masterS series
highlights
I ’ ve won nine tour-level national bass tournaments in my career and all but one involved sight fishing . It ’ s a technique that ’ s helped me win a lot of money , and I ’ ve become very closely identified with it through the years .
Sight fishing also produced my personal-best largemouth — a 13-pound , 6-ounce fish that came in a tournament . But that giant was nowhere near as big as a bass I saw on Lake Toho ( Florida ) in the early 2000s . I was fishing with a friend who came out from Colorado in search of a 10-pounder . We found some pretty good fish ( but no giants ) until we started looking around one of the islands on the lake . That ’ s when we both spotted her .
I ’ m confident that fish weighed at least 20 pounds , and I think it might have been a world record . He made one cast at her and she swam away . We never saw her again .
WHEN
Sight fishing means bed fishing to a lot of anglers , but it doesn ’ t have to ; you can sight fish whenever you have water that ’ s clear enough to see the fish and cast to them . Sometimes , even when they ’ re bedding , you can ’ t sight fish because the water ’ s too stained or the light conditions aren ’ t right to see them . Clouds , wind and rain can all really mess up your sight fishing . Generally , though , it ’ s a spawning technique , and when the bass are spawning , sight fishing can be extremely productive .
WHERE
Wherever bass spawn , you have an opportunity to catch them by sight fishing , as long as the water ’ s clear enough that you can see the fish . If you ’ re not sure where bass spawn on your waters , look for protected areas with a hard bottom or something firm — like pad roots or stumps — where they can lay their eggs . Cover isn ’ t essential , but it helps .
When I find an area that might hold spawners , I put my boat in the deepest water where I can still see the bottom , and I ease around with my trolling motor looking in front of me and into the shallower water . Often , this means my boat is in 5 or 6 feet of water , and I ’ m looking into water that ’ s shallower than that .
TACKLE
If I was carrying just two combos for a day of sight fishing , I ’ d have a 7-foot , 6-inch Team Lew ’ s Custom Pro Speed Stick Magnum Heavy Cover casting rod paired with a Team Lew ’ s Custom Pro Speed Spool SLP casting reel ( 6.8:1 gear ratio ).
If I was carrying just two combos for a day of sight fishing , I ’ d have a 7-foot , 6-inch Team Lew ’ s Custom Pro Speed Stick Magnum Heavy Cover casting rod paired with a Team Lew ’ s Custom Pro Speed Spool SLP casting reel ( 6.8:1 gear ratio ).
This would handle situations with heavy cover . In fact , I use this outfit anytime I can get away with such heavy gear . It ’ s just easier to handle big bass with a stout rod , reel and line . My other outfit would be a spinning combo — a 7-foot Team Lew ’ s Pro LFS-X5 spinning rod and Lew ’ s Custom Pro Speed Spin TLC3000 . I ’ d use this if the fish were more skittish and required a finesse approach .
64 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | APRIL-MAY 2021