Finesse Swim Baits’ Should Increase Your Summer Bass Catch
from The Fishing Wire

For more than two decades, big eight-, 10-, and 12-inch trout-imitation lures known as ‘swim baits’ have enjoyed a well-deserved reputation for catching huge largemouths, especially in California where they originated. Now, however, a handful of anglers like Yamaha Pro Chris Zaldain have been equally successful using much smaller swim baits with light lines and spinning rods.

“We call this presentation ‘finesse swim baiting’,” notes Zaldain, himself a Californian who grew up using the larger lures.

“Finesse swim baits are only about three inches long, somewhat like a plastic grub, but they’re slimmer and extremely detailed like a larger swim bait, which is really important in clear water.

“Between late spring and early autumn, there are a lot of small baitfish in the water, and these lures look just like them. That’s why they’re so productive. The best ones also have swimming-type tails that create vibrations and make them even more appealing.”

As nearly all swim bait anglers have experienced, the larger lures attract a lot of bass that follow the baits but don’t strike. With smaller swim baits, however, fish seem to strike much faster. Zaldain believes this is because the three-inch swim baits are more subtle than the larger ones, and imitate the forage so well.

“Although I have caught bass as heavy as seven pounds with these small lures, finesse swim baiting is not a technique for giant bass,” explains the Yamaha Pro. “Instead, I believe it’s a technique better suited for clear water during the hot summer, on lakes that receive heavy fishing pressure, or when bass are suspended and much less active. Traditionally, these are times and places where using smaller lures of any type often work better, and finesse swim baiting is another presentation to consider.”

Zaldain rigs his swim bait with a 1/8-ounce head, which is as detailed as the lure itself, and often features a small spinning propeller that increases water movement and vibration. He often fishes with 20-pound braided line with an added four- to five-foot leader of six- or eight-pound fluorocarbon. The limpness of the braided line allows for longer casts with such a light lure, while the fluorocarbon, practically invisible underwater, makes the lure itself appear to be swimming freely. Color-wise, he prefers white or pearl lures, with a slight hint of chartreuse if the water is cloudy.

“I fish these lures in the very same places I would fish a larger swim bait,” continues Zaldain, “and usually key on the most obvious types of structure or cover in a lake. My favorites are main lake points, but I won’t pass up isolated boat docks, bridge pilings, underwater humps, or even bluff walls if I find them.

“The basic rule of thumb is to make long casts and let the swim bait sink just out of sight. Then, reel it back very slowly, letting it swim. This is the same way you fish the larger swim baits, and it’s easy to work these small lures as deep as 12 or 14 feet because all you’re doing is swimming them back to you. You’re not jerking your rod or trying to hit cover. You want the little swim bait to act just like a small shad moving through the water.”

One of the advantages Zaldain sees in finesse swim baiting over using the larger swim baits is that they catch bass on lakes throughout the country. As a Bassmaster® Elite angler, he’s used the technique successfully from Tennessee to Wisconsin to Texas. Bass have become accustomed to seeing larger jerkbaits, crankbaits, jigs and spinnerbaits, but thus far, they’ve seen very few finesse swimbaits.

“I think finesse swim baiting is a trend that will continue to grow as our lakes become more crowded and fishing pressure increases,” concludes the Yamaha Pro. “On clear water lakes, especially, these little swim baits may turn out to be one of the most effective lures we’ve seen in years.”

Top Lures For Fooling Fall Pattern Bass

Die hard bass fishermen love the fall. We would much rather be on the water trying to fool a bass than perched in a tree waiting on something with horns to wander by or sitting in front of the TV watching guys play with a ball.

Fortunately, many of our less fanatical bass fishing brethren like those other sports so we don’t have to share the honey holes with as many other fishermen. Add in the lack of pleasure boats, jet skis and skiers and fall fishing is almost heaven.

Bass activity also makes fall a fantastic time to fish for them. The cooling waters spur a feeding spree as the bass fatten up for the coming months. They like a high protein diet so shad and crayfish are their favorite prey this time of year.

Several other factors make this a good time of year to chase bass. The water is settled and clearer than during much of the year so you don’t have to worry as much about changing conditions. Lake levels are generally dropping so you can easily spot cover and structure on the exposed shoreline that shows you were to fish. The weather is not miserably hot or cold above the water, so you can fish in comfort. And you can simplify your tackle and areas of the lake you cover.

Starting in October but at its peak in November three baits really shine for bass fishing. You can have a crankbait, spinnerbait and jig and pig tied on and leave all the other rods and lures in the rod locker. These three baits will allow you to cover the water the fish are in and catch them now.

A crankbait is a good choice to fish fast and look for feeding bass. Choose a one-quarter to three-eights ounce bait in browns to match crayfish in clear water. If the water is a little stained pick the same size baits but some chartreuse helps. An orange belly is best for either one.

A white spinnerbait with two silver willowleaf blades works well in the fall. One quarter to half ounce baits with matching size blades look like shad and can be fished from top to bottom. Add a split tail white trailer for bulk and a little more action and bass will eat it. Change to a gold willowleaf and silver Colorado blades and use a skirt with some chartreuse as well as white if you find any stained water.

In clear water a brown jig and pig is an excellent choice. One with a brown skirt with a few strands of orange imitates a crayfish. A one eight ounce bait is good when working heavy cover like rocks and brush since it won’t get hung as badly. Don’t downsize the skirt and trailer size, just use a lighter head.

Got to a three eights ounce jig for more open cover where you are less likely to get hung. Try a blue and black combination jig and pig for water with some stain in it. With either bait, use a straight tail chunk type pig when you want a faster moving bait but hook on a twin curly tail grub to slow the fall and for more action in the bait when hopping it off the bottom.

Bass tend to move into creeks looking for food as the water cools. Shad will migrate into creeks and bass follow them. Pick a few smaller creeks on your favorite lake, start working at the first main lake point and work back into the creek until you find the fish. Until you locate them work all the cover and structure as you come to it.

Once you locate the area the fish are in you can go to other creeks and start fishing the same area and cover in them. If you find fish on secondary points half way back into one creek you are likely to find them in the same places in other creeks. Try to pattern the fish and you can then fish many areas without spending time in unproductive water.

Crayfish like rocks and hard mud bottoms so look for places that have them. Riprap and natural rock banks hold crayfish. They like to hide in the rocks and bass will be looking for them. Crayfish dig tunnels in hard mud bottoms and hibernate there so work any such places you can find; the crayfish are likely to be concentrated on them right now.

As shad move into the creeks they cross points and creek channel drops and bass will wait to ambush them there. A point or bar running out across deeper water is a good place to find them as is a creek swing where the lip runs across the creek. Always be watching for ambush points, a place where the bottom rises up from deeper water where bass can wait on the shad.

A crankbait is a good choice to start with since you can cover a lot of water quickly. Fish it on ten pound monofilament line and use a rod with some give to it. The mono and somewhat limber rod will help you hook the bass without pulling the lure away from them or tearing it out of their mouth. Check to make sure the hooks are sharp on the crankbait before your first cast, even on brand new baits.

Choose a crankbait that runs six to ten feet deep and make long casts and bump the cover. To keep it in the strike zone keep your boat in close to the bank and make parallel casts, angling the cast slightly to cover the water six to ten feet deep where the bait works best.

For a crankbait to be most effective it needs to be bumping the cover. Crank it down on a hard mud point and make it bounce along, kicking up puffs of mud like a moving crayfish. Pause every few feet then twitch your rod tip, making it dart forward like a startled mudbug. That will often trigger a reaction strike from a reluctant bass. Fish it the same way on rocks.

When fishing blowdowns, brush or stumps make your bait bump into it then pause so it floats up a little, then reel again. A crankbait with a large bill on its nose will bounce off wood cover and not get hung as much as one with a down facing bill further back on the body of the bait.

If you see baitfish dimpling the water pick up your spinnerbait and make a long cast. Reel it back fast so it “wakes” the surface like a fleeing baitfish. You need a well tuned balanced bait that will not roll at high speeds for this to be effective. You can use 12 to 14 pound monofilament line and a stiffer rod since the single hook on a spinnerbait will not tear out as easily.

If the bass don’t slam the fast moving bait, slow it down in steps. Try a retrieve that brings the bait back a few inches under the surface. Keep slowing it down until you are slow-rolling it, moving it with the blades turning but bumping the bottom. On all the retrieves stop the bait every few feet to make the skirt flare and draw a reaction strike.

Fish the spinnerbait over and across all drops where bass might ambush shad. You can also work it through blowdowns and over brushpiles where bass might be holding. In brush and blowdowns let it bump the limb then fall a few inches as it clears the limb. This falling action will draw strikes.

A jig and pig is one of the most versatile baits this time of year. Once you find the areas the bass are holding and the type cover they like, work a jig and pig for some of the bigger bass. Although any size bass will eat a jig and pig they are known for catching quality fish. Match line size to the cover and size of the jig you are fishing and use a rod with some backbone.

A light jig and pig is good worked slowly on rocks and through wood cover, imitating a feeding crayfish. Crawl it along slowly on the bottom, pausing every few inches like a feeding crayfish. When you bump a rock or limb stop it and jiggle it, then move it over the cover, letting it fall as it comes past it.

Hopping a jig and pig is very effective. Work the bait along the bottom but every few inches jump it six to 12 inches off the bottom like a startled crayfish. Let it fall back and sit still a few seconds, then move it forward again to the next hop.

The only thing you can do wrong this time of year is sitting at home. The weather and fish are cooperative; all it takes is you getting on the water to catch them.

Fantastic Fall Bass Fishing with a Jig and Pig

I love that morning in September when I walk out the door and feel the first hint of fall in the air. There is not much change, but for the first time in months the air has a quality that makes me feel good. There is just a little change from hot, humid, muggy air to a little cool crispness. And that means great fall fishing is not far off.

That little change is a sign to me that jig and pig fishing is about to take off. Although I keep a jig and pig rigged year round on one of my rods and throw it some, especially at night, I rely on them starting in the fall. I often have three rigged and ready for club tournaments and throw them more than any other bait.

I always keep a 3/8ths ounce jig on a heavy action rod and 20 pound test fluorocarbon line on the reel. It will have a big chunk or twin curly tail trailer on it for more bulk. I throw it around docks, brush and blowdowns, anywhere I need heavy line to pull the fish out.

This is my go-to bait when I need a kicker bass in a tournament since a jig and pig tends to produce bigger fish. Big largemouths seem to love the big bait and will hit it readily all year long. From Thurmond on the east side to West Point on the west, I will fish this bait on every lake I visit.

Starting in late September I also keep a 1/16 ounce jig on a spinning rod and reel spooled with eight pound fluorocarbon line. It is teamed with a Zoom Tiny Chunk and this small bait is fished around rock and clay banks. It is especially good for spotted bass in middle Georgia lakes that have become infested with them like Jackson, West Point, Harding and Russell.

By mid October I usually have a one/quarter ounce jig rigged on a medium action bait casting rod and reel spooled with 12 pound fluorocarbon line. This lighter jig is teamed with a mid size chunk or curly tail and I fish it everywhere, from open clay banks to docks. It will catch more bass than the bigger jig but bigger bass than the little one. It is a good all-around size to throw on all kinds of cover and structure.

In clear water I like a brown jig with a few strands of orange in the skirt. I hook on a brown trailer and usually dip the very tips of the tails in chartreuse JJ’s Magic. The chartreuse tails seem especially attractive to spotted bass and all bass seem to like the garlic scent.

The fluorocarbon line is especially important in very clear water you often find in our lakes in the early fall. It helps to make long casts to stay way back from the fish in clear water, too.

In stained water a black and blue jig with both colors in the skirt teamed with a blue twin curly tail trailer is my favorite. The twin curly tails create more action in the water that the bass can feel. The more stained the water the bigger bait and more action you need.

Even in stained water I like the fluorocarbon line because of the low stretch and I go with heavier line. In real muddy water I will even spool up with braid for the great feel and lack of stretch, but the water has to be extremely muddy for me to use a line I can see.

The bass here in Georgia won’t feel the slight change in air temperature for several weeks after I do. But they definitely feel the shorter days. Less daylight is a signal to them to start feeding actively, especially on crawfish.

Have a jig and pig ready to offer to them.

Night Time Is The Right Time For Georgia Bass

“Cast over that way,” I told my partner. “If you hear a splash your bait is in the water, if you don’t hear a splash you are in a bush,” I added.

Why would anyone want to fish in the dark when you can’t see what lure you are using, can’t see how to tie a knot and can’t even see where you are casting? There are a bunch of reasons to bass fish at night here in Georgia this time of year. The most important to me is the bass are biting.

If you like temperatures in the 90s and broiling sun on your skin you will love day time fishing in Georgia in the summer. If you prefer to be a little cooler, try going after dark. No only is it more comfortable, most of the pleasure boaters, skiers and jet skis are parked.

For many years while I was teaching school I would go to my place on Clark’s Hill late in the afternoon on Sunday and fish until dark. At about 10:00 PM I would come in, take a shower, eat and go back out. After fishing all night I would try for the early morning topwater bite then hit the shower and bed by 9:00 AM and sleep the hot day away, repeating the process every day for a week.

I did this several times each summer. During that time I experimented a lot and found some patterns and baits that work for me. One of the bass clubs I am in fishes our July and August tournaments at night and I have done well in them, winning three of the past four night tournaments in July at Jackson Lake. Many people don’t like to fish at night but I love it.

You have to remember bass can see much better in the dark that you or I can. A bass’s eye can collect much more light than our eyes. They can find food in the dark with their eyes from star light and they can locate food with their lateral line even in pitch black dark.

If you fish at night key on two things – rocks and brush. I really like rocks because crayfish come out at night and feed on the rocks and bass are looking for them. Riprap and natural rock points and banks are both good.

Bass hold in brush at night and will hit a bait that comes close to them. I look for blowdowns and deep brush piles to fish in the dark. A lighted buoy is a good investment but you can tape a chemical light stick to your buoy to mark deep brush.

Brush around docks is excellent and it is even better if a light on the dock draws in baitfish. You can also see what you are doing. The only drawback, other than angry dock owners, are the bugs that the light attracts. They tend to fly to your face.

When fishing rocks and brush I use a black plastic worm Texas rigged with a light sinker or a jig and pig. Color really doesn’t matter in the dark but a black bait had a better silhouette against any light. Crawl the bait slowly along the rocks and brush, shaking it in place a lot. Rattles in the jig and worm help. You can not fish a bait too slowly at night.

Crankbaits and jigs also catch bass at night. I like a little light from the moon or nearby shore lights when throwing them. Fish both slowly and with a steady retrieve so the bass can home in on them. Keep both baits near the bottom unless fishing under a dock light. Color really does not matter much but I stick with black in both baits.

Give night fishing a try this summer. Put on some bug juice, keep your running lights on and catch some bass.