®
Fall 2022
bring the bait back to the boat. The more contact you can make and break the bait away free from the cover clean (no weeds), the more bites you will trigger during your day of fishing.
If I had to predict, 80 percent of the fishermen will buy and stock 1/2-oounce baits, which they will use repeatedly. They can throw the bait out in 3- to 6-feet of water and reel it back to the boat, and they will be golden. To expand your coverage, you will have to start exploring different waters and ways to fish the bait.
WHEN IT COMES TO SOUND, EXPAND YOUR PICKS
As we have covered, many major fishing brands have gotten into the rattle bait mix. The next time you are at your favorite tackle shop, take a few minutes to go to the rattle bait section.
Sometimes, they are all grouped together, or they will be put in brand categories. However, your favorite shop is laid out; compare rattle bait to bait. When you are stocking your box, you want to get a few baits that sound different. Take my word that this will come into play more than you think, down the road.
I can give you a prime example. One day on the water, a friend and I went into an area during the fall season, and we were catching bass regularly on a
spinnerbait. During that time, I had a ‘Trap rigged on a different rod on the deck. I reached down, grabbed the rod, and made a few casts.
The bites I was getting in that area were better than the spinnerbait bites that we were getting. As that happened, my partner said, “ What are you catching them on, and I replied, “ Strike King Red Eye”. He went into his bait box, tied on a different brand bait, and made a few casts with no results. He just kept fishing as I kept catching.
Finally, I asked him what he was throwing, and he showed me. I could see that the bait differed from my Red Eye Shad, so I grabbed his and held it up to my ear. The sound was different when comparing both. So, I reached into my box, grabbed another Red Eye, gave it to him, and said, “tie this on”. In a few casts, we both started to hook up.
Different rattle baits can and will sound different, and while often this will not have any influence, there will be times when the sound must be right on to trigger bites.
TIP: Test, and stock rattle baits with different sounds. This will pay dividends when the bass get extra finicky, and they want a particular sound. You can usually tell the difference between bait just by shaking them in the package.
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