typically fished with 20- to 25-pound-test mono. This is definitely a larger profile bait than is a proven big fish bait. Both the roumba and the oB Minnow are fished similarly. a factor for fishing these lures is the speed of the retrieve. if you crank the bait too fast it dives, too slow and the bait doesn’t make the V-pattern on the surface of the water. in both cases it will not give you that side-to-side snake like action, so make sure you are working on your retrieve speed. For maximum performance of these baits, fish them in little wind. if it is too windy, i would suggest a different choice for an effective topwater lure.
propellers. This will allow the water to push the blades in a rotating manner when pulled. Just a note from experience, when using braided line on this bait, the tendency is the braid will get wrapped up in the front prop a lot so mono is a better choice.
BUZZ BaItS
last but not least is the buzz bait. there are many to choose from. i am a Persuader Buzz Bait man, been there for many years now. the philosophy in my mind is to get the buzz bait to the surface quick and easy. Persuader’s Buzz Baits feature a flat head that allows the bait to come to the surface quickly with very little effort. There are a few factors you need to know before you select the right buzz bait. The first question when selecting your buzz bait is wind or no wind? in the case of a windy day, you need the bass to hear it coming so select a buzz bait that will make a loud nose. a couple of suggestions are to pick one with a clacker or a double blade as you need to make a little chatter to call Mr. Bass. in the flat water a lot of the time you will want to be more subtle and choose a triple wing, a single blade or a blade in blade. all of these are quiet style buzz baits. if you find that the fish are missing your buzz bait, go to a lighter one or a more winged buzz bait as this will keep the buzz bait in the strike zone longer. When you start to break it down, whether it is cold, hot, windy or flat calm, there is a perfect selection of surface plugs available to you. The color of your bait, comes down to clarity of water and food source. try to match the food source. if the water is dingier, go a little brighter and if the water is clearer, go a little lighter. don’t make it too difficult. remember as someone once told me, bass have a brain that is the size of a pea. i think sometimes they are smarter than we are.
ProP BaItS
The bait that very few people talk about and one i have been using for over 40-years is a prop bait, the ace in the Hole made by the Poe’s Company is one of my favorites. Prop baits are a bait that has propellers on the front, the back or both. When the bait is moved the propellers will turn and throw water into the air. This will make the bass think that other fish are being fed upon. The ace in the Hole comes in two sizes - small and large. For the angler that likes lighter line and open style water the smaller of the two should be your pick with 12- to 15-pound mono. if you’re going to fish heavier cover or areas where there is a bigger food source go to the larger of the two and go bigger on the line size such as 15- to 20-pound-test. The proper way to fish this bait is a stop and start with downward motion of the rod tip. Sharp pulls in combinations of one, two and three should be used. Change it up with your combinations and have pauses between the pulls. The pauses can vary depending on how the bass wants it. if out-of-the-box, the bait propellers don’t turn freely, pitch them by turning them more towards the inside like a plane’s
Issue 3
June 2012
23