Choosing Line:
Small Crankbaits
Here’s where Latimer’s system
really strays from the current norm.
“With small crankbaits, like No. 5
and 7 Shad Raps, I actually prefer
mono,” says Latimer, who uses
Seaguar Rippin Monofilament. “It’s so
taboo it’s almost embarrassing nowa-
days, but there’s so much advantage
to using 8- or 10-pound-test mono.
The line is a lot more manageable.
Especially with treble hooks, it
doesn’t hang up as much because
the extra ‘sponginess’ of that mono
makes the bait roll over stuff.”
The exception is when maximiz-
ing diving depth is absolutely critical.
In that case, fluorocarbon is the bet-
ter option.
Choosing Line:
Jerkbaits
Choosing Line:
Soft Plastics
52
Latimer isn’t strictly a braid-to-
leader guy. He relies on it as a tool in
the right situations, like when fishing
soft plastics.
His system starts with 15-pound-
test Seaguar Smackdown
Tournament Braid. A typical leader
setup is two arm lengths of 8-
pound-test Seaguar AbrazX fluoro-
carbon, but he’ll vary leader
strengths from 6- to 12-pound test
based on the situation he’s fishing.
“Sometimes I can keep the bait on
the bottom better with smaller line,
like when it’s windy and when fish
are deeper,” he notes. “When throw-
ing Ned rigs around docks or fishing
banks around hang-ups, I very often
use a 10-pound-test leader. In that
case it’s about efficiency because I
don’t have to retie as much, and I’m
generally going to be setting the
hook a little closer to the fish. I’m
more comfortable putting a little
more stank on my hookset when I
have a cool little extra 2-pound
insurance plan to get the fish started
my way.”
Choosing Line:
Finesse Swimbaits
Latimer’s favorite finesse swim-
bait is a 3-inch Z-Man MinnowZ with
a 1/4-ounce or smaller jighead.
His favorite line setup is straight
Seaguar Finesse Fluorocarbon, usual-
ly 8.4-pound test. Spooling it straight
eliminates a braid-to-leader knot and
helps improve effectiveness.
“Fish are bad about hitting the
swimbait and not getting it. You’ll
feel them come up and push it, or
make it stop tracking,” Latimer says.
“You can desensitize your rod with
fluoro [instead of braid-to-fluoro]. It
helps me not to be too jerky.
“It’s not a good idea to use any-
thing smaller than 8 when using a
size 30 or smaller spinning reel,”
Latimer adds. “That Finesse
Fluorocarbon is more supple, softer
and doesn’t have as much memory
as a lot of fluoros, so it works well on
a spinning reel.”
Fall, or anytime fish are schooling
and longer casts are important, is
when it’s time to swap to the same
braid-to-fluoro system described in
the soft plastics section.
Latimer doesn’t throw jerkbaits on
spinning rods all the time. He does it
with baits that don’t cast well, or in
really windy conditions.
“Especially with schoolers, you
can reach out and touch them more
efficiently,” he says. “Sometimes you
can be a little more erratic, too. Your
reel is on the bottom, so you have
that weight of the reel to help you
make that snap.”
Jerkbaits get fished on straight flu-
orocarbon, and almost never any-
thing heavier than 8-pound test.
The Final Key:
Invest in Finesse
Latimer’s best advice for improv-
ing with spinning tackle is to make
an investment in the right gear.
“A spinning rod is the worst thing
you can skimp on with equipment.
You don’t have to have the most
expensive equipment, but the toler-
ance for error is so much smaller,
and everything needs to be so much
more precise when using a smaller
rod and smaller line,” he says. “If
you’re going to spend the money,
you get a much bigger return on
your investment by buying a nicer
spinning rod.”
Buy it (or several), and then use it
more often (or daily) , because a spin-
ning rod is an important tool that
needs to be in every bass angler’s
toolbox.
FLWFISHING.COM I WINTER 2019