Considering the huge numbers of crayfish imitating baits on the market today, did you ever wonder how closely these baits imitate actual live crayfish?
The folks at W2F took the time to rig a variety of soft plastic crayfish, cray-imitating crankbaits and jigs then worked those baits through a pool full of live crayfish.
Carve out a little time and see how each does and if your favorite crayfish imitators made the comparison!
There are many soft plastic worm rigs using a plastic bait, weight and a hook but there is one rigging method that has dominated the bass tournament world for the last few years; the Neko rig!
At first glance it barely seems like anything special but the nature of the rig makes this presentation method pretty snag less and gives a variety of soft plastic baits a look many bass do not often see.
Take a moment and watch as bass pro Ott Defoe gives his thoughts on the Neko rig and why it is now a staple presentation in his bassin' arsenal:
Looking for a source to stock up on Neko rigging gear?
Check out the different types of Neko rigging baits, hooks, weights, rods, reels and line Omnia Fishing has to offer:
When bass move shallow before the spawn, "putting on the feedbag" is one of their major prespawn activities before commencing their reproductive duties.
Both crawfish and forage fish are high on the bass' menu so selecting the right baits is key to triggering strikes.
With bass roaming the mid to shallow depths in search of a meal, spinnerbaits and squarebill crankbaits are excellent choices to mimic their prey and get those hungry fish biting!
Strike King bass pro Kevin VanDam discusses the criteria he uses for selecting the right squarebill or spinnerbait when chasing prespawn bass in the following short video clip!
Bass love jigs, especially big bass!
But there are so many types of jigs:
Swim Jigs
Flipping Jigs
Finesse Jigs
Structure Jigs
Football Jigs
Swing-head Jigs
Question is do certain types of jigs work better than others over the entire bass spawn period?
Seems so according to Strike King pro Greg Hackney!
Take a moment and listen as GH unravels his approach for jig fishing from the prespawn through the post spawn period:
Stubby Ned worms like Z-Man's 2.75" TRD fished on a lightweight, open-hook jighead has been one of the hot finesse baits for catching bass under the toughest of conditions for several years now.
Over the past few years, more and more adaptations have come to life ranging from Texas, Neko and Child rigs to using the TRD-style worm as an ultra-subtle trailer on compact and finesse type bass jigs.
In the following video, Z-Man pro Luke Clausen discusses his application of the TRD as a trailer on different finesse style bass jigs when fishing the clear water lakes across the northern U.S. for smallmouth bass.
Though the TRD is specifically mentioned in the video, any type of short, straight tail worm should work as well.
As a matter of fact, I often use a shortened Mann's Jellyworm as a finesse trailer with fantastic success!
One other note...
I agree it works on smallies but I also assure you it works well on largies and spots especially when the bite is tough!
Jerkbaits are a major player when fishing the cool to cold water periods from mid-fall right through the prespawn.
Combine the multiple jerkbait retrieves and cadences used with the ability to pause the bait and hang it in the face of a bass, it's no wonder it such a killer on our chilled quarry.
As with any lure, knowing the best areas to probe with the bait is key to finding and catching prespawn bass on the jerkbait.
Take a moment as bass pro Stephen Browning explains his approach to using jerkbaits and triggering strikes from prespawn bass...
It's the prespawn period and the bass are chomping on crankbaits.
What's the crankbait of choice?
A flat-sided crankbait like the Rapala Shad Rap right?
Maybe but in most chases a variety of crankbaits covering depths from 2 to 10+ feet is often more effective especially when current is involved.
Take a moment and watch this prespawn crankin' tutorial by Rapala pro Gerald "G-man" Swindle on his approach to crankbait fishing for prespawn bass...
Neko rigged finesse, trick and other straight-tailed plastic worms has been one of the hottest rigs/presentations in the bass fishing world for a number of years now.
Though Neko rigged worms are often highly effective on both active and inactive bass, there are times when a bait "change-up" can help trigger the most finicky bass into striking.
Think about it!
Working a Neko rigged, medium-size, soft plastic craw across the bottom is about as realistic a presentation that you can make and bass just love to slurp them up!
Take a moment and listen to what the folks at W2F have to say about Neko craw rigging, bait choice and presentation methods in this short video demonstration...
Check out this selection of great crawfish baits via the following link:
When I saw this video it brought an instant smile to my face since it's about fishing the one bait/presentation I use more than any other from ice out to ice in here in the north country... the Texas rigged soft stickbait!
Though bass pro Brandon Cobb discusses using the t-rigged soft stickbait to catch finicky Florida bass, the bait and presentation works anywhere bass are lurking in cover strewn across expansive flats.
Take a few minutes, watch the video and hear what he has to say!
Though I sometimes fish a soft stickbait on a similar casting rod set-up here in the northeast, my typical set-up is a 6.5' medium power, fast action spinning rod with 8 lb line for areas with sparse cover or a medium-heavy rod with 10 lb line with denser cover given the ultra-clear water I normally fish.
Yes it can be a tad nerve racking when you set the hook into a big bass like the one below but most are landed even when using 8 lb test, as long as I remember to re-tie often that is ;)
I love fishing weightless soft stickbaits and magnum finesse worms but there are times when adding some weight will produce more bites.
One of the rigs I use especially when I want to switch back and forth from a weightless to a weighted rig is one you don't often hear of... the hot shot rig!
Simply tie on your favorite hook and leave a short tag end dangling below the hook; add a split shot weight on the tag end; tie an overhand knot underneath to help keep the weight from flying off when casting; add your favorite stickbait or worm and go fishing!
Check out this video from the folks at MTB on prepping and using the hot shot rig...
A few things to consider when using the hot shot rig:
The Neko rig has been one of the hottest bass catching rigs/presentations to hit the market over the last several years.
The Neko rig does have one significant issue however; it's great when fishing open water or sparse vegetation but almost instantly hangs up when fishing dense vegetation or around any woody type cover.
Or at least it has been up until now!
Take a moment and hear what bass pro John Crews discovered about a new Neko rigging hook that seems to solve the heavy cover hang-up issue...
I wonder how long it will take for other options to hit the market as well 😉
The Lindy Fuzz-E-Grub is a great fish catching bait that has been around for decades.
Although often thought of as a panfish or walleye lure, the Fuss-E-Grub can shine on bass, especially smallmouth bass under certain conditions (early to mid-spring for example) :)
One problem with the bait is the cost where a pre-rigged two-pack costs between $3 to $4 and there are limited options available for finding larger packs of un-rigged bodies.
The solution?
DIY of course which can make knock-offs of the originals plus adaptations for larger baits as well.
One thing I would do a little differently from this demo; shorten the quill end before pulling the marabou through the plastic body.
Need any of the components to make your own fuzzy grub style bodies or worms?
Check out the wide variety of bait making and modifying items available at Lure Parts Online by clicking on the following image!
Winter bass can be finicky, sluggish and when they do decide to eat often focus on suspended schools of baitfish.
Though anglers fish a variety of baits when chasing sluggish winter bass, four tested baits that work under some of the toughest conditions include:
Today's sonar technologies are rapidly developing and in may cases becoming prohibitively expensive for many if not most anglers.
Though this is the case with mega-display and "live scan tech units", sonar systems with traditional 2D (colored display), down imaging (DI) and side imaging (SI) on 7" display models are relatively affordable.
But are DI and SI really needed?
It depends on whether or not you're willing to learn how to use and interpret the information on the displays and here's a great video to begin the learning process:
Definitely provides some great food for thought :)
I have to chuckle when watching many of these "winter - early spring" fishing tip videos where the pro states they're fishing "cold" water then mentions water temps in the low to mid 50s!
Though that may seem that way in the south, here in the north country with many inches of ice covering our lakes in the late winter, water temps in the fifties is still a fantasy land for most of us :D
None the less there is some great info on "cool" water worm fishing for pre-spawn bass in this video featuring bass pro Shane Lehew talking about dragging worms on deeper water structure/cover...
What do most bass anglers picture when seeing the hollow body frog collection in their boxes?
Extended periods of warm to hot weather and vegetation-laden lakes and ponds.
Did you realize that hollow-body frogs can also start to shine when the water rises into low to mid sixties?
Absolutely and here is frog fishing aficionado Jessie Mizell presenting several tips to help you extend your frog fishing season!
One of the top baits selected by anglers when chasing winter bass is the suspending jerkbait.
The fact jerkbaits produce using fast to ultra-slow cadences allowing the winter angler to hang the bait at different depths in the water column means the jerkbait can trigger strikes from the most sluggish cold water bass.
Since rigging and fishing jerkbaits successfully often takes detailed knowledge on presentations, tweaks to rigging and best type of jerkbait to use, bass pro Jason Christie created a great tutorial video explaining his approach to winter jerkbaiting...
Most bass anglers realize that flat-sided crankbaits can be fantastic bass catching baits when the water temps fall down into the mid 40s.
A rare few "bass-perts" also realize the "king" of cold water, flat-sided cranks, the Rapala Shad Rap, can excel even when water temps plummet into 30s!
One of those finesse crankin' experts is Ott Defoe who took the time to create an in-depth finesse crankbait fishing tutorial discussing:
A few savvy bass anglers use floating worms throughout the warmer water periods.
Combining the subtle action of the worm with its infrequent use, the floating worm can trigger bass strikes from skittish shallow water fish that turn away when presented other baits.
Know how to rig the floating worm?
Take a moment and watch as the folks from Tackle Warehouse demo the floating worm rig!
Did you realize if you mess up the standard Texas rig on a floating worm it may actually work to your advantage?
Interesting! 😀
What's the best crankbait when fishing the cool water periods of late fall and early spring? Many bass anglers opt for one of the many flat-sided crankbaits available in today's market.
Like all moving baits, there are a number of considerations that come into play to optimize the productivity of your flat-sided bait as bass pro Ott Defoe discusses below...
One thing to keep in mind, even though a specific brand/model of bait is discussed, these same tips usually apply to any similar bait!
Ask a group of bass anglers to list their favorite winter bass lures and typically you'll hear jerkbaits, blade baits, jigs often with pork trailers, flat sided and lipless crankbaits.
But there is another bass bait that can also shine in the winter months but often ignored by many bass folk, the finesse worm!
Watch the video below and see why and how bass pro Wes Logan rigs and uses finesse worms to trigger strikes from cold winter bass!
Rigging it as a drop shot bait can also be a killer winter presentation, just saying ;)
Wacky and Neko rigged soft plastic baits have been hot bass catching presentation methods for the last several years.
When I was first introduced to paddletail swimbaits (Mister Twister Sassy Shad I think) decades ago, I rigged it just like any stubby soft plastic bait ... on a roundball jighead.
Over the years I've learned the paddletail has many more rigging options such as
It's springtime, the bass are moving across the shallows gearing up to spawn and the water is clean.
Reaction baits can be the ticket to connect with bass roaming the edges or holding around shallow cover but noisy blade baits like spinnerbaits and chatterbaits can turn bass off.
If blade baits are to much, a swim jig and trailer can be the subtle alternative to trigger strikes from shallow bass!
One of the better swim jig anglers around is bass pro Bill Lowen.
Take a few moments to watch Lowen crush bass on a 1/4 oz swim jig and trailer combo as well as provide some great tips to advance your swim jig fishing skills...
What do you get when you combine a bullet weight, worm hook and plastic worm?
The pieces needed to create one of the most snag-less, bass catching rigs around; the Texas-rigged plastic worm.
Putting the rig together is fairly straight forward but there are several tips, explained below by bass pro Jacob Wheeler, that can definitely help catch more bass...
What do you fish when faced with cool, low visibility water, especially in the pre-spawn?
Lipless crank?
Chatterbait?
Maybe but more often that not a spinnerbait with a colored kicker blade is the bait of choice!
Take a moment and watch the video to see why bass pro Ott Defoe thinks the spinnerbait is the best bait for cool, dirty water conditions...
Doesn't it feel great when you get a new bait, take it from the package and admire that nice, bright natural finish produced by the manufacturer.
Did you ever wonder if that nice bright finish actually works or times when it works against us catching bass?
Possibly, especially when the bass and bait they're following are in cold water, move shallow from deeper water or exist in muddy water conditions. Fish exposed to those conditions tend to have color and marking patterns washed out and muted.
I've known old timers that used to leave duplicates of baits on the dashboard of their vehicles for several days and let the Sun "fade out" the original bright manufactured finish to mimic that effect.
On the other hand, bass pro Gerald "G-man" Swindle has a quicker method has he describes in the video below!
Winter bass fishing can be tough but often rewarding.
When fishing non-frozen lakes, winter bass can be found at water depths ranging from a few feet to several tens of feet; holding tight to cover or suspended over it.
Bait selection, therefore is key to your winter bass fishing success and often include lures like crankbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits, jigs, lipless crankbaits, jig n worms, A-rigs just to name a few.
Take a moment and hear what bass pro Brandon Cobb picks when fishing for winter bass:
It didn't take long for bass anglers to adapt the Tokyo rig to a variety of presentations including flipping/punching, Texas rigging, swing jigging and more.
One of the more interesting adaptations; rigging paddletail swimbaits for probing shallow to deep cover/structure elements.
Take a moment and listen to the folks at Rapala/VMC explain swimbait fishing using Tokyo rigs...
What do speed worming, punching & prop rippin' have to do with spring fishing?
Some feel these are some of the best baits to use on southern waters as bass move up on the spawning flats.
Take a moment and see what they mean...
Have to wonder if some of those baits/presentations will work in the north country?
Hmmmm :)
