®
O
ver the past few years, a lure category has
taken over the bass fishing world. It’s been
used by the last two Bassmaster Classic winners and accounted for several other wins on the Elite
Series, Bass Pro Tour, and at lower levels of fishing.
The lure? A simple fluke-style bait imitating a baitfish
rigged on a jighead. It has been around for years but is
now one of the best ways to catch bass, and it has become
deadly with the advancements in marine electronics. There
are many ways to fish this combo but fishing it through the
middle of the water column or “mid-strolling” has become a
secret weapon for those in the know for the past few years
before finally hitting the mainstream this year.
Here’s a little more about the technique and what you
need to get started to start fishing the hottest technique in
bass fishing.
THE ORIGINS OF MID-STROLLING
Like many techniques in bass fishing, there are often no clear origins or timelines for mid-strolling. Add in the fact that this style of fishing is generically called many things. The true backstory of the technique may remain unknown.
In some regions, “tight- lining” is a popular way of fishing in the colder months and uses the same gear, often casting the bait out towards vertical structure and fishing it back through the water column.
The “Damiki Rig” is another similar technique but is more vertical. You also have to add “moping” into this category as it was popularized by Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson as he won an Elite Series event and then the 2023 Bassmaster Classic by fishing a jighead and Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ, both times fishing for suspended smallmouth.
Mid-strolling was popularized in Japan and is similar to all of these techniques but often adds a shaking retrieve to give the bait more action as it moves through the water. No matter what you call it or how you fish it, the techniques excel for catching suspended bass, especially during the colder months.
HOW AND WHERE TO MID-STROLL
As the technique has become more popular, it’s popping up in more and more situations and is not just a cold-water technique, although it is excellent in the coldest months of the year. This technique was the primary tool for Jacob Wheeler in May on Guntersville and in August for Kyoya Fujita on Champlain. It’s apparent that this technique works in many situations and that we are just scratching the surface.
One thing that helps the technique the most is the presence of baitfish and slightly deeper water. Some of the best areas are places where bass group up and feed on shad in depths of at least 15-feet. An added plus is suspended
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