THE MIDDLE GROUND
So, what do you do when you’re
“wired” for power-fishing but are faced
with tough fishing conditions, whether
due to fishing pressure or adverse
weather? While most anglers reach for
spinning tackle and tie up finesse baits
to get bites, Monroe and Birge alter
their standard tactics for a more middle-of-the-road
approach.
“I still use spinning tackle if I
absolutely have to, but for me, finessefishing
is switching to a smaller jig or
using a 5-inch Senko on baitcast gear
with 12-pound-test fluorocarbon,”
Monroe says. “You can still do what
you need to do and slow down to get
more bites with baitcast gear.”
Location changes also factor in.
“My first approach is to look for
areas that other people won’t fish or
the places that are hard to get to,”
Monroe adds. “Most of the time, I can
do that and still fish the way I like to,
but I may have to downsize my bait a
little bit to get bites.”
Birge follows a similar strategy.
Rather than a full-on switch to something
finesse, he makes adjustments to
the baits he prefers to be fishing so he
doesn’t have to sacrifice speed and
efficiency.
“I’ll start by changing lure colors or
start to experiment with little things to
change the baits – something like
adding bigger blades to spinnerbaits
to get them to slow down some,”
Birge explains.
Eventually, if they must, Birge and
Monroe will resort to spinning tackle.
Shaky heads, wacky worms, floating
worms (Monroe threw one at Lake
PHOTO BY JOSH GASSMANN
Fork this year) and other subtle soft
plastics sometimes are the best
choice, but they’re not these pros’
first choice.
POWER FAILURES
Both Monroe and Birge admit there
are potential downfalls that can occur
with their power-fishing mindsets.
Recognizing the limitations helps them
to avoid overlooking opportunities.
“I know there are times when I am
just going too fast and going by fish
that I could catch if I slowed down,”
Birge says. “The other weakness of
fishing like this is that you tend to get
locked into the pattern and moving
quickly, and you might overlook the
obvious. If you are burning down the
bank trying to cover water, you might
not be looking for bedding fish or a
piece of submerged cover.”
Monroe also acknowledges that his
approach has led him astray on certain
fisheries where it’s inherently difficult to
win or do well without fishing finesse.
Usually, that’s a matter of water clarity
or the predominant species.
As an example, he points to fisheries
like Lake St. Clair and the St.
Lawrence River. Rather than finesse for
smallies, Monroe has fished tournaments
at both fisheries and applied his
power-fishing approach for shallow
largemouths. In each case, he got beat
by competitors targeting smallies.
Monroe was able to make his
approach work to some extent, but it
just wasn’t good enough to compete on
those fisheries, where finesse can’t simply
be relegated to being a last resort.
“As I have gotten older, I have
become more stubborn and want to
fish my way,” he says. “Sometimes, you
try hard to make something happen,
and it’s just not going to happen. At the
Great Lakes, you need to get out there
with a spinning rod if you expect to do
well. That’s just the way it is.”
There’s something to be said for
being a versatile angler and being willing
to do what it takes to catch fish.
That’s one of the hallmarks of many
successful professional anglers.
However, for Monroe and Birge,
sticking to a power-fishing approach
breeds confidence, and it allows them
to stay efficient at locating bigger
bass. Their careers were built on
power-fishing, and they plan to keep it
that way.
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FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | JUNE-JULY 2020