the light line.

“You don’t want to wail away with a giant hookset on such a small, finesse rig,” Grigsby said. “That’s why a really sharp hook is an absolute necessity in this situation.”

Modified split shot rig

Traditional split shot rigs are fairly self-explanatory with a simple split shot weight clamped about a foot above the hook. This old school bed fishing method has its benefits, but Grigsby modifies it with a more new school approach.

“Those split shot weights just don’t come through cover well enough for me,” Grigsby said. “As a result, I like to take a light bullet weight and peg it about 10 or 12 inches above the hook. It’s kind of like a miniature Carolina rig, except without the swivels.”

The split shot rig has some of the same appeal that the drop shot does. As the weight rests on the bottom, the bait hovers above the bed, emulating an impending threat to the bass’ bed. When a bass strikes the rig, it’s important to set the hook after retrieving your slack line and feeling the weight—just like a Carolina rig.

As you’re on the lookout for spawning bass this spring, make sure to bring your finesse gear with you. It goes against the mindset of many anglers, but finesse bed fishing is hugely helpful in getting those stubborn bass to bite.

Fishing Lipless Crankbaits for Transitioning Spring Bass

Walker Smith — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Lipless crankbaits are a great way to catch transitioning spring bass

By Walker Smith

When many of us think of fishing lipless crankbaits, we tend to envision ourselves ripping them through dense vegetation on heavy braided line. While that’s definitely an exciting and effective way to catch big bass, lipless crankbaits aren’t just effective in grass-filled fisheries—they’re also an outstanding choice when targeting transitioning spring bass.

Prespawn

When bass get into their full-on prespawn mode they’re relatively easy to pattern, but the awkward transition phase leading up to that point can be downright frustrating. When you finally locate a good group of fish, it’s tough to make them bite. Lipless crankbaits are an effective remedy to these stubborn bass.

We’ve been having some productive days on the water recently by targeting secondary points, stump flats adjacent to deep water and “lead-in” banks—stretches of bank that bass use to migrate toward spawning flats. There’s a common misconception that lipless crankbaits are only suitable for use in intermediate water depths in areas void of snag-inducing cover, but we’ve been catching some giant bass in only inches of water.

To get the most out of this technique, it’s important to parallel the bank in order to keep your bait in the strike zone for as long as possible. Following a long cast, keep your rod tip straight up in the air to avoid hang-ups and retrieve your lipless crank so it barely ticks the bottom. This ticking sound is essential and can make the difference between a slow and killer day on the water.

As your bait works towards deeper water, slowly drop your rod tip and slow your retrieve to keep contact with the bottom. If you feel your rod start to load, don’t mistake it for a snag. Even the biggest won’t always eat it aggressively, so make sure to set the hook at the slightest inkling of a bite.

Prespawn cold fronts

We’ve also found lipless crankbaits to be very effective during prespawn cold fronts. With prespawn bass being especially susceptible to sudden weather changes, it can be a nightmare when a cold front pushes them away from their predictable prespawn hideouts. Fortunately, a lipless crankbait can prove to be the Great Equalizer in these situations.

Whenever a cold front hits during the prespawn, make sure to focus on break lines between shallow and deep water. If you were previously catching your bass on a flat, target areas where it transitions into deeper water. When you find the depth transition, make long casts parallel to the break line and try “worming” your lipless crank.

Just as the name implies, “worming” your lipless crankbaits involves fishing it like a Texas rig to mimic a dying shad. During a cold front, prespawners are less apt to aggressively chase down a meal, making this overlooked technique deadly when faced with stubborn bass. Drag it along the bottom by lifting your rod tip slowly and dropping your rod when retrieving slack line. When it feels “mushy”, set the hook and hold on.

Although lipless crankbaits don’t have a bill to deflect the bait off of obstacles, don’t shy away from bass-holding cover such as stumps or chunk rock. These baits swim through the water nose-down, protecting the hooks from the majority of hang-ups. Some of our “tried and true” lipless crankbaits have absolutely no paint or clear coat on their noses from repeatedly ramming them into cover.

Post-spawn

When the water temperature is in the 65 to 72-degree range as the bass begin transitioning toward their deep, summertime hangouts, you can expect a solid lipless crank bite.

Spawning rituals wear out big bass and by the time it’s all over, they’re hungry and ready to devour whatever crosses their path. We’ve had great results yo-yoing lipless crankbaits to take advantage of the aggressive feeding behavior. The areas we target are almost identical to our prespawn targets, except in reverse order.

As the bass finish up their business in the shallows, they’ll start working their way toward deeper water via secondary points, creek channels, primary points and finally river channels. It’s not at all uncommon to encounter suspended bass in the post-spawn, making the yo-yo technique extremely effective.

To yo-yo your lipless crankbait, allow it to fall to the bottom and make long, upward sweeps with your rod. In order to maximize your hookup ratio, make sure to let the bait fall with controlled slack—too much slack line will hinder your ability to detect bites on the fall and a tight line won’t allow the bait to shimmy on the fall.

Be sure to keep a close watch on your line as the bait falls—we get a lot of bites with this technique while it’s falling. If you notice any sort of tick or jump in your line, reel in your slack and set the hook immediately.

Equipment

While stouter rods are desirable when ripping big lipless crankbaits through grass, we’ve found medium-action rods to be most effective when targeting transitioning spring bass. The softer, more responsive tip of a medium-action rod gives the fish more time to eat the bait, drastically decreasing the chances of accidentally ripping it from their mouths.

Every angler has different preferences, but when it comes to line selection, we generally opt for 12 or 15-pound test. Whenever we’re “worming” or yo-yoing a lipless crankbait, we prefer fluorocarbon due to its low-stretch qualities. With these techniques, you want to feel every movement that your bait is making in order to detect the subtle bites. In situations that the bass prefer a simple chunk and wind presentation, we like monofilament to discourage premature hooksets.

Because “worming” and yo-yoing require more slack in your line, we recommend using a 7.1:1 gear ratio reel. If a bass knocks slack into your line or eats the bait on the fall, you need the ability to quickly eat up your slack for an effective hookset. When ticking the bottom, you can generally get away with more generic crankbait gear ratio reels, such as a 6.3:1 or a 6.4:1. As long as you can keep contact with the bottom, use whatever you’re most comfortable with.

Whenever we’re on a solid lipless crankbait bite, you’ll likely find several different baits, such as a Strike King Red Eye Shad, XCalibur Rattle Bait, Spro Aruku Shad , Rapala Rippin Rap and the classic Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap on our front decks. To hone in on the most productive baits, we’ll generally switch baits after approximately 50 casts until the bass “tell” us what their preference is. Lipless crankbait bites change daily, so throwing different models is an extremely important key to success.

Springtime transitioning bass can be a little tricky to catch, but a lipless crankbait is a great way to make stubborn, migrating bass commit. When you’re faced with these situations this spring, try these different retrieves to catch more bass.

(Left column: Storm Rock'n Vibe, Lucky Craft DV, Spro Aruku Shad, Jackall TN70, Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap. Right column: Sebile Flat Shad, Rapala Rippin' Rap, Koppers LIVETARGET Crappie rattle bait, Xcalibur XR50 Rattle Bait, Strike King Red Eye Shad)

How to Buy a Fishing Rod

Jason Sealock — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Learn the differences between power, action, taper, bend and more

By Jason Sealock

Every good fishing product resulted as the sum of good materials, good engineering and good construction. Fishing rods possess a unique ability to show off great materials and manufacturing yet it still seems so few anglers understand what goes into a rod and what they should consider in how to buy a fishing rod. We recently spoke with Jeff Schluter, VP of Sales and Marketing for St. Croix Rods. St. Croix has been building rods from the blanks to the finished product stateside for 65 years, so we figured they would be a perfect resource for understanding the terms in fishing rods.

Anglers want the best rod for the money so they are lured in by a lot of marketing and actually a lot of misinformation because terms get blended and misrepresented. We wanted to break down all the differences in terminology for anglers. The four primary references to how a rod blank performs include the following:

Power
Action
Taper
Modulus or Tonage

“Power refers to how much pressure it takes to bend a rod blank,” Schluter said. Folks often intertwine this with action. But power refers to how much the rod resists bending under pressure. A heavy power rod won’t bend as much as a light power rod.

Action, on the other hand, refers to where the rod bends in the blank. A fast action on a rod means most of the bend will be up near the tip. A moderate to slow action means it bends further down in the blank. If it’s fast, it reacts quick and flexes quick in the tip. If it’s a slower action, it’s slower to react and bends all the way through the rod before it gets down into the power of the backbone.

Some confusion comes with a parabolic bend which simply describes the flex pattern of the blank as it bends through the entire blank. It can also be termed a slow action. It’s been used as a “buzz” word with rod makers in recent years but it’s not always the best action in a rod. Taper is also very similar to action.

Taper describes the changing thickness of the rod blank from the butt to the tip. If a rod has a fast taper, it usually means it will have a small tip and thicken quicker into the blank for more back bone. If a rod has a slower taper it means the thickness increases over a longer distance through the blank. Once you increase your diameter you’re going to gain power.

Materials make the rod, literally

“Modulus refers to the individual meshing of the carbon fibers in a fishing rod,” Schluter said. “Most folks think all rods are made out of graphite. But most manufacturers are using a combination of graphite and other materials because frankly graphite is brittle and not the best material for making a rod. In theory you can use less materials with higher modulus rods because of the stiffness of the materials with more threads cross weaved.”

There’s a lot more to a rod than modulus. People assume a higher modulus rod is a better rod because it has that many more graphite or carbon fibers meshed together. "Quite frankly modulus is not a good measurement of rod quality," Schluter said. "If you made a rod of 100 million modulus it would be too brittle. It would be light, but it wouldn’t be durable."

Carbon fibers, scrim, glue and resin are the components in a rod blank that make it durable and usable. Without the scrim a rod would bend with a crease like a straw under load. The scrim helps maintain its form throughout the load on the rod. The patterns that the graphite and carbon fibers are laid can lend to better blank construction. But the processing and manufacturing of the blanks in a proper environment is what makes for a great rod. That’s where companies like St. Croix Rods have put 65 years of engineering focus in blank manufacturing.

“The rod actions and powers are determined by the tapers of the mandrills, the patterns of the carbon materials used and the number of patterns used in making the rod,” Schluter said. “Those will determine the characteristic of a rod more than anything.”

You can shake a rod to feel the action and power. Maybe bend the tip gently on the floor and see how the rod flexes under load. That can give you a reasonable estimation on power and action in the rod.

How to handle most rod grips

For some anglers the grip often determines why they buy a fishing rod. Most rods have either cork or foam handles. In the last few years, however, newer technologically advanced traction grips have been developed. These new technologies have a lot of advantages like improved grip in wet conditions and added sensitivity but cork has long been considered the constant in rod handles. As you grade up in cork, it becomes more expensive. Lower grade cork will have a lot of filler in it and that is the part that disappears over time and use. A higher grade cork will be smoother and last longer but will make a rod more expensive.

EVA foam handles are lighter and cost much less but may not perform as well as cork in certain conditions.

On the water determination

The number one consideration in a rod is how it handles on the water. Some things like handle grips, length, cosmetics, foregrips become matters of personal preference and taste. You might like a certain handle style, or reel seat or type of guides but many of those things are ancillary to a good blank designed for intended applications.

Heavier power and faster actions are good for baits that require a hookset to drive a hook through a weed guard or plastic. Whereas a bait with a lot of trebles typically fishes better on a rod with a more medium power and moderately slower actions. Baits will load better on a back cast on more moderate to slow action and medium power than they will on heavier powers and faster actions. However very heavy baits will become unwieldy on a rod that is too slow or too weak in power. Keep those things in mind as you seek to choose the best fishing rod for your intended fishing uses.

Check out some rods here at tacklewarehouse.com and see if you don't understand a little more about what you're thinking of purchasing in a new fishing rod. We'll work on applying some of the powers and actions to popular bass fishing techniques in a future article.

Effective Decision Making in Early Spring Bass Tournaments

Walker Smith — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Photos courtesy of Jacob Wheeler/FLW

Decision making can make or break your tournament success, according to Jacob Wheeler

By Walker Smith

It happens to the best of us—you get the rare chance to go fishing during the workweek and absolutely wreck the bass. A limit easily weighing 25 pounds is enough to make you jump into Saturday’s derby with every expectation of winning. When tournament time rolls around, however, your fish have moved and you’re left scratching your head and scrambling to catch a modest limit.

Early spring bass tournaments give anglers the opportunity to catch a lot of big bass, but as the bass frequently change throughout this time of year, 2012 Forrest Wood Cup Champion Jacob Wheeler is a big believer in quick thinking and effective decision making.

Get a feel for the lake

When deciding whether to milk an area or adopt a run and gun strategy, Wheeler carefully considers the type of lake he’s fishing. While some lakes are conducive to weeding through 2-pounders to get to the bigger, more tournament-worthy fish, other fisheries are wired differently.

“I’ve found that the Tennessee Valley Authority lakes such as Kentucky Lake and Guntersville are the types of fisheries where it’s okay to sift through smaller fish,” Wheeler said. “The bass in those lakes school by the thousands, with both big and small bass schooling together. On smaller reservoirs, however, you won’t always find many big bass mingling with the peanuts.”

Throughout the spring, Wheeler cautions anglers against getting too hard headed after a solid practice period. Prespawn bass can be easy to pattern, but with so many ways to catch them—shallow, deep, on bed, etc.—he prefers to keep a very open mind regardless of his success in practice.

“In early spring bass tournaments in particular, you always hear about guys whacking ‘em in practice and then weighing in 8 pounds each day of the tournament,” Wheeler said. “That happens because they got too caught up in what the fish were doing a couple days ago and weren’t flexible. These fish move around constantly, so I always want to have my eggs in different baskets instead of solely committing to one area.”

Let the fish clue you in

So you’ve found a good group of fish in practice, but now what? How do you know whether or not to take a chance and grind it out for 5 solid bites on tournament day? Wheeler lets his fish do the “talking”.

“It’s basic—to an extent,” Wheeler said. “If you’re finding fish in the mouth of a spawning flat, more than likely those schools of fish will keep coming toward you. If I’m catching fish that are very pale, that immediately tells me the fish are coming to me from deeper water and will continue to do so.”

When bass are pale in color, it usually means they’ve just moved up from their deep, wintertime homes to begin staging for the spawn. As they sit in deep water throughout the colder months, the decrease in light penetration at deeper depths causes them to lose pigment.

“Big, white-colored bass are an awesome sign during the prespawn,” Wheeler said. “Take that as the fish telling you, ‘Hey man, I’m ready to chow down’!”

Conversely, dark green bass are a telltale sign of “resident” fish, or fish that have been shallow long enough to gain more pigment from the sunlight.

“If I’m catching really dark-colored bass in practice, I’m more apt to use a run and gun strategy,” Wheeler said. “Those bass have been shallow for a while, which means there may not be fresh schools pulling up on a regular basis. When the area isn’t replenishing, it’s going to be tough to rely on it for consistent big bites—especially in a multi-day event.”

Should I stay or should I go?

Tournament strengths and weaknesses vary from angler to angler, but Wheeler acknowledges his level of discomfort when staying in one area for an extended period of time.

“It’s really tough for me to stay put in one area,” Wheeler said. “Plenty of guys like to do that, and I can, too if I’m absolutely certain there’s a bunch of big ones around, but it scares me to stay too long. I’ll give it 20 or 30 minutes and I’m out. I’ll go rotate through some other areas and come back in a couple of hours.”

At the most recent FLW Tour event on Smith Lake, Wheeler had multiple patterns that were consistently productive, but he let the conditions dictate his game plan. His most solid bites came when he threw a jerkbait, but it would quickly fall apart without lowlight conditions or wind. Whenever the sun got high and the water was calm, his decision making ability played a major factor.

“I had to decide whether or not I should force the bite or abandon ship and make an adjustment,” Wheeler said. “Ultimately, I decided it would be best to get my bait in front of as many active fish as I could, so I went to stained, shallow water and filled my limit in 30 minutes on a Rapala No. 5 Shad Rap.”

A time efficient tournament strategy

Every lake is different, but one thing usually holds true once the bass invade prespawn areas—they won’t move far. For this reason, Wheeler has adopted a generic prespawn tournament strategy that has produced for him all over the country.

“If I got a bunch of good bites in an area during practice, I’ll generally give it about 45 minutes before I start plotting my next move,” Wheeler said. “After 45 minutes without any good bites, I’ll try to find them in adjacent shallow water areas for 15 minutes. If I still haven’t found them, I’ll slide out and target nearby break lines for about 15 minutes. If they don’t show themselves by then, I’m gone.”

“Gone” is a relative term in this case. Even after the most brutal cold fronts, bass usually won’t vacate their prespawn areas and head back to their deep, winter dwellings. Wheeler will fast-idle a surrounding 300-yard area while keeping a close eye on his electronics. Many times he’s found his previous school of bass in areas adjacent to their original hangouts. When that happens, it’s game on.

“I never panic when my prespawn fish don’t show themselves right away,” Wheeler said. “Just idle around and you’ll find them. When you finally locate them, they’ll probably bite the same baits you were catching them on during practice, so stay calm.”

Timing is everything

When prespawn bass get on shallow water structure, such as flats, it doesn’t always mean they live there all day, every day. If you notice yourself getting flurries of bites in short spurts, there’s a definite reason behind it—you’ve run across them during a short feeding window.

“If I know there’s big fish in or around a typical prespawn area, I never leave the area without coming back to check on it periodically,” Wheeler said. “If you don’t catch them on your first rotation, it simply means they’re not actively feeding. During this time of year, you can hit an area and not get any bites and then come back in an hour and catch a 20-pound sack. That’s the beauty of the prespawn.”

As you shake off the last of Old Man Winter and the bass start getting ready to spawn, don’t let their nomadic prespawn behavior get the best of you. If you can spend a couple of days getting a feel for the lake, pay attention to the bass’ color and adopt a time-friendly tournament strategy, you might find yourself cashing in some hefty checks this spring.

Spring Bass | Adapting to Changes in Prespawn Water Temperature

Walker Smith — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

It’s important to look beyond the current water temperature, according to Davy Hite

By Walker Smith

Spring bass fishing presents anglers with the opportunity to catch some of the biggest bass of the year. As the bass begin to vacate their deep, wintertime homes in search of shallower water throughout the prespawn, Phoenix Boats pro Davy Hite studies one element more so than others—water temperature.

Some of us have fancy machines on our boats that figure that stuff out for us, so it should be simple enough, right? Unfortunately, it’s not as cut-and-dry as hopping in your boat, checking your graph and going fishing. Throughout the prespawn, Hite places more merit on past and future water temperature than he does current temperatures.

Bass aren’t like us

Whenever we hit the lake on a chilly morning, we usually don’t think much about it—a quick search through your boat to find an extra jacket is all it takes to keep your core body temperature at the important 98.6-degree mark. It’s important to understand, however, that the body temperature of cold blooded bass fluctuates, making them especially susceptible to small changes in temperature.

“A lot of people overlook the correlation between water temperature and bass behavior,” Hite said. “We should never forget that bass are cold blooded, making water temperature a huge factor in how lethargic or aggressive they might be.”

Bass are always adjusting to the water temperature, which makes past and future water temperatures more relevant to them than the current conditions. For this reason, Hite doesn’t let current temperatures dictate how he goes about finding large concentrations of bass.

“If you’re making a game plan solely based on the current water temperature without researching the previous conditions, you’re making a big mistake,” Hite said. “I always want to make sure I know the past and future forecasts for the lake I’m fishing.”

Falling water temperatures

You were wearing them out last week—60 degree water, sunshine and a nice breeze helped you catch a sack full of big largemouth. This weekend is much different however. After a mild cold snap rolls through your favorite lake, you’re now dealing with 55 degree temperatures, cranky bass and an empty livewell. 5 degrees can’t make that much of a difference, can it? Hite begs to differ.

“Prespawn water temperatures in the 55-degree range sound great, but it can make for some tough fishing if the fish were previously acclimated to 60 degree water,” Hite said. “In these conditions, I like to look for shallow water with adjacent deep water and focus on the break lines.”

In falling prespawn water temperatures, bass won’t move too far from their preferred shallow dwellings, but they will slide back into deeper water and suspend until they’re adjusted to the current conditions. Hite relies on a Rapala Husky Jerk or a Trigger X Drop Dead Minnow to target these fickle bass.

“I want to use baits that can get down to the middle of the water column and stay in the strike zone for as long as possible,” Hite said. “If you parallel the break lines with slow falling or suspending baits, you can catch those fish that were previously shallow.”

Rising water temperatures

Prespawn warming trends can turn into outrageous fishing days. As the water continues to warm, you can expect bass to utilize shallow cover and become much easier to catch.

“When the water temperature is on the rise, I’ll still target the same shallow water areas near deep water, except now I will really focus on shallow cover, whether it’s blowdowns, stumps or docks,” Hite said. “If that sun comes out and really starts to warm up the water, look for big bass chomping at the bit to feed.”

If Hite notices a warming trend in the immediate forecast, he breaks out his secret weapon—a paper map. On this map, he’ll search for inside and outside creek channel bends. After locating several promising areas, he’ll get on the water and scour the areas for the best available shallow cover. When he runs across shallow cover with deep water nearby, he breaks out his favorite prespawn bait—a Buckeye Lures Mop Jig.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that a Mop Jig is the best prespawn big fish bait I’ve ever thrown,” Hite said. “I think the longer, thicker living rubber is a big deal to these aggressive prespawn bass. Whether you’re fishing in a slight breeze or current, the jig just sits down there and waves around right in their face. It’s absolutely deadly.”

Early spring bass fishing is phenomenal if you can get in the habit of paying attention to past and future conditions. Knowing where the water temperature has been and where it’s going can give you a big competitive advantage as the bass move throughout the water column to adjust to changing water temperatures.

Spawning Bass | 6 Tips for Better Sight Fishing

Walker Smith — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Bobby Lane shares his tips for getting the most out of the bass spawn

By Walker Smith

Catching spawning bass is something that many anglers look forward to throughout the entire year. Sure, catching them on crankbaits, big worms and spinnerbaits is fun, but it doesn’t get much better than watching a fat-bellied female inhale your bait. In some parts of the country, this yearly phenomenon is already underway.

Phoenix Boats pro Bobby Lane has spent his entire life honing his bed fishing skills in the shallow waters of Florida and has been able to apply his skillset all over the United States. If there’s somebody we all could learn from about bed fishing, Lane is the man to talk to. His 6 tips will help you catch more spawning bass this year.

Check back often

It happens to tournament anglers all the time—you spend your entire practice locating dozens of big bass sitting on their beds and when tournament day finally rolls around, your sweet spots are a barren wasteland of empty beds. Lane never lets these instances fluster him because he knows the fish will be back.

“I see so many anglers getting spun out when the beds they’ve found the previous day are empty,” Lane said. “It’s absolutely essential to come back to these empty beds around the noon or one o’clock hour. More times than not, I’ve really dominated in tournaments when the fish don’t move up until late in the day.”

Empty bass beds don’t always mean the bass have totally abandoned them. Sometimes a slight weather change can pull them off, so don’t throw away your game plan. Chances are, the bass haven’t moved very far. Instead, they’re just waiting for the right moment to pull up. The only way you’ll know is if you keep checking back as the day progresses.

Have patience

We’ve all seen the television shows that make bed fishing look like the best thing since sliced bread. It’s definitely a load of fun, but you can’t expect to load the boat with 20 pounds in a matter of minutes.

“Patience is the first and foremost thing you have to remember,” Lane said. “You’re coming into a bass’ home, so they’re naturally going to act very peculiar. If somebody comes into your home messing with your house, you’re dang sure going to raise a brow and act a little funny, too.”

When you approach a bass bed and notice the big female darting away, don’t take that as your cue to leave and continue your search elsewhere. More than likely, a few small adjustments are all that’s needed to catch the weary bass.

“If a bass leaves the bed I’m fishing, I take that as a sign that I need to reposition my boat and approach it from a different angle,” Lane said. “I’ll slowly back off, give the fish a little while to relax and try again—it’s a chess game.”

Patience also pays off when you’re looking for the bona fide giant bass. Although it’s tempting to scour the 1- to 3-foot depth range, you’ll often find the bigger bass in deeper water.

“Don’t just do what’s easiest and fish the most accessible areas for the most visible fish,” Lane said. “A lot of huge females will bed in the 6- to 10-foot range and it takes a lot of patience and hard work to find those fish. If you keep at it, you’ll be rewarded in the long run.”

Be stealthy

Spawning bass are particularly paranoid and skittish, making them easily spooked by even the slightest disturbance. When targeting these bass, it’s important to go the extra mile to be as quiet as possible.

“I never, and I mean never, put my trolling motor over 50 percent when I’m fishing for spawning bass,” said Lane. “This is when a push pole is an absolute must-have. Half of the guys in the Elite event at St. Johns River had one because they allow you to get much closer to the fish.”

Working a push pole all day is no easy task, however. It takes a lot of effort to push a heavy bass boat around, so it’s good practice to stay in shape throughout the spawning season.

Watch the fish, not your bait

Keen observation skills are never more important in bass fishing than during the spawn. Paying close attention to the bass’ behavior can make all the difference in catching the bass of a lifetime.

“Every bass is different and you’ve got to understand each fish you’re targeting—they’ll all react in different ways,” Lane said. “Never get fixated on your bait hopping up and down in the bed. You’ll be able to catch some buck bass doing this, but you’ve got to really watch the big females. Work your bait different ways and learn which movements really make her blood boil.”

In order to better read the fish, always watch for two behaviors—flaring fins and tight circles. When a bass has absolutely “had it” with your antics, you’ll start to see them swim in very tight circles around your bait with both their fins and gills flared. If you notice this behavior, you’re doing the right things to provoke an aggressive strike.

Fine tune your tackle

It’s possible to get by with subpar tackle throughout other times of the year, but during the spawn, Lane makes sure to use the highest quality gear he can get his hands on. In his mind, it all starts with quality fishing line.

“I use 65-pound Spiderwire Ultracast Ultimate Braid with a double Palomar knot in every bed fishing situation,” Lane said. “I don’t care if I’m in crystal clear water—I’ll still use big braid. The fish couldn’t care less about your line—they just want your bait out of their bed. When you get a bite with heavy braid, your chances of landing those fish are as close to 100 percent as you can get.”

When it comes to his rod selection, he utilizes different rod lengths and actions depending on the size of the fish he’s looking at. For bass in the 3- to 5-pound range, he opts for a 7-foot, 1-inch heavy-action or a 7-foot, 4-inch medium-heavy Abu Garcia Veritas Casting Rod. If he’s targeting bass above 5-pounds, he breaks out the big guns—a 7-foot, 11-inch heavy-action Abu Garcia Veritas Casting Rod.

“Matching your rod with the size of the fish you’re after is a big deal,” Lane said. “If you set the hook on a 3-pounder with a rod that’s too stiff, you run the risk of either pulling the hook through their lip or sending it sailing over your boat. When stuff like that happens, you’re going to lose a lot of valuable fish.”

A high-speed reel can be a lifesaver when fishing for spawning bass. Although you’ll usually be fishing in close quarters with the fish, you need to be prepared for anything.

“I use a left-handed 7.1:1 Abu Garcia REVO STX Generation 3 Casting Reel,” Lane said. “It happens all the time—you set the hook on a bed fish and it runs straight at the boat. You’ve got to have a reel that’s fast enough to give you a chance at catching up with her.”

Try different baits

Small changes in bait selection can prove invaluable throughout the spawning period. What one fish bites, another one may ignore, so keeping an open mind will give you a better chance of fooling more big bass.

“I like a 4-inch Berkley Havoc Bobby Lane’s Craw Fatty,” Lane said. “We designed it to be a killer bed fishing bait and it has caught a ton of big bass for me. You still have to switch things up sometimes depending on the mood of the fish, so I also like to flip a Berkley Havoc Rocket Craw to give them a different look. If your fishing highly pressured waters, I’d even try a swimbait. It sounds odd, but the results can be amazing.”

Catching spawning bass is one of the most exciting techniques in bass fishing, and although it can be a bit frustrating at times, it gives you a great opportunity to catch enormous bass. If you stay patient and stealthy, understand the bass’ behavior and keep an open mind, you can have the time of your life this spring.

Fishing Brush Piles

Jason Sealock — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Find big bass ambush points fishing wood cover sunk by anglers

By Jason Sealock

Every angler values some sort of cover when it comes to bass fishing. Some of the easiest cover anglers can make themselves includes brush piles. But sometimes finding already sunk brush can be the key to big catches throughout the year. Understanding the nuances of fishing brush and fishing wood as opposed to rock and grass once you've found it often equals big success when bass fishing.

We talked recently with Bassmaster Classic champion Cliff Pace on how he finds good brush and then how he goes about making brush work for him in his bass fishing situations. He shared some great insight that all bass anglers should take to heart when targeting brush on any lake.

The right area makes the brush right

Bass get in brush piles to hide from their prey and sometimes around them because of their prey. But the bass won't be there if the area isn't conducive for them.

"For any brush pile to be a good one it's got to be in the right area," Pace said. I look for brush piles within my pattern. If I'm fishing main lake points, I will look for brush around those points. Usually I like the brush piles on a good clean hard bottom because that's what the bass likes."

Pace looks for three things for a brush pile to be right:

At the right depth
Within a pattern
A good hard bottom

Not all brush is good brush

Bass won't occupy every brush pile on a lake. In fact, they inhabit a very small percentage of the brush piles on a lake.

"About 25 percent of the brush I find actually holds bass," Pace said. "So be prepared to find a whole bunch of likely fishing wood that doesn't hold any bass."

That's what he likes about brush pile fishing though. They aren't just everywhere and the bass aren’t in all of them. So that means when you find a handful of good ones, they will generally always be good ones. And the harder you work to find the right ones, the better your fishing will be when they are in that pattern that the brush is in.

Some lakes produce better brush bass

"Typically I like a lake that doesn't have a lot of natural cover for fishing brush piles," Pace said. "If there is grass, and rocks and a lot of manmade structures, brush piles might not be as good as they are on a lake void of a lot of that cover. As they come out of their spawning areas."

But he will look for brush in his area on all the lakes he fishes. It's worthwhile to spend the time for what could potentially be a key bite or two if the fishing gets tough.

Keep in mind that brush can be big hardwood trees piled up or single bushy trees or other pieces of wood that forms an object in the water that baitfish relate to and bass use to ambush.

Technology eliminates guess work

Structure Scan has really made finding brush so much easier for anglers.

"It's really almost not fair anymore," Pace said. "Instead of guess what the pile looked like and if it had fish near it, you can see how many limbs it has and how many bass are on it with these new Lowrance electronics."

Pace will spend a lot of time idling an area looking for brush in out-of-the-way places. Instead of simply focusing right on the tip of a point, he idled the bank leading up to it, the curve out of the point, down the side of the point, then up the other side and around into the cove. He'll make big egg shaped passes around the area looking for brush on the outskirts of the fish holding areas. He often finds the brush that is off to the side of a key spot is the better brush because most folks overlook it.

Once he finds brush he hops up on the deck and makes a few casts until he hits the cover. Then he will immediately get a line up with something on the nearest bank so he can eliminate the guess work when he returns to fish a productive pile.

Fish thoroughly and repetitively

It takes a different array of lures to fish brush versus rock and grass to an extent. The baits that work best often depend on the mood of the bass or season. Pace shared four of his favorites for targeting brush:

When the fish are in the brush, he will work a jig or a worm up and over every branch slowly, trying to make as much contact with the cover as he can on one cast. Many bites will occur just as the lure comes up and over a branch and starts falling again. So it's important to be a line watcher and feel for the bites as it the lure falls through the cover.

If the fish are aggressive, especially in warmer summer months, he will go for a reaction bite by crashing a crankbait into limbs and the top of trees he's fishing. It takes some practice but you can actually get good at worming a crankbait through the brush with your rod and triggering some big fish to bite.

And before he leaves any brush pile he always makes a few casts to it with a spinnerbait. He feels like it's one of the best ways to trigger an aggressive bass to bite around brush. It's been a go to big fish producer for years for him in the warmer months.

It's worth your time to explore your lake and rule out the unproductive brush piles and find those handful of fish producers to always have in your back pocket on a tough day or when you don't have time to run around and find bass, knowing a handful of good brush piles can be a fishing day saver. Fishing brush takes patience but the rewards can be huge in bass fishing.