One of the most effective ways to catch huge prespawn bass in lakes and rivers are lipless crankbaits. These baits are especially effective when the water temperature is between forty-nine and fifty-eight degrees, especially in stained or muddy water in lakes and ponds, but it also works well in the rivers. Some of the techniques outlined below will help you catch bigger bass all over the country in the early spring starting in March, and peaking in April
There are are variety of lipless crankbaits on the market that catch bass, but in the spring, in most lakes and ponds, in the Northeast, the Rat-L-Trap by Bill Lewis Lures, the Rattlin' Rapala, Lucky Craft, and the Ambush Stealth Diver, are some of the best. All lipless crankbaits have a different sound. Some are much louder than others, and will produce bass when some other quieter baits won't. At other times, the more quiet rattling baits will produce better. You just have to experiment with several baits until you find the ones that are producing best in the particular body of water you're fishing. Sometimes the same baits, in the same size, by the same company, make slightly different sounds that can be better than the other, and experimentation is the only way to find which bait works the best. Some baits won't run as true at different speeds, and they turn sideways a little more than others, so you just have to watch them in the water, and find the best ones. The hooks should always be changed to a premium hook system such as Daiichi or X-Point. There are many other great hooks, but I prefer these. Most of your lipless crankbaits should be used in a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce size, but recently, bigger bass in the Northeast and in Florida have hit the larger Salt Water Traps in the 3/4 to 1-1/2 ounce sizes.
Monturi crap, caras. Noduri pescaresti
The best colors for the spring, especially if you have a lot of crawfish in the lake, are red, red/orange, and other variations of these colors. Some have spots on them and these are very effective. The standard chrome, and chrome with a blue back, and chrome and red, have worked especially well for the larger bass. If the water is extremely stained to muddy, we forund that the red, and the chartreuse/brown combinations work well in this kind of situation. If you have a lot of bluegill in the area, and less crawfish or shad, then the Bluegill/Suncracker patterns work very well. The primary forage in the lakes are the best patterns, unless you know that many anglers are aware of this, and are using these colors also. Then switching to unconventional patterns can fool some of the wary bigger bass. Again, we switch only the front hook to a "Bleeding Bait Hook" by TTI-Blakemore, (Daiichi), and then change the back hook to the same brand but in the traditional nickel color.
Most people just cast the baits out and reel them straight in. While this will always catch some bass, there are more specialized methods that trigger strikes from the bigger bass. Cast the Rat-L-Traps out, and depending on the depth of the water, count them down to the level of the fish before starting the retrieve, and if it is a sandy and/or gravel/rocky type of bottom, let them sink to the bottom, then slowly raise the tip of the rod till you feel the lure vibrating, reeling the slack up slowly, then lower the rod tip, and do it again. Many times they will hit as it is on the bottom, and first starts to be lifted up. If these techniques don't work in a few hours, use a slight pumping action of the rod as you reel, keeping contact with the bait. If it hits a rock, weeds, or other structure, hesitate a second, and then rip it off quickly, and reel it in with a steady retrieve. You can also yo-yo the bait similar to a spoon or spinnerbait in deeper water near points and drop-offs, which can be extremely effective in colder water or on inactive fish that are suspended. Most of the time in water below fifty-eight degrees they hit very mushy, like grass or leaves, or even like you are snagged on a small branch, but most of the time it is a bass.
As they get close to the boat they will see you and make a dash for the trolling motor, and down to deeper water, sometimes even breaking the surface to throw the lure. The bass have to played very carefully as lipless crankbaits come out of the bass's mouth much more easily than you might imagine. Most of the bass will be in the shallower water off the flats, near deeper water, rip-raps, if available, or any place where there are baitfish and/or cover near the north shore or bay, close to food sources, near their traditional spawning areas.
I like to use spinning gear for the smaller 1/4 ounce baits, and I use baitcast gear for the larger 1/2 to 1 1/2 ounce baits. I use a 7 foot spinning rod in medium action for the smaller baits, so as not to pull the bait from their mouths, usually a S- Glass rod, a G.Loomis Cranking Stick, or a "Kistler" rod. In the baitcasters, I use a 7 foot, medium to med/heavy rod, with a high speed reel, but many people prefer a good reel in a 5:0:1 or 5:3:1 gear ratio. I always use P-Line or McCoy in ten to twelve pound test, but eight pound test is preferred by many. Stren is also a good line for this. Fan cast the baits in as many directions as possible in the prime areas such as the mouths of the back bays with creeks, where grasses and riprap are on a harder bottom, and you will start picking up some of these monsters this spring. A good scent on the baits, such as "Megastrike" can't hurt either.
The variety of soft plastic baits for bass is mind boggling. The choices available just in worms alone, are enough to cause confusion with the novice angler, and hours of debate among the more experienced. What size? color?, straight tail? curly tail?, salt or no salt?; what rig to use them on, drop-shot? Carolina rigged?, weightless?, when are the best times to use each one? Then add in the endless variety of lizards, grubs, jerkbaits, freakbaits, tubes, and creatures, and you end up with more questions than answers. In the following article I will try to list the most effective plastic baits and presentations that catch not only numbers, but big bass as well, whether it is in a lake, pond or river, just about anywhere in the country. There will always be a new type of bait that one person or the other claims is better than the others, but the following baits and techniques will cover most any situation that you are likely to encounter.
The original artificial worm manufactured by Nick Creme, in 1949, was a standard straight tailed worm, but it spawned generations of worm companies and hundreds of soft plastic lure designs that are the mainstay of modern bass fishing.
Straight tailed worms are just that--straight, with no bends or kinks in the middle, no curly tails, paddle tails, no air pockets, no flotation, nothing special at all, just a worm. Regardless of their plain appearance, many times straight tailed worms are much more effective than other fancier styles. This was proven to us first hand one day in a New York tournament. The bass absolutely refused to hit any other style of worm except a 6 inch straight tail in black, with a tiny bit of blue fleck in it. If you didn't have that particular style of worm, you were out of the money that day. Straight tailed worms are often at their best when bass are suspicious of anything out of the ordinary, such as in highly pressured tournament lakes. Many times in these situations the bass are put off by a curly tail waving in the current. But the opposite can be true for the same fish, in the same lake, when they are on their beds during the spawn. Many times, the movement of a curly tail will cause the extra enticement you need to catch them. Plastic worms aren't at their best in cold water, but then nothing is. When the water is cold, bass will feed only occasionally, and whether it is spring, fall, or winter, the slow, slightly twitchy retrieve with a straight tail worm will work wonders. But the key to this is working the worm slowly, only twitching it occasionally, allowing the worm to stay in the strike zone as long as possible, where the sluggish bass will notice, and possibly hit it.
These worms also work well for bedding bass, but don't hesitate to put on a small curly tail worm if the bass won't pick up the straight tail. The fact that most straight tail worms are not floating models can be an advantage. While floating worms have a lot to offer in terms of waving around just off the bottom, bass are in the habit of searching and feeding off the bottom. Eels, worms, crayfish, nymphs, frogs, and other prey are often found there. Smallmouth in particular make a habit of routing in the rocks and gravel to find a meal. Plastic worms, rigged weedless, and worked slowly across the bottom, look more like natural prey trying to hide and escape than something floating off the bottom and waving around.
To accomplish this, the standard Texas rig with a bullet weight is best. The Texas rig keeps the worm from getting hung up, and the weight gets the worm to the bottom and keeps it there. The Carolina rig is another option for the straight tail worm. This type of rig allows for a deeper, slower, even retrieve. The straight tail worm, and even retrieve, make this rig resemble an eel, although in smaller sizes, the bass may see it as a slim baitfish, or even a large dragonfly nymph.
We found that these straight tail worms are excellent for fishing in the river. We cast them across the current, using a high rod technique, to minimize drag and allow the worm to drift with the current. Often a little twitch will provoke a strike, but the twitch should be subtle, just enough to move the worm a little bit. We also cast the worm straight upstream, which works very well in the rivers since they require less weight to sink naturally and can be fished dead with the current to resemble a dead or dying shad or other baitfish. Both Texas and exposed hook riggings work, but the Texas seems to be the best if there are any snags or it is a rough, rocky bottom. Tackle is important when fishing straight tail worms, since much of the fishing depends on slow techniques. I like to use a real sensitive rod, such as a G. Loomis, with the reel spooled with a sensitive line, such as Stren Sensor, or any other sensitive line. Using an outfit like this makes it easier to detect strikes, but you should always maintain contact with the worm, even when Deadsticking it. I like to use a small weight to accomplish this. Cross-stream casts in the current will usually maintain some tension, but upstream casts require a retrieve as fast as the current to keep slack out of the line and make sure that you detect all the strikes.
Straight tail worms are also great for deep jigging. The jigging action makes the worm seem alive without a curly tail waving around in the water. Again, the key here is sensitive tackle, as the bass will often hit the worm on the fall. Straight tail worms are serious bass takers. If a bass follows another type of worm but doesn't take it, then try a straight stick of a worm. They may not look like much, but can take serious limits of bass when they are off their normal feed.
Website PromotionFirst, almost all plastic worms float. Usually, just adding any hook to the worm is enough to sink it. This allows a variety of bottom presentations, but they are not that great for working on the surface as a topwater. True floating worms have air blown into the PVC mix to create enough flotation to keep them on the surface. Many times over thicker cover these worms shine. When the bass are active, and would be hitting a buzzbait, or other topwater bait, but the cover doesn't allow it, these floating and curly tail worms, can be fished right on the surface, and worked quickly over thicker vegetation like a buzzbait. This has drawn some tremendous strikes throughout lakes and rivers all over the country. Most of these floating worms will float with a hook up to about a 3/0. Some of the more popular companies that manufacture these worms are Riverside, Bass Pro Shops, Culprit, Bass Assassin, Creme and others. Carolina Fish and Fur offer some great hand made floating worms. Most of the companies also make other floating baits, such as Mann's, who calls them Floating Creatures, and they come in frog and lizard shapes.
Air pocket worms have a bunch of pockets of air, such as the Riverside Air Worm, and others have single large pockets, like on the Culprit Burst worms. Bass Pro Shops sold some worms a few years back that we had a lot of luck with, that were called Caterpillar worms. They have a prickly or spiny exterior that holds air bubbles. Most of these worms not only take numbers of bass, but also take big bass. We have been in many tournaments where the big bass was taken on a small worm or creature bait. These floating baits also work well when rigged to work over deeper structure such as brushpiles or weedbeds. A lot of these worms are designed to hold different scents also. Some are designed to have the scents injected right inside of the worm. All floating worms vary in their flotation ability with various hooks, so some experimentation is necessary to produce the desired results. One problem with floating worms is that they look no different than standard worms. Keep your floaters in a separate bag or box in the original bag to keep them from getting mixed up with the regular worms.
The "critter" baits such as the soft plastic crayfish, lizards, frogs, and hellgrammites, also catch a lot of big bass. The craw type baits often have air pockets not only in the main body, but in the claws as well. Claws with air pockets float up off the bottom, putting it in a defensive posture that triggers strikes from bass that are fooled into believing it is a real crayfish. Experiment with different rigs, scents, and rattles in these baits until you find the most productive in that particular area. The floating worms and critters don't replace the old standbys, but they add another dimension to your fishing.
There are as many different tube baits as there are worms, and more and more variations arrive each year. Some of the best tube baits we have used for catching bedding bass, and bass that are holding in tight to cover, are listed below.
Many bait manufacturers have incorporated rings into their tube designs. Rings add bulk, trap air bubbles, and feel soft and lifelike to the bass. They allow for better hookups by reducing the amount of plastic that the hook has to penetrate. The first tube we ever bought that had this feature was a 4 1/2 inch tube made by Larew. These baits are made with an injection-mold, rather than a dip process, which is what you need to do to make a ringed bait. A lot of manufactures are now adding a skirt to the ringed tube, which gives it even more bulk and a slower fall. The pulsating motion of the skirt and tail seem to come alive when rigged Texas or Carolina style, or used a jig trailer.
The first solid head tube was introduced right after Denny Brauer won the classic. It is made by Strike King, but now there are many more manufacturers. This was a great innovation, since it gave standard worm hooks enough plastic in which to gain a firm hold. The main problem with finesse tubes is that the thin noses won't stay put on worm hooks.
After these tubes came out, many other new innovations followed, such as longer and fatter tubes. Now there are many tubes in the 4 1/2 and 5 inch sizes. There are even bigger tubes than that, they are Saltwater tubes, which we have used successfully in the California Delta for BIG bass. Oversized tubes also are easier for bass to find in cover or muddy water.
The 5 inch Sala Tube from Mister Twister, features a solid head and a body shaped like a salamander. This bait also has eyes. This is part of the Exude line of baits, which contains a water soluble scent that gives the plastic a slimy feel when wet. These baits work very well on bedding bass in lakes all over the country. Because it has a lizard type shape it produces a stronger reaction from bedding bass than a regular tube does. We like to use this tube in heavy cover also, on 20-25 pound test line. When we fish real nasty cover, we use it on a jig with braided line, such as "Spiderline."
Another new type of tube is the tube craw. This bait mimics a crawfish well, and can be worked in all types of cover. Another craw type tube bait is the Yum Craw Bug. The tail of this bait is curled under like a crawfish on the move. We always use this tube when fishing for bass that have received a lot of pressure. It seems to get strikes from heavily pressured bass that you wouldn't normally get. We usually rig this bait on a 3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu hook, with a 3/16 ounce bullet sinker, and 14-20 pound test Spiderline Mono. They make a small 2 inch craw now also, which we use for drop-shotting. I like to use the Craw tube in muddy water, because it is more buoyant than regular tubes and moves more water. Rattles can also be added to this tube to increase it's effectiveness in muddy or stained water. There is also a tube now called a Fork Craw, which I like to use when fishing grass. It is thinner and slides through vegetation more easily and presents a smaller profile which is great for clearer water.
Another new type of tube is the Double-tail tube, which has two curled tails that appear as wings. Luck "E" Strike also makes a new tube called a "Ring Daddy." It was designed by Rick Clunn who believes the rings give off a hydrodynamic signal that appeals to bass. I have used this bait effectively when pitching and flipping. When we need to skip a tube under docks, we like to use Strike King's new baits called the Tube Craw, Wild Thang and Tube lizard. They have smooth bodies which make them ideal skipping baits. I use them on a 4/0 hook with a 5/16 ounce bullet weight. The Wild is a great bait for after the spawn, and it catches huge bass. It is 5 inches long, has a hollow body, and a shredded tail. I always use this bait when I believe the bass are looking upward. I like it in the summer months, and I have fished it with a swimming motion very successfully. The tube lizard is a great bait for the spawn, through the post spawn period.
Soft Jerkbaits like the Zoom Super Fluke are great substitutes for a hard Jerkbaits when the grass is too thick to use a hard bait with treble hooks. This bait was the best producer for the top ten finishers in the finals at Lake Gaston. We had tried many other baits that day, but the Fluke was the winner, hands down.
There are a variety of different rigging techniques for soft plastic Jerkbaits, but I want the maximum action I can get with this bait, so I use a really large offset hook made by Eagle Claw. This hook is bigger than what most anglers use for the Fluke, but the bigger hook not only adds casting weight, but it shifts the weight to the rear of the bait and causes an exaggerated "walk-the-dog" action on the retrieve. It's a great bait for bass in weed pockets, or in deeper, thinner grass like the situation we ran into on Lake Gaston. This bait definitely gave you an advantage that day. I use a light/dark pattern with these baits, but occasionally go to colors like watermelon and green pumpkin, in the clearer water sometimes. I use this bait a lot in place of a surface bait like a rat, and if a bass blows up on it and misses, which happens a lot in heavy scum and grass, then I just maneuver the bait to the hole created by the bass and let it sink. Most of the time the bass will still be there and take the Fluke on the drop, something I can't do with the rat.
All of these baits and more can be very effective for big bass at times. At night I use a 10-12 inch worm for some huge bass. But none of these baits will work for the beginner or intermediate angler unless you are fishing in the right spot. Some of the best advice I can give is: Fish slowly, when you think you're fishing slowly, slow down some more. Fish some of the smaller lakes and rivers. With emphasis on tournaments, many anglers forget about the great fishing in some of the smaller lakes and rivers that you can't fish in a bass boat.
Don't make your fishing too complicated. Use a few basic baits to start, then expand after you have learned how to use those starter baits. Find the right depth; You can't catch fish if you fish above them or below them. Learn how to use the electronics on your boat properly.
Fish as often as you can, nothing can replace the knowledge you get from being on the water a lot. The first few years I started fishing, we spent at least 8 hours a day, 3 or 4 days a week fishing. Get out on the water as much as you can, nothing replaces hands on experience.
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