COLUMN : TACTICAL BASSIN
Slinging 12-inch baits off the ends of long , tapering points in clear water is effective , but it ’ s not always fun . Pitching a small glide behind a dock , twitching it as it reaches the last piling , then trying to keep a hold of the rod as a giant bass massacres your swimbait in close quarters – now that ’ s fun .
The downside of murky water is that you can no longer see followers . There will rarely be a sign that a big fish followed , so you need to make your best presentation the first time . While you ’ re handicapped by the water clarity , you actually gain a huge advantage overall . The murkier the water , the more likely it is that fish are tight against cover . You don ’ t have to see the fish to know exactly where they ’ re positioning . Treat every piece of cover as if it has a fish sitting beside it and you ’ ll get way more bites than you ’ d ever get in a clear-water fishery .
The final piece of the puzzle is what to do in a murky water fishery when the bass go deeper in winter . We ’ re not going to sugarcoat it for you : This is when you ’ re going to put in work for your bites . The method is very simple , but it requires a time commitment to be successful . However , when the bite comes , it will likely be the biggest bass of your life .
As these bass retreat back down into the depths , they ’ ll spend a lot of their time around rock structure . If none is available , they ’ ll pull out to any available deep-water cover . We switch to slow bottom-crawling baits like a Scottsboro , Osprey , Trash Fish or Huddleston in these scenarios . Cast around the deepest edge of the cover and slowly crawl the
Jackall Gantarel
bait on bottom . Let it climb up , over and through the rocks . Many of the bites will come when the bait begins to hang up in the cover . Right before you think you ’ re getting snagged you ’ ll feel that tell-tale “ tick ” of a big bass inhaling your big offering .
Swimbait fishing works , and it ’ s here to stay . You need to understand how to apply it to your fisheries throughout the year , because if you don ’ t , someone else will . Giant bass eat other fish , and swimbaits are a very easy way to get those fish to bite . Fish with confidence , apply our methods , and you ’ ll find success no matter where you are in the country .
Basstrix Fat Minnow
We ’ ve been blessed to catch quite a few giant bass with swimbaits over the years . Before we even met , Tim and I both caught our personal best bass on a Huddleston Deluxe 8-inch swimbait . Tim ’ s 15-pounder was one of the first swimbait fish he ’ d ever caught . It didn ’ t take years of practice or even clear water . He took a quality bait , went to likely locations on a lake with big fish in it , cast across likely points and capitalized perfectly on the fish of a lifetime . The bass was feeding in the muddy water of a wind-blown point , and when presented with a giant meal in the shallows , it attacked .
Matt ’ s 17-pounder came while paralleling a point leading into a marina . The lake received occasional trout stockings and the fish knew to target trout in the clear water . The giant bite came after many years of swimbait fishing , but when it finally came , no amount of practice could have prepared anyone for the chaos that ensued . Any perceived skills were gone , and it was man versus beast all the way to the net .
We grew up targeting big bass in the famed fisheries of the West , but upon arriving in the South , we ’ ve been happily surprised by the similarities . So many anglers get caught up in the belief that clear water and stocked trout are keys to success , and that simply isn ’ t true . Adapting your lure selection to match the water color and forage species is all it takes to find success on any fishery .
Probably the biggest misconception of all is that only big fish eat swimbaits . It doesn ’ t matter if your lake is full of 2-pound bass or 10-pound bass – bass eat other fish . Don ’ t be afraid to throw a 6-inch to 10-inch bait anywhere in the country . Swimbaits have such immense drawing power that targeting fish with them is actually very simple . If you make casts in likely areas and follow our advice , it ’ s a matter of time before fish of all sizes will quite literally come to you .
24 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021