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BASS
COMING OFF THE BEDS
WOO'S
CORNER
TOPWATER STRIKES
This
is my favorite time of year to take a newcomer fishing
and introduce him to bass fishing. Knowing we are going
to catch bass would be post spawn. The bass are guarding
fry and feeding up after the spawn. This is shallow
water fishing at its best and the best time to catch
bass on topwater lures. Most bass fishermen live for
the topwater strike and this is prime time.
I
like three lures when it comes to topwater fishing,
a tailspinner like the Bagley's Bang-o-lure, a Bagley's
Pop'N B a popper style bait, and the Bass Pro Shops'
Slim Dog, a walking bait. I fish all these lures on
a Bass Pro Shops' Extreme Woo Daves' six foot medium
light rod, 17 lbs. Bass Pro Shops' Excel super tough
line. One trick is to put fly line dressing on your
line to help it to float, as this will make your lures
work better. I always put Mustad Ultra point triple
grip hooks on all my lures, this is a must.
I
like to fish a Bang-O lure around cover when the bass
want a slow moving lure. This is a lure you toss to
cover and just let it sit until the rings disappear,
then give it just enough twitch to make it wiggle. Let
it sit till you can't stand it and then twitch again.
The
Pop'N B can be fished slowly as the Bang-O- lure, or
fished medium speed and even fast. Here you are giving
the bass three options and usually one of them will
work. This is also a great rhythm bait and once you
get the right cadence the bass are yours.
The
Slim Dog is one of my all time favorites and has produced
some really nice fish. This is a walking the dog lure.
It is the easiest lure I have ever used to walk the
dog with and a novice can easily fish this lure as it
almost works on its own. I'll start out with a slow
walking retrieve and pick up the pace until I find out
what is enticing the bass on that particular day.
Make
sure you have an Uncle Buck's buzzbait, the triple Clicker
is my favorite, and my second choice would be Bass Pro
Shops' Buzz Master. One thing about buzz baits is to
change sizes if you're not getting a bite. Some days
they want a loud noise big bait and the next time a
subtle noise small bait, so if the one you're using
isn't working try the next. Also, the higher you hold
your rod the slower you can work the lure. I promise,
you will catch a big bass when they want a slow retrieve.
The
reason I use a medium light rod for top water is simple.
I was lucky to fish with Charlie Campbell, the master
top water fisherman years ago. He taught me the soft
tip will work the lure much better and allow the bass
to take the lure.
Another
great lure is the in-line buzzer like the Uncle Buck's
Bucktail Skirt buzzer. This lure can be fished in any
type of cover such as lily pads, matted grass, lay downs,
and anywhere you would be scared to throw a normal bait.
One trick for fishing this lure and the buzzbait is
to add a Zoom Ultra-vibe super chunk, especially if
you are missing strikes. It allows you to slow the bait
down and for some reason the bass will kill the lure.
Good
luck fishing and may God Bless you!
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