Black Hawk Basser

I can't remember a bass sending something of mine really high, but a muskie launched my WP 130 a few feet into the air earlier this summer. Couple days ago I had a good soft plastic toad bite going, and a couple feisty 3 lb'ers launched themselves a couple feet out. This is what it's all about!

First, a caveat: I only have smallmouth in a small river available. Besides what has been mentioned, I'll add a shiny silver squarebill crankbait. It's the first thing I throw for smallmouth. Bomber Square A (smallest) catches fish every time out. If cranks or xraps/husky jerks aren't working very well, my 2nd choice is a nose-hooked fluke with a split shot about a foot above the hook, or weightless in slack areas.

When you catch a fish, remember what you just did to trigger the bite. Sometimes a guy gets too excited after a catch and gets his bait moving too quickly once he starts fishing again. Make a mental note of what you did to catch the fish, and repeat that until you decide it's not working anymore.

I thought I read that Havoc was discontinued in In Fisherman mag. I hope I'm wrong, some of those baits are fantastic for the money.

Personally, I've never experienced a correlation between frog lures not working if frogs are present in an area. I hear then everywhere I fish in the evening. If there's good cover and weather for frog fishing, I'm throwing one.

No color anymore, I want it to turn black.

Isn't the Havoc line discontinued?

I would suggest a circle hook if you are also fishing another rod simultaneously. Bass usually get really deep hooked on crawlers with a regular hook, especially if you aren't quick on the draw, so to speak.

Texas rigged soft plastic buzz toad is dynamite in this situation. Easy to work across matted stuff, and they blast it in openings and on the deeper edge of the shoreline mats. This is my #1 option when it's extremely thick. I like this technique better than hollow body frogs, simply for the increased hookup ratio. If I am forced to slow down, a senko or fluke gets the nod. Chatterbaits are also a pretty good option if it's not too thick.

Welcome, Rich!

I have tied flies for some years now, mostly tungsten bead head ice flies. I am just starting to play around with jigs for bass and walleye this year. I have a commercial account with Hareline Dubbin, so it's fairly cheap to experiment with a lot of materials. Looking through their catalog, the amount of options makes a guy's head spin with all you can create.

One tip: Don't go too long with a rabbit strip tail. They tend to flop over and foul up on the hook when you're jigging the bait. I try to not go much more than 3-4" past the hook, or you have problems fishing it with any type of snapping cadence. This is a simple one that works great for me. Rabbit strip tail and wrapped around hook shank. 1/4 oz head, 4" total length

Flukes are great because you really can't fish them wrong. As long as they are rigged correctly, nose hooked or Texas style, their inherent action should trigger fish to bite. You have to vary your retrieve from really aggressive jerks to keep it on top, to a subsurface walk the dog, to a slow, methodical twitch-and-pause cadence. The fish will give you clues as to how to proceed. Most of the time, a very steady and subtle walk the dog retrieve works for me. I always start with a really aggressive retrieve though, because it is a blast when they really chase them. I rarely ever weight them, and if I do, it's only a 1/32 oz bull-shot sinker right at the hook eye. I prefer to work them in top or near the top. They cast really well on spinning tackle. I like a medium power, fast action rod. Sometimes I use a medium light for more fish fighting fun.

As soon as the water is warm enough to stand being in it, I am always at least knee deep in water when I fish places that have shoreline obstructions. If nothing else, you get a better cast out to deeper water. Where there is a will, there is a way!

Definitely lots more movement when nose hooked. With flukes, I start really fast; the first thing I try is a really aggressive twitching to keep it on top and darting on the surface. Sometimes they annihilate it, sometimes you'll find a slower, more methodical twitch-and-pause routine will get them to go. I also like to Texas rig it and throw it right up on the bank and drag it into shoreline slop, directing it across openings in vegetation. In my personal experience, flukes seem like one of those baits that's either really "on" that day, or they don't want anything to do with it at all on other days. They don't work so well in little ponds I fish that have mostly bluegills for forage. In those places, I throw more bulky baits like a buzz toad.

I also like Chug bugs. Easy to pop and walk and they have a black with red stripes version. I've also found an all black popper with red eyes in one of those bargain bins at Walmart. Might have been Cotton Cordell.

Congrats. That's incredible!

I tie some hair jigs for bass. I use bucktail, rabbit strips, & Arctic fox tail hair a lot. My best creation is a big bluegill imitation bucktail on a swim jig head with a guard. Comes through veg surprisingly well.

Only thing I'd add is that if there is a significant hole torn in the fish's mouth where the hook is, it's probably all left to chance if it throws the bait or not.

Piece of electrical tape. ?

Last night was one of those memorable nights. I hit a pond with my kayak that I normally don't get a chance to fish in the evening. Probably over 20 topwater blowups on frogs, buzz toads, and buzz baits. The fish in open water shot out of the water like rockets to hit the buzz toad, especially. Missed quite a few in really thick slop. I ended up boating around 10, including several in the chunky 3 lb range. No monsters, but constant topwater action. I don't ask for any more than that!

No doubt fishing pressure is a real phenomenon. But how can one tell if that is the determining factor in why you arent catching? I find it much easier to blame it on myself and what I could do better/differently. I consciously choose places that receive little pressure, mostly to avoid other people. The better fishing is just a bonus. ?

Maybe try a long mono leader. In my opinion, fluoro doesn't hold up very well. I feel the need to re-tie a lot with fluorocarbon. I don't have many abrasion problems with 20 lb Sufix 832. I can't remember the last time I had a break off.

My suggestion is to use much more aggressive and large baits than the general populace is using. Perhaps the bass aren't as conditioned to oversized lures. You may only score a fish or two, but they will probably be bigger!

Being buried inside the bait, perhaps it's a more "realistic" sound and vibration, closer to what the fish ate tuned into from baitfish. Who knows. I'd love to fish snakeheads. They look like a lot of fun. Let us know what works for you!