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When working baits in the shade, slowing down is most important, while finding a cadence the fish want.
“I’ll throw into the shade pocket and work slowly out to the sun line, or parallel the sun line with my bait inside the shade (especially if I’m working a dock), slowing down is key here” she explained. “Most of the time, you’ll miss key bites by working the bait too fast.”
Also, Crist noted the fish don’t always want a constant cadence, For example, a twitch- twitch- pause- twitch- pause and/or variations within the same cast works best.
Crist likes to target shade with popper-style baits and prop baits.
For poppers and prop baits, she relies on her 30-lb Seaguar monofilament, instead of braid.
Crist keeps color schemes pretty simple for most all of her topwater presentations. For poppers, she likes baitfish colors such as shad and ayu colors. With Prop baits; however, she uses colors that mimic bluegills and other sunfish.
“The time of year and the areas I’m focusing on, happens to be where bluegill are holding and those props are mimicking those bluegill,” she explained. “Especially after the bass have spawned through the summer, bluegill imitations are the best. A bluegill colored prop bait like a Brian’s Bee is a must.”
Whopper Plopper
MATTED VEGETATION
When the temperatures get warm
and it’s deep into summer months, Crist
searches out matted vegetation for a topwater
bite.
Crist goes with a frog, when fishing over matted
vegetation. Her go-to frogs are the Daiwa D-Frog and
the Snag Proof Bleeding Frog.
Working a frog is more
intuitive than most
people realize. “The
Daiwa D-Frog
biggest mistake I see with a frog is
how fast people work
it,” she stated. “They don’t
slow down. They don’t pause it.
How many real frogs do you see hopping
around like they are on a high dose of caffeine? Not
many.”
The best tip Crist can give on fishing frogs is to
never keep the same cadence in the same retrieve;
constantly mix it up.
Photo by Jen Edgar
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