Don Wirth

Weedless Wonders

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:36 -0400

Think of those vast mats of lily pads and hydrilla as fish cafeterias.

All that cover is filled with critters that help bass, pike and muskies grow fat.

Weedless spoons are classic lures for enticing major-league strikes in such cover. While some soft-plastics are designed to skate over the top of the slop, weedless spoons are more versatile. They can slide over pads or snake through bulrushes; you can fish them just under the surface or a foot or two below it.
Available in a variety of colors, these spoons feature a curved metal body and a
single upswept hook, usually made weedless by a metal pin that extends from the lure's body to over the hook's tip. Tack on a soft-plastic or pork trailer to bulk up the offering.

To fish a spoon, cast it past the targeted weeds, keep the rod tip at 11 o'clock and reel the spoon back. Concentrate on irregularities in weed beds: holes, pockets or points.

When a fish blows up on the spoon, immediately drop the rod tip to 9 o'clock and count to three. Then set the hook with a rapid stroke of the rod to 12 o'clock.

Because you're dealing with lunker fish in dense grass, use a 7-foot heavy-action bait-
caster or flipping stick coupled with a high-speed reel and 20- to 30-pound mono or braided line. The long rod helps keep your line off the weeds, and the high-speed reel comes in handy for winching hooked bass or pike out of heavy vegetation. If you're fishing for something toothy, remember to tie on a wire leader.

Deep-Water Tricks for Winter Bass

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:34 -0400

Jigging spoons, blade baits and tailspinner jigs are among the deadliest bass lures to use in cold weather...which doesn't help explain why most of us never fish them.

Maybe it's because they're fairly
expensive and easy to lose. And you can't just chuck them out and wind them in and expect to catch bass the way you can with crankbaits or spinnerbaits. They're supposed to look like minnows in trouble and require a good deal of angler skill to achieve the proper action. Most bass fishermen haven't got a clue how to fish them.

Which is where Outdoor Life comes in. We want to put heavy metal where it belongs, in the top drawer of your tackle box. These lures can be awesome in troublesome situations in which other baits can't cut the mustard, such as when bass are suspended 40 feet deep in 40-degree water, or bunched up in pre-spawn on a snaggy river-channel drop-off, or cruising a ledge in a gin-clear reservoir. Pick up a few jigging spoons, blade baits and tailspinners. Practice the retrieves we recommend, and then go catch a bunch of bass.

Flat-Metal Wonders

When you're bird-dogging widely scattered bass in deep water, nothing works better than a blade bait. These flat-sided metal lures can be fished much faster than a jig or grub and far deeper than most lipped crankbaits. Popular blades include the Bullet,
Cicada, Sonar and Silver Buddy.

Blade baits have a thin, fish-shaped body stamped out of sheet metal. You can cast them a long way even on raw, windy days. Chuck a blade to the end of a deep point and it sinks like a rock, making you wonder why a bass would ever hit it. But its magic becomes evident when you pull back on your rod. The blade strobe-flashes like a shad on amphetamines and darn near vibrates your fillings loose.

Blades are perfect when bass are holding tight to deep structures where there is a minimum of snaggy cover, such as gravel points or rock ledges. The lures excel in deep, clear highland reservoirs where big smallmouth and spotted bass cruise channel drop-offs, slick clay points and 45-degree rock banks. These metal baits work best in clear to slightly stained water. On sunny days, a plain silver or gold blade creates maximum bass-attracting flash. Under cloud cover, use a painted lure. A ½-ounce blade is recommended for probing structures down to around 30 feet; for deeper applications, or when casting in gale-force winds, try a Ã‚Â¾-ounce blade. This lure should always be fished with a wire snap or split-ring. A 6- to 6½-foot medium-heavy bait-casting or spinning rod and 10- to 14-pound-test mono are recommended.

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Dancing a Jigging Spoon

Weighted metal spoons will catch bass in open water and around wood cover. In the dead of winter, bass in highland reservoirs bunch up in "hollows" (deep V-shaped tributary arms) where they suspend around baitfish schools in the 20- to 40-foot zone. Locate these fish on your graph, then drop a spoon on their heads. Jigging spoons aren't just for cold weather. In summer, bass in lowland and river-run reservoirs gravitate to channel drop-offs, usually 15 to 25 feet deep. A jigging spoon can load the boat in no time.

As noted, a jigging spoon has no built-in action, so it's totally up to the angler to make it perform correctly. To do so, you must maintain contact with the lure while fishing it; otherwise you'll miss strikes or stay hung up in brush. Avoid lightweight spoons; use one weighing ½ to 1 ounce, depending on the depth of the fish and the strength of the water current. Use a 6-foot medium-heavy bait-casting rod and 14- to 20-pound-test monofilament. Popular jigging spoons include the Hopkins Shorty, Lazer Eye Minnow, Mann-O-Lure and Strata Spoon.

Among bass lures, the jigging spoon is the all-time depth champ. Anglers on Lake Lanier in Georgia have reported catching spotted bass 100 feet deep on spoons. When jigging a school of spended bass, keep a felt-tip marker in your shirt pocket. After a strike, but before reeling in the fish, mark the line at the rod tip. That way, you can lower the spoon again to the exact depth where the bass are.

Taking a Tailspin

The most compact of all metal baits, tailspinners generally have a teardrop-shaped body with a spinner blade
revolving on a wire shaft protruding from the tail. Most tailspinners have one treble hook, making them less likely to hang up in brushy cover than blade baits. A tailspinner helicopters as it drops, creating flash and vibration-powerful mojo in murky water.

Tailspinners gained prominence in the late '60s when lure designer and bass pro Tom Mann of Eufaula, Ala., logged staggering catches of lunker largemouths on a Little George, a tailspinner he designed and named after Alabama's former governor George Wallace. Other popular tailspinners include the Little Sparky and the Whipper Snapper.
These lures are well suited to both rocky and brushy reservoirs. Because of their intense vibration, they work better than other metal baits in murky water. A tailspinner variation favored by trophy smallmouth hunters in deep, clear lakes is equipped with a triangular metal head, elongated tail wire and rear hook dressed with feathers or bucktail. This style, typified by the Fish-Tec Whoop 'n' Hook, is designed to be retrieved slowly and steadily just off bottom, as opposed to presented vertically. Sometimes a stop-and-go retrieve, in which the tailspinner is allowed to settle to the bottom periodically, is effective.

Most tailspinners are made of lead or a nonreflective metal alloy and are painted. Try white in clear water and chartreuse in dingy water. Tailspinners weighing 3/8 to ½ ounce are the most popular. Because they're intended to be fished around snaggy cover where big bass lurk, use a 7-foot medium-heavy bait-casting rod and reel loaded with 15- to 20-pound-test abrasion-resistant monofilament.

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Lure Adjustments

A few modifications will help you fish a metal bait more efficiently.

When jigging a spoon around wood cover, replace the nickel-plated hook with a softer bronze hook. If the lure hangs up in deep water, apply pressure and the hook will straighten enough to free the lure. Or add an
Ultimate LureSaver titanium split-ring (866-587-3728) between the lure and the hook. When you pull on the line you'll lose the hook but save the lure.

In muddy water, add a 3-inch chartreuse swimming-tail grub to a spoon's hook as an attractor.

Stick a piece of prism tape on a spoon or blade bait for more flash.

If the bite is slow, press in the center of the Little George's spinner slightly
to give it a bit more "cup." This will change its vibrations and might trigger more strikes.

Bend the tail of a blade bait so that it has a slight curve when viewed from above. This will make the lure fall and hop more erratically.

Parallel Blade Bait Retrieve

In fall and winter, bass
often suspend around baitfish schools off 45-degree banks and rock bluffs.
Retrieving a blade bait
parallel to these structures keeps the lure in the strike zone at the right depth.

1. Idle the boat slowly along the bank or bluff, noting depth of baitfish schools or suspending bass on a fish finder.

2. Make a long cast parallel to the structure. Keep the rod tip at 10 o'clock as the bait drops.

3. Count the lure down
to the depth of the bait
or suspending bass.

A ½-ounce blade will drop about 1 foot per second on 12-pound-test mono.

4. When the lure reaches the target depth, either hop it with repeated sharp upward strokes of the rod tip or reel it steadily back to the boat with a fairly fast retrieve.

Ledge-Hopping a Blade

A blade bait is the ultimate ledge-hopping lure. Many rocky reservoirs have limestone or shale banks that stair-step from shallow to deep water. As long as baitfish are plentiful in the area, bass hold on these steps or ledges-20 to 40 feet is common. A blade can be fished down these ledges.

1. Make a long cast to the bank. Keep the rod tip at 10 o'clock while the blade sinks on a tight line.

2. When the lure hits bottom, immediately reel up slack line while dropping the rod tip to 9 o'clock.

3. Raise the rod tip sharply to 11 o'clock. This causes the blade to hop off the bottom, flashing and vibrating as it moves.

4. "Feel" the bait back to the bottom by following the falling lure down with the rod tip, back to 9 o'clock.

If the line jumps or stops
on the fall, set the hook.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4, reeling up line as necessary until the blade is directly
under the boat.

6. Before bringing in the lure, jig it up and down a couple of times near the surface to trigger a strike from a following fish.

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Jigging Spoon Technique

Bass often suspend on channel structure or hold around wood cover at the bottom.
1. Position the boat over the target area. A bow-mounted graph with the transducer
attached to the trolling motor is an essential tool for accurate vertical presentations.

2. With the rod tip at 9 o'clock, drop the spoon to the bottom. Or, if bass are suspended, strip line off the reel in 2-foot increments, counting until
the spoon has dropped to
the level of the fish.

3. Engage the reel spoon
and pop the rod tip sharply to 11 o'clock so the spoon jumps.

4. As the spoon drops, lower the rod back to 9 o'clock, just fast enough to keep a slight bow in the line. This will make the spoon flutter down like a dying shad. Bass often strike a falling spoon, so set the hook if the line stops short.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4.

Tailspinner Technique

A tailspinner works great on main-lake reservoir structures: channel drop-offs lined with stumps, standing timber or brush, and submerged humps and points.

1. Use marker buoys to define the parameters of the structure. Position the boat on the deep side of the target area.

2. Cast the tailspinner to the top of the structure, keeping the rod tip at 10 o'clock as the lure falls.

3. When the lure hits bottom, lower the rod tip to 9 o'clock while reeling up slack.

4. Once the line is tight, raise the rod sharply to 11 o'clock and reel in quickly. This causes the lure to hop violently while the spinner creates intense vibrations.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4, hopping and dropping the lure.

6. Because tailspinners are relatively small, bass often inhale them completely. Set the hook if your line hops during free fall or if you feel a wvoirs have limestone or shale banks that stair-step from shallow to deep water. As long as baitfish are plentiful in the area, bass hold on these steps or ledges-20 to 40 feet is common. A blade can be fished down these ledges.

1. Make a long cast to the bank. Keep the rod tip at 10 o'clock while the blade sinks on a tight line.

2. When the lure hits bottom, immediately reel up slack line while dropping the rod tip to 9 o'clock.

3. Raise the rod tip sharply to 11 o'clock. This causes the blade to hop off the bottom, flashing and vibrating as it moves.

4. "Feel" the bait back to the bottom by following the falling lure down with the rod tip, back to 9 o'clock.

If the line jumps or stops
on the fall, set the hook.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4, reeling up line as necessary until the blade is directly
under the boat.

6. Before bringing in the lure, jig it up and down a couple of times near the surface to trigger a strike from a following fish.

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The Ultimate Guide to Jigs and Grubs

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

Jigs and grubs will catch just about anything that swims. Bass fishermen use them to catch largemouths, smallmouths and spotted bass in an astounding array of water and cover conditions. They also take plenty of walleyes, northerns, muskies and striped bass.

Compared to crankbaits, spinnerbaits and most topwater plugs, jigs and grubs are simple lures with few moving parts; it's angler skill more than their own built-in wobble and flash that makes them convincing targets for wary gamefish. If leadheads aren't in your regular repertoire, it's high time you familiarized yourself with these baits. Day in and day out, they'll catch more and bigger fish than most other lure styles put together.

Head Gear

Ball Head: This design is
a good choice for deep,
clear lakes with little wood
or weed cover. It falls quickly. Customarily used with twist-tail and shad-tail grubs, it is typically rigged with the hook point exposed.

Toe-shaped Head: Common on rubber-
legged jigs, the toe-shaped head slides through thick cover better than other styles and is a favorite of bass pros, who often pitch or flip their jigs into dense vegetation and brush. The head is often equipped with a weedguard.

Football Head:
Designed to sink quickly
for dragging across the bottom, this head is often paired with a plastic crayfish or twin-tail grub for probing deep offshore structure such as points and humps.

Flat or Slider Head:
This type of head is used when swimming (steadily reeling) small soft-plastic grubs, worms and shad
bodies with an exposed hook. The flat design slows the lure's descent so the
angler can keep it moving with a steady retrieve.

Dart Head: Also called
a bullet head, the dart head falls quickly. It's often used for suspended fish and vertical presentations.

Spinner Head: This design
features a small spinner blade
above or below the head that flashes and vibrates as the lure sinks on a tight line or is hopped. It's good for fishing schooling fish chasing baitfish.

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Delivery Systems

Casting will put jigs where you want them most of the time, but certain situations require special presentations:

1. Pitching is used to present jigs from a distance to difficult targets such as shallow weed patches, stumps and laydown logs, or under branches or boat docks.
Using a stout 6½- to 7-foot bait-casting rod, release the spool and pull off one rod-length of line. Face the target and hold the jig in your free hand, about even with the reel. Lower the tip of the rod toward the water, then snap it upward quickly while
letting go of the lure. The jig will move toward the target, pulling line from the reel as it travels just above the surface. Lowering the rod and thumbing the spool will help brake the lure for a softer landing and avoid backlash. Once the lure enters the water and falls, engage the spool and work the jig over or through the cover with the rod tip.

2. Flipping is a vertical presentation used to reach fish holding in dense subsurface weeds or brush, or beneath matted vegetation. Typically, the target is close.
Using a heavy-action flipping stick, disengage the reel spool so the jig drops and pulls out about 8 feet of line. Pull another arm's length of line off the spool with the free hand, then engage the reel spool. Pull the line while lifting the rod to 1 o'clock; the jig will swing
toward you. Then lower the rod slowly to make the jig swing forward toward the target. Gradually lower the rod while feeding line back through the rod guides with your free hand. When the lure lands on the target, lower the rod and "feel" the jig down through the
cover. When it stops, bump the rod tip gently to shake and hop the jig in place.

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Retrieve Tricks

Swimming is a technique th can be used with all jig and grub styles, for all types of fish. The idea is to reel the lure slowly and steadily just off the bottom so it resembles a live crayfish or a minnow. Make a long cast past the target and allow the jig to settle to the bottom. Lower the rod to 9 o'clock, then pop the tip to 10 o'clock while reeling slowly and steadily.

Pumping, which requires the angler to alternately reel and pump the rod
in a steady retrieve, is a variation frequently used when fish are suspended.

Hopping a jig often triggers a reaction strike from sluggish gamefish. Cast and let the lure sink to the bottom. Lower the rod tip to 9 o'clock, reel up slack line and then pop the rod sharply to 10 o'clock, causing the lure to hop off the bottom like a crayfish. Repeat, alternately lowering and popping the rod upward. Causing the jig to hop more forcefully with a more rapid rod stroke is called darting.

Tight-lining works when pulling a jig or grub down a sloping bank or ledge. It's a good technique in early spring when bass are beginning to move shallow but are too sluggish to chase a fast-moving lure. Following the cast, when the jig hits bottom,
lower the rod tip to 9 o'clock and reel up slack. Then slowly lift the rod to
11 o'clock, dragging the jig along the bottom. Pause for a moment, perhaps shaking the jig in place; then lower the rod back to 9 o'clock and repeat.

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Different Looks

Rubber-legged jigs are used mainly by bass anglers to probe weed and wood cover on or near the bottom. Jigs that weigh Â¼- to 5/8-ounce and have soft-rubber or synthetic skirts, a stout hook, a weedguard and perhaps a rattle are the most popular styles. These jigs should be paired with a trailer,
usually a pork or soft-plastic frog (a.k.a. "jig and pig") or crayfish. Fish them on 14- to 30-pound-test mono or heavier braided line with a 6½- to 7-foot medium-heavy bait-casting rod or flipping stick.

Bucktail jigs have a skirt made of natural or synthetic hair. They're less bulky than rubber-legged jigs and are especially deadly in cold, clear water and swift current. The most popular sizes are 1/8- to 5/8-ounce. Bucktail jigs are often fished without trailers. Fish smaller bucktails on a stiff 6-foot spinning rod with 6- to 8-pound-test line; use a 7-foot medium-heavy bait-casting outfit and 14-pound-test line for heavier bucktails.

Spider jigs usually are paired with a soft-plastic twin-tail grub trailer and have a skirt or collar at the head. Best used for probing weedy cover; also deadly on reservoir points and humps at night. Fish a 3/8- to 5/8-ounce spider jig on a 7-foot medium-heavy bait-casting rod with 14- to 20-pound-test monofilament.

Pro's pointer: "Use a slow, steady retrieve to swim a jig and pig down a laydown tree," says Arkansas bass pro Ron Shuffield. "It will nail bass suspending in the branches."

Pro's pointer: "Pop a white bucktail repeatedly off the bottom on underwater humps and points to provoke a reaction strike from deep bass," suggests Kentucky bass pro Dan Morehead.

Pro's pointer: "A spider jig works best when it's crawling across the bottom like a crayfish," says
Tennessee luremaker Stan Sloan. "Use the reel handle to move the bait."

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Design Elements

The key component of every jig or grub is the head-basically nothing more than a weight molded around a hook. Traditionally, jigheads have been made of lead, but in recent years manufacturers started moving away from lead-based fishing tackle due to issues of toxicity. (Lead sinkers and lures are banned in Maine, New Hampshire and New York, and similar restrictions are under consideration in other states.) No problem, though; tungsten has proven to be a suitable substitute for lead in jigheads, albeit more expensive.

Head shape is an important, but
often overlooked, factor in jighead
selection. Shape helps to determine such characteristics as the weedlessness of the jig or grub, its rate of fall and its ability to crawl over rocks and through wood cover without hanging up in rock crevices, split stumps or submerged tree branches.

The line-tie, and where it's mounted, is another design factor to consider. The position of the line-tie helps to
determine a jig's capacity to crawl through cover, as well as the effectiveness of point penetration when you set the jig's hook.

Many bass-fishing jigheads have a vertical line-tie, which is poised atop the head so the jig drops horizontally, which is more natural looking. Other jigheads have a line-tie closer to the nose, which enables them to slide through aquatic vegetation better, though they fall through the water in a different angle of presentation.

Weedguards are commonly used with jigheads. Most bass jigs have fiber weedguards, while heads used with grubs may have wire weedguards. A head with no weedguard is preferred when you're fishing open water where hangups aren't a problem. To varying degrees, weedguards can inhibit hooksets.

Rattles are often used with rubber-legged bass jigs to help the fish locate the lure in muddy or weedy conditions. Some jigs have a separate rattle cylinder attached to the hook shaft; others feature a hollow chamber in the head into which rattles are inserted during the manufacturing process.
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Grub Options

Twist-tail or curly-tail grubs feature a short, plump body and a single corkscrew tail. When the lure drops or is reeled straight in, the tail
ripples enticingly. Rig it on a 1/8- to 3/8-ounce head and fish it on a medium-heavy 6-foot spinning outfit with 6- to 10-pound-test line, targeting gravel flats, sloping rock banks and points. Best colors: smoke, chartreuse and pumpkin.

Twin-tail grubs have two curly tails
attached to a round body. Use them in murky water where more attraction is desired, and in river current. Fish a twin-tail on a Â¼- to ½-ounce head with either spinning or bait-casting gear.

Spade-tail grubs closely resemble baitfish when darted and hopped. Rig them on Â¼- to
3/8-ounce heads, and use a medium-action 6½-foot spinning rod and 8-pound-test line. Highly effective when bass are feeding on the surface: Cast to breaking fish, let the lure drop a few feet, then alternately hop and dart the grub quickly.

Shad-tail grubs have a blunt tail that pulses and vibrates on retrieve. The body is often shaped like a minnow. They're best fished in river current on a Â¼- to ½-ounce head using a hopping or darting retrieve.

Pro's pointer: "Shad-tails are great smallmouth lures in fast current," says Pickwick Lake (Ala.) gu
Head shape is an important, but
often overlooked, factor in jighead
selection. Shape helps to determine such characteristics as the weedlessness of the jig or grub, its rate of fall and its ability to crawl over rocks and through wood cover without hanging up in rock crevices, split stumps or submerged tree branches.

The line-tie, and where it's mounted, is another design factor to consider. The position of the line-tie helps to
determine a jig's capacity to crawl through cover, as well as the effectiveness of point penetration when you set the jig's hook.

Many bass-fishing jigheads have a vertical line-tie, which is poised atop the head so the jig drops horizontally, which is more natural looking. Other jigheads have a line-tie closer to the nose, which enables them to slide through aquatic vegetation better, though they fall through the water in a different angle of presentation.

Weedguards are commonly used with jigheads. Most bass jigs have fiber weedguards, while heads used with grubs may have wire weedguards. A head with no weedguard is preferred when you're fishing open water where hangups aren't a problem. To varying degrees, weedguards can inhibit hooksets.

Rattles are often used with rubber-legged bass jigs to help the fish locate the lure in muddy or weedy conditions. Some jigs have a separate rattle cylinder attached to the hook shaft; others feature a hollow chamber in the head into which rattles are inserted during the manufacturing process.
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Grub Options

Twist-tail or curly-tail grubs feature a short, plump body and a single corkscrew tail. When the lure drops or is reeled straight in, the tail
ripples enticingly. Rig it on a 1/8- to 3/8-ounce head and fish it on a medium-heavy 6-foot spinning outfit with 6- to 10-pound-test line, targeting gravel flats, sloping rock banks and points. Best colors: smoke, chartreuse and pumpkin.

Twin-tail grubs have two curly tails
attached to a round body. Use them in murky water where more attraction is desired, and in river current. Fish a twin-tail on a Â¼- to ½-ounce head with either spinning or bait-casting gear.

Spade-tail grubs closely resemble baitfish when darted and hopped. Rig them on Â¼- to
3/8-ounce heads, and use a medium-action 6½-foot spinning rod and 8-pound-test line. Highly effective when bass are feeding on the surface: Cast to breaking fish, let the lure drop a few feet, then alternately hop and dart the grub quickly.

Shad-tail grubs have a blunt tail that pulses and vibrates on retrieve. The body is often shaped like a minnow. They're best fished in river current on a Â¼- to ½-ounce head using a hopping or darting retrieve.

Pro's pointer: "Shad-tails are great smallmouth lures in fast current," says Pickwick Lake (Ala.) gu

Suspended Animation

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:31 -0400

In the '80s, fishing magazines touted suspending jerkbaits as the
"secret baits of the pros." Arkansas bass pro Larry Nixon was among the first to spill the beans about the lures' prowess at catching lunker largemouths in early spring. Nixon asserts that rather than relating to some sort of cover, pre-spawn bass often suspend in the water column. In water anywhere from 40 to 50 degrees, these sluggish fish ignore bottom-bumping lures but will take a realistic minnow bait twitched and jerked at their level.

During the period when Nixon and others discovered the pattern, it was difficult to find a jerkbait that would stay in the strike zone, or suspend where the bass were. About the only option was a do-it-yourself project from hell. You had to drill strategically placed holes in a Rebel Spoonbill or Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue, insert exactly the right amount of lead, test the bait in a bathtub or swimming pool to make sure it suspended and then seal the hole so the lure wouldn't become waterlogged. It was not a perfect science. Truckloads of perfectly good Rogues and Spoonbills ended up in the trash can, and weekend bass fishermen diverted their attention to other lures they didn't have to alter.

Then Storm Lures began offering stick-on lead tape that promised to make the hand-weighting process a breeze. Anglers experimented with it, but many of them concluded that there was still way too much trial and error involved to make the stick-on weights a viable part of their fishing routine.

Fast-forward to the late '90s. Manufacturers finally succeeded in making factory-weighted jerkbaits that suspend perfectly. I've tried them, and the lures have quickly become my favorite spring go-to bait. But beyond the hype and mystery surrounding these amazing artificials, there's the question of when, where and how to fish them.

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Best Conditions

Suspending jerkbaits aren't versatile. They're capable of operating within only a narrow depth range. Many models dive just 4 to 6 feet when on a steady retrieve. Unlike most other bass lures, suspending jerkbaits work best in cold, clear water but lose their
magic in warm, murky conditions. And forget about fishing them around heavy cover-those nasty little treble hooks will snag every weed or branch they touch. Yet within these narrow parameters, they're absolutely the deadliest bass lures ever created for springtime fishing. Here are the best conditions for using them:

Cold water. Other lures attract bass by producing visual cues, vibrations or rattling sounds when they either swim horizontally, dive to the bottom or ricochet off cover. By contrast, bass often slam into suspending jerkbaits when
they're simply hanging motionless in the water. Their "non-action" takes into account the way that bass behave in cold water. As the temperature of their environment decreases, bass move around less and often suspend to conserve metabolic energy. In 42-
degree water, a big largemouth is unlikely to chase down a fast-moving crankbait but won't hesitate to take a swipe at a half-dead minnow that's dangling right in front of its nose.

Suspending jerkbaits will routinely catch big bass in water in the low 40-degree range. Conversely, they lose their effectiveness once the water temperature climbs into the 60s, mainly because bass no longer suspend in these conditions but seek out shallow cover instead.

Clear water. Jigs, spinnerbaits and rattling crankbaits work great in water that's pea-soup green to chocolate brown. That's not the case with suspending jerkbaits. They're best suited to water ranging from vodka-clear to slightly stained. "The colder the water, the clearer it needs to be for a suspending jerkbait to produce," Larry Nixon says. "Once stained water edges toward fifty-five degrees, they'll work okay, but in colder water, I fish them in the clearest water I can find."

Vertical structure.re-spawn bass don't like to make long-distance moves. That's why you'll find them hanging around vertical or fast-sloping structures, including bluff banks, deep channel points, 45-degree rock banks, standing timber and stair-stepping ledges running from shallow to deep water-all high-percentage spots for suspending jerkbaits. Sticking close to such structures allows bass to make significant depth changes without swimming far. "A bass on a main-lake flat might have to swim a quarter mile to move from eight to fifteen feet deep," Nixon notes. "But a bass suspending off a rock bluff would have to move only seven feet to make the same depth change. In frigid water, the less they have to move, the better they like it. A bladebait or jig is designed to drop quickly through the water; they're best suited to bass holding tight to ledges or on the bottom. But when bass are suspending, a jerkbait stays in their strike zone indefinitely. It's perfectly suited to the location and mood of
pre-spawn bass."

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Stand-up Routine

"Most anglers work jerkbaits way too hard and fast," says Tennessee bass pro Charlie Ingram. "They think that since it's called a 'jerkbait,' they should keep the lure darting aggressively with hard jerks and rips of the rod tip. But with these lures, less is more. Overworking the bait with your rod defeats everything a suspending jerkbait is about. On most days, pre-spawn bass want it to be barely moving or completely motionless."

Ingram makes a long cast, reels the lure down quickly to its maximum depth, pauses, twitches or jerks the bait with one or two light-to-moderate downward or sideways strokes of his 6½-foot medium-action bait-casting rod, then pauses again before moving the bait. "Working a suspending jerkbait is like doing a stand-up comedy routine: your success, or lack of it, hinges on your timing," he says. "Some days the bass want it barely twitched; other days they won't take it unless it's sitting dead still. Let the fish tell you how to work it. If you're not getting strikes with a jerk/twitch/pause or twitch/pause/jerk/jerk routine, vary the intensity and number of rod movements and the duration of the pauses until you get positive feedback from the bass."

In the frigid water of early spring, "deadsticking" a suspending jerkbait can be amazingly effective on sluggish bass. This bizarre method is the ultimate do-nothing bass presentation. Another Tennessee fisherman, Steve Dodson, has mastered the technique on J. Percy Priest Reservoir near Nashville. "When the surface temperature hovers around forty-one degrees, usually in late February, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass will
suspend off steep banks that transition from gravel to chunk rock," Dodson says. "I'll cast a Smithwick Suspending Pro Rogue across the transition area, crank the lure down, then stop reeling so it hangs motionless in the water column. Then I'll let the bait sit there as long as I can stand it-sometimes up to two minutes-before moving it. While it's dead in the water, I watch my line like a hawk. If it hops, twitches or takes off, I've got a bass."

Using the right rod is critical, not only for presenting a suspending jerkbait properly, but for boating bass. "A stiff rod moves the lure too aggressively for cold-water bass," Nixon observes. "And many fish will be foul-hooked on a jerkbait because they'll swim up and roll on the lure, or take a lazy swipe at it, rather than grab it with their mouths. A medium- to light-
action rod gives the bait the best action and provides the shock absorption needed to keep foul-hooked fish from ripping free."

Nixon uses 10-pound-test line with suspending jerkbaits, explaining, "This fairly light line facilitates longer casts and helps give the lure the right look in cold, clear, open water. When you get a strike, simply reel down tight; if you rear back and try to hammer the fish, you may tear the hooks out."

After fishing suspending jerkbaits on several different bait-casting and spinning outfits, you'll eventually find the one that works best for you. My favorite setup is a 7-foot G. Loomis CBR841C light-action rod coupled with a Shimano Citica 200B reel and 10-pound-test Silver Thread mono. I've caught largemouths weighing more than 8 pounds on this combo.

Before stocking up on suspending jerkbaits, keep a few things in mind:

1) Some lakes have huge shad kills in late winter, and a suspending jerkbait mimics a shad's dying flutter. Silver with a black back is a convincing shad pattern.

2) Trout are an important bass
forage in many lakes. Rainbow and "clown" (a combination of red, yellow and white that's a favorite of pros) are both good trout color patterns.

3) On overcast days, reflective finishes become less visible. Try hot colors (chartreuse, fire tiger) or flat finishes (purple, white) instead.s out."

Float a Fly for a Bass

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:31 -0400

Every so often a bass-fishing technique comes along that's disarming in its simplicity, yet
absolutely deadly when properly executed. Such is the case with the float 'n' fly, the most innovative method for catching bass in clear, cold water to surface
in years. While it's especially potent on smallmouths, it
will catch largemouth and spotted bass as well. And
because it works better than any system in hyper-chilled water, it will extend your bass-fishing season by weeks, if not months. Don't hang up your rods and put your bass boat in winter storage until you read what follows.

Solution for Suspenders

The float 'n' fly system was developed by eastern Tennessee angler Charlie Nuckols as a method of teasing sluggish smallmouth bass to bite in clear, frigid water. Nuckols, owner of Bullet Lures, knew that once the water temperature dipped below 45 degrees in winter, the bass in his local reservoirs became so lethargic they were virtually impossible to catch. Nuckols could see fish on his graph. He just couldn't catch them by conventional means. The bass suspended in the water off rock bluffs or deep points. He tried to catch them on a jigging spoon, but even this old winter standby would
falter once the water temperature dropped into the low 40s. Sometimes the bass wouldn't budge regardless of what the angler did to elicit a response.

Nuckols suspected that the answer to the slow-bite riddle would be a small lure fished for extended periods at the depth at which the smallmouths suspended. Instead of trying to trigger reaction strikes, Nuckols decided a soft sell was better. He started experimenting with tiny crappie jigs dangled under a bobber and soon began
catching bass. The more he refined the
concept, the more fish he caught, until he eventually arrived at what many bronzeback aficionados feel is the
ultimate system for big smallmouths in cold, clear water: the float 'n' fly.

Charlie Nuckols drowned in a boating accident in 1996, just as his revolutionary bass system was gaining a
following among smallmouth anglers.
Today, Charlie's brother Eddie runs Bullet Lures, which remains the main source for the specialized lures and equipment used with the float 'n' fly system

.
How it Works

One reason for the float 'n' fly's popularity, beyond its effectiveness, is
its simplicity. The float 'n' fly system consists of three basic components:

1. A tiny leadhead jig, or "fly," tied with craft hair (a crinkly man-made material frequently used in the toy
industry). When suspended beneath
a bobber in clear water, a craft-
hair jig will puff out, or "breathe."

Consequently, the small jig (usually 1/16 ounce and 2 inches long) resembles one of the diminutive lake minnows that suspending bass feed on in winter.

2. A small (Ã‚Â¾- to 1-inch) plastic
bobber. Float 'n' fly fanatics insist on a stationary float as opposed to a slip bobber. The float is clipped onto the line from 8 to 13 feet above the fly. The float bobs on the surface and keeps the jig suspended at the desired depth. It's simple, but effective.

3. A long, flexible spinning rod.

Anglers proficient with the system use two-piece rods 8 to 11 feet long. The rod should have a super-soft action,
almost like a flyrod, to cast the lightweight jig and float long distances and to provide the shock absorption needed to prevent huge bass from
popping light line. This rod is paired with a spinning reel loaded with small-diameter 4- or 6-pound-test monofilament line.

The Big Chill

The float 'n' fly method is most effective in clear water with a temperature between 38 and 48 degrees. It absolutely shines when the water is in the low 40-degree range-a period when many reservoir smallmouth anglers have traditionally hung up their rods. "I got two big surprises when I first
began using the float 'n' fly in midwinnter," Tennessee bass guide Jim Duckworth says. "I was amazed at the sheer number of fish I caught. And I was stunned by the fact that even
larger bass will go after those small jigs. Four-pound smallmouths are common with this method."

When the water is extremely cold, suspending bass are in a totally neutral mood, Duckworth explains. "Their metabolism is cranked down so low and their digestion process so sluggish, they don't feed very often. But they will strike a tiny lure dangled right in their faces."

Where to Fish

The float 'n' fly works wherever smallmouths suspend in winter. High-
percentage spots include:

Bluff banks

Rocky points, especially those with a quick drop into deep water

Sloping rock or clay banks (aka "45-degree" banks)

Flats or bars adjacent to any of the above structures

Open water in "hollows" (deep, narrow, V-shaped tributary arms)
"The float 'n' fly method is ridiculously simple," says Duckworth. "First, idle your boat around in a
likely area and locate suspending fish with your graph or flasher. The most 'catchable' bass will be hanging eight to fifteen feet below the surface."

Once the depth of the fish has been determined, peel sufficient line off the reel and position the bobber so the fly will be presented at the bass's depth, or slightly above them.

Next, cast the rig to your target. "I like to either work the rig back to the boat with short twitches of the rod tip, or, if the water is choppy, just let it set there and let the wave action activate the bobber and fly," Duckworth says. "Slower is better because bass are likely to be sluggish and won't chase a fly."
As with most fishing techniques, the float 'n' fly method works better at some times than at others. "On windy, overcast days, smallies tend to suspend shallower and are highly susceptible to this technique," Duckworth notes. "The bite often gets tougher when the sun comes out and fish go deeper; that's when it's better to target shady bluffs or windy banks. Dead-calm, sunny days also are bad; try setting the float as high above the fly as you can cast it, or look for dingy water where the fish are likely to be shallower."

A major part of the fun of using the float 'n' fly system is that it might take five minutes to land a lunker on that soft-action rod and wispy line. But then, what else do you have to do on a cold winter day?

Top This!

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:30 -0400

If deep-running crankbaits and
Carolina-rigged lizards don't ring your chimes, it's time you experienced the sights, sounds and raw predatorial energy that explode when a big bass blasts your surface lure. There are hundreds of
topwater baits to choose from, but they all can be divided into seven major
categories. We've enlisted seven of the
nation's top bass pros to tell you where and how to fish each style, and to share their favorite topwater tricks. Read on.

Go for
A Walk

By Larry Nixon

Almost any topwater lure twitched around shallow tree stumps or weed lines might get slammed by a bass. But a stickbait like the Heddon Zara Spook has the power to pull bass up from deep water-I'm talking 20 to 30 feet. It's the best choice of
surface bait for fishing big clear-lake structure (points, flats, rock piles, etc.).
A stickbait is blunt at both ends, with no noisemaking features such
as propellers or a scooped-out lip. The lure's performance depends on the
angler's skill, and that takes practice to develop. The gold-standard retrieve is called "walking the dog." Using a 51/2- to 6-foot medium-action bait-casting rod, stand and make a long cast, then stroke the rod tip straight down while turning the reel handle at the same time. One turn per rod stroke is the ticket. The motion causes the bait's tail to swing left and right so that the lure zigzags erratically across the surface. Work it slowly and it walks with a wide sweeping motion, sort of like a wounded minnow; work it fast to make it skitter frantically back and forth like it's trying to escape from the bass that's about to smash it.

The stickbait is the deadliest smallmouth surface lure going. I've caught smallies weighing almost 8 pounds on Spooks. And don't be surprised if you see an entire school of smallmouths swimming with a hooked fish, trying to snatch the lure out of its mouth.
Size matters: Always use 14-pound-test mono with a stickbait. Lighter line makes its tail swing around too far, causing the hooks to tangle in the line. Heavier line dampens the action.

Buzz a
Lunker

By Randy Howell

There have been more 10-pound largemouths caught on buzzers than on most other surface styles put together. To a bass, a buzzbait is like fingernails on a blackboard. It squeals, clicks and churns the water, provoking the mother of all reaction strikes.
My favorite buzzer is the Lunker Lure Flat Shad. Its flat head design helps it plane off quickly and stay on top during a slow retrieve. I always fish a buzzbait with a trailer hook, with the point turned up.

I start fishing buzzbaits seriously after the spawn and stay with them through fall. Classic buzzbait
water is the back of a shallow tributary with thin emergent grass, laydown logs or stumps. The lure's single upswept hook lets it slide over the gnarly cover.
My favorite buzzbait rig is a 61/2-foot medium-action rod, a fast-retrieve reel and 17- or 20-pound-test abrasion-
resistant monofilament line. Cast way beyond your target, sweep the rod tip upward to get the buzzer on top and then reel steadily, just fast enough to keep the bait from sinking.

Changeup pitch: Short strikes are common when using buzzbaits. If a bass strikes at the lure but doesn't
connect, drop that rod and pick up
another one pre-rigged with a weightless plastic worm or soft jerkbait. Pitch your changeup offering into the boil and it should get eaten immediately.

Chug
And Pop

By Dan Morehead

Like that little smart-aleck kid in your junior high algebra class, a chugger (aka popper) makes a lot of noise for its size. Chuggers are notorious big-bass catchers, but I also use them in tournaments to snatch a quick limit of keepers.

Unlike other topwaters, a chugger doesn't have to be moved horizontally to induce a strike. It'll make noise practally sitting in one place. This makes it perfect for target-casting to stumps, weed patches and clumps of lily pads.

My favorite chugger is the Mann's Loudmouth Chug-N-Spit. When you twitch the rod tip, this bait emits a loud gurgle and actually spits water, which must really annoy bass, judging from the way they plaster it. I fish it on a 6-foot 10-inch bait-casting rod with a stiff tip, a fast-retrieve reel and 20-pound-test mono.

I work a chugger one of two ways: (1) Cast it out, then let it sit on the
surface until the rings disappear. Use the rod, not the reel handle, to pop it once or twice, then let it sit some more. This approach is super-deadly around stumps, logs and boat docks. (2) Twitch the rod repeatedly while reeling fast so the lure skitters frantically, popping and spitting water. This is dynamite over submerged grass beds and for schooling bass chasing shad in open water. Spotted bass, in particular, like the faster retrieve.

Feathered friend: Replace the plain rear treble hook on a chugger with a white-feathered treble. The teaser skirt breathes and pulsates in the water when the lure is sitting between pops and looks like a fleeing shad when bass are going for a faster retrieve.

Float a
Jerkbait

By Kevin Van Dam

A minnowbait is the most subtle topwater lure type, a convincing mimic of an injured baitfish. I use it as a
finesse lure in the post-spawn, when bass stick around flooded bushes for a spell before heading out to their summer haunts. It's also surprisingly effective in cold, clear water and is the first surface lure you should turn to in early spring. My own choice is Strike King's KVD Wild Shiner. I fish it on a 61/2-foot medium-action bait-caster or spinning stick with 14-pound-test.

Retrieve a floating jerkbait with rod twitches interspersed with pauses, so it dives, rises back to the surface and then floats motionless on top. Vary the intensity of the twitches and length of the pauses until you determine what the fish want. Bass often will suck in a jerkbait when it's sitting still-it's a thrill to see your bait disappear in a toilet-flush boil of water.

Smallmouth surprise: Most anglers fish floating jerkbaits around shallow cover. But if you've got a clear smallmouth lake near you, try twitching a minnowbait over the deep edge of a gravel spawning flat when the water temperature hits around 70 degrees. Smallies suspend off these flats after spawning and will swim a mile to nail a minnow struggling on the surface.

Plumb
The Scum

By Alfred Williams

When thick surface vegetation clogs the shallows, it's scumbait time. These soft-plastic frog or rat mimics are the only 100 percent weedless topwater lures. Lily pads, pond scum, milfoil, matted hydrilla-no problem, they'll crawl over anything. I use Snag Proof's Tournament Frog; it's weighted for easier casting and has a pair of stout upswept hooks capable of holding a monster bass.

Heavy tackle is mandatory. I use a 71/2-foot graphite flipping stick coupled with a reel with a 4.7:1 retrieve ratio and 50-pound-test braided line. The long rod keeps the line off the weeds; the slow-speed reel acts like a winch to power a lunker out of the grass.

Surface vegetation can be intimidating to an angler because it all looks the same at first glance. But look closely and you'll see all sorts of pockets, points and holes in the grass.
That's where you want to cast a scumbait. Throw past your target and retrieve the lure in short hops, like a live frog, by popping the rod tip gently. Pause between hops. When a bass takes the frog, immediately raise the flipping stick to 12 o'clock and stick it. Some anglers think you should hesitate to give the bass time to swallow the bait, but that's incorrect. If you wait, the bass is likely to swim into
the grass. Then you'll have to go into the weeds after it, or risk ripping the hooks out when you try to pull it free.

Surgical maneuver: Cut a slit in the back of a scumbait and insert one or more glass worm rattles. Also, push some pieces of plastic worm into the hollow body cavity; this will give the bait weight for added castability without negatively impacting its buoyancy.

Give 'Em
The Spin

By Charlie Ingram

Most propbaits look like stickbaits with a propeller at one or both ends. These topwaters are among the noisiest surface lures, and, like buzzbaits, they trigger reaction strikes from humongous bass. My favorite is the Gilmore Jumper.

Use a propbait when fishing specific targets such as logs, stumps, weed patches and boulders. Fish the lure on a stout bait-casting outfit; I use a 7-foot pitching rod with 20-pound-test mono. Cast close to cover, not way beyond it. And rather than jerking the rod so the lure gurgles and "slushes," try moving the tip gently-just enough to make the propellers barely turn. Big bass will really eat a propbait retrieved in this slow, teasing manner.

Propbaits are the best surface lures when it's windy or stormy. In such cases, jerk the rod harder to make the lure spit water with more gusto.

Double trouble: When bass are chasing schools of shad to the surface, fish a propbait with a chaser lure attached. Make a 21/2-foot leader from 30-pound-test mono, attach one end to the propbait's rear hook and tie a treble hook to the tag end. Stick one hook of the treble into a 5-inch soft jerkbait and then cast the tandem rig into a surfacing bass school. Chug the propbait once or twice and let it sit still. Often you'll catch two bass at a time.

Work a
Wobbler

By Mark Menendez

I always carry a Jitterbug in my tackle box. It's the most popular surface wobbler, with good reason. When you retrieve a Jitterbug past shallow cover, the bait's crazy wobbling action triggers awesome surface strikes. I've caught several largemouths over 9 pounds on Jitterbugs; big smallmouths will plaster them in clear water, too.

The Jitterbug has a wide metal lip shaped like a scoop. When you retrieve it, the lip traps water, causing the lure to wobble from side to side while making a distinctive plip-plop sound. Bass probably hit it because it reminds them of a frog trying to escape; then again, they may hit it simply because its nerdy looks and action annoy them.

Fish a wobbler like you'd fish a crankbait, by reeling it straight in and letting the built-in design features of the lure create the action and sound. It's a no-brainer; just run it close to or over any bass-holding object. Because this is such a good lure for big bass, I fish the Jitterbug on a 7-foot heavy-action rod coupled with a slow-speed reel and 20- to 30-pound-teinto the weeds after it, or risk ripping the hooks out when you try to pull it free.

Surgical maneuver: Cut a slit in the back of a scumbait and insert one or more glass worm rattles. Also, push some pieces of plastic worm into the hollow body cavity; this will give the bait weight for added castability without negatively impacting its buoyancy.

Give 'Em
The Spin

By Charlie Ingram

Work a
Wobbler

By Mark Menendez

When Winter Bass Go Deep

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:29 -0400

After it gets cold and stays that way for a while, savvy bass fishermen switch to more vertical presentations in deep water. As the temperature descends, so do bass, retreating to their winter haunts to wait until warming water beckons them toward the shoreline and spawning beds in early spring.

Deep fishing calls for tackle and tactics that cover all depths and types of contours with lures totally different from those customarily used for overhead casting, flipping or pitching techniques. Now is the time for the "ups and downs" of bass angling.

Way Down There
Erase all thoughts of shorelines and visible cover. In areas of the country where winter gets really cold, we're talking about fishing way down there in double-digit depths. The most successful winter bass fishermen are those who rely on fish-finding flashers or graphs to reveal that mysterious netherworld far beneath their boats.

A fish finder will show the places that winter bass frequent, such as deepwater ledges, shelves or steps, creek channels, vertical bluffs and submerged islands. If you don't have electronics, bounce baits off points, along bluffs and creek mouths and around islands. Let lures settle until slack line denotes bottom, then raise the rod tip and try the tactics that follow.

Tie One On
The most popular lures for fishing deep water are metallic and compactly weighted to get down to the desired depth quickly. Some options:

Slab-style jigging spoons have a single treble hook. Rather than wobble along a horizontal plane, as casting spoons do, jigging spoons flutter like a dying baitfish on a slack line and dart up when the rod tip is raised.

Blade-type spoons are thinner than slab spoons and shaped more like a shad-usually with a weighted belly.

Weighted tailspinners get to the bottom quickly and are jigged erratically to imitate stunned shad. Fish heavier safety-pin spinnerbaits the same way.

Leadhead jigs, 1/4-ounce or heavier, can be rigged with a curly-tail grub to give extra action. These won't fall as quickly as slab spoons but are worth trying when bass have their minds set on crayfish rather than minnows.

In-Depth Intrigues
I like to set up three rigs, each with a different lure. I prefer 61/2- to 7-foot rods with a responsive tip for lure feel and muscular butt for hooksets and battles. A bait-casting reel works best for a variety of lure manipulations.

If the bottom is solid, rocky or hardpan, use the lures described above and work them with varied animations. Slow-crawl a jig or slow-roll a spinnerbait over bottom structures, too. When you run across a shoreline that stair-steps downward into deep water, fish it three ways: Make perpendicular casts and retrieve baits down the steps from shallow to deep; make parallel casts and work lures across the steps; and fish spoons or tailspinners vertically, with lures directly below the rod tip. The bass will let you know which approach works best.

The Soft Touch

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:27 -0400

It's been more than 50 years since Ohio fisherman Nick Creme invented the plastic worm as a substitute for live night crawlers. Today, soft-plastic lures dominate the freshwater fishing market. They're the favorite artificials of bass, crappie and bluegill anglers, and they're rapidly gaining ground among fishermen who target walleyes, pike, muskies and striped bass.

Savvy anglers recognize the benefits of soft-plastic baits. They look real in the water and they're soft, as fish food is supposed to be. Lifelike action is built in. Soft-plastic lures can be made to hop, crawl, twitch or slither like a live critter, simply by manipulating the rod tip.

As a material, soft plastic lends itself to creativity. It can be molded into whatever form the lure-maker envisions: a worm with a corkscrew tail, a creepy-crawly centipede, a
bogus trout that looks real enough to eat.

There's a soft-plastic lure for every conceivable fishing scenario: bass holed up in hydrilla, crappies spawning in brush piles, walleyes staging along a gravel bottom or stripers prowling the turbulent water below hydroelectric dams. Add up all of the body styles and factor in size and color options, and soft-plastic baits number in the thousands.

With this bounty comes confusion. Many anglers don't know which soft-plastic lure to choose. Even if they tie on the right one, they may not know how to fish it properly.

The following guide is designed to deliver the goods on soft-plastics. Read it. Tear it out and keep it in your tackle box. And start catching more fish.

Easy Does It

Many anglers retrieve soft-plastics with way too much moxie. Don't rear back and jerk the rod;
instead, simply bump, twitch or shake a soft-plastic bait with gentle movements of the rod tip. This will give soft-plastics a natural look and draw more strikes.

Stiff Sticks Rule

Most soft-plastic lures require a firm hookset. A wimpy rod just can't sink home the steel. For most applications, a rod that is rated medium/heavy (MH) will have the right blend of sticking power and shock absorption. Long rods (61/2 to 7 feet) move more line when you swing at a fish and exert more winching power on fish buried in heavy cover.

Guard Against Nicks

Many soft-plastics are fished around cover, which can be tough on line and might cause line failure at the worst time-when you're trying to get a fish in the boat. Use abrasion-resistant monofilament and check it frequently for nicks in the high-
contact zone, which extends 18 inches up from the lure. Retie as needed.
Get to the point
Veteran bass pro Ron Shuffield of Arkansas "skin-hooks" his Texas-rigged plastic worms for faster, surer hooksets. Instead of burying the hookpoint dead center in the worm, he sticks the point in the outer layer of plastic on the side so it has less material through which to pass.

Toss Tandem Tubes

When slabs are spawning, tie a one-ounce bell sinker to the end of the line and two or three tube baits above the sinker. Space the baits 18 inches apart to find the right fishing depth. Lower the tubes into a brush pile until the sinker touches bottom and then reel up the rig slowly. You may hook two or three crappies at once, depending on the size of the school.

Give hooks a twistWhen fishing tube baits, current B.A.S.S. Masters Classic champ and FLW Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam uses pliers to twist the point and barb of his Mustad Mega-Bite hooks about a quarter-inch to either side. "The bigger, salt-impregnated tubes have thick plastic and often ball up on an unmodified hook when you set it," he says. "Putting that little twist in the hook increases my catch
ratio dramatically."

Dazzle With Color

Stock up on a good variety of colors and experiment with various combinations in the different lakes and rivers you fish. Ineneral, dark colors work best in stained to muddy water; light or translucent
colors get the nod for clear water. Lure dyes are available; try dipping the tail of a worm or lizard in chartreuse dye to increase the lure's visibility.

Pack A Sting

Many anglers complain of missing bass or stripers on soft jerkbaits. Increase hookups by hanging a small treble "stinger" hook from the shaft of the worm hook. Insert the point of the worm hook through the eye of the treble and then push the point of the worm hook up through
the soft jerkbait and out the top
in "Texposed" style. Stick one of the
treble's hooks into the belly of the lure, or just let the treble dangle.

Slow Down

Sometimes a subtle approach works best. If fish are ignoring a bait, jazzing up the lure's action may be the wrong tactic. Instead, try reeling in a twist-tail grub or finesse worm slowly and steadily to trigger strikes, especially from highly pressured fish.

Go For The Legs

Soft-plastic lures with multiple appendages (legs, pinchers and antennae) imitate live crayfish and usually work best in murky water. Conversely, those with few or no
appendages (finesse worms, french fries) mimic baitfish and work better in clear water.

Peg The Weight

Pegging the sinker in a Texas rig with a toothpick is a good idea when fishing worms, lizards, soft craws and creatures around thick brush or weeds. Don't peg a tube bait-it will inhibit the lure's spiraling action, which bass find so appealing.

Apply Leader Logic

Varying the length of a Carolina rig can make a presentation more effective. In tall aquatic vegetation, use a leader up to four feet in length with a lightweight hook and a buoyant soft-plastic to suspend the bait near the top of the cover or just above it. When the bass bite is slow, a long leader usually works well because it positions the lure higher in the water, where bass are likely to be suspending. When the bite is active, shortening the leader keeps the lure tighter to bottom, which probably is where the fish are.
In heavy cover, it might be better to use a mono leader that's lighter than the main line, because if you have to break off the leader, you probably won't lose the sinker.

Throw A Changeup

The next time a bass boils up on a buzzbait or topwater chugger but misses it, immediately lay that rod down, pick up one rigged with a weightless plastic worm and cast it to the same spot. The slow-sinking crawler will usually draw an immediate strike from a persistent fish.

Mine The Mats

Matted surface cover in the form of hydrilla and hyacinths, including debris and floating leaves, represents a safe haven for bass. Flipping or pitching a pegged worm, or tube bait, through openings in the mat often results in a strike. If the lure won't drop through the surface cover, shake the rod tip vigorously until the bait wiggles through.

Go Noiseless

Some bass fishermen think that if their plastic worm isn't chattering like castanets, it's not going to catch fish. "I'm a lot more cautious about using rattle inserts than I used to be," says former BASS Masters Classic champ Woo Daves. "Bass can get overexposed to noise just as they can to certain colors, and it makes them warier. A quieter presentation often catches the biggest fish." If the water is extremely dingy or muddy, make a racket; otherwise, give 'em the silent treatment.

Downsize Baits

Three- and four-inch twist-tail grubs and soft-shad swim baits are among the deadliest lures for trophy smallmouth bass and wall-hanger walleyes. Compact lures are especially deadly in river current when bumped along gravel bars and around rock piles. Rig them on 1/8- to 3/8-ounce jigheads-you'll often outfish other guys using bigger baits by a wide margin.

Serve A Mouthful

Stripers grow huge in some reservoirs. Most anglers use live bait to catch linesides, but a 6- to 10-inch shad- or trout-pattern swim bait is more exciting to fish. Cast this beefy bait with a medium-weight saltwater rod and matching reel loaded with 14- to 30-pound-test mono. Use the same tackle and rig for big pike and muskies in weedy lakes.

Add Some Sizzle

Pieces of a Styrofoam packing peanut will make a tube float high on a Carolina rig. And
a section of sponge soaked in fish
attractant turns a tube into a scent dispenser. Pieces of an Alka-Seltzer tablet or "Pop Rocks" candy crystals poured inside a tube will bubble and fizz, causing the lure to pulsate.

Be Different

Soft-plastic lures come in various lifelike colors that match prevalent forage, but sometimes you'll trigger more strikes by using a bright, outrageous color such as Mercurochrome orange, bubblegum pink or neon green. Amazingly, these super-intense colors often work even better in clear water than they do in murky water.

Salt 'Em up

Many soft-plastic baits are made with salt added to the other ingredients. Some lure manufacturers claim salt enhances the taste appeal of the lures. Others say salty lures are less buoyant, and therefore less lifelike, than sodium-free baits. Try both types, then stick with whatever works for you. >Serve A Mouthful

Add Some Sizzle

Be Different

Salt 'Em up

The Soft Touch

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:27 -0400

Easy Does It

Stiff Sticks Rule

Guard Against Nicks

Toss Tandem Tubes

Dazzle With Color

Slow Down

Go For The Legs

Peg The Weight

Apply Leader Logic

Throw A Changeup

Mine The Mats

Go Noiseless

Downsize Baits

Serve A Mouthful

Add Some Sizzle

Be Different

Salt 'Em up

Add Some Sizzle

Be Different

Salt 'Em up

The Soft Touch

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:27 -0400

Easy Does It

Stiff Sticks Rule

Guard Against Nicks

Toss Tandem Tubes

Dazzle With Color

Slow Down

Go For The Legs

Peg The Weight

Apply Leader Logic

Throw A Changeup

Mine The Mats

Go Noiseless

Downsize Baits

Serve A Mouthful

Add Some Sizzle

Be Different

Salt 'Em up

Add Some Sizzle

Be Different

Salt 'Em up