MASTER TECHNIqUES
FISHIN
withconfidence
A
s spring rapidly approaches, most bass
fishermen are eagerly awaiting the
opportunity to get back on the water and
chase the fish we love so much. Bass fishing is such a popular sport, not solely based on
their wide distribution across the country, but also
because of their sometimes ferocious nature. Ask
any hard-core fisherman what his or her favorite
technique is and the answers you hear most
frequently revolve around reaction baits.
Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, rip baits and especially top water seem to always land at the top of the list of “favorite techniques”. I know they are on the top of my list. But what about the majority of the time when you just can’t seem to buy a bite on one of the “fun” techniques? What do you reach for when the water is cold? When the skies are clear? When there isn’t a whisper of wind on the water? That is when you determine for yourself what your real confidence baits are. You know, you’ve been out there for two hours and haven’t gotten a single bite, not even a shadow of a fish looking at your bait. Time on the water is limited and after all, even though we want to catch them on our favorite technique, isn’t catching a few fish what we are really out here for, regardless of the “way” we catch them?
As a tournament fisherman, I frequently find myself pursuing my favorite quarry during those difficult conditions. Water in the 40’s, boats on every point. Lakes that have been pounded with
tournaments or are going through an “off” cycle. It’s during those times that my main objective is to get bites and find fish no matter what mood the bass may be in.
Therewasatimewhen,asthesituationdictated andIreallyneededtogetabite,Iwouldreachforasplit shotrig. Nothing wasmoresimple. Dragawormbehind theboatweightedwithasmallroundlead weightabout twelveinchesup theline. Itwasand stillisadeadly technique. Then,ofcourse,camethe dartheadworm. Threadawormonaleadheadjigandshakeitinplace. It providedtheopportunitytocatchthosemorelethargic fish. Ofcoursethereisn’tabassfishermanoutthere whoisn’tthrowing adropshoton occasion. Nothing seemsmoreenticingthanaweightlesswormsquirming onahooksuspendedjustoffthebottomforalltosee.
Well, as important as all these techniques are for someone to master as a bass angler, there is a relatively new technique that is rapidly becoming my “go to” bait for those times when the fish are finicky or reluctant to bite. The technique I am talking about is the ‘flick-shake’. Over the last two years I have found that this is a technique that has put fish in the boat under all conditions imaginable. Just this last January I managed a top 30 finish in the Everstart Series at Shasta for spotted bass in ultra clear water around rocks. This was followed by another solid finish a month later over a thousand miles away at Roosevelt Lake in Arizona, for largemouth with very limited visibility. It has proven itself as a way to catch all species of bass in all water conditions and all water
42