pressure and fluctuating water levels and you have all the makings of an extremely difficult day on the water. Under these types of conditions I have found that by dialing it down a notch, I have the opportunity to scratch out a few precious bites. For lack of a better term I refer to this style of fishing as “ultra-finesse”.
An ultra-finesse presentation is built around uber-light line and a selection of small, subtle soft plastic baits. Ultra finesse is truly the sum of its parts. Rod, reel, line, and lure all must work in unison. Each component is vital for the success of the desired outcome.
THIN LINE
Plain and simple, lighter line gets more bites. Light line gives a bait a natural action that is just not possible to duplicate with a heavier weight line. Any finesse angler who has tried downsizing from 8 lb to 6 lb line, knows that such a change can dramatically increase the number of bites one can get.
In Japan, angling
pressure far outweighs anything found in the United States. It is not uncommon for top tournament anglers to use 3 lb or even 2 lb fluorocarbon line. In Japan, lines are offered in .5 lb increments, giving anglers the ability to fine tune their line selection with an even higher level of precision.
In taking a lesson from our angling friends in the Far East, I rarely fish anything heavier than 5 lb Sunline Super FC Sniper Fluorocarbon and will routinely turn to 4 lb under the toughest conditions. I have found that, downsizing from 6 lb to 5lb and ultimately to 4 lb test has increased my ability to generate bites. Not only do my baits have more action, but also my presentations have a greater degree of stealth which is a plus when dealing with hook shy bass. When fishing weightless or lightly weighted baits, even a 1 lb decrease from 5 lb to 4 lb Sniper allows me to make longer casts and increases my ability to feel the bottom and to detect light biters.
SMALL BAITS AND LIGHT WEIGHTS
There are so many great baits on the market that you can choose from that will work with an ultra-finesse presentation. That said, I like to keep my bait selection simple. In cold water I really like a 1/16 or 1/8 oz SPRO Phat Fly. While it may have initially
been designed for the float n fly technique, I have
found the Phat Fly to be extremely productive
when fished without a bobber as well.
When bass suspend in clear water, slow
swimming the Phat Fly through the fish
while shaking the tip of your rod is a
great way to tempt a strike.
My final two bait selections are
the 3” Yamamoto Senko and the 4”
Kut Tail Worm. Both of these baits
are so versatile. In fact they can be
almost interchangeable. I can easily
vary the look of my presentation
by alternating between the two
baits. I like to rig the Senko wacky
style with a #2 Gamakatsu G
Finesse Drop Shot Hook and fish it
weightless.
For a different look, I will switch
to the Kut Tail. Both of these baits
work great fished in this fashion. The
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