Fishing in the Fast Lane.
Anglers have been using Speed to trigger strikes with moving baits for a long time, and bass anglers are no exception.
I’ve been a fan of this approach for a while and I’m probably guilty of using it a little too much. I’m not the biggest Fan of the “finesse” deal and have had some success using a Speed approach in these conditions instead. Doesn’t always work but I can catch a skunk on anything, so might as well do something I like.
The technique involves the use of horizontally moving baits that a bass can track & chase down; FAST. For me this is usually most effective in clear to slightly colored water & in shallow to mid-depth ranges of 10-12 ft. and less. Doesn’t mean that using speed can’t or won’t work in something else, just that this is where I’ve found better results.
Some wind is very helpful, as is staying off the fish and making a long cast. I prefer to fish into the wind if conditions permit, but either direction / approach has shown solid results. Fishing cross wind is a little tougher.
Quite an assortment of lures can be fished / retrieved quickly and in the right conditions /situation can & do catch fish. I have a few favorites that have proven themselves over the years. Crankbaits, Lipless Baits, Spinnerbaits, and Jerk / Rip Baits are what I use most.
More recently, several lures manufactures have introduced baits that are specifically designed to be retrieved with speed which has resulted in more & better options for those of us who like it Fast.
The Spinnerbait is one of those lures. (For the remainder of this write up I am always referring to a single or double willow leaf bait). It’s such a versatile lure that can & will produce in a wide variety of situations but does seem to come into its own over & through some type of shallow vegetation. Burning one just under the surface to about one foot down, is one of my all-time favorite ways to catch Smallmouth bass. Which is what makes right now, early fall, such a great time for this technique. The weeds are starting to die back but the water is for the most part still warm enough where the bass are very ready, willing & able to chase it down.
Back in the day (and there’s no real need to say when that actually was) I read somewhere that by making two simple modifications, most any quality spinnerbaits ability to run fast & true could be improved. One was to down size the willow leaf blades 1 or 2 sizes and the other was to add weight to the bait. The smaller blades allowed for easier reeling & more speed without the bait coming out of the water. Same with the added weight, bait stayed subsurface and casting distance was improved, in the wind especially.
Sometimes Smallmouth will follow a bait for quite a while. (Regardless of how fast I reel it) It’s like they enjoy the chase before eventually hammering it. Other times they just seem to come out of nowhere and Blast the bait. Both are OK by me.
A few years back SK introduced the Burner Spinnerbait. This was a game changer for me. The baits compact head design allows for max speed, but the real innovation was the Raz-R-Blade. It’s a somewhat down sized, thin cut willow leaf that was designed to increase revolutions, increase flash and keep the bait from lifting like traditional willow leaf blades are so prone to do. BAM ! No more changing out blades. But I have found that by still adding some weight to the ½ oz. bait, I can make an already great bait, Better.
By simply spinning on length of wire solder onto the baits hook shank, centered & balanced weight can be effectively added to any bait. How much weight will depend on the length, type & size (gauge) wire solder selected. This can easily be done by hand and a drop of Super glue at each end will help keep it there.
Any spinnerbait is a candidate if you want to add weight to, not for just burning, as it’s quite applicable for deep water applications as well.
Trailer hooks are optional.
Don’t remember who to give credit to for sharing these ideas, but I’m certainly glad they did.
A-Jay
