Category: Fishing Techniques

February 2, 2010

Winter Bass Fishing Tactics

We are lucky here in California that we can fish through the winter. Things can get tough at times, but it is my favorite time to fish. You don't have to deal with all the other yahoo boaters on the water, and if you dress up nice and warm it can be enjoyable.

A 4.20 Spot caught in the begining of February on Lake Shasta.

In general I believe that big fish are a little easier to catch in the winter. I am usually looking to fish deep water or somewhere right near it. I like to fish slowly and very intentionally. I pay close attention to my graph, always looking for bait and fish arches. I fish a lot of heavy baits that I have good control of and can keep good contact with. Most of the time I will not even fish until I locate fish on my fish finder. The great thing about this time of year is that fish have a tendency to school up. Once you get a bite there are usually more bass around.

There are a few techniques I focus on: slow-rolling at a controlled depth where I have located fish, jigging spoons on suspended fish, or hopping down steep banks for active fish.

Fishing Slow and Deep

When I locate fish on the bottom this is when they are usually the least active. A lot of times these fish will not even show up as arches on your graph. They will appear more as rocks but look closer – especially if you're really familiar with the bottom contour. I will usually target these fish with a big swimbait, a football head jig or a 6" darter head worm such as a Robo Worm. I will slow-roll the swimbait and drag the worm or jig painfully slow over these areas watching to see if any fish arches rise off the bottom.

A 3/4 ounce Dirty Jig with a Little Creeper craw trailer (to be released this year)

Playing the Spoons

Secondly, I will locate bait balls with arches under and around them. This is when I bust out the spoon such as the Hopkins or tail spinner such as the Revenge shown below. Fishing becomes much like a video game at this point. If you pay close attention you can see you baits drop down on your graph and put them right on the fish arches. It is very satisfying to see a fish arch move towards your line and feel your rod load up.

A Revenge Tail spinner

Hopping the bait

Finally, I will target steep walls and hop either a jig or swimbait down to the bottom. I will usaully do this on warmer days or days with rain when I have a good idea the fish are more active. I really like the Blade Runner Spintrix for this aproach. For the most part I don't pay to much attention to water temp exept on these sunny days. I really feel that fish will hold close to rocks that pull warmth from the sun.

A Blade Runner Spintrix with a blue shad Basstrix

If things get real tough don't be afraid to have some fun and go buy some minnows. A lot of people get so caught up on artificial lures sometimes that they forget how fun it can be to fish live bait. These can be fished either on a bobber or split shot rig.

December 17, 2009

How To add a Swimbait Bottom Weight Modification

This time of year I am usually targeting deep structure while fishing swimbaits. This can pose a few problems, one being the fact that fast-sinking swimbaits have a tendency to get hung a lot more. Also, slow-sinking swimbaits take forever to get down and can only be fished extremely slow to keep them deep. But the advantage to slow-sinking swimbaits is there more natural look as they slowly bounce off of cover. A while ago I figured out a way to get the best of both worlds and increase your bottom contact and feel.

Shown here on a 6" Baitsmith

The picture is pretty self explanatory, but what I use is a Luresaver Breakaway titanium split ring and an egg weight on the bottom hookmount of a slow-sinking bait. This gets your bait down quicker, and gives you the more bouyant look of a slow-sink swimbait. Most importantly, it increases the feel of bottom contact that is so important and is usually lost through the layer of soft plastic covering the bottom weight on most fast-sinking swimbaits. Also with this breakaway system you are more likely to get your bait back if you get hung up.

It does not take much, but it makes a big difference.

December 6, 2009

Proven Baits for Targeting Trophy Bass

By Matt Allen – a new regular contributor to The Wired Angler.

If you're anything like me, there's been a day where you stood in a
weigh-in line and stared at the guys ahead of you with two bags in each
hand. After that you turn around and the guy behind you has got the
same thing! Here you are with a single bag, there might be 13 lbs in
there if you're lucky! You wonder why you even got out of bed that
morning. Was it really worth the gas to come out here and get
humiliated? Did spending the day at home taking care of the house
really sound that bad? And most importantly, how did these other guys
do it?

I want to discuss the difference between fishing for a bite and fishing for a big bite.

Despite
popular belief, there is a difference. Odds are, that guy standing in
front of you with all those bags wasn't dragging the same 4" worm,
throwing the same tube, or fishing the same crankbait. He may not have
even been in the same part of the lake! Its not a case of random luck,
there is a reason all those bug-eyed monsters are in those bags!

Over the last few years I have found what I believe to be the three most
consistent baits to catch giant bass. By implementing jigs, topwater,
swimbaits, and sight fishing you can catch more and bigger fish than
you've ever caught before! I'm going to discuss the first three at
length tonight and will save the fourth for another time.

As
you read through this, keep in mind that the baits mentioned are the
baits that I am personally using to catch oversize bass. I recognize
that you live in different places, fishing for different fish.
Therefore, realize that when I mention a 9" swimbait, you may want to
consider one that is 4"-8". If I mention an 8" lunker punker you may
consider using a 6” lunker punker or a super spook. The particular
baits in question, while important, are not a deal breaker. Focus on
the concepts and I believe this information will help you catch bigger
bass more consistently.

In addition to choosing the right
bait it is also important to consider the right location. This is an
entire topic within itself that will have to wait for another day but
follow these quick examples to increase your odds of encountering an
oversize largemouth. Examples of high-percentage locations are
long-tapering points, wind-blown points, creek channel bends, edges of
flats, ledges, and weedlines. Most importantly, the location you choose
needs to have quick access to deep water (the actual depth will vary
based on the body of water you are fishing).

Another
misconception is that your goal is to catch fish. What I mean by this
is that if you are catching one pounder after one pounder the odds of
suddenly catching a 7 pounder let alone a 10 pounder, are greatly
reduced. Large bass will occasionally school up but it is rarely with
small bass. What this means is that if you are catching a lot of small
fish its time to move. You are looking for locations that are holding a
handful of quality fish, not a school of small fish.

The Jig

The
first consistent big bass producer I want to discuss is the jig. It is
widely accepted nationwide as one of the most consistent fish-catchers
available today. Unlike the other big bass options, bigger is not
always better when referencing the jig. Instead, I feel that attention
to detail is the important focal point. All too often an angler will
choose one or two jig colors for all applications. Remember, the jig is
used to imitate everything from crawfish to bluegill.

It is
important to carefully match your colors to the forage you are
imitating. A few colors that I have extremely high confidence in are
Dirt Nap, camouflage, and Pumpkinseed Bream. These colors can be found
at dirtyjigstackle. They represent varieties of brown, black, watermelon, green pumpkin,
and bluegill. This allows me to duplicate nearly any forage that the
bass may be keyed in on.

There are a multitude of ways to use
a jig but my personal experience has shown that hopping, swimming, and
pitching are the three most consistent ways to catch big fish. When I
hop a jig I use a drag-pump-pump action. This allows the jig to imitate
a craw that is beginning to move, then spooks and pumps up off the
bottom. Typically the bite will come as soon as I let the bait fall on
slack line.

Swimming a jig is another versatile option. A
variety of trailers can be used to further imitate a particular forage.
This technique is incredibly simple! I often just cast and retrieve the
bait as I would a spinnerbait or crankbait. The power of this bait is
in the secondary movement. Not only is the trailer moving but the skirt
pulsates as well. This breaks up the pattern and causes a shimmer
across the whole bait that is extremely lifelike!

The last
way I fish the jig is simply by pitching it into heavy cover. For this
I typically use a 3/4 oz pitchin' jig. Using a heavier jig allows me to
get a reaction from the bass. The bait falls so quickly that the bass
has a split second to react before the bait is gone. Ideally, I will
let the bait fall, shake it, and pull it out, in just a few seconds. By
implementing this technique a great deal of water can be covered in a
short period of time.

Topwater baits

Topwater is
another awesome opportunity for big bass! This genre represents
everything from a 2" popper, to a buzzbait, to a 15" wakebait. There is
something about a slow moving bait across the surface of the water that
draws in big bass. Fast moving topwaters are extremely effective but
rarely catch the giants. If you are looking for a true giant, slower is
typically better.

Some of my favorite topwater baits include the
Black Dog Lunker Punker, the JSJ Bluegill, the Super Spook, and the
Snagproof Frog. Each of these baits excels at catching large bass.
However, the spook and frog are typically geared towards bass well
under the 10 lb mark. Topwater is a prime example of bigger is better!
If you use a spook, consider the super spook instead of the super spook
junior. You'll be amazed how many small bass will still eat it, and you
might just be surprised by a fish that is bigger than any you knew were
in your home lake.

Remember, getting more bites is not the
ultimate goal. You need to find the balance between quantity and
quality. Increase the size of your offering until you are catching a
few less fish, with the occasional bigger bite. Consider that a 3 lb
bass will often eat a 12" bait, whereas a 10 lb bass will often pass up
on a 4" bait. Again, finding that balance point is key!

I have
found through trial and error, that big bass do not want to work hard
for a meal. They will often track a slow moving bait but will not
strike unless the bait does something erratic. When using a wakebait I
use a slow, steady retrieve but will snap the rod tip sharply once or
twice during the cast. The snapping motion causes the bait to turn or
jump in an erratic manner. This brief change is often what the bass is
waiting for and you will be rewarded with what I can only describe as a
watery eruption!

One misconception about topwater is that
bass prefer to eat on top during low light conditions. The vast
majority of my topwater bass over 7 lbs came during the middle of the
day. During these "off peak" times you may go for hours without a bite,
but when it finally happens the bass will be big! I can recall many
days where I've thrown a frog or a wakebait for 8-12 hours and only had
4-7 bites. But those 5 fish limits were almost always in the 25-35 lb
range. Don't let the sunlight limit you. Topwater is a viable option 24
hours a day!

Swimbaits

The final big bass option is
the swimbait. This term once referenced a trout-imitating soft plastic
lure with a swimming tail that was a minimum of 6" long. In recent
years this genre has grown to include everything from a 2" Swimming
Minnow to the 12" Osprey swimbait. Like topwater, size matters when it
comes to swimbaits. If you limit yourself to 2-5 inch swimbaits you are
going to get bites, and plenty of them, but you are probably not
selecting for larger fish. Is a 4" swimbait that much different than a
crankbait or spinnerbait? I really don't believe it is. If you want a
swimbait to work in your big bass arsenal, you need to start at 6
inches and work up from there.

There are a wide variety of
swimbaits in the 6" range that will catch big bass. The 6" Basstrix is
now widely accepted as a big bass producer. This bait really isn't all
that big. It doesn't require a special rod and reel combo but will
often produce larger than average fish. The 6" Baitsmith is another
excellent choice. It is significantly larger than the basstrix but is
small enough to be fished nationwide. This bait has been proven to work
from California to Wisconsin and was conceived in the far Northern
reaches of Idaho.

While the 6" is a terrific option to catch
big bass, going even larger will select for the true giants. The 8"
Huddleston swimbait has caught numerous double digits from coast to
coast. Over the past few years it has proven itself time and time again
in and out of the tournament scene.

Swimbaits are very similar
to topwater baits, in that they are most effective when worked slowly.
With these baits I use a variety of techniques. The most common
technique is to sit shallow and work the bait slowly uphill. In order
to accomplish this I allow the bait to sink to the bottom in deep
water. Once it has reached bottom I begin a slow, steady retrieve along
the bottom. Don't be afraid that the bass won't find such a slow moving
bait. Giant bass rule their domains and they will know when an intruder
has arrived!

While the slow and steady retrieve is the most
common don't be afraid to work these baits quickly to create a
"bulging" effect on the water's surface. Fishing a swimbait in and
around weed edges is another great way to locate big bass that are
looking to ambush an easy meal.

I hope that you are able to take
some of these baits and principles and apply them to your own
waterways. There is no reason that you can't go out to your favorite
body of water and catch bigger bass! Remember, not every lake has 10
pounders. You may simply be trying to catch 4 pounders instead of 2
pounders. These techniques apply to every body of water nationwide. If
you choose to implement them you may soon be the guy standing in the
weigh-in line with 5 bags smiling knowingly at the guy behind you who
only came to weigh in with 4 bags!

December 4, 2009

Big Swim Jiggin’ Techniques

Recently I started fishing swim jigs which have been gaining in popularity over the last few years. I personally have been so distracted by fishing swimbaits that I hardly gave it the time of day. I think this was mostly due to me being sort of close-minded and thinking of them as a conventional technique. Well my eyes have been opened and I figured I would share the light.

I was introduced to big swim jigs with pretty big swimbait trailers. Not only was this different but the way they can be fished is slightly different than what may traditionally come to mind. When you search the aisles at your local fishing store most of the swim jigs you will find are not only relatively small but usually not very heavy either. Most of the time they max out at 3/4 oz which is fine for shallow water and keeping from getting hung up, but what if you want to fish deeper and still fish fast. The answer, coming from the saltwater market is a jig that is no different from a conventional bass jig except they start at 3/4 of an ounce and go up from there – in fact they go all the way up to 2 oz.

These are the Slayer Swim Jigs by War

Here's what and how I have been doing it and why this jig and trailer fits the bill. First off these jigs start with a 5/0 Mustad Ultra Point and go all the way up to a 7/O. This accepts a 5" top pour swimbait trailer which is the key to this rig and how its fished. The trailer I use is a commercially available swimbait mold from Lure Craft. I pour my own so this may not be the best choice, a roboworm swimbait or Optimum diamond shad may be a good choice as well.

I target ledges on breaks, docks and rock outcroppings with this bait. Not what you may typically think of as swim jig water, but so far the results have been great. The great thing about the heavier weights on these swim jigs is the ability to fish them fast and keep them at deeper depths without them rising up away from your target area. I also fish these baits on a small swimbait rod or a heavy jig rod to be exact. I use a Powell 7'10", 5 power one piece flippin pitching rod. The retrieve on this bait is somewhere between hopping a jig a slow rolling a swimbait. Just like either of these baits you have to play around with the retrieve to see what the fish want on any given day.

This bait has some huge potential and I hope you guys take this chance to pick some of these jigs up and give this technique a shot.

October 29, 2009

Fall Bass Fishing 101

I can't think of any other time of year where the fish are so damn reliable and unreliable at the same time than fall.

Now that is officially fall – in case you have not noticed – animals start doing weird shit. You see a lot of activity this time of year as animals are out getting prepared for the unknown of winter. This is no different for the bass. They start doing everything they can to gorge themselves to prepare for winter.

Here are a few basic guidelines I start off with when fall fishing for bass, as well as a basic list of lure suggestions. Keep in mind this does not matter if you're in California or Massachusetts the same basics apply.

Finding the fall hangouts

Starting off the first thing I start looking for are creeks, coves and pockets, fish pin bait and try and keep it corralled this time of year. This can be a crazy thing to witness, but I have seen wolf packs of fish take out an entire ball of bait in as little as one afternoon. Also the sun and water temp start playing a huge roll this time of year. I believe that the warmer the bank in the fall, the more likely it is to be a productive spot. This continues throughout winter, but that is a different article all together. So look for banks, coves, and creek areas that get sun early, and have it constant throughout the day without loosing it to the shadow of trees, hills, etc.

Once you find a few likely areas to start, begin to search for bait fish. The easiest way to do this is look for birds. Although there are not always going to be birds where bait fish are present it still helps to be very aware of birds. Keep an eye out in particular for diving birds.

Bass are going top have a tendency to bunch up no matter what the species so you are going to catch largies, spots, as well as smallmouth in the same area a lot of times. I have a tendency to fish shallow this time of year, but fish love to get deep and hang suspended under large balls of bait, so keep your graph on at all times to see what is going on under your boat. Be very aware of your surroundings. Chances are if you see a bass bust in the surface this time of year, if you can react quickly enough that fish will be catchable.

Lure selection

As far as lures go, I like to fish big baits but I always try keep an open mind this time of year since fish become really keyed in on size and profile in the fall. You may be able to draw a fish up to the boat with a swimbait for example, but that same fish may be so keyed on shad it may not bite anything but a LV 500, rattletrap or spoon. Just don't get stuck in a rut of trying to force feed the fish. Believe me, I know this from experience.

Last but not least, don't forget to cover water once you figure out a pattern. This is a great time of year to run around and try and match a cove for example where you may have stuck 20 fish. Chances are you can find the same thing happening just up the lake a bit.

My favorite fall bass lures

Here are some specific lure choices I start off with in the fall.

Remember this is just a general guideline – don't get caught up on one bait in the fall. Use your imagination. This may be the only time of year you will find 6 rods thrown across the deck of my boat.

Starting with swimbaits, from the top

Black Dog "Weed Slinger"
8" Osprey
6" Baitsmith

On the top

Super Spook
Lunker Lures buzz bait
Terminator 1/8 oz buzz bait
6" Rattling Lunker Punker

Some more offerings (ignore the buzz baits already mentioned)

Revenge Lures Viberator with a Lake Fork shad trailer
Revenge spinnerbait in all white
1/8 oz Terminator spinner bait

Two Old Faithfulls

1/4 oz Speed Trap
3/4 oz LV 500

For when that water starts to get cold:

Don't forget a selection of rip baits.

If your not one to fish in the freezing rain and cold like I am, this may be your last opportunity to get out and stick some fish until it warms up in the spring, so get out there while the getting's good.

September 19, 2009

Jiggin’ Basics

If I had to pick one lure that I could say with confidence I could catch quality fish on 365 days out of the year it would be a jig.

Second to a swimbait, I probably fish a jig more than any other lure on my boat, and for good reason. I have caught more bass in the 5 to 10 pound range on jigs than I can even keep track of.

I like fishing jigs deep in rocky areas more that anything, so I fish a lot of football head jigs in 1/2 size up to 1 oz which I refer to as my 1 ton jigs. I keep my colors simple. For the most part if I am fishing clear water I use mostly brown and orange. In dirtier water I switch over to brown and purple. My reasoning behind this is that in the clear water I get a natural presentation, where the fish are extremely sight oriented feeders. In the dirtier water the fish are a little more conditioned to use thee other senses to feed, so when they come in contact with the brown and purple it will show up quicker to them in the murky water. I am a big fan of June bug as a trailer color on this set up.

I have a friend that dives a lot of lakes for me and catches a lot of crawdads. The colors do vary a lot, but brown with a little orange is the most common here in Northern California. Also – believe it or not – the bass really seem to prefer the smaller crawdads as a regular meal. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense because of the ease of eating and digestion. As crawdads get bigger, they get a harder shell, as well as a bigger set of pinchers. I don't know about you, but I would rather not have my lunch bite back if I could avoid it. What I am getting at is that in most situations with jigs bigger is not necessarily better.

On to fishing them:

There are a million ways to fish a jig. In fact, I don't know if there is a wrong way to do it. I have my favorite ways to work them, but the most important factor time. Some starting tips include always fishing them on fluorocarbon line. This is going to give you the best contact possible with your bait so you can detect even the lightest pick up. What I have found over the years is that the bigger the fish the harder to detect the bite. These fish are capable of sucking up so much water you don't really get much of a tick-tick type of a bite.

This is a style of fishing where you really need to be on your game and paying attention.

Rod recommendations

I like to fish jigs on a rod 7' at least. You need to be able to pull up a lot of line on a hook set. I prefer a pretty heavy jig rod but everyone is going to have their own comfort zone.

Where I start

Most of my jig fishing is done in rocky ares, drop offs, walls, bluffs, etc. I like to start on points and areas surrounding them. I'll usually bounce downhill or pull along at a certain depth parallel to a certain depth until I find where most of the fish are concentrated. This can be a real crapshoot at times and considering the forage you are imitating it makes sense. Shad travel together and stay together as they move most of the time. Crawdads roam alone and hide most of the time, this is why I think bass are so willing to hit a jig. My theory is that they are more conditioned to come across lone crawdads as they go about their daily business. Whether or not they are in the mood to eat or not is more or less up to them. Where as if you find a ball of shad busting the surface, more than likely the bass in the area are actively feeding.

Most of my retrieves are based on what I have seen of crawdad behavior in the water and what they do when they are in distress or feel like they are in trouble. If you are to go down and pull a crawdad out from under a rock, swim up a bit, and drop it in front of a bass, the crawdad will swim frantically backwards to get away. Bass can not handle this and love to eat crawdads when their they are at a disadvantage. So one of my favorite retrieves is to pop my jig off the bottom and let it fall. to imitate this distress. I do this pretty quickly, and most of my bites are going to be on the fall. I even use this method in cold water. If this does not work for me, I like to drag them on the bottom slowly, always keeping a tight line and contact with the bait. 90% of the time one of these two methods works for me.

I like to fish jigs anywhere from 5 to 60 feet of water. As a general rule, anything below 15 feet I'll fish 3/4 or 1 ton jig. But it really depends on when the fish are hitting the bait and how aggressively they are hitting.

Pictured: Bass Patrol 3/4 oz. jig with Little Creeper crawdad trailer

The jigs themselves

My favorites include Jig Monster football head jigs, Revenge Baits football head jigs with a Yamamoto Hula Grub, and the recently discovered Fin Tech Title Shot jig heads with a custom made crawdad trailer. I prefer the Hula Grubs on days where the bite proves to be slower.

Pictured above a 3/4 oz football jig head (brown) and a 3/4 oz Fin Tech Title Shot weedless head (green)

The materials jigs are made of are endless. What I am looking for are a good quality hook first and foremost. Some prefer silicone over rubber and vice-versa. I don't really care either way myself. Just fish your confidence no matter what – if you're fishing something you don't think is going to get bit, you might as well not even be fishing.

April 25, 2009

Topwater Backup Plan

The topwater season has once again kicked into full swing. This is my favorite way to fish, hands down. There is nothing better than having a big bass come up and inhale your favorite topwater plug. However, fishing topwater does not come without gut wrenching disappointment at times. There is a cure for this though, kind of a one-two punch.

This is my topwater fishing backup bait method. Whenever I have any topwater bait on my deck I will also have a corresponding backup bait. This will be a slow sinking bait that is similar in size and color to whatever topwater bait I may have tied on.

Depending on a multitude of factors, and usually split second decisions, this method will put more fish in the boat, guaranteed.

Some days you can cast your topwater bait right back to where the bass hit your lure after a missed strike, and it will strike again. Other days you will need to show the fish something little more subtle and enticing. This all comes with experience and a little bit of intuition, but just like everything else in fishing, the more you fish a method the better you get at it.

The basic rules I follow for my set up:
I try and match size and color of my two baits as close as I can but not to the point of scrutiny.
Let’s take a frog for example: if I have a white frog, I’ll use a sinking Gambler frog in white with a Falcon hook as my back up sinking bait, sometimes even a Senko.

For baits such as a Spook or a buzz bait a Senko or a fluke are my favorites. You want to have a bait that sinks slow and can be twitched and killed to mimic a wounded bait fish.

Most of your follow up strikes are going to come almost immediately, so be ready as soon as that thing hits the water.

When to throw your follow up bait:
This is sometimes a tough decision; however you don’t have any time to think about as you may only have a few seconds to get your backup bait in the water. This is where a little bit of that Rick Clunn intuition shit comes into play. I wish I had some sort of formula for this but we all know if there was one of those we would all be better fisherman than we are.

Just remember: Play it safe. Next time you’re throwing you favorite topwater bass bait to have a backup plan.

July 22, 2008

Crankin’ Clear Lake

Not a lot has been said about this fishing technique since the swimbait came along, but it is still one of the most reliable ways to catch a solid bag of bass on Clear Lake.

There are several key times of year I like to fish crank baits (if by several, I mean all year)
Since it is summer I'll start now:

Summer

Once the spawn is over, the fish start to go about their normal routine, returning to deeper water. The water starts to green up as a result of the hot summer days. This has been happening lately first on the south end. Now is great time to start throwing the big deep divers like the DD-22; this bait is one of my favorites on this lake.

Target rocky areas with access to deep water. Obviously morning and evenings are going to be best but if you can stay deep enough with your bait or target shaded areas this bite will sometimes be good all day long.

Some of my favorite areas to throw the DD-22 are Horseshoe Bend, Rocky Point, Jago Bay, and the flats between Shag Rock and Buckingham Point and around Rattle Snake island.

I like keep my colors in this bait pretty simple. I only carry a couple crawdad colors and a couple shad imitators.

Crank baits are one of those lures that if you come across a school of the right size baitfish you can go from zero-to-hero in a heartbeat. I have sat in spots in less than 2 hours and caught over 70 fish. Seriously. I say “over 70” because I honestly lost count. Have you ever had a bruised stomach from setting the hook? One day last summer I did.

A nice 7 pound Clear Lake fish Last August.

Fall

My next favorite time to throw crank baits is fall. The bass will school up just as much if not more this time of year

In the fall you can find fish by watching for birds. The bass will start keying in on coves and pinning baitfish on rock and gravel ledges. It can become an all-out feeding frenzy at times.

This is when the Lucky Craft LV 500 really shines as well as the Speed Trap. I have also experimented with some custom painted Strike King Shad baits and really liked the results.

This can be a really visual time of year as well because of the fact that the water will have started to clear up in a lot of places and you will see a lot of your strikes.

I will focus a lot on banks facing east in fall. It seems the fish know it is going to start getting cold and they are savoring that last bit of sunshine in the rapidly shortening days.

Winter

Winter is hit or miss – one day will be on fire and the next day nothing. I always have a DD-22 tied on in the winter. This is a time where I will focus on sunny banks during the day, and around docks and rocks. If you can find both together near deep water it is ideal.

I will fish a little slower than normal this time of year as the fish are usually not as aggressive, but for a time when most everyone is dragging a jig or drop shot you can really go out and show them something they are not seeing a lot of.

I stick really tight to boulders as well this time of year; it seems the fish will just sit right on them keeping their bellies warm.

Spring

Pre-spawn is a time when I will break out the shallow divers such as the Zenith Big Bite or another one of my favorites the Diawa Bass Hunter. I'll stick with crappie colors and blue gill colors as well as Fire Tiger. The water is usually kind of murky still and they really seem to go after the brighter colors.
I like to use these baits on the north end on flats as well as migrating points from the main body in to coves.

A word about hooks
One thing I want to emphasize is replacing hooks out when needed. A lot of baits are coming with better hooks these days, however most are not. I am guilty of not doing this myself but I lost a couple key fish in tourneys the last couple years and I am currently going through all my bait boxes and replacing all my crank bait hooks with Gamakatsu EWG Hooks. If this has not happened to you (yet) – let me tell you: learn from the mistakes of others on this one. A 3 pound smally in the middle of the winter on Berreyessa would have made a difference damn it!

Rod selection
I want to touch on equipment as well. As most techniques these days require special equipment, the crank bait is no different. It is crucial that you use either a glass rod or a nice moderate action graphite. The moderate action rod will increase your hook up to landing ratio as well, it will absorb those runs the fish take on you to prevent lost fish.

I prefer glass as it absorbs a lot of vibration and when you throw a big deep diver all day, believe me, it makes a huge difference. Throw your baits on as long as a rod you feel comfortable with. You will get more distance which equally more depth on you baits.

This is a great time to get out there and start fishing these baits numbers can be high and the confidence boost even higher.

July 1, 2008

Fluke Fishing For Bass

When the fishing gets tough from post-spawn through the summer, one of my go-to baits is the Fluke or Fluke-style baits.

Something about the subtle action of this bait can really trigger lethargic fish into striking. One scenario that comes to mind for me happened just last weekend at Clear Lake.

It was the middle of the day, and we were fishing shallow in the weeds. The outside temp was pushing one hundred degrees and the water temp was in the seventies. I could not buy a bite on a frog.

I know the area is loaded with fish, so I started to throw a big swimbait to draw the fish out. This worked, but the fish did not want to eat it. At this point I downsized to a Bass Trix swimbait on a Falcon 1/4 oz hook. The fish were a little more interested, so I knew I was close.

They would follow the Bass Trix and swipe at it, but did not want to commit to it either. This is where the Fluke comes in.

What the Fluke does is something that not too many baits can do. It can be set up to turn at the twitch of your rod tip. On this particular day, that was all it took to trigger followers into strikers. By turning the bait and facing the following fish it was enough to trigger strikes from an otherwise non-committal fish.
I prefer using the big Fluke style baits from Bass Assassin.
Here is the set up:

The hook must be set back about an inch on the bigger baits and about a half inch on the smaller baits from the nose of the bait. In order to do this you must push the eye of the hook through the bait, tie your knot and then pull your hook back in.

The 7″ Bass Assassinand witha 6/0 1/4 Falcon hook and the 5″ Zoom fluke with a 2/0 Falcon 1/32 oz hook.

Another thing this hook set-back allows you to do is walk the fluke under the water – just like walking a fluke on the surface, using short twitch and pause motions. The bait will also sink in a circular motion.

These baits can also be fished weightless on the surface as a subtle clear water lure. This is perfect for shallow water site fishing when the fish are mindlessly cruising.

The great thing about the Fluke is that it can be set up weedless. I prefer using the bottom weight Falcon hooks in as big a size you can get away with without hindering the action of the bait.

I fish the big Bass Assassin Fluke style baits on a 7′ casting medium-heavy rod with a fast tip, paired with 15 pound CXX P-line or 50 pound braid. A Senko or topwater spook rod will work perfect.

The smaller Zoom Flukes I like to fish on spinning tackle. I use a 7′ medium-heavy rod with a fast tip as well, this time with 30 pound braid. This is so I can horse fish out of the weeds if needed.

The thing I like about Fluke fishing this time of year is that is that a lot of times it involves sight fishing in clear water and you get to see a lot of the fish react and hit your bait.

Give the Fluke a try – it may turn a slow day into a great day on the water. Let me know if you have any Fluke tips in the comments or email me, and I’ll share them.