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T
here is something special happening in the Inland
Northwest that has transformed cold, winter
days into unbelievable experiences. You probably already have the gear to throw it and the fish on your body
of water are eagerly awaiting its arrival; so, let’s get to the
details of these big, bad, blade baits. Think of the blade bait
as the metal band or rock band of the music scene.
You don’t like rock music you say?
Understandable, I suppose. But, some of the greatest
bands are still respected by non-fans alike.
Compared to other cold-water presentations, blade baits
smash their way through the lake floor. They lift, they drop,
and they rattle their way to greatness and if ‘personal best’
catches are taking the place of ‘album sales’, there are plenty
of examples in our area alone. Let’s expand.
BLADE BAIT BASICS
This is the cold-water specialist designed to cover water in both vertical and horizontal situations. Not only does it do cold water well, it attracts all kinds of gamefish as a bonus.
If it swims, the blade bait will probably catch it. What it does best is catching the biggest fish in the lake; so, if you hunt smallmouth, largemouth or spotted bass, then you’re heading in the right direction.
Most manufacturers produce 1/2-ounce, 5/8-ounce and 3/4-ounce weights with a host of color patterns.
For simplicity, you can best match your choice to the rod you will be using. The deeper you fish, the heavier the weight is the mentality works just fine here. My most used weight is 5/8-ounce – simply because when fishing in snow and/ or wind storms, it is much easier to detect when the bait hits bottom.
While I have tried multiple brands, there is one clear winner for me. The Norisada Blade Bait. John Norisada from Norisada Custom Tackle continues his quest of producing the highest quality blade bait available.
For anyone fishing lakes or rivers with trout and/or perch, his color patterns simply cannot be matched.
Last year at this time, I caught my PB smallmouth and followed it up with another, not to mention the host of 5-pounders that fell for the same exact bait too.
That bait lasted five trips before I lost it to the rocks, not too bad for an investment, right?
LOCATIONS
Depending on your body of water, you will want to locate wintering holes and locations that are home to baitfish. In the Midwest, anglers use blade baits when the shad begin to die-off. Here in the Inland Northwest, I start fishing blade baits when the perch and crappie start schooling in massive numbers.
The misconception is that you only fish these baits on flats. They excel on 45-degree banks, bluff walls and of course, flats; but, since you are chasing the biggest fish in the lake, you will want to be close to baitfish as those are the steak and potatoes of winter.
Offshore humps are another great difference maker in the winter. The key to spots like these can be related to timing. I tend to hit these early in the morning; because, I have learned some great information by watching my Lowrance HDS units; many of the baitfish schools are spread horizontally while the light is low (meaning they aren’t being actively fed upon and could be considered relaxed).
Perch and crappie tend to “ball up” more vertically as sunlight progresses, but no matter what, I’m putting the
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