treat Big Bass Like Big Bucks
to target giant bass living deep within, rush employs
the ancient art of Florida shiner fishing. here, large live
baits are fished either in place on floats, against the
cover’s edge or by free-lining beneath the mats. before a
single cast is made, however, rush takes every step possi-
ble to begin his hunt undetected.
Fishing from a camouflaged aluminum boat, every
move rush makes is based on stealth. he eases into his
fishing areas by trolling motor, where custom lead
anchors – featuring drab, brown lines – are deployed qui-
etly, far from the edge of the cover.
“big bass are like a big buck,” rush explains. “they’re
just a little bit smarter than all the rest.”
rush is insistent that his careful approach increases
the odds for a double-digit fish. in addition, his sneaky
forays occasionally turn up a new fishing location.
“big bass can be visible, if you’re quiet,” rush adds.
he says he’s often seen giants basking in the sun on
the edge of cover, then returned later to catch them.
once in place, rush deploys tackle to match his
approach. his rods are heavy-power muskie sticks; his
hook a stout plain-shank, offset-point 4/0 eagle claw 84a.
rush’s line choice, however, comes as somewhat of a sur-
prise. despite fishing the heaviest vegetation in bass fish-
ing, he uses 20-pound-test green mono instead of braid.
“the fish see the braid, no doubt,” rush insists. even in
the thickest of cover, he believes using braid reduces his
number of bites. “it’s little subtle differences like that that
make a difference with a big fish.”
all about shiners
rush’s bait choice requires a level of understanding.
two principles drastically affect an angler’s chances of
success when shiner fishing: 1) the quality of the bait, and
2) an in-tune understanding of its actions.
regarding quality, an extensive process takes place
before shiners ever see a bait shop. they must be collect-
ed from the wild, meticulously handled and cared for,
and properly cured (a process whereby captive bait evac-
uates its bowels).
having properly cured and cared for shiners is so impor-
tant that many big-bass hunters resort to catching their
own bait before each outing. rush relies on several part-
ners to ensure he has the best bait available, and often
hand-picks each individual shiner from his supplier. A high-
quality, strong shiner will exhibit a light gray color in the
tank, and will be free of any fungus or fin damage. in addi-
tion, rush selects shiners around 8 inches long, which is not
gigantic by Florida standards. he feels that shiners of that
spring 2019 i fLWfisHing.com
size are easiest to control and manipulate within cover. on
board, rush keeps shiners active with an aftermarket air
diffuser, rather than a tradition livewell recirc pump.
mat dissection
with the tanks full, rush dissects heavy mats systemat-
ically. lines featuring small, natural-colored floats and
shiners hooked through the back under the dorsal fin
stake out the edge of the cover. A single bait is enticed to
swim under the mat with no float at all. the technique is
called free-lining, where a tail-hooked shiner is deployed
to the edge of the grass. the shiner is then coaxed into
swimming up under the mat using a blend of light tugging
and “weighing the line” to get the shiner to swim against
the resistance of the angler pulling him from behind.
“i get to fish that a lot of other guys can’t,” rush
explains. “it’s an art form of getting a shiner in there.”
with an intimate knowledge of the reactions of shiners
around big bass, rush can quickly gauge a spot’s poten-
tial, often finding one particular hole or territory within a
large area of cover that’s holding a school of fish.
“From so many decades of doing it, i can read the bait
better,” he says.
here, my experience agrees. even after hundreds of
hours working with wild shiners in the heaviest of cover, i
subtly get better at coercing them deeper each time out,
without consciously noticing my improvement. After years
of experience, a good shiner fisherman can tell exactly
what lies beneath a mat within just a few minutes of
reconnaissance with a healthy baitfish. A calm shiner
swimming steadily indicates few or no predator fish in the
area. in the presence of big bass, however, that same bait
will kick erratically, attempting to get out of harm’s way.
in clear lakes, i’ve watched bass pursue wild shiners
several times. My field-testing assures that the cat-and-
mouse game seems to excite big bass, almost making
them strike out of anger.
rush’s wealth of experience allows him to communi-
cate with his bait, keeping his clients in the neighborhood
of giant bass throughout the day. A hot spot is immedi-
ately identifiable. once things cool down, rush gets back
on the trolling motor and seeks new territory.
An open mind and attention to detail, combined with
vast amounts of time on the water, equate to more big
bass coming into rush’s boat.
“A lot of guides are better entertainers than me, or
funnier, or have bigger personalities,” rush says. “i’m just
a results-oriented guy.”
And it’s results, not jokes, that ultimately end up in the
record books.
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