largemouth bass . There have been entire years that I fished with nothing but heavy tackle and giant swimbaits . I still use those methods today , but I now find myself leaning to bait finesse more and more . One side of my deck may have a couple swimbait rods and a jig laid out , but the other side is covered in bait finesse gear . I ’ m not just having more fun with light tackle , I ’ m catching more fish with these downsized presentations than I do with traditional methods .
In places where I would ’ ve thrown a big topwater , I ’ m finding myself using micro poppers . In places where I would ’ ve flipped a big Texas rig on heavy braid , I ’ m flipping with 6- pound fluorocarbon , micro plastics , and a 1 / 16-ounce weight . I ’ m catching more fish than ever before , I ’ m converting more of the fish I see cruising , and I ’ m having more fun !
Bass fishing has become too serious , in my opinion . Perhaps it ’ s our innate desire to be competitive , or maybe social media just makes it too easy to compare our angling to those around us . Whatever the reason may be , it ’ s made fishing less fun for the average angler and it ’ s time for that to change . Bait finesse is shifting that trend back to catching fish and enjoying the experience . When you ’ re bowed up on a 2- pounder and your drag is screaming , you feel like a kid again ! It doesn ’ t matter if you ’ re on Lake Fork or just a little pond , you ’ ll be laughing at yourself as you ’ re losing the fight with a 2-pounder !
If you happen to luck into a giant bite , you ’ re in for a real ride ; if you don ’ t get that big bite , you ’ ll still go home smiling and telling your friends about the fun you had , instead of how much you struggled to get a bite .
Bait finesse isn ’ t a new concept . This method of fishing has been employed in Japan for decades , but has been very costprohibitive until recent years . The impetus for the recent boom in the U . S . was the launch of Shimano ’ s Curado BFS reel , which made this style of fishing attainable for the average angler . Since it ’ s the Curado BFS ’ explosive launch , a handful of brands have answered the call with finesse rods and a mix of downsized lures , with many more sure to be on their way . It ’ s been nothing short of extraordinary as empty pegs and shelves are often all you ’ ll find when searching for these downsized lures .
you have some options
The rewarding part of bait finesse is you can take it as far as you want to go and you ’ ll be smiling all the way . You can just use it as a replacement for a preferred technique . Perhaps you ’ d like to cast a popper a little further and land it more accurately under docks . Maybe you ’ re on a herring fishery and a few more yards on the end of a cast would make all the difference . Maybe you enjoy the fight more than the catch but never realized that you could flip grass with micro Texas-rigged plastics . Or perhaps you want to spool his baitcaster with 3- to 4- pound line and fish the smallest plastics possible for clear water smallmouth or spotted bass ? Whatever you choose , this fishing method can take you there .
The three bait finesse methods I ’ ve found most useful are downsized topwaters , jerkbaits and craws . I ’ ll give you some examples from my own fishing to help you visualize just what I mean .
POPPERS
I love throwing poppers in spring and early summer . There is just something about that little “ bloop bloop ” of a popper on the surface on a calm morning that drives bass crazy ! Normally I fish full-size poppers like the Megabass Pop Max or Damiki D Pop , but this spring I ’ ve focused my attention entirely on the Rapala Ultralight Popper and the Damiki Umpa BFS Popper . These tiny baits are so small they ’ re hard to see at the end of a long cast , but they still move a lot of water on the pop . In clear water , I can clearly see that fish aren ’ t afraid of them at all ( even when the sun is high ), and I believe I ’ m catching more fish because of them .
Rapala Ultralight Popper Color : clown
JERKBAITS
When it comes to jerkbaits , there ’ s one tiny lure that blurs the lines between bait categories . The Megabass Karashi could be a topwater , it could be a jerkbait , but it ’ s really in a league of its own . This downsized hard bait draws reaction strikes like nothing I ’ ve ever seen when twitched quickly on ( or just below ) the surface . I ’ m constantly amazed by how aggressively fish pursue this bait , often striking it over and over again until they get the hooks .
Megabass Karashi Color : Wagin
Oikawa KS
CRAWS
Finally , we come to the micro craws . In my personal fishing , the Z-Man TRD CrawZ and the Reins 2.5-inch Ring Craw have been the clear standouts . I fish these baits on a micro Texas rig ( No . 1 or 2 wide gap hook with a 1 / 16-ounce tungsten weight ). I throw them anywhere I traditionally throw a jig or worm . I ’ ve found success fishing them around docks , on offshore structure , and even flipping heavy cover . The possibilities are endless !
Z-Man TRD CrawZ Color : green pumpkin chartreuse
Damiki Umpa BFS Popper Color : real shad
Reins 2.5-inch Ring Craw Color : scuppernong
Trends come and go , but it ’ s been a long time since we ’ ve had a trend come along that helps the average angler have more fun on the water every day . There ’ s no doubt in my mind that I ’ m catching more fish on every trip to the lake because of these downsized baits . It ’ s true that you don ’ t need a baitcaster to throw these finesse techniques , but if you want to have more fun on the water and feel more connected to your gear , it ’ s definitely worth giving bait finesse a try . This trend is here to stay .
JUNE-JULY 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 25