Winter 2024
the bait a different action in the water. Another option is the Rapala Crush City Freeloader, designed by Jacob Wheeler as a vibrating jig trailer but crucial to his Bass Pro Tour win on Lake Guntersville in Alabama with this technique.
There are also baits explicitly designed for the technique, including the Jackall Revoltage Drift Fry that Kyoya Fujita used to win the Bassmaster Elite Series stop on Lake Champlain in August. The bait has a great rolling action because of the design and unique bill at the front of the lure. They come in excellent colors and multiple sizes to match various baitfish better.
Rigging these baits is as simple as adding them to a round ball head and there are many of those to choose from. One major consideration is the weight of those heads, as the lightest weight you can get away with is generally
going to give the bait a better action and helps to keep the bait up higher in the water column and above the fish.
A heavier weight will allow you to quickly get the bait down to the fish you see on your screen but will make it harder to float it throughout the water column. Generally, a selection of heads between 1/8 and 3/8-ounce will give you enough variety to match different situations and depth zones.
The latest in a long line of new techniques to come from Japan, mid-strolling borrows a little from other similar American techniques and it’s safe to say that it is the next big thing. It’s already accounted for many large tournament wins and there will likely be more in the coming years as more anglers start to fish this way and refine the technique even more. •
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