1st Cast Fishing Lures

I’ll start with a question.  Is there a perfect bait?  If you are a fishing addict like myself and so many others, you may say yes to that question.  I have another opinion that I would like to share.  Many of the baits that I have used over the years are perfect for certain situations.  As I mentioned last time, I think a bait that is to be considered perfect should be able to be used in different situations and at different times of the year.  I have many baits that I have considered my favorite bait at any given time.  Usually this relates to confidence more than anything.

One thing for sure, to find the perfect bait you will have to use quite a few to see how they measure up.  Ask yourself this question:  If I could only use one bait, what would it be?

I read an article a couple of years ago covering this very question as it was ask to a panel of pro’s in one of the bass fishing publications.  Of course there were several answers, but what came up more than anything was the Jig.

Ben Hobbins, a Wisconsin entrepreneur, environmentalist and ice fisherman, worked with polymer experts and graduate students in business and engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to create a strong, sustainable fishing lure that may prevent toxic plastics from polluting waters nationwide at the rate of over 12,000 tons annually.  The lure was launched in February, 2008.

Hobbins was responding to the soft fishing lures most sporting goods stores have carried for years, which could be easy to tear while fishing on a chilly morning.  The soft, flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic material has long been extremely effective at luring and catching fish, but is detrimental to the environment due to its phthalate component, the very thing that makes it flexible.  The chemical compounds in phthalates have been linked to many negative health issues, and their presence has been banned in children’s toys in the State of California, beginning in 2009.  The key to the improved fishing lure Hobbins patented includes tiny microfibers embedded in the soft plastic material, keeping the lure flexible and stretchy without ripping.  The researchers have continued to study the technology behind the new lures, and have concluded that even if PVC containing phthalates is used to make lures, it will not end up in the bottom of lakes and rivers as it once did if their prototype is used.  Due to the original team’s commitment to sustainability, they are still investigating more earth-friendly materials and expanding their scope to include other products that may benefit from similar advancements.

Motion, noise and water relocation are the primary causes of fish striking a lure, but smell and taste become important when a fish is close enough to bite.  Some fish have a strong sense of smell, while others do not.  Sharks and catfish have a finely tuned sense of smell, while carp, salmon and trout are still sharp smellers but without the degree of intensity as the top two.  Bass and walleye are in the middle, about a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.  Pike and muskie only register the smell of fish attractant when they have visually seen the lure and are poised to strike it.

Though many believe scented fish attractant is used to draw fish, it is actually very useful for disguising negative smells and tastes that humans leave on our lures and baits—sunscreen, bug spray, fuel, nicotine, and our general human smell.  A tasteless, odorless chemical is prevalent in human skin oils that will be present on every piece of fish bait you ever touch. If a fish smells or tastes something negative and rejects the lure, the fish is gone.  Fish attractant can make your bait taste like something that is still alive, fooling the fish into hanging on for a few more seconds.   This gives the angler a better chance of reeling the fish in, particularly the fish attractant scent is carefully chosen.  Experiment with baits and even unusual smells like garlic to see what gets the best results.

In the world of fishing, there are so many baits/lures to choose from.  The question is, which one to choose and when do you use it?  If you have put any time at all on the water chasing your favorite prey, you know what I am talking about.  I have said before that I have at least 3 favorite techniques that I use, Cranking, Jigs, Texas rigged soft plastics.

I have my opinion about what the perfect bait is, but I would be really interested in hearing what you think.  I like a bait that can be used in more than one technique or situation.  I am not necessarily talking about color here.  I am talking about taking a soft plastic like a Beaver Craw and using it as a Jig trailer or Texas rigging it.  Of using a Trick Stick weightless Texas rigged and then Wacky rigging it with a jig head, either fishing shallow or deep.  Take a Brush Bug and Texas rig it with a 3/8 oz weight then turn around and through it on a Carolina rig.

Just click on the pictures above for a better view.

Until next time, Keep Fishing!

These days there are so many lures to choose from that it can be very confusing and definitely very expensive!  Bass Fisherman can be very particular about their baits.  If they have a certain lure in a certain color that they have caught more than a couple of fish with then they will stick with it.  Makes sense.  The problem these days is that most of the lures that are on the market have gone through the roof when it comes to price. 

If you will take the time and search the Internet you can still find some great values on Bass Fishing lures.  You can find soft plastics at a discount price that will out perform some of the big name high dollar soft plastics.  As I said earlier, bass fisherman (including yours truly) are a particular group when it comes the our equipment which includes lures.  We find it hard to change sometimes if there isn’t a big name endorsing the product.  I can tell you that if you want a bigger bang for your hard earned buck, then shop around and you will find it.

To make any fishing experience more productive you need to make adjustments throughout the day.   For example, you may start the day with a top water lure such as a buzz bait or you might use a crank bait.  Both are great lures for searching for fish.  If neither one of these lures are not producing then you need to make the adjustment to something slower.  This will typically happen throughout the day as the sun gets higher and brighter.  Of course on days where there is plenty of cloud cover, this may not be the case.  When I mention making the adjustment to a slower lure it could be a soft plastic such as the 5 inch Trick Stick or a Beaver Craw on the back of a Halo Jig.

There are many reasons to make adjustments during your fishing trips.  It could be due to a weather front moving through.  As I mentioned during the heat of the day you need to make adjustments and find out where the fish are hiding in the shade.  You may also have to make adjustments going into the evening with your lure selection.  Fishing pressure is also another reason to make adjustments in your presentation.

Cranking is one of my favorite techniques.  I wrote earlier that I have two or three favorites.  But Cranking can be so much fun and very productive.  Using a crankbait such as the Storm Big Bass Suspending Crankbait can be a great tool when the bass are in their summer pattern or even during those early months when the water is cool and the bass are pre staging / suspending and not real active.

Using a Crankbait will allow you to cover a great deal of water to find where the bass are hanging out.  During the summer months we all know that they tend to move off into deep water.  Deep is a term that can have a different definition on different lakes.  In your favorite lake deep may mean 20 or 30 ft.  At Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri it can mean 45 or 50 ft.  In that case you had better be prepared to drop shot a finesse worm in 40 feet of water in the tree tops.  But that is a topic for another day.  In other lakes around the country deep could be the next drop off from 10 to 12 feet.

Suspending crankbaits that dive to 10 feet or more give you the opportunity to crank the bait down to the desired level and have it stay there to entice those fish up from 12 or more feet.  Believe me, when they are hanging close to the bottom they always have a watchful eye looking up for an easy meal.  Do yourself a favor and give one of these deep diving suspending crankbaits a try.  Remember you will always do better if you are outfitted with the right kind of Bass Fishing Tackle.

This is a Shad colored Storm Big Bass Suspending Crankbait. It dives to 10ft. You know your lake better than anyone else.  What color works better for you?  They come in a wide range to fit your bass fishing needs.

I have mentioned this lure in the past but it deserves another mention.  The Trick Stick is known by a few names but they all lead back to the same type product.  Probably one of the most recognizable names is the Senko.  You can find trick sticks in a few different sizes.  You can also use several different techniques with this soft plastic fishing lure which makes it one of the most versatile lures on the market today.  They are a great value for your money too.

As I mentioned, you can use these baits several different ways.  You can Texas Rig them with out a weight which helps give them a great deal of action.  Make sure that you have the Trick Stick as straight as possible on the hook.  One of the other more popular ways to fish the Trick Stick is to Wacky Rig it.  Again you will get a lot of action out of the Trick Stick when Wacky rigged.  The size of the hook to use seems to be as personal of a choice as the line you use.  I will say that a 2/0 hook seems to be the norm.  You don’t want an over-sized, exposed hook that will lead to snag after snag if you are near brush.  The third way that I have used these lures is the Shaky Head method.  Basically getting a stand up jig head and Texas Rigging the Trick Stick.  When the bite gets tough, this is one of the hottest things going.  It is a slow technique but if you can locate the fish, it will produce.

As I said, you can find the Trick Sticks in a few sizes, the other size that I use is in the 3 inch size.  These are great for skipping under docks with a Shaky Head jig or a Hooker Head Jig.  The Hooker Head jig is a fantastic jig that has a bait keeper hook on it.  The reason I mention this is that it can save you a lot of plastic lures.  The bait keeper hook locks into your Trick Stick and will help keep it from coming off during the battle.

In the end the Trick Stick is a great lure that just about anyone can use from the novice to the seasoned fisherman.  You can cast, flip, pitch or skip them just about anywhere if you Texas Rig them because they are weedless at that point.

 Give the Trick Stick a try the next time you go out.  I think you will be glad you did!

When you are preparing to fish a tournament or even just head out for the weekend there are several things you should do before you ever hook up the boat and head out.  Many are obvious such as making sure that everything in and on the boat is in good working order.  Re-tie your lines and prepare all of your tackle, know what the local regulations are… you pretty much get the picture. 

When tournament fishing there is one piece of preparation that I never slack on and I would suggest that if you want to be a better fisherman and make productive use of your time that you do the same.  It doesn’t matter if it is a lake that I have been to many times or a body of water that I have never seen I still practice this.

 FIND THE BEST MAPS AVAILABLE AND STUDY THEM.  You can save yourself a lot of time and money by studying your maps before you ever leave the house.  You can eliminate a lot of water depending on the time of year and current conditions with the use of a map.  Why fish the flats with a spinner bait if the bass have already headed toward the summer depths.  If you need to find the next drop off from 5 to 10 feet on a point, then your map is the way to go.  These are also excellent record keepers.  Make notes on them when you do find the fish or that secret brush pile.  These days GPS has taken a major role in that area, but we all know that we don’t always fish out of our own boats and unless you want everyone to have your spots marked on their GPS, then take your map.

 There are many good maps available these days.  Look for the one that you like the best and make the investment.

This is just one thing you can do to make your time on the water more enjoyable and productive.

Types of Casts

• Overhand
• Sidearm
• Underhand

Notable tips will help with accurate and successful casting such as casting past the target when possible and keep line tension and keep a low trajectory in order to obtain as little noise as possible when the lure enters the water. Casting is a smooth wrist action that should be performed with your fishing lure let out a few inches below the rod tip enabling more momentum from your cast.

It is also important to match the rod and reel quality to the weight of bass fishing lure you are using. Faster, limber tipped rods are easier to cast and after loading the rod a smooth sidearm follow through will result in an accurate cast, with practice.