Westernbass Magazine - FREE Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - Spring 2016, Page 70

Westernbass Magazine - FREE Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - Spring 2016, Page 70

let it sink all the way to

electronics, go into stealth

the bottom, and then

mode and sneak up on

I slowly crawl the bait

these larger females with a

uphill back into the strike

long cast, that they are not

zone.”

used to seeing coming at

FLW Tour and Ranger

them from deep water.”

pro Mark Daniels Jr.

Navionics pro Travis

favors the technique as a way to catch a kicker

Pedro

Melones

Huckaby spends hours looking at the web map for

bass during early spring. “Sometimes the spinnerbait New Melones and Don Pedro in search for deep humps

will sneak up on larger female bass that are looking

and islands. “During spring, slow-rolling a spinnerbait

for an easy meal,” said Daniels. “This is a technique

can be an effective way to catch bass,” said Huckaby. “I

that a lot of pros are hush-hush about because the

like to fish a ½-oz River2Sea Bling Spinnerbait on 12-

opportunities to catch a monster bass are very good.” to 15-pound-test fluorocarbon line, usually targeting

Much like Lain, Daniels believes that the key to

depths between 30- and 40-ft, on top of old road

slow-rolling is finding structure out in deeper water.

beds or over humps.”

Daniels targets structure such as deep rock piles,

Huckaby prefers to use a shad pattern spinnerbait

trees, brush piles, or any other cover that he locates

with tandem, nickel willow leaf blades for slow-rolling.

with his electronics. The larger female bass that stage He suggests that the best approach is counting the

out on these deep water locations are prime to bite a

spinnerbait down to the point when you lose sight

spinnerbait mistaking it for a school of baitfish.

of the bait and waiting until his line stops sinking. This

ELECTRONICS

depth is believed to be the point where the spinnerbait is actually maintaining bottom contact at the end of a

Both Lain and Daniels, spend hours looking at their long cast. Reaching the strike zone can be controlled

electronics while idling out deep. Although, the ideal

by how long you allow the bait to sink and the speed in

locations to fish a spinnerbait uphill are places such as

which you reel the spinnerbait back to the boat.

deep humps, islands, and long points, each angler is in

“I like slow-rolling a spinnerbait in standing timber

search of what they believe are sweet spots.

to catch suspended fish that are staging in creek

Sweet spots are areas with defined breaks or

channels or on island tips,” Huckaby said. “I have won

contours with baitfish and visual activity. Having

a lot of tournaments on New Melones and Don Pedro

good electronics and mapping software is a must to

fishing this way.”

find these areas. Both anglers throw spinnerbaits on spots that are hidden to the visual eye, locating them

GEAR

with electronics.

Lain suggests using a slow 5:1 gear ratio reel and a long

Lain studies his Lowrance HDS 12 and drops GPS

rod such as a 7’6’’ or 8’ medium or medium-heavy action

marks when he drives over bait.

rod. His deep water spinnerbait setup consists of an 8’

“I like to keep my Ranger in 5- to 8-ft of water

Daiwa Zillion rod paired with a 5:1 gear ration Daiwa Zillion

and PowerPole down,” says Daniels. “Once I find a

reel. Lain primarily uses 14-lb Toray fluorocarbon, but he

sweet

spot, I will turn off all my

will drop down to 12-pound-test line from time to time.

RRoicckkyPSilehabbyazz

RBircuksyhSPhilaebbayzz

Daniels uses a 7’4’’ Kistler Helium 3 rod spooled with 15- to 20-lb Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line. Daniels stated that the bites on a deep slow-rolled spinnerbait can be thunderous and knock slack in the

line. This is not a finesse technique by any stretch of

the imagination. Anglers who practice these tips will

be rewarded with some of the best early spring action

for catching large bass.

70 ®