®
Fall 2022
G W L it I h D J I o N hn G Murray
F
ishing a glide bait has become a popular technique
for anglers looking for a bigger bite. Professional
angler John Murray uses them all yearm but finds their drawing power especially deadly during the fall.
As bass suspend over pieces of cover, a glide bait like the
River2Sea S-Waver is one of his top weapons.
WHEN AND HOW TO GLIDE
Suspended fish have always been tricky to target and add in fall weather and some can be almost impossible to catch without the right bait. This is when Murray picks up the S-Waver.
“A lot of times the fish are suspended and won’t budge and don’t want to chase most baits,” said Murray. “It may be over a big laydown like we see here in Tennessee or back in Arizona where I used to live; it might be over big long points.”
Knowing the right time to throw a glide bait is when Murray sees key signs; in addition to suspended fish, he says it generally happens when another bite dies.
“Late September or October is usually when the bite picks up; it’s when the Whopper Plopper bite dies a little bit,” he shared. “This is when I start fishing the S-Waver and slow twitching it over objects. I’ll fish them slowly and the bait will glide and look like a lost, injured baitfish just swimming along.”
The jointed bait has River2Sea’s “Pin and Tenon Hinge,” which allows the bait to effortlessly glide from side to side with a meandering action. “You can reel it really slow and get it to glide, and I’ll also use little twitches of the rod to give it action,” said Murray. “You don’t want hard twitches like fishing a jerkbait, just nice subtle rod movements.
15/16oz)
or 168 (6
4/3” and 1-5/8oz).
“There are times when
smaller baits are the way to
go,” he said. “The 168 is still a big
bait and catches plenty of fish, and so does the 120. You have to match the size to what the fish are eating; how I fish them and what I’m looking for doesn’t change much.”
For suspended bass in the fall, a glide bait like River2Sea’s S-Waver is the perfect choice for getting the attention of these fish. It’s an approach that’s worked for John Murray from coast to coast. •
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MATCH THE HATCH
The baitfish size is the biggest deciding factor for Murray when choosing between the different sizes of the River2Sea S-Waver. He’ll use all three sizes and select the right one based on where he’s fishing.
The S-Waver 200 is a large bait, 8” long and 3-1/2oz. This size has become Murray’s go-to when fishing the Tennessee River Lake with large baitfish such as gizzard shad and skipjacks.
For other bodies of water with smaller baitfish, Murray opts for the 120 (4-3/4” and