Learn me movin' baits...

[HeavyDluxe]

So, I've been quiet on here for a while - mainly because work has been kicking my butt and not letting me fish.  But, vacation is coming and I'm planning to spend as much time slinging for bass as I can.

 

Up 'til now, I've mainly focused on bottom-contact tactics (t-rigged and weightless ikas/senkos, jig-n-craw, 'Rage rig', etc).  Anytime I threw moving baits, the only things I'd catch was weeds and rocks... Several of the rocks managed to get away, too, before I could weigh them - taking my lure with 'em.  I mostly decided that I was quite comfortable/happy fishing with what I knew and, since it produced, didn't really need to try anything else.  

 

But, then came a week at a campground with the kids earlier this summer.  My 5-year-old, as a reward for something or other, got to pick out a new fishing rod and lure.  He decided that what he really thought was cool was a big, black/red Strike King spinnerbait.  *shrug*  Never expected him to catch anything on it (because no one really catches fish on them, I suspected), especially fishing from a shallow dock with little cover.  Well. He proved me wrong.

 

So, with another week at a lake house upon us, I'm thinking it's worth disciplining myself to really trying to fish some hard baits.  That leads me to a couple question... The lake we're fishing at (Lake Bomoseen in Western VT) is gin clear, and we've got a weed bed near our house's dock that gets 4-12' deep.  I don't want to break the bank, especially since I have dropped a lot of $$ in the past couple years on the stuff I normally fish.  But, ...

1. What are your top budget soft plastic swimbaits/hook combo, 'safety pin' style spinnerbaits, and medium-diving cranks?
2. Any tips for maximizing fishing with those lures you'd offer to someone who's really never fished 'em?

 

Thanks in advance.  Looking forward to getting better at stuff. 

[bigbassin']

Fishing weeds in clear water, I'd say a green pumpkin or watermelon swim jig or swimbait would be a good, easy option.  Just let the lure sink until just before you hit the grass and begin your retreive.  Reel fast enough to keep the bait just above the majority of the grass, but still low enough you'll make contact with any of the taller grass.  Gambler Big EZ and RI Skinny Dippers are both good choices for swimbaits.  Several folks on this forum love keitechs, I've never thrown one though so I can't personally tell you how they are.

 

For crankbaits, a lipless will give you more control over what depth the lure is in since you can count the lure down as it sinks, then begin your retrieve once you're at the desired depth.  Ideally you want to work the bait close enough to the grass that you hit taller patches with the lure, in order to keep it from falling completely into the grass you do have to reel faster than you would on a swimbait.  Once contact is made, pop the rod quick while continuing to reel and more often than not, you'll pull free from the grass.  This process will give your lure a change in speed/direction of movement that will often produce a strike.  It takes practice, but once you get the hang of it, it is a really fun way to fish that lets you cover a lot of water.  The original rattle-trap in chrome/blue back would probably be my first choice in clear water, but chrome/black back, and gold/black back are also solid choices.  KVD lipless cranks are also pretty good, the sexy shad color is really effective and makes a good clear water color. 

 

Lipped baits aren't as effective at pulling free from the grass, so I typically only use wakebaits or cranks that only dive about 1-2 if I use one over grass.  Shallow bombers, strike kings, or even just the Academy in-house brand are all good choices.

 

Not a huge daytime spinnerbait fan, but throwing one at night is one of my favorite ways to fish.  A black or black/blue skirt with either a single colorado or double willow blades is tough to beat at night.