Spring 2020
®
4
CALIFORNIA RIG (FINESSE CAROLINA RIG)
ROD: 7 to 7’6, medium power,
moderate-fast action, spinning rod
REEL: 2500 to 4000 series spinning reel
LINE: 10-pound braided line to 8-pound
fluorocarbon leader (water depth and clarity will dictate leader length)
PRESENTATION: Slow, steady drag
with periodic pauses in between let the fish tell you how long to pause. Start with five seconds and adjust accordingly.
LURE SPECIFICS: Use a ¼ oz. bullet
weight. Inexpensive unpainted lead works just fine. A bead helps protect the knot. Add a swivel. Tie with an 18-inch leader (distal to swivel) is a good place to start. The more aggressive the fish are, the longer the leader. When the fish
are very finicky and tight to the bottom, shorten up the leader to 12-inches.
HOOK SIZE: 1/0 offset round bend light wire worm hook
BAIT OPTIONS: Baby Brush Hog, four-inch lizard, six-inch
straight tail worm, three to four-inch soft body swimbait.
COLORS: Green pumpkin or shad patterns.
WHEN: Last resort in the spring. Fish it through the same area if
you have found your targeted location unsuccessful.
WHERE: Flats, sloping points, and creek channels. It doesn’t
perform as well on the steeper banks.
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TOPWATER WALKING BAIT (SPOOK)
ROD: 7 to 7’3”, medium power,
moderate-fast action
REEL: 200 series casting reel with 7:1
gear ratio
LINE: 40-pound braid to 15-pound
mono leader (15-inches) to prevent line tangling around hooks, shock absorber
PRESENTATION: A lot of pauses
in the springtime, pauses up to 10 seconds at a time are good and slow; but still erratic.
LURE SPECIFICS: Super Spook –
change out split rings and hooks. Use a size 2 hook, 2x (searching for giants) and same size split rings.
SUGGESTED COLORS: Okie Shad (that’s the only color you need)
WHEN: Low light (first thing in the morning). whenever there is
chop on the water and after the first wave of fish have spawned. Later in the day, the wind completely dictates if topwater is going to be key.
WHERE: Anywhere you find a shad spawn, anywhere you see shad
activity, on grassy shorelines and flats first thing in the morning, anywhere you see fish popping bait right by the bank, on secondary points, bluff walls and long, sloping points. Don’t miss isolated cover adjacent to a spawning area. •