Mark Hicks

Learn an Ohio Pro's Surprise Attack on Early Bucks

Online Editors — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:15:26 -0400

by Mark Hicks

The old saw that “You can’t kill a buck unless you’re in the woods” prevents a lot of hunters from ever tagging the whitetail of their dreams, according to Dan Perez of Whitetail Properties, who has taken 49 P&Y bucks. “Of course you have to hit the woods eventually, but I’ve found that it’s better to stay out of the area where your target buck lives until you can be fairly certain of a shooting opportunity.” Here’s Perez’s five-step plan for executing the perfect surprise attack on a monster whitetail.

#1 - Keep Out
Depressurize your hunting area before the season to prevent bucks from becoming nocturnal. “This means minimal human intrusion,” Perez says. “No dogs, no hiking, no 3-D archery. Use ATVs only when necessary to hang stands or check cameras.”

#2 - Hang Early
Set up multiple stands well before the season begins to take advantage of any wind direction. “Don’t make the mistake of putting this off. Hanging stands a few days before you hunt is a great way to help your neighbor kill a big buck.”

#3 - Stay Back
Scout from a distance with binoculars and a spotting scope. Begin hunting from an observation stand outside the buck’s core area. Put trail cams where pulling the memory card will be the least intrusive, and check them infrequently.

#4 - Wait
No matter how much you want to hunt your key stands, don’t do so until you’ve got your trophy patterned—or he’ll soon pattern you. “Every time you hunt a stand, you leave a trail of scent that is obvious to a whitetail buck,” Perez says.

#5 - Move In
When you have the buck’s routine nailed down, wait for a good wind and move in. “If the wind shifts in the buck’s favor while you’re on stand, leave immediately,” Perez says. Otherwise, stay ready and make the shot count.

Breezy Behavior: How to Read Wind around your Tree Stand

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0400

CAN YOU FIGURE OUT how that breeze behaves once it whispers past your chosen perch?

Steve Pinkston does. Before the Ohio bowhunter commits to any setup for whitetails, he hangs several stands in a given area. From each of them, he drops dozens of Great Day Windfloaters (866-649-1918, ext. 113; greatdayinc.com), wispy wind-checking fibers he calls "floaties" that hang in the air for a long time.

Pinkston uses binoculars to watch them as they drift as far as 80 yards. What he's discovered with this method is that there are a variety of ill winds—subtle swirls and eddies—that can sabotage your hunt.

Here's how he bucks these bad breezes.

Corner Swirls

The corners of fields are popular stand sites. Hunters set up downwind from where they've seen deer enter the opening. It seems foolproof, but Pinkston explains that the wind routinely swirls in a large circle here, spooking deer long before you see them.

To overcome the problem, he drops "floaties" from trees on either side of the corner until he finds one where the circling wind swings away from and misses the deer's travel route. "You can usually find a tree that will work in every corner," he says.

Tree Breezes

Pinkston's floaties have taught him that big trees in wooded areas can make the prevailing wind veer and swirl in unexpected directions. It's obvious how this might get you in trouble. But if you test this effect in advance, you can make it work for you, too.

Last season, he killed a Boone and Crockett whitetail from a stand that was directly upwind of the buck's fence crossing relative to the prevailing air current. Why was he sitting "upwind"? His floaties had told him that a large tree turned the breeze in his favor.

Downdrafts

Many hunters believe that higher-elevation stands keep their scent above the deer moving below them. Pinkston, however, has found that when the wind blows over a drop in the terrain, such as a descending slope, it plummets to the ground, carrying your scent straight downhill.

In this situation, you are best off setting up just downhill of the trail or travel corridor. Hang your tree stand a little higher than you normally would, however, in order to stay well above the deer's line of sight.

Updrafts

In contrast, when the wind blows into a steep bank, it rushes up the hill. The easy answer, then, is to get above the deer.

But suppose your buck's route is on top of the hill—as it often is—and there are no suitable trees upwind. According to Pinkston, an updraft can work to your advantage in this case by carrying your scent in the air until it passes over the buck's travel route.

There's an easy way to find out before you commit to the spot: Grab your binoculars and loose some floaties, just like Pinkston does.

Tracking Breezes, from a Distance

Two simple long-distance wind checks can save you precious hunting time both at home and away.

[1] For stands located near field edges at home, tie 2 feet of fluorescent surveyor's tape on a tree limb about 5 feet high, within 20 yards of your stand, and in the open. Then use binoculars from your vehicle to check which way the flag is flapping. By observing from a distance, you eliminate an unnecessary hike if the wind isn't perfect.

[2] If you'll be traveling to hunt an unfamiliar area, take a minute now to visit the website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (weather.gov) where prevailing wind directions are recorded annually from more than 300 regions. This combined with a good topo map or aerial photo will help you make hunting plans before you get there. No, it doesn't guarantee the wind will blow as predicted. But you can make a backup plan now, too.

Why Locating Browse Forage Helps You Find Whitetail Bucks

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0400

IF YOU'RE NOT LOOKING for browse during your preseason scouting, you could be in for some boring hunts. Unlike more obvious food sources, such as agricultural crops and mast, the leaves, twigs, and buds of small woody plants stimulate the microbes in a whitetail's rumen, which is critical to digestion. Deer can't survive without this.

Bill Peneston, a consultant with Heartland Wildlife Institute, says that prime whitetail habitat comprises at least 25 percent low brush and saplings. "A typical whitetail needs to consume 7 to 10 pounds of browse every day," he explains. "That's half a bushel. So there needs to be plenty of it on any buck's home turf."

Keep in mind that thick bedding cover does not necessarily ensure there's ample browse. If the brush is higher than 5 feet or so, deer can't reach leaves and stems to eat them. Also, dense growth doesn't always contain the appropriate species.

Look for cutovers less than 10 years old," Peneston says. "These provide deer with dense, regenerating understories 3 feet high or less." Ideally, there will be young deciduous trees, such as oak, maple, poplar, and aspen, as well as shrubs like multiflora rose, hawthorn, and dogwood. Blackberry, raspberry, greenbrier, sumac, and honeysuckle are other prime species.

The bottom line is this: If a potential hunting area has little browse, it will have few whitetails. This holds true even in the presence of abundant croplands and mature hardwoods that drop truckloads of nuts. "Northwest Ohio is like that," Peneston says. "It's flat farm country broken up by small, mature woodlots. Deer densities are low because there isn't enough browse." On the other hand, wherever you find plenty of low brush and saplings in otherwise good habitat, you can expect steady action when the season starts.

Get Out of the Tree and Bowhunt Whitetail Bucks from the Ground

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0400

THE TYPICAL BOWHUNTER keeps his butt glued to his tree stand the whole time he's in the woods. That's a great way to miss out on some excellent hunting opportunities throughout the season.

With the careful use of natural cover, a lightweight compact blind, or a gillie suit, you can sneak unnoticed into places you'd never be able to hunt otherwise. Here are four great times to play this low-impact ground game.

IN THE BEDROOM: On early-season evenings, big whitetail bucks have a habit of milling close to brushy bedding cover, waiting for nightfall to enter more open areas. Setting up a tree stand may not be possible without sending the buck packing. This is the perfect time to sneak in and hunt from the ground. While other hunters wait over fields for deer that never show, you can be drawing on a trophy in good shooting light.

IN THE OPEN: Amid large agricultural fields in whitetail habitat or in the mixed crop-and-grassland terrain of mule deer or pronghorn country, animals commonly feed far from forest edges to see and flee danger from a distance. Here, tucking yourself into the subtle cover of an overgrown fencerow, an island of brush or uncut crops, or a patch of cover near a water hole can get you within bow range of unsuspecting game.

ON CALL: When rattling or vocalizations will play a big role in your day's plan, it makes sense to keep your feet on the ground. All calls, from bleats to bugles, sound more natural when they emanate from your quarry's level and are not muffled by an enclosed blind. Being mobile also allows you to work several calling locations, thus covering more terrain.

ON THE MOVE: Any time you realize your elevated perch won't produce, get down and make a move. If the wind shifts or you see deer and decide you'd be better off 20 yards yonder, quietly change locations. If your buck passes by your stand well out of range, descend, circle around, and set up an ambush. When he finally does step in close, you'll have a better shooting angle than you would have from up in a tree.

GROUND GEAR

Natural cover may be all you need, but more often a small blind or gillie suit is key. A portable seat adds comfort.

BUCKWING TURKEY & DEER HUNTING SEAT ($26; 610-264-1122; buckwing.com) You can adjust this seat's legs between 6 and 12 inches.

H.S. STRUT PORTABLE GROUND BLIND ($17; 319-395-0321; hunterspec.com) Measuring 72x27 inches, it rolls up to a 14-inch package.

BOW HUNTER GHILLIE SUIT ($160; 888-887-7727; the outdoorstores.com) This suit is designed so that it won't interfere with your bowstring.

Go Deep For Giant Largemouth with a Carolina Rig

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 31 May 2006 20:00:00 -0400

Does your fishing fizzle when bass leave the shallows? It doesn't have to. A Carolina rig gets down fast to reach bass stacked up on deep points, creek channels, and submerged grass-beds. Its heavy sinker lets you feel structure distinctly; the bottom-bumping commotion draws bass toward your bait. For the best action, use the three proven tactics illustrated on the next page.

SINKER Use a 1-ounce egg or bullet weight. Inexpensive lead sinkers work fine, but a harder brass or tungsten version is noisier and lets you feel the bottom a little better.

BEADS The plastic bead shown below protects the knot from the sinker and clicks against the weight, attracting bass. Small brass or steel discs called clackers—put between the sinker and the bead—create even more noise.

SWIVEL A No. 12 barrel swivel stops the sinker and bead from sliding down to the hook. It also prevents line twist.

SOFT-PLASTIC BAIT To target big bass, go with a 6-inch soft-plastic lizard. If you're after numbers of fish, tie on a 4-inch fry worm. For colors, try watermelon, green pumpkin, and red bud.

HOOK Run the point of a 3/0 offset worm hook through the head of the bait, then push it back into the body, Texas-style.

LEADER Make it lighter than the main line so that only the bait breaks off when you get snagged. Use an 18- to 24-inch leader when you're fishing rock and gravel bottoms. Extend it to 24 to 36 inches for stumps and brushpiles, and 36 to 60 inches for submerged grass.

DRAG IT DOWNHILL
• Start by positioning your boat over deep water off a point or ledge. Cast the Carolina rig far up toward the shallow side of the structure. Once the sinker touches bottom, drag the rig downhill by alternately pulling it slowly with the rod and taking up slack line with the reel. When the sinker touches cover, such as a stump or rock, shake the rod tip to make the lure dance in place for several seconds. Then continue the retrieve, feeling for the next piece of cover, and repeat.

CLIMB IT UPHILL
• When bass hold near the edge of a dropoff, such as that of a wide creek channel, you can often get more fish to bite by positioning the boat on the shallow side of the structure and casting your rig into deeper water. This allows for more consistent bottom contact. Here, you want to drag the Carolina rig up and over the edge. When the sinker meets a stump, brushpile, or other cover on the lip of the dropoff, the lure dangles irresistibly in the open. Stop the retrieve and give bass a second or two to grab the lure before you pull it over the cover.

COMB THE GRASS
• A Carolina rig excels in deep grass that's less than 4 feet tall and not dense. Although this vegetation is submerged, it tends to be fairly easy to locate because it is often an extension of shallower, visible grassbeds. Cast your Carolina rig out, let the weight sink down to the bottom, then pop it through the stalks of grass. The sinker makes a disturbance on the bottom that attracts fish, and the long leader keeps the bait near the tops of the vegetation, where bass are most likely to attack.

Gear Test: New GPS Systems for Bass Fishing

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 30 May 2006 16:00:00 -0400

Have you ever wondered if you're fishing in the wrong spot? Then you know why GPS maps are such hot items with today's pros. These electronic marvels use detailed contour lake maps to tell you exactly where you are in relation to the structure you're fishing-and even to the fish you're after.

Many GPS maps also function as LCG depthfinders. Using both, you can pinpoint biting fish or productive structure, mark that location as a waypoint, and come back to it anytime. Here's what to look for:

DISPLAY: Color is far superior to black-and-white because it clearly differentiates land, water, contour lines, and other features. Get color, even if it means buying a smaller unit.

SIZE: This is the single most influential factor in price. Though significantly more expensive, a bigger display is better because it's easier to read. Go as big as you can afford to.

RESOLUTION: Most makers list the number of vertical and horizontal pixels. But the true measure of sharpness is pixels per square inch. Good resolution is most critical on small units.

MAPS: Some models have built-in contour lake maps, but most need plug-in map cards or downloadable maps, sold separately. All of the units here will help you catch more fish.

TIP: Click on an image below to enlarge it

Navman Tracker 5380
(800-628-4487; navman.com)
DISPLAY SIZE: 3.8 inches
PIXELS: 320V x 240H (about 10,500 per square inch)
BUILT-IN DEPTHFINDER: No
COMPATIBLE MAP SOURCE: C-Map
PRICE: $400
COMMENTS: This full-featured unit needs little space and has a great price for color. The display is small but very sharp and functional. It's a good, affordable choice if you already have a depthfinder.

Humminbird 595C
(800-633-1468; humminbird.com)
DISPLAY SIZE: 5 inches
PIXELS: 320V x 240H (about 6,100 per square inch) BUILT-IN DEPTHFINDER: Yes
COMPATIBLE MAP SOURCE: Navionics
PRICE: $550
COMMENTS: This compact, combination GPS map and LCG depthfinder has a unique quick-mounting system that'll save you fishing time. The transducer comes with a temperature probe.

Eagle FishElite 642c IGPS
(800-324-1354; www.eaglegps.com)
DISPLAY SIZE: 5 inches
PIXELS: 640V x 480H (about 25,000 per square inch)
BUILT-IN DEPTHFINDER: Yes
COMPATIBLE MAP SOURCES: Lowrance FreedomMap, Fishing Hot Spots Elite, LakeMaster Pro Maps, NauticPat USA, Navionics
PRICE: $600
COMMENTS: Six color modes let you adapt to light conditions. A surface temperature gauge is included.

Raymarine RC435i GPS Chartplotter
(800-539-5539; raymarine.com)
DISPLAY SIZE: 6 inches
PIXELS: 320V x 240H (about 4,250 per square inch)
BUILT-IN DEPTHFINDER: No
COMPATIBLE MAP SOURCE: Navionics
PRICE: $1,055
COMMENTS: "Point and shoot" navigation lets you click on any waypoinnt, and the unit will direct you to it. A SmartRoute feature automatically builds routes and waypoints from previous tracks.

Lowrance LCX-26C HD
(800-324-1356; lowrance.com)
DISPLAY SIZE: 7 inches
PIXELS: 480V x 640H (about 15,000 per square inch)
BUILT-IN DEPTHFINDER: Yes
COMPATIBLE MAP SOURCE: Lowrance FreedomMap, Fishing Hot Spots Elite, LakeMaster Pro Maps, NauticPat USA, Navionics
PRICE: $1,650
COMMENTS: The 20GB hard drive is loaded with charts of U.S. coastal areas and over 2,100 inland waters.

Garmin GPSMAP 3210
(800-800-1020; garmin.com)
DISPLAY SIZE: 10.4 inches
PIXELS: 640V x 480H (about 5,900 per square inch)
BUILT-IN DEPTHFINDER: No
COMPATIBLE MAP SOURCE: Garmin Inland Lakes
PRICE: $2,667
COMMENTS: The large color display is easy to read, even in direct sunlight. The unit has extremely fast redraw and response rates and is available with numerous optional features.

How to Rig Five Common Sinkers

fieldandstream-editor — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:00:00 -0400

BULLET SINKER

MODELS: Lead, brass, steel, or tungsten; painted, free-sliding, or self-pegging.

USES: Casting or pitching Texas-rigged soft plastics.

RIGGING: Run the line through the sinker's pointed end and tie it to a worm hook.

TIPS: Use the lightest sinker needed to maintain bottom contact or to penetrate cover. Let the sinker slide free for open water; peg it to the head of the bait amid thick cover.

EGG SINKER

MODELS: Lead, steel, or bismuth.

USES: Carolina-rigging soft-plastic bass lures; drifting and bottom-fishing live bait for everything from trout to stripers.

RIGGING: Run the line through the sinker, and tie it to a two-way swivel. Attach a leader and hook to the other side.

TIPS: This sinker allows a fish to run with the bait without feeling the weight. Over a snag-filled bottom, pinch a split shot on the line in place of the swivel.

DROP-SHOT SINKER

MODELS: Lead, steel, or tungsten; round, teardrop, or cylindrical.

USES: Fishing small soft plastics vertically in deep water.

RIGGING: Tie a drop-shot hook to the line with a Palomar knot, leaving a long tag line to attach the sinker to.

TIPS: After the sinker touches down, pull the line taut without moving the sinker. Shake the line gently. Then drop the rod tip and let the lure free-fall slowly to the bottom.

WALKING SINKER

MODELS: Lead or steel; Lindy-style or banana-shaped (bottom weighted).

USES: Presenting live bait to walleyes. They're either dragged over the bottom behind a drifting boat or trolled.

RIGGING: Thread the line through a walking sinker and tie it to a swivel. To the other side, tie a 3- to 6-foot, 6-pound-test leader with a live-bait hook.

TIPS: Banana-shaped models are more resistant to snags.

PINCH-ON SINKER

MODELS: Lead or tin; round, clam, bullet, or elongated.

USES: Getting lures, flies, and bait deeper for trout, bass, catfish, and other species. They're most often used in stream and river fishing.

RIGGING: Pinch the shot or sinker to the line above the hook or lure.

TIPS: Pinch-on weights are best used for casting. Clam and bullet shapes are more snag resistant than round shot.

Three Pro Bass Fishermen with 28 Ways to Catchfish

fieldandstream-editor — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:00:00 -0400

1 CRANK SHALLOW BRUSH

Most people don't reach for a crankbait when they're fishing shallow shoreline brush, but tournament angler Cody Bird became a believer after cranking in 18 pounds of bass in an hour from cover he'd worked with a spinnerbait without a strike. The key is lip design: It must be short, angling sharply downward, and square.These features will push the lure's nose down and tail up, making it almost completely weedless. Manufacturers are catching on to this technique and designing more of the appropriate lures, like the Lucky Craft CB and Zoom Z1.Bird recommends 20-pound-test and a heavy rod. When the bait runs into a branch, just keep cranking and it will usually come through safely.

2 TAIL-WEIGHT A DINGER

Penetrating thick cover, such as flooded bushes, is a pain with a Texas-rigged soft-plastic bait that has a bullet weight on the line because the lure's free-swinging tail can whip around and latch onto limbs and branches. Pro Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals,Alabama, flips a 5-inch Yum Dinger into the nastiest cover without a hitch.Rigging it Texas-style with a 4/0 hook and no weight, he then clips off thehook from a ¼- to ½-ounce ball-head jig that has a keeper collar. He insertsthe jig's collar into the Dinger's tail. This rig slides straight into denselairs tailfirst when Horton flips it, and it pulls out of cover moreeasily.

3 SHAKE YOUR PLASTIC

This technique isso pervasive among pro anglers that it's astounding every basser in Americahasn't heard of it. "You need to know this presentation," says Texaspro Kelly Jordon. "Shaking is used to provoke a strike from a bass that'snot interested in feeding. The idea is to make your lure—either a tube, jig,worm, or creature—pulsate and quiver, without moving it out of the strikezone." Pitch or flip your bait into flooded bushes, downed logs, or junkgrass. Once it hits the bottom, lift your rod until you feel the bait, thengently shake the rod tip. Pause, then shake it some more. The key is to keepthe bait's head in constant contact with the bottom so that only the body andtail vibrate. "Bass can't stand this," Jordon says, "and will tryto kill the bait even if they're not hungry."

4 DROP-SHOT THE WEEDS

Drop-shotting isan established clear-water finesse tactic, but many pros are modifying it intoa heavy-line power presentation. They tie a 1-ounce sinker to the end of20-pound-test mono spooled on a heavy 7-foot 6-inch flipping stick. The heavysinker breaks through the thick mats of vegetation but still keeps your choiceof soft plastic, rigged 6 to 12 inches above the weight, off the bottom. Shakethe rod to give the lure some action.

5 WEIGHT A FROG

Today's hotplastic frogs (like the Zoom Horny Toad or Berkley Power Frog) are designed tobe fished on the surface through thick vegetation. Veteran California pro GaryDobyns, however, has developed a technique that makes these lures even moreeffective: He adds a 1/16- to 1/8-ounce slip sinker on the line ahead of thefrog and fishes it 6 to 12 inches under the surface. Retrieved steadilyunderwater, the frog's swimming legs create much more action. Dobyns says hegets far more strikes. He uses 30-pound braided line and rigs the frog with around-bend 5/0 Gamakatsu hook; the style of hook is important, as it serves asa keel to prevent the frog from spinning. Dobyns uses it around underwaterstumps, logs, deep rocks, and breaks.

6 GO LONG WITH A CRANKBAIT

According to FLWtournament veteran David Fritts, casting a crankbait just 10 feet farther oneach toss allows him to cover more than a mile of extra water during a day ofcompetition. How does he get more distance? He ditches the conventionalcrankbait rod for an extra-long 7-foot 11-inch model with a faster action tohandle big baits. Reaching those few extra feet gets the lure to the bottomquicker and probes spots most anglers never do.

7 FINESSE A JIG

In clear water, astandard jig-and-pig is as subtle as a fat guy in a Hawaiian shirt. Smart proanglers like North Carolinian Marty Stone are instead downsizing their jigs forspooky bass. A perfect example of this new breed of finesse jigs is DaleSellers' Lil' Cootie Bug. Rigged with a small pork or plastic chunk, it's aringer for a live crayfish. Stone has won thousands of dollars using thesediminutive jigs and says, "They're especially deadly during spring inclear, rocky lakes, when bass are feeding on crayfish emerging from theirwinter hibernation. Flip them around boat docks and let them sinkslowly."

8 ADD WORM WIGGLE

The ingeniousWiggleFin ActionDisc, already a sensation among trout and salmon flyfishermen,is just beginning to make waves in bass lakes. "It's awesome,"proclaims a top West Coast pro who is currently using it successfully (andanonymously) on the tournament trail. Created by Idaho angler Dean Teegarden,the ActionDisc enhances the movement of soft-plastic lures. Slide it on yourline in front of the lure and use your normal retrieve; the martiniglass–shaped disc traps water, imparting sensational shimmy to the bait. It canbe used with any soft-plastic lure, but the effect is most pronounced withribbon-tail worms and lizards. It works great with Texas, Carolina, anddrop-shot rigs.

9 FLOAT A FLY

This revolutionarylight-line system catches surprisingly big bass in water as cold as 37 degrees."Bass suspending in hyper-chilled water are extremely lethargic and oftenwon't strike a moving lure," says Tennessee guide Jim Duckworth. "Thismethod works by dangling a small hair jig resembling a tiny minnow in front oftheir noses for a long time." Position the jig 8 to 12 feet under a bobber,and present it on a whippy 8-foot spinning outfit spooled with 4-pound line.Cast to a steep rock bank and allow the fly to sink. In choppy water, hold therod still—waves will give the fly action. If it's calm, jiggle the rod tipslightly, pause, and repeat.

10 TAKE A JERKBAIT DEEP

Jerkbaits aregenerally fished in 5 feet of water or less, but pro Frank Scalish ofCleveland, Ohio, catches bass down to 15 feet by jerking a big-lipped Bomber24A minnow, which is normally trolled for walleyes. Scalish adds weight to itsbelly to make it suspend and dive deeper. To do this, pound two 1/16-ounce leadbullet sinkers flat and epoxy them to the lure on both sides of the leadingtreble hook. To test for the proper balance, put the lure in a bucket of water.File the lead weights until it suspends. Scalish casts his modified 24A on8-pound-test monofilament to clear-water bass holding as deep as 25 feet. Thebait gets down 11 to 12 feet on a long cast and brings up bass that don'trespond to regular jerkbaits.

11 RIP A SPINNERBAIT

Lake Fork, Texas,guide Brooks Rogers has pulled 10-pound bass out of 30 feet of water duringsummer's dog days with this aggressive spinnerbait tactic. The best combinationis a ¾-ounce lure with a single No. 4 willowleaf blade fished on 20-pound-testline. Let the spinnerbait sink all the way to the bottom on a long cast, then,with your rod tip pointing toward the lure, crank the reel as fast as possiblefor six or seven turns. Stop and let the lure fall back to the bottom, thencrank again. The fast reeling rips the spinnerbait off the bottom at an angle,and then it falls lazily back when you stop. Strikes usually come when the lurechanges speed and direction.

12 FISH BADWATER

Who would fish shorelines that have no visible cover, or wide open water 30 to 40 feet deep?Gary Yamamoto, the well-known lure maker and veteran tournament pro, that'swho. He loves bad-looking water adjacent to obvious cover and structure because heavy pounding pushes fish into empty spots; after the pressure slackens, thebass move back to prime territory. His favorite "bad-water" lure is a1-ounce football-head jig rigged with one of his multistrand plastic HulaGrubs. The heavy jig falls fast so it draws reaction strikes, and the grubentices as it hops along the bottom. It works shallow and deep.

13 FISH A BEAVER

The Sweet Beaver,a quirky soft-plastic creation from Reaction Innovations, is the hottest softplastic on the pro circuit. Is it a tube bait? A grub? A creature? A craw?"It's totally unique," says California pro Ish Monroe. "I love theSweet Beaver in murky conditions because it moves so much water, making it easyfor bass to find." To flip the Beaver into brush or grass, he Texas-rigs itwith a ounce tungsten sinker and a 3/0 offset worm hook. The compact crittersinks into the strike zone quickly, its multiple tail appendages flapping andpulsating like the pincers of an angry crawdad. Monroe then lifts and drops itrepeatedly.

14 GO SHALLOW FOR DEEP SMALLMOUTHS

When smallmouthsin deep highland reservoirs leave the banks and follow schools of threadfinshad or alewives offshore, Dale Hollow Lake guide Fred McClintock uses anunorthodox spinnerbait retrieve. With a medium-action 7-foot baitcasting rodand 14-pound line, he casts a ½-ounce tandem willowleaf spinnerbait to basssuspended near rock piles. He retrieves the lure quickly so it runs justbeneath the surface. "The trick is to use a spinnerbait with brightchartreuse blades and skirt," McClintock says. "Big smallies will swimup from 30 feet of water to plaster it. I've seen an entire school ofsmallmouths following a chartreuse spinnerbait fished this way."

15 HIT A BRIDGE

Recent tournamentwins by anglers concentrating solely on bridges have made many fishermen take afresh look at these common structures. They give bass shade, cover, current,and food. Toledo Bend guide Tommy Martin's favorite bridge tactic on hot summerdays is working a buzzbait within inches of the shaded edges of the concretepilings. In the eddy downstream of the pilings, he uses a plastic worm or evena drop-shot rig; pilings closest to the deep-water channel normally producebest. On the upstream side of a bridge where brush often lodges against thepilings, crankbaits are the best choice.

16 MAKE A WAKE

Tennessee guideRalph Dallas has caught 60-pound stripers by "waking" a Cordell Red Finminnow plug across the surface, but he's also landed a surprising number oflunker bass with this topwater tactic. "Bass will get right in with a packof stripers to bird-dog a baitfish school and drive it to the surface,"says Dallas. Using a 7½-foot baitcaster and 20-pound mono, he casts the Red Finacross a tributary point, gravel bar, or hump. With the rod tip at 10 o'clock,he reels just fast enough to make the tail slosh back and forth, throwing awake across the surface. Keep your drag loose—your next strike could be a7-pound largemouth or a 40-pound striper.

17 BUZZ A GRUB

Everybody fishesplastic grubs, but only a handful of pros have recognized how effective theseshort plastic worms can be when they're fished in the style of topwaterbuzzbaits. Choose a grub with a strong swimming tail so that a fast retrievereally stirs up the water. Rig it weedless on a jighead as light as 1/8 ounce.You can fish it anywhere, especially through shallow weedbeds. Anotheradvantage is that when you stop reeling, the lure will sink, and you cancontinue to work it like a mid-depth crankbait or even on the bottom like a jigor plastic worm, all on the same cast.

18 MAKE OVER YOUR CAROLINA RIGS

If you think a6-inch plastic lizard is the only lure that'll catch bass on a Carolina rig,here's a news flash: Experts offer a varied menu on the business end of thissystem to tempt jaded bass on highly pressured lakes. The entrée you choose toserve should be appropriate to the season as well as the clarity andtemperature of the lake. In murky 55-degree water, Texas guide Dan Thurmondslowly drags a plump plastic craw across staging areas. During the postspawn,Virginia pro Woo Daves likes to fish a Carolina-rigged stubby plastic frenchfry across tributary points. In plankton-rich 80-degree water, Tennessee proCharlie Ingram fishes the rig with a plastic worm up to 12 inches long onoffshore humps and channels. To compete on deep, clear reservoirs, Ingram willsubstitute the worm for a silvery floating-diving minnow. It gets down wherethe fish are and captures the flash and flutter of an injured shad.

19 SWIM BAITS TO FIND BASS

In California,huge swimbaits catch double-digit bass. Some well-known tournament pros are using these specialized baits all across the country to find average-size largemouths. Here's how it works: Start with a 5- to 8-inch bait with a jointed body or a special tail that produces a distinct wobbling, swimming action.Retrieve it slowly but steadily just under the surface in a way that covers alot of water. Bass frequently give away their presence in an area by curiously following these lures without striking, and that's what the pros are lookingfor. Once they see a fish, they change to a smaller, more effective lure like ajig or worm.

20 JIG A WORM

In the past, the"desperation bait" of most tournament pros was a lipless crankbait.Now, many have changed to a plastic worm on a jighead—but not just any worm orany jighead. The worm, which measures 4 to 6 inches, must be very skinny. Theround-ball jighead usually weighs 1/8 or ¼ ounce and has a size 1/0 hook. Thiscombination is fished on 8-pound-test line, shallow or deep, depending on thecover. Let it sink, but keep it off the bottom. Once the lure is in the zone,give it a shake and the skinny worm will respond with a shimmy. Effectivedepths range from 10 to 30 feet, and favorite places include deep points, steepbluffs, and boathouses.

21 WORK A WORM INREVERSE

Instead of astandard Texas-rig worm presentation, Florida pro Terry Scroggins takes a4½-inch french fry (stick worm) and inserts a 1/32-ounce nail weight, the kindnormally used with soft jerkbaits, in its tail. He then rigs the worm on anoffset hook, casts around likely cover, lets it settle to the bottom, andretrieves with light twitches of the rod tip. "When you pop the worm offthe bottom and drop it, the nail in the tail actually makes the bait move awayfrom you as it glides back down, much the way a live crayfish backs up whenit's frightened," he says. "I can tell from the way they slam it thatbass haven't seen this presentation in a soft bait before."

22 CRANK A JIG

Californiatournament pro Greg Gutierrez thinks bass see too many crankbaits. To fish busywater, he cranks a jig instead. It's been a tournament-winning technique forhim around the country. He rigs either a ½- or a 1-ounce jig with a twin-tailplastic grub trailer, matching the color of a lake's dominant forage. For lowstretch and near invisibility underwater, he uses 15-pound-test fluorocarbon.Gutierrez lets the jig sink after a long cast, then simply reels it backsteadily like a crankbait. The lure crawls along the bottom and draws feedingas well as reflexive strikes, especially around rocks and gravel.

23 SKIP A FROG

Last yeartournament pro Dean Rojas not only designed a new plastic frog but also createda new way to fish it. Most people swim frogs over matted vegetation, but Rojasskips his hollow-bodied version, called the Bronzeye, under overhanging coverlike boathouses and limbs. It's possible because it weighs a hefty 5/8 ounce.To skip your standard light, hollow-bodied frog, buy a package of jewelry bellsor beads at a craft store and insert one or two into the lure body. You'll addboth weight and sound. Lead sinkers are too heavy and will destroy the frog'sbalance.

24 TAUNT LETHARGIC BASS

One of basschampion Kevin VanDam's favorite tricks when conditions are tough, such asduring the heat of summer, is power fishing a big lure when everyone else istrying to finesse stubborn bass with small baits. VanDam believes you can stillmake bass strike reflexively even when they're lethargic and not hungry. Hefishes a shallow-diving Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue jerkbait, making long castsand then jerking the lure back as hard as possible to create the most erraticaction. Using a spinning rod with 8-pound-test fluorocarbon, he targets visiblecover because he feels that inactive bass are holding close to weeds, rocks,timber, or pilings, rather than in open water.

25 DOG-WALK A BIG DINGER

Something about the side-to-side action of a dog-walking stickbait mesmerizes bass intostriking. The problem with these treble-hooked lures is that you can't workthem over surface vegetation. Cleveland, Ohio, pro Frank Scalish has devised away to walk the dog in grass and other snaggy covers: He rigs a 7-inch YumDinger Texas-style with a 5/0 hook and no weight. This fat hunk of plastic hasjust the right balance for a dog-walking retrieve. "It's got a wild,super-sexy action that appeals to large bass," Scalish says. He retrievesthe big Dinger over matted grass and walks it through potholes and off theedges of the vegetation. Scalish also casts this snag-free bait into smallopenings in flooded bushes and other brushy cover without a care.

26 GO SHALLOW WITH A LANIER RIG

Take the provenCarolina rig, eliminate the sinker, and you've got a "Lanier rig"(named after the Georgia reservoir). It's a killer shallow-water technique, andpros are using it when they need a slow-falling lure, such as after a coldfront. Favorite locations include scattered weedbeds, brush tops, boat docks,and other cover down to about 4 feet deep. The swivel connecting the main lineto the leader serves as the rig's weight; since the Lanier rig is fished withlighter lines and spinning tackle, it also keeps the lure and line fromtwisting.

27 PUT A SWIMBAIT IN BED

When spawning basswon't respond to normal bass baits like lizards, pro Mark Kile of Payson,Arizona, aggravates them with a big 9- or 12-inch Osprey Talon swimbait. Thisoversize soft-plastic minnow was designed to catch California's giantFlorida-strain bass. Kile pulls the tail-wagging Talon into the middle of thebed with a stout flipping stick, then shakes the lure on the bottom bytwitching his line. The hefty bait threatens and excites a previously torpidbass, which will usually swim quickly around the lure and may nip at its tail.When Kile thinks the bass is significantly roused, he reels in the swimbait andquickly casts an unweighted, Texas-rigged 5-inch Wave Worm Bamboo Stick to thebed. The bass inhales the sinking bait before it reaches the bottom.

28 SWIM THROUGH GRASS

Swimming a jigover and through shallow vegetation is becoming a very popular practice,particularly since the recent introduction of specialized jigs by Pradco(Booyah Swim'n Jig) and Rad Lures (Chatterbait). Tournament pro Alton Joneslikes to rig the former with a twin-tail plastic trailer and fish it with afast stop-and-go retrieve around thick shoreline weeds. The jig's flat headallows it to skim over cover. He rigs the plastic trailer Texas-style to makethe lure weedless and prevent snagging. The quick, herky-jerky action keeps thelure on the surface.

How to Catch Post-Spawn Bass with Surface Lures

fieldandstream-editor — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:00:00 -0400

With bass leaving their beds and ravenous from the rigors of spawning, now's the time to cast out a topwater popper and get ready for some explosive action.

On many waters, shad begin to spawn soon after the bass have finished. They swim over rocks, submerged vegetation, and other cover, spurting eggs and milt into the water. Bass lurk just beneath them, looking up for an easy meal. They can't miss your popper, splashing on the surface like a shad on the run. They usually can't resist it, either.

This hot surface bite won't last long, though. Use the three proven tactics on the next page to make the most of the fun.

TAIL A dressing of feathers and tinsel gives a popper more action, whether you're popping or pausing it. A rubber skirt imparts even more action, especially when the lure is at rest, and makes the bait look bulkier to hungry bass.

RATTLE In stained water, the added sound of an internal rattle helps bass find your popper.

COLOR Silvery shad patterns best imitate what the bass are feeding on now. You can experiment, but at the very least, the belly should be white.

BODY Light, slender poppers dance realistically on the surface and entice shallow-water bass without spooking them. For longer, more accurate casts, you need a heavy, fat popper, which presents a bigger profile to pull bass from cover. Long, narrow versions work with a side-to-side, dog-walking action that draws them up from deeper structure.

CUP A shallow cup pushes a small spray of water when you pop the lure, making a subtle spitting noise. A wide, deep cup throws off more water and makes a loud plunk.

KEEP CHUGGING

• A slender, ¼-ounce, subtly spitting popper such as an XCalibur Zell Pop excels with a chugging retrieve along the edges of boat docks and over shallow submerged weedbeds. Cast out, and point your rod tip at the bait. Then repeatedly snap the tip down a few inches while taking up slack line with short turns of the reel handle. Vary the cadence of the retrieve from slow to fast. For reluctant bass, an occasional short pause can prove irresistible.

POP AND STOP

• When bass hold tight to downed trees, flooded bushes, and bulrushes, bulk up to a 3/8- to 5/8-ounce loud-splashing surface lure. A Hula Popper is a good choice. These heavier models are easier to cast to small targets, and they make enough commotion to attract bass out of cover. Pop the bait hard one to five times, let it pause, and vary the duration of the rest from 10 to 30 seconds. Be patient. The undulating skirt will coax approaching bass into walloping your bait.

WALK THE DOG

• This retrieve can entice bass from all sorts of places, but it is especially good at pulling fish up from deeper rocky structure and gravel points. Tie on a 3/8-ounce long, narrow popper, such as a Gunfish 95 in Ghost Minnow. Use a steady retrieve with very quick twitches to impart a continuous side-to-side action. Don't waste time pausing this bait. It's made to cover water fast.

Big Bass Tip: How to work a bald spot

fieldandstream-editor — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 04:15:00 -0500

Only a bass fisherman would welcome finding a bald spot. That's because it can lead to very good fishing on a reservoir in the spring.

Bald spots form when the grass on an underwater hump is exposed during the winter drawdown. That vegetation dies, and when the water rises again in spring, it submerges a bare-topped hump, usually about 5 to 10 feet deep and surrounded by thick grass. The resulting edge cover concentrates bass in a place that's fairly easy to find and even easier to fish. Here's how:

Find the Spot
Search for contour changes with a depthfinder or by dragging a Carolina-rigged lizard along the bottom. Submergent grass is generally a foot or two high in spring, and you can easily feel the difference between a grassy bottom and a hard bald spot with the lure.

Get the Edge
Bass relate to the grass edge that rims a bald spot and especially to any points, pockets, or other irregularities there, where they can ambush prey.

Merry-Go-Round
Cast a Carolina-rigged lizard or a shallow-running crankbait into the bald spot and work the lure over and along the edge of the grass. Fish all the way around the hump in a circle, and keep circling as long as the bass continue to bite.

Back Off
Don't crowd a bald spot, or the bass will ignore your lure. Instead, position the boat about 30 feet from the grassy edge.