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Copyright 1999-2005
No reproduction of any kind.
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Making it at the top
By Curt Strutz
"The "Bassmeister"
How
many times has it looked so tempting - the thick mat of vegetation
that you know darn well holds a ton of bass underneath? We ponder
at it for a while, then decide to move onto clearer waters because
of the simple fact we know that we can't afford to spend the
time and money snagging and loosing lure after lure in the weeds
- not to mention the constant frustration of having to clean
a slime coated lure following each cast. Frustrating - yes, but
still very tempting!
Fishing this slop should not be something to overlook,
in fact some of the biggest bass in a body of water can be holding
under such slimy material. Anglers who take the time to battle
the scum will typically use a similar style lure - the hollow
bodied frog or rat baits.
These lures are typically made of a soft plastic
material and have hooks that turn upwards to prevent snagging
in the vegetation. The company who is one of the leaders in designing
and manufacturing such lures even uses their weedless ability
in their company's name - Snag Proof Manufacturing. This company
has literally created an entire business on crafting successful
plastic (rubber) frogs, mice, worms and others.
All of the lures are designed to stay afloat on
the surface of the water, while using simple designs to ensure
the hook stays snug against the soft plastic body. These puppies
will slide across the surface of the mat - ensuring minimal hang-ups
and a strike that you will NEVER forget.
What makes these rubber frogs and rats so tempting
to bass? For starters, the softness of the body gives a texture
that resembles live food. Unlike a hard bait, when the bass bites
onto the hollow rubber body, it "squishes" in a way
that will entice the bass holds onto the lure. This will allow
you the opportunity to get the hookset in before the bass spits
out the lure. To help keep that lure in the mouth of the fish
longer, I choose to add some fish attractant (I use Kick'n Bass
Attractants) into the body cavity of the lure (where the hooks
come out of the body). I would not recommend a spray-type attractant,
but rather a style like Kick'n Bass that is in oil form that
can be dripped into the hole. As long as the topic of the "holes"
in the bottom of the frog is in discussion, let's take a look
at a simple trick to add extra flare to a frog or rat. If you
have noticed, many of these lures come with a built-in rattling
mechanism that will help irritate the fish into striking by making
an obnoxious shaking noise while it is dragged across the pads
or mats.
In the event your frog or rat did not come factory
equipped with the rattle feature, simply slipping some objects
into the cavity (where the hooks come out of the lure) will help
do the same effect. A simple way to do this is to buy some BB
pellets from your local sporting goods store. You can gently
squeeze a small handful of BBs into the hole, and the free rolling
pellets in the body of the lure will create a similar effect.
If you are already out in the boat, and want to
make some adaptations to the lures (and didn't bring along any
BBs), here are a few things I have used in the past -- small
panfish splitshot weights will work, or the ultimate item of
creativity (I still pat myself on the back for this one) was
the time I took a few pop-tops off of some used soda cans and
cut them up with my fishing pliers. The can toppers were a bit
longer that a pellet but they slid in easy enough and never slipped
back out the hole.
Fishing these top-water selections requires some
heavy-duty tackle. A 7 to 7 1/2 foot heavy rod is almost mandatory,
as it will allow for long casts and less line snags. The backbone
of the heavy rod will help to ensure solid hooksets, as the frogs
and rats need extra muscle to hook the fish (due to the partially
hidden hooks alongside the lure). You will also want a minimum
of 20 pound test line, as pulling a fish out of the slop can
call for some heavy-duty pulling and tugging on the line - by
both the fish AND the angler!
If you are still hesitant to venture into the slop,
don't worry; there is still some explosive action available to
you with the use of another top-water favorite -- the buzzbait!
The buzzbait is a "cousin" of the spinnerbait and holds
many of the same characteristics. The blade on the buzzbait does
a tremendous job of splashing around water to attract bass from
the nearby vicinity.
Just like the frogs, you are going to want to use
heavy-duty line when running these lures, not so much for the
sake of pulling the lure out of heavy cover - but for the fact
that buzzbaits catch BIG bass! Heavy line is also a necessity
for landing the fish, but few people know that using a heavy
pound test line will actually keep the lure on the surface longer.
Most people's first reaction is that a heavier line would cause
the lure to sink faster, but it works the exact opposite.
Think of it this way - you are in a swimming pool
and you slice your hand into the water. Your hand cuts through
the water with very little resistance. Now lay your hand flat
and try to slice through the water - all you get is a big slap
and resistance in submerging your hand. This same principle applies
to your fishing line. Using a heavier test line will result in
a thicker diameter. Stretch that diameter over the entire length
of fishing line you just cast, and you can easily see how much
more resistance there is helping to keep your lure afloat.
Buzzbaits are great tools just after spawn and
running through fall. Running one along shallow cover (weeds,
rock piles, timber, etc.) will often generate an early strike,
while searching out summertime schooling bass can be beneficial,
as well. Schools of bass will often hunt down baitfish and chase
them up to the surface where the bait gets eaten (we have all
seen the jumping clusters of baitfish on any given fishing trip).
When you see such natural habits of fish, do not hesitate to
run a buzzbait past the area where the baitfish were jumping
- you just might wind up in landing a large lunker.
One of the biggest problems people have with buzzbaits
is the simple fact that the fish never seem to get a solid grip
onto the lure - and result in throwing the bait following a weak
hookset. Most fishing pros would strongly recommend a trailer
(or stinger) hook to be placed on the manufacturer's hook. I
do believe that to be a great idea (don't get me wrong), but
there are some new and revolutionary tools available on the market
that work as well (if not better) than the traditional trailers.
The greatest tool in buzzbaits is the new flexible hook system
designed by McGuinness Fishing Products - and it is only found
in their Leverage Buzzbaits. This new design helps eliminate
the need for a trailer hook by taking the lure's hook and connecting
it to small piece of airline grade cable. This extends the hook
back further - making it more likely to stick the bass, but it
also allows the hook to be completely flexible. Why is a flexible
hook important? When that bass starts to throw itself and thrash
throughout the water, it is constantly tearing the penetration
hole open larger and larger with each movement. With the flexible
hook, the energy is concentrated on the flexible cable rather
than on the contact point in the fish's mouth. This simple feature
will help to keep the fish on the hook longer, as well as make
these lures nearly indestructible.
So, the next time you are out in the boat and need
to find a little bit of true excitement and hard-core action
on the water, be sure to pull out some topwater lures. Every
person who has had the blessing of landing a huge lunker using
this method has one thing in common - a true fishing story to
take home with them!
Editor's Note - Curt Strutz is a pro-staff
bass tournament angler and seminar speaker from Wisconsin. He
has competed as both a professional and an amateur in many of
the nations most well known tournament trails. Curt is also a
certified angler education instructor with the State of Wisconsin's
Department of Natural Resources, and writes for a variety of
magazines.
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