will be the same as if you were burning it in; but with a slow retrieve you are just matching the activity level of the bass you are fishing for.
It is important to keep a good sense of what your bait is doing as you want crawl your lipless crankbait over the cover you are fishing.
SWIMBAIT
A swimbait is a versatile lure for a bass fisherman. From the ways it can be rigged to the speed it is retrieved, a swimbait can fill many holes for a bass fisherman. When the water temperatures are dropping, I like to slow roll a Zoom Swimmin’ Fluke or Fluke Jr. (if the bite is really tough) on a ¼- to ¾-ounce jighead (weight dependent on the water depth and current).
The paddle tail of these baits will put off a good vibration for the bass to key on and since it is a compact presentation on a jighead, it will sink to your desired depth in a short amount of time.
GEAR FOR SUCCESS
My primary gear set up for fishing any of these three presentations begins with the reel. A low speed
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gear ratio is needed to keep you from burning that bait back to the boat. This is why I use the Wright & McGill Victory II Reel with a 6.3:1 gear ratio.
I spool the reel up with 15-lb Seaguar InvizX Fluorocarbon line, as I want my baits to sink down to the desired depth and Fluorocarbon line will aid in this.
My rod will be a Wright & McGill Victory Pro Carbon model that fits the application, so for instance the Spinner Bait rod, Crankbait rod, or the Finesse Swimbait rod.
Since the objective of slow rolling a bait is to fish slowly and thoroughly through an area, I need to keep the boat under control and moving slower. To do this, I rely on my shallow water anchors. They allow me to remain in the exact position while making cast after cast to a specific target. I can line my boat up on a current seam, deploy my dual 12’ Minn Kota Talon’s and make the same cast with a swimbait over and over again.
When you are in the boat and fishing this winter, be sure to really focus on slowing down your retrieve to target and trigger those big bass into biting.
Glenn Walker can be followed at glennwalkerfishing.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/glennwalkerfishing.
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