You finally get a day off from work and
you’re done with the "honey do" list, or maybe you have only one day to practice
for a tournament coming up. It’s time to head for the lake and a day of loading
the boat with fish. Though at the end of the day ( which always comes too fast!) you’ve
only managed to catch a handful of fish. With very little time to be on the
water you need to fish fast. In the case of fishing a new body of water a
quality map is an essential part of your arsenal. This will show the points, inside corners,
shallow bays and sunken humps that can hold fish. With the new technology we
have at hand many maps have GPS waypoints already marked on them. There is also
software programs that allow you to download GPS waypoints into your computer.
Now you can trade spots with your fishing buddies and be on good spots on a lake
you’ve never been on! This is by far the fastest way to find good spots. But
fish move, now what? Well, once you’ve picked a spot to fish, you can do one of two
things. One, you could watch your electronics to try to find the spot on the spot. Then
pick up a worm rod or maybe a jig and probe around these spots for countless
hours and possibly catch a few resident fish, however most schools move around.
The second option to find these roaming schools is to drop the trolling motor in,
kick up the speed, and pick up a crankbait
or spinnerbait and cover the area much faster and more thorough.
When choosing
which a crankbait or spinnerbait to throw here are a few tips to keep in mind. The weather, water color, and time of year are the biggest factors as to size
and color of each bait I will throw. Generally in spring and fall the water is
clearer than in the summer months when algae blooms tend to be more prevalent
which color the water. In clearer water I will tend to stick with the
natural colors on crankbaits such as the shad colors, silver with blue, black,
or green hues,
along with some off white and pearl colors. With spinnerbaits stay with silver
and gold blades in willow leaf style that can be pulled fast through the water.
For skirt colors, stick with whites, silver, blue, smoke, and clear combinations. My
favorite combination is a Leena Lures 3/8oz. Tandem willow Pro Series with a
4.5\3 in silver\gold with a white and green\clear skirt. In off color or darker
water conditions I lean towards brighter colors. Chartreuse, fluorescent oranges,
greens, and reds are great colors. I also try switching to a wider wobble on my crankbait
and Colorado style blades on my spinnerbaits, this will help displace more water
and help fish find the bait better in off color conditions.
With both baits I am fishing fast and
covering water. I’m generally fishing the blades on the flats in 3 to 8 feet of
water moving from shallow to deep. When throwing crankbaits I’m fishing the
outside edge of the weed line to about a cast length into the weeds. I throw
both baits on a Shimano 7’ V-rod \ Curado reel combination. Line size is the
only difference between the two baits. 10-12lb is a good bet when fishing your
crankbaits which allows the bait to dive to it’s maximum depth and stay in the
strike zone as
long as possible. When throwing blades anything from 14-25lb is adequate
depending on the cover. Even though I am covering water and fishing these baits
fast, I’m not just throwing the bait out and reeling it straight back. You can
still manipulate the bait by jerking the tip of the rod which causes the bait to
jump forward then either suspend or flutter down, this quick change in speed and
movement is when the strike will generally occur. This is the triggering aspect
of these two lure styles.
In all of this remember it’s about
covering water fast to find the fish in the given area.
So the next time you
head for the lake with only a few hours to fish try throwing these baits that
allow you to cover water quickly and you will find bass fast.
Tight lines,
Brian Brown
classicbass.com Field Staff
