It’s a fact that many anglers simply aren’t able to fish as much as they want. Work and family keeps them from gathering all of the information needed to be right on top of what the bass are doing and what they’re biting. In an effort to help this situation, here are three lures every angler should have ready when he or she heads out for a day on the lake.
Y
UM Dingers
There’s a reason 2008 Bassmaster Classic Champion Alton Jones often carries a bag of Dingers on stage with him at weigh-in. It’s because they flat out catch fish no matter the season. Plus, they’re pretty easy for anyone to use. Here are some tips.
Try the Texas rig first. Insert the point of a wide-gap worm hook into the head of the Dinger, push it past the barb and push the Dinger all the way to the eye of the hook. Then, impale the point through the belly slot and out the top of the bait. Pinch the Dinger and barely stick the point back into the top of the bait to make it completely weedless. Now the Dinger can be fished nearly anywhere. There is no real wrong way to fish a Dinger, which can be worked on top and just under the surface with quick twitches, slowly reeled back with no rod manipulation, worked on bottom like a jig or even simply dead-sticked – cast let lay on bottom.
The Dinger is perfect for working shoreline weeds and cover, pitching around boat docks and slowly crawled through brushpiles. It also can be wacky rigged (simply hooked straight through midway down the body). Cast the wacky rigged Dinger near cover and let it sink, then give it a few twitches before reeling it a few feet and repeating.
Top colors include watermelon/red flake, Carolina pumpkin/chartreuse and various versions of white and black. Back-up lure: Houdini Worm on a jighead.
Fat Free Shad Jr.
A Fat Free Shad in baitfish pattern catches just about everything that swims, which is the reason it’s listed in this top 3 list. Select a medium-depth running version, such as the BD6F, the Fat Free Shad Jr., which runs from 8 to 14 feet deep. This bait will get down to the fish and cover quick and covers the most productive depths.
The crankbait is often called an “idiot bait,” but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. While plenty of fish are caught on crankbaits by simply casting and retrieving, it’s best to identify targets and locations, and adjust your retrieve to determine what the fish want on that particular day. Crankbaits often trigger strikes when they are banged into cover, so don’t be shy about where you throw it. Stumps, standing timber, swimming ladders on docks, dock posts – all of these make great targets for your crankbait. Also, watch for surfacing fish. These often are following baitfish and the crankbait is good for running through and below these schools to catch the larger predator fish below.
Beyond baitfish patterns, at times fish will prefer a darker color pattern, especially if the water has some serious stain to it. In this instance, many anglers will go to a color pattern with a lot of red or fire tiger. Back-up crankbait: Rebel Humpback
Pop-R
The classic Pop-R still remains as one of the most effective topwater baits in history. Any time bass are holding in shallow water or when the water is relatively clear, a Pop-R can be the most exciting bait you can throw.
Select a mid-sized Pop-R in just about any color pattern. Most anglers favor a silver/black back, Tennessee shad or fire tiger, and fishing it is as easy as casting, letting it settle on the water and beginning a twitch-twitch-pause retrieve. Zell Rowland, who is often called the King of Topwater Fishing, says anglers should vary their retrieves to identify what the fish favor. Try the Pop-R fished very slowly with lots of long pauses. Try it twitched at a rapid pace. Try all of the retrieves until you hit the one the fish like.
Just like with crankbaits, effective topwater fishing often depends on location. While there are times a bass will shoot out of 15 feet of water to strike a topwater, much topwater action occurs in relatively shallow water. Any place there is ample cover is a good place to check the top. Weedbeds, docks, stumps and standing and laydown timbere are great spots to entice a bass with a Pop-R.