Scott Dobson
photo by JoDy WhItE
How to Fish It
The technique is best when the bait is slowly reeled along the bottom. one of the major benefits of spybaiting is how well it draws fish from distances as the tiny props spin and create turbulence below the surface, contrary to many techniques in bass fishing that require the angler to rip, jerk, walk, twitch and generally impart all the lure’ s action with the rod. a long cast and slow retrieve comprise the primary technique.“ ideally, you should cast 30 feet beyond your target or ambush point, and then sneak it into where the fish should be positioned,” says swendseid. after a cast he keeps his rod tip low to allow the spybait to sink faster.
“ you want to let the bait sink to the depth,” says swendseid.“ Watch for the line on the surface, and wait until all of the line is submerged, or the bait will be pulled up toward the surface when you retrieve.”
“ fishing a spybait takes commitment,” dobson adds.“ it is tedious to fish and takes time to fish it right and gain confidence in the technique. each cast can take a few minutes if you’ re doing it correctly.” dobson will typically fish in water between 15 and 20 feet deep, and prefers his bait to be within about 2 feet of the bottom, though some anglers will fish it a few feet higher, depending on the situation. To count the lure down, he estimates that it sinks 1 foot per second on a slack line.
“ i will count it down by watching the seconds on the clock on my graph,” he says.“ This makes sure i’ m counting correctly and that each cast is consistent when i’ m catching fish.” fish will even bite on the initial drop.
SpybAIt MoDELS
The duo Realis spinbait 80 and 90, as well as the duo Realis g-fix spinbait 80, are the best known and most widely used spybaits, but there are other brands that offer similar baits. generally, the size can be matched to the size of the forage, but some pros will use the larger sizes for fishing deeper. here’ s a look at the most common spybaits on the market, shown in actual size.
Megabass X-Plose SS
Lucky Craft Screw Pointer 80
Jackall iProp 75S
Lucky Craft Screw Pointer 90
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FLWFISHING. COM I NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2017