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Finesse Fishing
by "The Bass Coach"
(Roger Lee Brown)
Finesse fishing is pretty
much nothing more than "Down Sizing" a particular type
of bait or lure. When it comes to winter fishing, or times throughout
the year that are considered to be in-active, most anglers will
find more success at catching bass by "Down Sizing"
or "Finesse" fishing. Finesse fishing patterns are
usually fished at a much slower rate as far as "pattern"
or "technique" goes due mostly to the inactive bass
during these periods.
The biggest factor an angler
should be aware of is that the bass's metabolism slows way down
in colder water temperatures thus making them very "in-active"
or "Lethargic," and a bass will not extend great amounts
of energy during these colder water temperature periods. By nature,
it seems that a bass will always extend the least amount of energy
for the greatest amount of benefit, that's why a bass is considered
to be more of an ambush fish than a chaser. There are a few tricks
or as some would say a few "How-To's" when fishing
a Finesse pattern, and I will explain some of the techniques
or patterns used for Finesse fishing that may help you to become
a better angler when it comes to these "cold water"
or "inactive" periods.
First....., lets talk about
plastics. 4" Plastic baits such as "French Fries, also
known as Centipedes," "Grubs," "Worms,"
"Crawls," "Tubes," or any other smaller types
of plastic baits are a good choice to use for Finesse fishing.
The most successful techniques or patterns by using these small
plastics would be;
A. rig these baits like a "Texas Rig"
using a thin wire hook and by using the lightest weight possible
(just light enough so that the plastic bait just barley falls
through the water.), let the bait completely fall to the bottom,
and just make a slow twitch, slowly reel the bait back in, then
do it again.
B. If the water is more than 40' deep, try to find
any structure within this depth, a steep bank, rocks, or any
irregular drops, positioning your boat in the deeper water, cast
over these areas and let your bait pendulum fall (swing) itself
back under the boat.
C. If you have underwater structure areas like tree-tops,
old buildings, rocks, and underwater vegetation, a technique
known as "doodling" can be successful at catching bass.
When "doodling" a Finesse bait, let the bait go down
to where it suspends just over these structure areas and just
lightly twitch the bait and let it just hang. Repeat this over
and over again leaving the bait in the water just above the structure
and hold on!
D. Carolina Rigging can also be used for finesse
fishing!, just use lighter hooks, weights, and baits.
E. One rig that has proven to be deadly is the "Double
Rig." Sometimes when you're not sure what type of baits
to use, this "double rig" allows an angler to use two
baits at once. First, tie a Jig&Pig on your line, then tie
a 2' to 4' leader off of the Jig&Pig, then tie a hook on
the end of the leader (making sure that you use no weight) and
rig a plastic bait on the hook. Work this pattern just as you
would a Carolina Rig. Now, you have two choices for the bass
to zero in on.
F. When fishing a Crankbait Pattern during these
cold or in-active periods, and you can see by looking at your
graph that the bass are in the 20' to 40' depth, and the shad
or bait fish are only small in size how would you get a small
crankbait to dive down to these depths? Easy!, tie a small crankbait
on a Carolina Rig!
There are more techniques
and patterns to use for finesse fishing, but these are a start
for you to try! I teach several different patterns and techniques
to my Bass School Students as well as use them when fishing with
my Bass Guide Clients. Finesse Fishing can be fished "Year
Round" and will bring success to you when nothing else seems
to work. Try these methods and see!
Don't forget, any questions,
comments, booking reservations for my "Personalized"
Bass Fishing School or Pro Bass Guide services on Lake Champlain
or Lake George, NY, you can write or contact me at the following:
"The Bass Coach" (Roger Lee Brown), Route-1 Box-65
Pearl Street, Crown Point, NY 12928
Take Care & God Bless!....."The
Bass Coach"
If you contact The Bass
Coach, let him know you saw his article on Zeiner's Angler Supply's
site.
(518) 597-4240 Email: rlbrown@capital.net
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