Summer 2022
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tumble through the current, just as if an injured or dead shad was in the water column. I can also make pinpoint casts with this bait to eddies that are located behind the current break, where many times a hungry bass is sitting.
Pending the lure profile that the bass want, the water depth I’m fishing and how far of a cast I’m needing to make, I’ll either rig a Zoom Fluke Stick, Fluke Stick Jr, or Zlinky, as the bigger bait allows me to cast farther and it has a quicker fall in the water, while the Jr size offers a more finesse profile to tight lipped bass.
To increase the ability to cast a wacky-rigged soft plastic stickbait and to get it to the bottom quicker, I insert a nail wait into the end of the worm. I like to rig my soft plastic stickbaits on an Lazer TroKar 1/0 Pro V Bend Finesse Hook as the gap of the hook gives me the ability to get a solid hook up on the bass, while still being small as to not affect the action of the bait.
WATER CLARITY
Since the water clarity on a river system is many times stained, I’ll spool up with the Seaguar Flash Green Smackdown Braided line as my main line in 20-pound test and connect it to a three to four-foot of10-pound test Seaguar Gold Label Fluorocarbon leader. This set up allows me to make long casts to the current seam and I can watch my line for the slightest tick as many times a bass will grab your weightless soft plastic and just start swimming off with it.
As you get out on your favorite lake or river, be sure to keep your eyes peeled on the water’s surface to look for that next possible current break or seam that could be holding a school of actively feeding bass.
DON’T BE SHY… TRY!
Many anglers shy away from current. Many anglers are weary of fishing in swift current as boat control can be troublesome…well that is a thing of the past with shallow water anchoring.
Once I identify a current seam or break that I want to make multiple casts to, or work a bait more slowly, I’ll either deploy my dual Minn Kota Raptor’s if the water isn’t too deep or engage the Spot-lock on my Ultrex to stay in that exact spot. This way I can put all my focus into fishing and making sure I’m making the key cast time and time again. •
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Photo: Tyler Mohr