tment!
Photos by Jody Only
By zAcK thompsoN
Now as far as always being prepared, no one can carry every lure and bait, but there are a few that I feel should never be left behind. The following is a rough list and will do as a bare bones must have stockpile:
An assortment of green pumpkin and black and blue colored plastics. At least a pack of creature baits, finesse worms, tubes and craws. I prefer Berkley HAVOC Pit Bosses, HAVOC Bottom Hopper Worms, HAVOC Smash Tubes and PowerBait Chigger Craws. These few shapes and colors will work in clear water and muddy water and catch bass in any lake. Now I’m not saying to not have other colors; but I never leave the dock without these.
An assortment of crankbaits from shallow squarebills to deep divers. One box with just a few of each in craw and shad colors will work better than none at all. Always have some cranks!
An assortment of scrounger heads from 3/16- to 3/8-oz and shad colored PowerBait minnows in 4-inch. These baits will catch fish in every month of the year and are deadly on schooling bass.
Some ½-oz spinnerbait bodies and an assortment of loose skirts in different colors. A couple bodies mix and matched with different skirts can make all the difference and you won’t have the wrong color blades.
A box with an assortment of topwater baits. Spooks, poppers, buzzbaits and frogs, at least. Even in the winter you don’t want to be caught out without them.
Football jig heads with weed guards from ¼- to ¾-oz and assorted jig skirts. Again like the spinnerbaits, you can make any jig color and size you may need for the rest of the day.
Some 3/8 and ½-oz chatterbaits. You can use the jig shirts and spinnerbait skirts to modify colors and any of the plastics mentioned as trailers, depending on what you need.
A very well equipped hook and weight box. This box should NEVER LEAVE THE BOAT and should ALWAYS be restocked before an event. There is never a good excuse for using a dull hook and not having the right weight.
Filler spools of Trilene 100% fluorocarbon in tests from 6- to 20-lbs. Not only for the unexpected change in technique, but to also to rebound from a catastrophic backlash.
An assortment of 5-inch Berkley Hollow Belly Swimbaits. These are very effective as trailers and stand alone swimbaits.
A bottle of Mend-It soft bait adhesive, a tube of super glue, and a chartreuse Spike It bait marker. These will mend broken bait, and allow for on the fly modifications.
At least one back up reel. You just never know when one will fail, breaks or will get stepped on.
Issue 3
June 2012
43