What Are Scat Baits and Do They Work?

Scat-type baits, also known as heavy baits or gravity baits, are a new and innovative category of soft plastic baits that are quickly gaining popularity among bass anglers. 

These baits mimic the look and movement of natural forage, like crawfish or baitfish. Bass are drawn to this familiar appearance, increasing the chances of a successful strike. Scat-type baits are designed to be fished weightless, and they feature a heavy salt content that gives them a unique sinking action and profile. 

One of the most popular scat-type baits is the Deps Cover Scat. The Cover Scat is a 3.5-inch stick bait that is available in a variety of colors. It features a unique hook slot in the belly that allows it to be rigged on a wide-gap hook without weighing it down.

A growing number of companies are in the process of introducing their own scat baits renditions including:

• Missile Baits 3.5” Bomba

• Nories 3” Flip Dom

• Geecrack Imo Kemushi 95

• Yamamotto Yamatanuki 2.5 & 3.5

Scat-type baits can be fished in a variety of ways, but they are most commonly used for pitching and flipping in heavy cover. The heavy salt content allows them to sink quickly through the water column, and their unique profile makes them irresistible to bass that are feeding on crawfish and other bottom-dwelling creatures.

Here are a few tips for fishing scat-type baits:

• Use a heavy-duty rod and reel with a braided line. The braided line will give you the sensitivity you need to feel the bite and the power to pull bass out of heavy cover.

• Rig the bait on a wide-gap hook, such as a Gamakatsu Superline EWG hook in size 4/0. This type of hook will help to prevent the bait from tearing and will also give you a good chance of setting the hook on a bite.

• Cast the bait into cover and let it sink to the bottom. Once it hits the bottom, give it a few gentle twitches to simulate a crawfish moving around.

• If you don't get a bite, reel in the bait and cast it again to a different spot.

Scat-type baits can be a very effective way to catch bass in a variety of conditions. They are especially well-suited for fishing in heavy cover, such as weed beds, lily pads, and timber. If you are looking for a new bait to add to your arsenal, be sure to give scat-type baits a try.

Using Lipless Crankbaits for Shallow Fall Bass

As the weather cools down in fall, bass metabolism slows and they become less active. This makes it harder to trigger reaction strikes. Lipless crankbaits are an excellent lure choice during this time. Their erratic action and minnow-like profile helps trigger sluggish bass into striking. 

When fishing lipless cranks in the fall, focus on areas with baitfish. Shad and other forage will congregate around cover. Target areas like rock piles, submerged timber, boat docks, and creek channel ledges. Cast past the cover and crank the lure down to tick against it. The deflecting action imitates a wounded baitfish and draws vicious strikes. 

Vary your retrieve speed and cadence to determine the mood of the bass. Some days a super slow crawl will work better than a fast and steady retrieve. Try occasional pauses to let the lure flutter down. Use rod twitches to add an injured action. Pay close attention to where you get bites and replicate that retrieve. 

With their loud rattle and bold profile, lipless crankbaits are ideal for tempting neutral fall bass into biting. Focus on productive cover and be prepared to adjust your presentation until you trigger strikes.

Take a few minutes and watch as the folks from W2F provide some great on the water insight into fishing lipless crankbait for shallow fall bass...

Stroking a Football Jig for Bass

A football jig is a versatile and effective bass fishing lure, especially for deep water and hard bottoms. It can be fished in a variety of ways, but one of the most productive is to "stroke it." 

Stroking a football jig involves imparting short, sharp hops to lift the jig vertically as you work it across structure. This erratic action imitates a fleeing crawfish or baitfish, which triggers aggressive strikes from bass.

To stroke a football jig, follow these steps:

1. Cast the jig out and let it sink to the bottom.
2. Reel up but leave a semi-slack line as the jig rests on the bottom.
3. Give the rod a sharp upward snap to hop the jig off the bottom.
4. Reel up leaving a semi-slack line again and repeat steps 3 and 4 until the jig reaches the boat or contact with the structure is lost.

The key to stroking a football jig is to keep it lifting and falling vertically to the bottom. If you reel up too much line, the jig will lose its action and become less attractive to bass. You also want to vary the speed and intensity of your strokes. Sometimes, a slow, deliberate stroke is best, while other times a faster, more aggressive stroke is needed. Experiment with different cadences until you find what's working best on that particular day.

Here are a few additional tips for stroking a football jig:

• Use a medium-heavy to heavy action baitcasting rod with 12-20 pound fluorocarbon line. This will give you the power to lift the jig off the bottom and the sensitivity to feel the slightest bite.
• Experiment with different trailer sizes and colors. A popular choice is a pork rind frog, but you can also use swimbaits, crawfish imitations, and other soft plastic trailers.
• Fish football jigs in areas where bass are likely to be feeding, such as rock piles, ledges, and drop-offs.
• Be patient. Stroking a football jig can be a slow process, but it's often worth it when you hook into a big bass.

Take a few minutes and watch as bass pro Matt Arey describes his approach to stroking jigs when fishing pressured bass on deep water structures…

Using Squarebill Crankbaits to Catch Fall Bass

Even though air and water temperatures cool quickly, bass fishing starts to heat up in the fall. These changes trigger bass to start aggressively feeding up for winter and will strike reaction baits worked around their prime fall haunts. 

One of the best lures to use during this transitional season is a squarebill crankbait. 

Here's how to use this effective lure to catch more fall bass:

Choose Your Squarebill: Squarebill crankbaits feature a square lip that gives them an erratic darting action ideal for triggering reaction bites. Pick a model that dives down to 2-8 feet to target bass relating to cover and structure. Standard squarebills are about 2 inches long, but going bigger with a 2.5-3 inch version can be even more effective on big fall bass. Opt for shad, perch or crawfish patterns in natural colors to match local forage.

Target Shallow Cover: Focus your squarebill retrieves around shallow cover that bass are using as ambush points to attack prey. Target areas with cover types like laydowns, rocks, stumps, dock pilings, and grass edges in depths from 2 to 8 feet. The squarebill's wobbling action will grab the attention of bass hiding around shallow cover.

Work the Crankbait Properly: It's essential that you work the squarebill crankbait at the right speed and retrieve cadence to trigger aggressive strikes. Use a medium-fast 6.3:1 reel and keep the rod tip down for maximum diving depth. Crank the lure as fast as you can while still bouncing off cover and keeping it near the bottom. Try using a stop and go retrieve to make the bait kick off to the side and dart erratically.

Experiment with Different Retrieves: One of the best things about a squarebill is you can vary your retrieve to appeal to how active the bass are. Burn it steadily back on a straight line for aggressive fish. Kill the lure and let it float up when the crankbait hits something for a deadstick pause. Pop your rod tip during the retrieve to make the bait slash and dance. Experiment until you find what triggers the bass that day.

Take a few minutes and watch as the folks from Lurenet demonstrate some of the finer points for catching fall bass around shallow cover with a squarebill...

Where to Find Fall Smallmouth vs. Largemouth Bass

As autumn arrives, the cooling water temperatures trigger bass to become more active as they bulk up for winter. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass can be found together in many lakes and reservoirs but they tend to frequent different locations and structure types during the fall season. 

Smallmouth bass become even more oriented to rocky and gravelly areas as the water cools. Focus your efforts on riprap banks, submerged boulders, rock piles, and gravel points near a drop off into deeper water. Smallies will hold tight to the rocks and ambush baitfish that swim by. Dragging jigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and underspins along the bottom around rock structure is a dynamite way to target fall smallmouths.

Meanwhile, largemouth bass head towards wood cover and vegetation as the water temperatures decline. Target weedlines, laydowns, docks, brush piles, and submerged timber near drop-offs. Slow rolling spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged soft plastics through and around the cover is a prime tactic for fall largemouths. They'll be looking for one last big meal before winter arrives. 

Take a few minutes and watch as Al and James Lindner give there thoughts on the types of cover and structure preferred by largemouths and smallmouths during the fall period...

Catching More Early Fall Bass

As the weather cools down in early fall, bass fishing can really heat up. The bass are actively feeding in preparation for winter.

Here are some tips to help you find and catch bass during the early fall months:

• Focus on shallow water - As water temperatures drop into the 60s, bass will move shallow to feed. Target areas like points, weed edges, docks, and flooded timber in 1-8 feet of water. Early morning and late evenings are prime times to fish the shallows.
• Windy days are best - Windy days in the fall strongly position the baitfish. Follow the wind to whichever bank or shoreline is being hit the hardest. Bass will be herding baitfish and actively feeding in these areas.
• Use lipless crankbaits - Lipless crankbaits like Ratt-L-Traps imitate struggling shad and other baitfish perfectly for fall bass. The vibration and flash triggers hard-hitting reaction strikes. Use shad as well as other baitfish patterns and work the banks for aggressive hits.
• Throw spinnerbaits and chatterbaits - Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits also mimic wounded baitfish. The flash and vibration of these bladed baits grabs the attention of early fall bass. Target any available shallow cover plus work these lures parallel to the shoreline for more strikes from early fall bass.
• Use your electronics - Use your fish finder to look for baitfish and bass stacked up on primary points, channel swings, and underwater humps. These are prime fall feeding areas. Drop a jig or texas-rig worm on them.

As mornings get cooler, make sure to fish later in the day. The midday bite can often be very productive. Pay close attention to water temperature changes and move shallow as it drops into the 60s.

Bass pro and two-time Classic winner Hank Cherry is no stranger to chasing early fall bass on lakes and reservoirs across the country. Take a couple of minutes and watch as Hank provides a little insight on locations and baits for catching more early fall bass...

With a little patience, early fall can offer some of the hottest bass action of the year.

Catching Big Smallmouth Bass on the Carolina Rig

The Carolina rig can be a lethal system for catching trophy sized smallmouth bass. This technique allows you to effectively present a bait on or near the bottom with actions mimicking common smallmouth forage with minimal snags. 

Follow the tips in this guide to rigging and fishing a Carolina rig to hook into your share of lunker bronzebacks.

The foundation of the Carolina rig starts with the weight system. Tie a heavy bullet, barrel or egg-type slip sinker (1/2 to 1 ounce) directly to your main line. Next, tie on a 12-24 inch fluorocarbon leader using a barrel swivel and add a glass bead between the sinker and swivel. At the end of the leader, snell on an offset worm hook from size 1/0 to 3/0 depending on the bait you're using. Offset hooks work well to increase hookups. 

With the rig complete, thread on your preferred soft plastic option like a 4-6 inch worm, lizards, creature bait, craw, or swimbait in natural colors like green pumpkin, watermelon, or translucent shad imitations. The long leader allows the bait to move and flutter seductively behind the sinker.

Target smallmouth cover and structure in 10-25 feet of water such as rock piles, weed beds, submerged timber, creek channel ledges, and humps. Cast past prime spots then allow your rig to sink to the bottom. Retrieve the lure by dragging and hopping it along the bottom, imitating a crawfish and other baitfish foraging through rocks. Vary your retrieve cadence (speed and action) until you find the cadence that triggers the most bites.

Bass pro Mark Davis is well known for using the Carolina rig during tour events when pursuing both largeouth and smallmouth bass. Take a few minutes and listen as Mark explains his approach to using the Carolina rig when chasing big northern smallmouths...

When you feel a strike, sweep your rod tip back to drive the hook home. Keep steady pressure on bass to keep the smallmouth beneath the surface and be ready for powerful runs. Use your reel's drag and rod action to tire out fish quickly. Consisntently following these tips will help you land trophy smallmouth more consistently on the Carolina rig when fishing your favorite smallmouth waters.

Drop Shot Weights: When to Go Heavy

The drop shot rig is a popular and effective technique for catching bass. It involves vertically presenting a plastic bait or soft plastic worm below a weight that is tied directly to the line. Anglers typically use very small weights - often 1/8 to 3/8 ounce - when drop shotting so that the bait falls slowly and naturally in front of inactive fish. 

However, there are times when it pays to use a heavier drop shot weight such as when fishing:

- Windy Conditions: When it's windy, a lightweight drop shot rig can get pushed around by the wind, making it difficult to maintain contact with the bottom and vertical presentation. Weights of 1/2 ounce or heavier will penetrate through the wind better.

- Deep Water: In water deeper than 20 feet, a heavier weight will allow you to get the bait down to the strike zone faster. Quickly reaching the bottom is key to catching lethargic deep water bass. Weights up to 3/4 ounce and even 1 ounce can be effective.

- Current: If you're fishing a river or lake with significant current, a heavier drop shot weight will keep your bait in the strike zone better than a lightweight rig. Go with at least 1/2 ounce or higher if faced with current.

Upper Midwest bass pro Austin Felix spends countless hours chasing green and brown bass and the drop shot rig is one of his "go-to" finesse rigs. Take a few minutes and listen as he gives his reasoning and criteria for using heavier than normal drop shot rigs:

The ideal drop shot weight in most situations is the lightest one that allows you to maintain bottom contact and get your bait to the desired depth. But don't be afraid to beef up your weight when conditions call for it. Going heavier on your drop shot rig will lead to more bites when fishing gets tough and a faster fall rate helps trigger reaction strikes.

Adjusting Rate of Fall of Texas-rigged Soft Plastic Baits

The Texas rig is a versatile fishing rig that can be used to catch bass in a variety of situations. One of the advantages of the Texas rig is that it allows you to adjust the rate of fall of your soft plastic lure to help trigger more strikes. 

There are a few factors that affect the rate of fall of a Texas-rigged soft plastic lure including:

• Matching the fall rate to the water depth: If you are fishing in shallow water, you will want to use a lure that falls slowly so that it doesn't sink too quickly and spook the fish. If you are fishing in deeper water, you will want to use a lure that falls more quickly so that it reaches the bottom faster.
• Matching the fall rate to the baitfish: Bass are ambush predators, so they often target baitfish that are moving slowly. By matching the fall rate of your lure to the movement of the baitfish, you can make it more attractive to the bass.
• Creating a more natural presentation: A slow-falling lure will create a more natural presentation, which can be especially important in clear water.
• Triggering strikes: Increasing the size of the weight or limiting the number of appendages on a soft plastic bait increases the fall rate helping trigger strikes from finicky bass.

There are a few different ways to adjust the rate of fall of a Texas-rigged soft plastic lure including:

• Use a heavier weight: A heavier weight will cause the lure to fall more quickly.
• Use a smaller weight: A smaller weight will cause the lure to fall more slowly.
• Use a different type of weight: There are different types of weights available, such as bullet weights, round weights, and split shot weights. Each type of weight will affect the rate of fall differently.
• Use a different soft plastic lure: Some soft plastic lures are designed to fall more slowly than others.

Bassmaster Elite pro Hunter Shryock relies on adjusting the fall rates of different bass baits to trigger more strikes throughout the tournament season to ensure his success. Take a few moments and watch as Hunter describes his approach to adjusting fall rates in his pitching and flipping game:

Bottom line: Experiment with different weights and soft plastic lures to find what works best for you in different situations.

Different Ways to Rig Worms on a Drop Shot

Drop shot fishing is a finesse technique that has gained immense popularity among anglers, especially in bass fishing. The key to success with a drop shot rig lies in presenting your soft plastic worm in an enticing and natural presentation. 

Here are some different methods for hooking soft plastic worms on a drop shot rig to help you maximize your chances of landing finicky bass consistently.

Nose Hooking:

Nose hooking is perhaps the most straightforward and commonly used method for rigging soft plastic worms on a drop shot. Here's how to do it:

• Take your soft plastic worm and insert the hook point into the nose of the worm, just like threading a needle.
• Ensure that the hook point emerges from the top of the worm's head.
• Leave the hook point exposed, making it easy to set the hook when a fish strikes.

Nose hooking is ideal when you want your worm to have maximum movement and vibration, making it a great choice for clear water conditions with sparse cover or when you want to imitate a fleeing or injured baitfish.

Wacky Rigging:

Wacky rigging is another effective method for hooking soft plastic worms on a drop shot. This technique imparts a unique action to your bait that can be irresistible to bass:

• Take your worm and fold it in half.
• Insert the hook through the middle of the worm, making sure the hook point is exposed.
• The result is a worm with the hook in the middle, creating an enticing wobbling action when you twitch your rod tip.

Wacky rigging is excellent when you want to slow down your presentation and target finicky or heavily pressured fish. The subtle movements of the undulating wacky worm can often trigger strikes from otherwise wary bass.

Texas Rigging:

While Texas rigging is typically associated with flipping and pitching, it can also be adapted for drop shot fishing with soft plastic worms. This method offers a weedless presentation and allows you to fish in areas with more cover:

• Take your soft plastic worm and insert the hook point into the head of the worm, just like you would for nose hooking and work the point back out through the bottom of the worm. 
• Next, rotate the hook continuing to thread the hook through the worm until the hook eye is at the head. 
• Lastly, work the hook point back through the top of the worm but instead of having the hook point exposed, bury it into the body of the worm.

This method hides the hook point, making it less prone to snagging on vegetation or underwater structure. Texas rigging on a drop shot is perfect for fishing around submerged vegetation, brush piles, or rocky terrain where you want to keep your bait in the strike zone without constantly getting hung up.

Each of these three rigging methods works great when using finesse or trick-style plastic worms. If you intend to use a flat-sided bait shaped like the Berkley Flat Worm, a different approach to rigging may be more advantageous as bass pro Mike Huff points out in this short video…

Fishing Pad Fields Effectively

Lily pad fields are a great place to catch bass, especially during the summer months. Bass love to ambush prey from the cover of lily pads, and they can be found in all types of lily pad fields, from thick mats to sparse patches.

Here are a few tips for fishing lily pad fields for bass:

• Use the right gear. Lily pad fields can be tough on tackle, so it's important to use gear that's up to the task. A medium-heavy or heavy action baitcast rod with a fast tip is a good choice, paired with 17- to 25-pound fluorocarbon or 30 to 50-pound braid line.
• Choose the right lures. There are a variety of lures that can be effective in lily pad fields, but some of the most popular include frogs, toads, swim jigs, and flipping baits. Frogs and toads are topwater lures that are great for fishing over the top of lily pads, while swim jigs and flipping baits can be fished through and under lily pads.
• Target the right spots. The best places to fish in lily pad fields are around the edges, in holes and pockets, and near other types of structure, such as weed beds, docks, and fallen trees. Bass like to ambush prey from these areas, so they're a good place to start your search.
• Work your lure carefully. When fishing lily pads, it's important to work your lure carefully to avoid getting hung up. Cast your lure past the target area and then reel it back in slowly, making sure to keep it in contact with the lily pads. If you do get hung up, don't panic. Just try to gently ease your line free.
• Set the hook hard. When you get a bite in a lily pad field, it's important to set the hook hard. Bass are often buried deep in the lily pads, so you need to set the hook hard to drive it home. Once you've set the hook, reel the fish in as quickly as possible to keep it from getting back into the lily pads.

Take a few minutes and watch as bass pro Bob Downey explains his approach to identifying the high percentage pad field spots to target in this video from the folks at W2F…