Lightninrod

I love it when a Woman likes Bassin' Welcome young Lady! Dan

Acouple of y'all have mentioned casting T-rigged worms, etc, parallel to the bank and I do that when I first get there. I want to try and find a shallow Bass before spooking it. But, don't eliminate throwing it out into the deeper water as far as you can. Work it by short-hopping it and then letting it rest on the bottom. There is a theory stated in "Big Bass Zone"(swimbait trophy Bassin' book) that relates to this: A Bass will follow a bait headed towards shore knowing the bait's directions of escape narrow down to two directions instead of four as it get's shallower and shallower. As it approaches shallow water, it has only the right or left direction to escape from the Bass. The water's top and the bottom are converging, making it easier for the predator Dan

click here if the image doesn't show That's my best friend Bill. He's hauling in a nice Bass that sucked in his weightless, color #222, 5" Senko. That's a cotton field farm pond near Tifton, GA where we meet once or twice a year. He has no boat and yet, manages to catch many Bass with that same bait and out of golf course ponds in Jax, Florida including an 8/13. That same day, I caught my then PB, this 8/11 by slow-rollin' that 3/4 oz spinnerbait. That's my best friend Bill. He's hauling in a nice Bass that sucked in his weightless, color #222, 5" Senko. That's a cotton field farm pond near Tifton, GA where we meet once or twice a year. He has no boat and yet, manages to catch many Bass with that same bait and out of golf course ponds in Jax, Florida including an 8/13. Dan

What a great pic fm!!! Huge slabs too! Dan

With 'regular' baits, I usually don't reel when setting the hook and I too don't use a very hard hookset except with pitched jigs. Now with a swimbait(a 'non-regular' bait) , it's different in that you must reel when setting the hook. Quoted from "Big Bass Zone": First off, you have to learn how to do a reel-set. For those who've grown up fishing saltwater, the simple act of reeling as you swing the rod comes naturally. Yes, we know you've probably read something somewhere about setting with your reel. Then why don't you do it? Probably less than 10% of all bass fishermen (and that's being optimistic) use a reel-set in their day-to-day fishing. For those of you who want specifics, hang on. Understanding how a reel-set makes a difference is all about specifics. At this level, relying on a standard, high-end baitcasting reel is akin to bringing a knife to a gunfight. Not good. No matter what the manufacturers may tell you (remember, most don't know anything about big baits), a normal bass-fishing baitcaster will not hold up. It will not perform. It will, as we say in big-bait land, "grenade" on you. If you're serious about swimbaits, you need to be equally serious about your tackle. Since we have no financial connections to tackle companies in the Big Bass Zone, the following is without sponsor bias. Over years of testing, the Shimano Calcutta 400 is one reel that has proven itself both in durability and performance. Obviously, this Calcutta is a size larger than the standard baitcaster. Perhaps other choices exist, but we haven't found them yet. When matched to a Lamiglas XC 807 Big Bait Special rod and spooled with Maxima 25-pound mono, the Calcutta 400 becomes part of a balanced rig. Moreover, it can deliver a much more forceful hookset when the reel-set is employed. For example, with a 4.7:1 gear ratio, the Calcutta 400 takes up approximately 20 1/4 of inches line with each revolution. At a distance of 80 feet, this delivers 11 to 13 pounds-per-square-inch (psi) of force on a combination rod/reel-set (with five full revolutions). A normal hookset (sweeping the rod only) creates between 5 and 5 1/2 psi. It doesn't take a math major to see that a reel-set is a better deal. What may not be as obvious is the amount of force generated by a more standard, but still quality baitcaster such as the Shimano Chronarch 100A. Spooled with 20-pound Maxima mono, this 6.2:1 reel takes up 24 3/4 inches of line per revolution, yet can only generate 7 to 8 psi on a rod/reel-set and 5 to 5 1/2 psi with a normal hookset at a distance of 80 feet. Even more surprising, the same reel spooled with 12-pound mono at a distance of 80 feet produces nearly the same results as it does with the heavier line - 8 psi on the rod/reel-set and 4 psi with the normal hookset. Since we're more interested in catching big bass than understanding physics, it's safe to say that the construction and dimensions of standard baitcasters don't lend themselves to effective hooksetting with big baits. You need something that's bigger, stronger and better balanced to the rest of your tackle. The other part of reelset hooksets is you must keep the rod down, parallel to the water, and pointed directly at the bait, allowing no slack in the line. To me, this is the toughest part about swimbaiting as I have to force myself to keep my rod in that position as I retrieve the swimbait and I have to keep on reminding myself as I reel to remember to do a ReelSet. Dan

To me, pitching is easier and more produtive. I use the same 7', 6" Kistler Heavy Helium Casting rod or a Daiwa Heartland rod spooled with 20# test Seaguar's fluro. I wouldn't use a reel with a flipping switch as it's just something else that might go wrong with the reel and as stated, is not necessary anyway. I think it's great that you're going to take up these techniques. I taught myself how to use them a few years ago after watching(over and over again ) a Denny Brauer video. It's out of production now. I practised in my yard by pitching a 1/2 oz jig up to and under the bushes that ring our home. It's one of my favorite ways to catch Bass . Dan

No. 1: Matt's Baby Bass swimbait--just started it this year and it's brought me my new PB, a 9 lber plus many others from 1.5 lbs and up. No. 2: Wacky-rigged, 5", color #222 Senko. No. 3: Pitched 1/2 to 3/4 oz rattlin' jigs with several different trailers. Dan

2005 has been a banner year for me . I got a new PB, this 8/11, back in Feb. I got my first ultra-lightweight rig and Bass that month too. I also replaced my old Basshunter UBHII with a http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=112849&anum=3382'>new UBHII Basshunter. I caught my Paca Craw Bass in April. I got my first swimbait Bass that month too. I started getting 'serious' about using Matt's Baby Bass swimbait for the first time this summer. It brought me dozens of Bass, including: a 6 lber, and this nice 7 lber. In Aug, I caught Bass on two new swimbaits for the first time; a MS Slammer and a JR Mouse. Aug. also gave me my new http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=132520&anum=3382'>PB, this 9 lber Lately, it's been slow Bassin' for me but I did manage to fall in the water for the first time while Bassin'. I toppled head-first right off that dock while kneeling down to fill a cooler with water. Yes, I kept on fishing and let the air dry out my clothes even though it was about 47 degrees air temp. Gonna be hard to top 2005 but I hope to be able to try ! Dan

My best friend Bill and I were bank fishing at a cotton-field farm pond down in Tifton, GA. The Bass are active and biting ;D. Bill's already caught a few throwing his usual bait, a 5", color #222 weightless Senko................... I don't remember anything else about that day except for the times I threw my first swimbait, a Matt's Red-ear Sunfish: My problem was I didn't know the proper way to set the hook on a swimbait bite(it's completely different from the rod position and the type of rod/reel movement needed) at that time. I've since learned the correct way and have caught several Bass with swimbaits but that day, I had Big Bass after Big Bass grab it, hold on for a second or two, leeping in the air too, just to release it............. :-[ Btw, Matt makes a 'hael' of a bait! Dan

Peter: The wacky-rigged Senko, etc. is generally thought of as a shallow water technique. I throw it up against the bank and twitch it away from the land, making it look like a fleeing frog, lizard, etc. and then pause and let it sink a little. I'll throw it next to shallow water cover and let it sink a little then I'll raise the rod tip and lift it and then let it fall a few inches. The bite can come at any time. Here's a a pic to wet your appetite . And one more. Good luck and give it a try. Dan

Scroll down to see the way to rig a wacky-rig. " A wacky worm is a regular worm(or a Senko) with a hook run through the middle. Some people prefer to use a regular 2/0 hook with the point protruding through the middle of the worm. I prefer to use a 3/0 hook which has a wire weed guard. This will enable you to fish the bait through all kinds of cover. In this style of fishing you do not use any type of weight. After you have rigged the worm with the hook in the middle your first look at the bait will cause you to wonder why a bass would hit that . The primary reason that the bass strike this type of lure is because this is a do nothing style fishing. You will normally use this bait when the lake has had a lot of fishing pressure or right after a cold front. I fish this on fifteen pound clear Trilene Big Game. There are a lot of people who will use a spinning rod because this bait is so hard throw. Sometimes after major cold fronts I switch to spinning gear also. When I do this I normally use eight or ten pound line. Just about any type of worm can be used wacky style. I use the Zoom Trick Worm. The biggest problem in choosing a worm for this type of fishing is durability. The Zoom Trick Worm holds up good with a 3/0 weeless wireguard hook. Some worms are way to soft and will tear up on the cast. Colors may very in different lakes. I prefer watermelon, it is a good all-around color for Lake Fork in Texas. In the spring I sometimes use a bubble gum color. The spring is a good time to use this style fishing when the fish are more finicky from cold fronts and fishing pressure. I fish the bait along weed lines, stumps and trees, and the bank. I throw the bait out and let it sink and give it a few twitches and let it sink again. Sometimes I let the bait go to the bottom and let it lay there for a few seconds and start twitching again. When the fish get active sometimes just a slow constant pause and jerk will work. I keep a wacky worm rigged at all times during the spring . When the fish have moved into the coves and a major cold front moves through, the fish have a tendency to become lethargic. That is when the wacky worm is at its best." Can't help on the drop-shot as I don't bother with it. Dan

Matt's Baby Bass brought dozens of Bass to my boat after it was released in 2005 ;D, including my new PB: 9 lber/Matt's BB 5 lber/Matt's BB 6 lber-same bait 3 lber 4 lber--shallow 3 lber--his Yellow bait I've caught Bass from 1.5 lbs to that 9 lber on one of his baits. They are hand-poured and hand-painted and have detail like very few other baits do. The worst one was this little bugger which I gave away after being given it when I renewed my BASS membership. And they want $5 for that piece of .......... :ugly :nono Dan

90% of the time I pitch a jig for a verticle presentation, usually right up against a stump. The other 10% is made up with casting, swimming, or flipping one. I have to disagree with those that say a jig bite is like a worm bite. To me, they are completely different. My worm bites usually feel like a "shudder" while my jig bites feel like a "thump/bump". That feeling comes from when a Bass opens its mouth, flares its gills, and sucks the jig up off the bottom(where most of my bites come from as I usually pitch a heavier jig and it reaches the bottom quickly). then the jig bumps into the Bass's throat area and it clamps its mouth shut. To me, it's a unique feeling/bite and I think it's because the jig is a more 'solid/dense' bait than a worm. I use Seaguar's Carbon Pro 100% fluro in either 15 or 20# test for jigs and everything else except for topwater baits. With my forefinger on or under the line where it comes out of my baitcaster reel, I firmly believe that line transmits that bump even if there's a 'bow' in the line. I caught a 3 lber yesterday even with a bow in the line. The wind was moving my little Basshunter towards the stump and yet I felt the thump and was able to set the hook and land her. I coat/soak my jig in an attractant(Megastrike or CB's Hawg Sauce) as I believe the 'taste' the Bass gets gives me a split-second more in time to reel down and set the hook. I always test the sharpness of the hook by trying to slide it across my thumbnail. If it slides or skitters, it's dull and I throw it away. I use a 7' Medium Kistler Helium rod for jigs of 1/2 oz or less in weight. For 5/8 oz and heavier, I use either a 7', 4" Daiwa Heartland Heavy rod or a 7', 6" Kiztler Heavy Helium rod. My reel will be either a Daiwa TDZ(lighter weight jigs) or a Shimano Antares reel for the heavier ones. Pitching a jig is one of my favorite techniques. I got a Denny Brauer video a few years ago and taught myself how to do it. It's a blast Dan

I've been throwing them wacky-rigged much more than T-rigged. As for hooks, I use this Gammy in the 3/0 size. As for snagging a w/r, that doesn't happen very often for me and I fish in a very 'snaggy' places most of the time. Btw, that's not a "Senko" but it's similar and better in some ways IMO. Dan

You may see your line 'jump' to one side or stop falling. "Slack" line may be changed to "controlled" slack line where you keep the rod tip raised above the hororzontal and certainly, keep your forefinger under the line just in front(resting on) of your baitcaster reel. Dan

Here's my 10'X4' Basshunter, the best small-water boat IMO. Dan

The biggest lake I fish in is a 104 acre public one but 80% of the time I'm in a 5-20 acre piece of water. You should be able to catch Bass year-round following the advice above. Bedding Bass can be very tough to catch in fact, in 30 years of Bassin', I can't remember catching the first one :-/. If you should luck out and catch one, please release it especially if it's a female. Dan

I just 'jined' up after being invited over by Reb. Thank's Reb I'm an older Basser that's gotten serious about Bassin' back in 1999. I did catch an 8 lber way back in the mid-70s but slowed down between then and now. I fish out of a little(10' x 4') plastic Basshunter boat. I only fish in small waters, the biggest being a 104 acre public lake here in middle GA and I throw nothing but artificials. I started throwing swimbaits this year and have had some success with them including my new PB, a 9 lber that hit a Matt's Baby Bass. Looking forward to sharing thoughts, ideas, and pics with y'all! Dan

As a new member, I hope my position doesn't rankle but I do believe that a more realistic looking bait can make a positive difference. I have caught literally dozens of Bass this year(my first purchase) on the bait below: and they ranged from 1.5 lbs to my new PB, a 9 lber. They were caught in muddy, stained, and crystal-clear both in small ponds and the largest water I fish in, a 104 acre public lake(where the 9 lber was caught). Interestingly. that bait is a soft-plastic that is hand-poured and hand-painted around a large lead jig. That pic doesn't do the detail justice but holding one in your hand will show the 'little' things like the flared gill plates. I give it no fancy moves, just a steady, moderate speed retrieve in the middle column of the water. Dan