Most
bass fisherman, because of their use of jigs and worms, have
forgotten some of the most important baits that can under the right
circumstances catch numbers of hard to catch bass, and many times
mean the difference in winning a tournament. These baits don't have
the appeal, or tournament winning reputation of such baits as
topwaters, soft plastics, and spinnerbaits.
Anglers that are just starting out in bass fishing are many times
unaware of how and when to use these lures. Even some really good
bass fisherman don't understand the role of these hard metal baits.
Some of the better baits we use for these techniques are the jigging
spoon called a Silver Buddy, and the Strike King thruster tail
spinner. These baits can really help you out at times. We never
actually won a tournament just using these baits only, but they can
really add some decent bass to the bag when other baits fail.
Most anglers use these baits in deep water with a vertical
presentation,but we use them in some other ways that really work
well in the Northeast. When we fish some of the deeper waters of New
York, and some in the Midwest, we use them in deep water situations
such as in Table Rock Lake
In Missouri, these work well especially in the late fall and early
winter, but in some of the clearer waters in the Northern Lakes we
use them by casting them, since the water isn't really that
deep, and we can't get on top of the bass.
During real cold periods we position the boat on a drop-off or on a
deep edge of a flat. Then we cast the spoon towards the edges of the
weed growth with thin vegetation. We usually fish them in about 6
feet of water to as deep as 20 feet, and then we work the spoon back
to the boat in a yo-yo type motion.
We just let the lure fall to the bottom, jerk it up when it hits,
and then work it back to the boat the same way. We found a lure
called the Crippled Herring works well this way. If we want the lure
to fall slower, we just use a heavier line. This technique works
real well for us here in the Northeast just before the ice starts to
form. You can cover a lot more water with this lure, rather than the
jig or grub, which would take all day to search fro the fish. The
bass's strike zone is very small in the colder water.
In
the spring we like to use a bait called a Silver Buddy. We use
mostly the 1/2 ounce size. This bait produce much better in the
early spring. We have had a lot of luck with this bait soon after
the ice has gone out. We fish this bait in short hops in the same
locations as in the fall. This bait makes a better vibration and I
think that is why we do well in the early spring when the water is
cold. We have caught as many as 20 bass from a small area on this
bait in Table Rock Lake, and other Northern reservoirs. We generally
have our best luck with this bait when we fish it in areas that have
a chunk rock bank, The best areas is where the creek channel is, and
when it sort of swings away from the bluffs, like on the Sassafras,
onto sand and gravel flats.
This lure also works great for smallmouth in some of the
Pennsylvania Reservoirs, and in the Midwest. I usually cruise back
and forth in creek arms until I find the bait fish. You must really
learn how to use your electronics properly to accomplish this. When
I see a lot of bait fish holding on a deep change, sometimes there
will be bass also, so I follow them until I find some structure.
Sometimes in the deeper lakes it is 30 feet or more. When you are
fishing for deeper bass like this you have to pay attention to your
line, then I snap the lure up, and then follow it back down on a
semi-tight line. I learned to do this at
Table Rock and Bull Shoals in Missouri after many frustrating trips.
The spoon should flutter down, and watch the line, it is a real
subtle bite. Set the hook when the line does anything unusual.
Written by Steve Von Brandt
S&K Guide Service
Bass Tackle
Article - Blade Baits
