3
VanDam rigs this bait on a Mustad Power Lock Plus UltraPoint Weighted Hook,
which features a corkscrew spring
design with a centering pin and
a moveable weight that he
can slide up and down
the hook ’ s shank.
VanDam ’ s most
common size is the
1/8-ounce, but
he can create different actions with whatever weight he selects.
“ If you slide that weight all the way forward to the nose, it makes the nose ride down, so the bait runs deeper, ” VanDam said. “ If I slide the weight back, it makes the bait ride higher in the water column, so I can make the bait run right underneath the surface.
“ This Rage Swimmer stays perfectly balanced with this hook; it doesn ’ t roll over. I like the 5/0 size with the 3.8 and I ’ ll go to the 6/0 with the 4.8. If I ’ m fishing over the top of the Delta hydrilla, I ’ m going to use a 1/16-ounce; but if I ’ m fishing someplace where I want to fish the bait down, I ’ ll go with the 1/8. ”
As VanDam points out, this rig ’ s ideal for shallow cover, as well as for skipping boat docks. Matching his line to the dominant cover, he ’ ll throw the Rage Swimmer on 12-pound fluorocarbon for open water scenarios or 20-pound fluoro for pretty much anywhere on the Delta vegetation. For off-colored water, he might switch to braid.
ULTRA FINESSE FOR FINICKY BASS
The Strike King Dream Shot, an ultra-limber finesse
40
worm made for dropshotting, is the plastic that VanDam puts it to good use when the fall bite turns finicky. He’ll throw the 5-inch on a 2/0 Mustad Grip Pin Edge hook and drops down to a 1/0 for the 4-inch Dream Shot.
“I’ll match size of my Strike King tungsten dropshot weight to the depth of water I’m fishing,” VanDam said. “One of my favorite things to do is cast it out with a lighter weight and let the bait fall with tension on the line, so it has a straight swim to it. I’ll let it get to the bottom, shake it a few times, hop it in and then do it again. “This allows me to fish really fast, but by having tension on your line, the bait doesn’t spiral; it swims all the way to the bottom. It’s a very sight-activated technique that’s deadly on clear desert lakes.”
VanDam prefers 8-pound fluorocarbon for his dropshotting, but clear water might nudge him down to 6. Either way, he depends on that Mustad Grip Pin to manage the Dream Shot’s soft body. Even in open water, VanDam Texas-rigs his bait because the hook shank helps keep the bait straight for a better fluttering presentation.
Better presentation = more bites.
®