PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER SHANGLE
STRIKE KING BABY Z-TOO COLOR : MORNING DAWN
Seeing how bass respond to baits in real time has spurred a tidal wave of lure innovation .
ANGLER CONTROL
While having a bait that shows up on sonar screens is important , detection capability and image sharpness will almost certainly get better as the technology improves . That presumption has led most lure makers to prioritize what anglers can do with a bait while watching it on screen .
“ Our approach emphasizes angler control , enabling the fisherman to react to the fish ,” says Kyle Peterson , soft bait manager for Berkley . “ We call it ‘ video game fishing ,’ and certain things are very important when you are fishing like that .”
First comes casting accuracy . Casting to a dot on a screen that represents a fish takes talent and practice . Having a bait that consistently flies far and true is a must .
“ Guys are casting while looking at the screen , casting by feel ,” says Peterson . “ Some can see a fish projected 60 feet away on the screen and cast exactly to where that fish swims .”
Second , the bait must get to a fish swimming in open water as fast as possible — before the angler loses it as a target . If the fish is down in the water column , the bait should arrive quickly , yet allow the angler to control it at a desired depth .
Third , the bait must be endowed with characteristics that allow the angler to do different things with it — imparting movements that capture the attention of bass and elicit strikes .
Peterson and Berkley designed the new PowerBait Power Switch , a baitfish-shaped plastic with an internal weight , to fit all three criteria . The positioning of the weight ( toward the head of the bait ) and the line tie ( slightly rearward ) allow anglers to hang it horizontally in front of fish or twitch it erratically .
“ With the Power Switch , we wanted a bait that you could get down quickly but stop in the water column and work right in front of the fish ’ s head ,” explains Peterson . “ We wanted a bait that you would want on your deck all the time .”
MOPING , STROLLING , HOVERING …
Jighead and swimbait combinations have been favored tools from the early days of forward-facing sonar usage . Whether wielding baits with paddle tails or straight tails , anglers can fish them at controlled levels within the water column . Today , even dyed-in-the-wool power fishermen are
— Bass Pro Tour pro Luke Clausen
embracing do-nothing finesse techniques referred to as “ hover strolling ,” “ Damiki rigging ,” “ mid-strolling ,” “ moping ” and other names with languorous connotations .
“ Small , minnow-style baits teamed with various jigheads have been the most successful forward-facing sonar baits ,” says Bass Pro Tour angler Luke Clausen . “ We impart action by shaking our rod or just reeling the bait through the water .”
While the technique is fairly straightforward , certain baits have proven more effective than others . Clausen notes the increase in buoyant ElaZtech baits like Z-Man ’ s Jerk ShadZ and StreakZ and Strike King ’ s Baby Z-Too across the pro ranks .
As for the jigheads , design efforts are focusing on lighter , balanced heads . Carefully determined line-tie angles ( 90 degrees for most strolling-type applications ) and weight distribution keep baits running in a natural , horizontal position . With practice , anglers can even stop them enticingly in the face of a bass with minimal fall or forward movement . Underspins are being similarly employed with the same soft plastics .
Shank-weighted hooks or combinations of hooks and nail weights have also earned a more prevalent place on anglers ’ front decks , especially when bass suspend . The Core Tackle Hover Rig is one example . Featuring a 90-degree hook eye molded into a cascading , segmented lead cone weight positioned to hold soft plastics in place , the new terminal tackle offering straddles the jig and weighted hook categories .
Michael Neal , who designed the Hybrid Swimmer for Big Bite Baits , typically casts said bait toward his prey and counts it down to the depth of the target fish before beginning a slow and steady retrieve . He tries to keep the bait just above the eye level of the fish . After that , he draws from a magician ’ s array of presentation options to trigger strikes .
“ You have to figure out the retrieve they want ,” Neal says . “ If it doesn ’ t look like they are going to eat it , I snap my rod tip a few times or turn the reel handle fast . Pop it . Make it do something different .”
Neal predicts an increase in baits and jigheads designed for this rapidly expanding technique , further adding to the list of popular baits that can already be found on tackle-store product pegs .
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 37