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What lure… When… and Where???
By Bryan Wilhelm
Have you ever wondered what lure to use?
You hear other fisherman talk about techniques and presentations like drop shot, jerk baits and sinking worms, and wonder when you should be using these techniques and in what fishing conditions.
Below is a chart that answers many of those what and when questions.
Listed there are the conditions you may be facing and times of the year. The selections are based on the seasonal patterns of Black Bass. Start across the top.
As an example, you are fishing from shore and its early spring. Most likely the water temperatures are just breaking 50 degrees. This is the pre-spawn period. Bass will be staged on structure (mostly rock and wood) on routes leading to spawning sights. Look for a rocky point near a sandy shallow cove. Remember, Northern shorelines warm first.
Next, looking at the chart below find deep water (fish are moving shallow, but are not there yet). It’s the first listing across the top. Next, look in your tackle box and match what lures you have with active fish in deep water pre-spawn. The chart shows an "x" for deep crank baits, hair jigs, marabou jigs, jig and grub, lipless crank bait, Carolina rig, and drop shot. This gives you 7 presentations. Pick whatever you have the most confidence in to start, but give all of these techniques a try.
Click above for larger view.
Do the same with this chart for other conditions and times of the year.
Here is another example…
A very popular method is wacky rigging a sinking worm. The wacky rig is simply hooking the worm at its center. This technique works very well. It’s so simple… you just dead-stick the lure, occasionally checking by taking up slack, to see if it has been eaten by Mr. Bass. The chart shows this technique works best when fished in deeper water to aggressive or neutral fish, in clear or stained water, post spawn and all summer long.
Another adaptation of this technique is to rig the worm Texas style, but with the hook in the pointed end of the worm. Then it becomes an effective tool for working grass and heavy cover. Don’t pass this up. It catches big fish and lots of them.
Tight lines…
Bryan Wilhelm is a multi-species light tackle angler with many years experience both as a professional and a sportsman on the lower Susque hanna River. His zeal for fishing grows each passing year. We look forward to him sharing his experiences.
