Finesse Texas Rig? Favorite baits?

[PressuredLakeFisherman]

So we all know bass are a little bit sluggish after the spawn, and while I love throwing heavy weights into cover sometimes they just don't get chased or bit. I was throwing a light 1/8th and 1/16th ounce weight on a straight tail worm into light cover, and did pretty well. What other baits would you recommend? I was using a zoom trick worm.  There are so many different straight tail worms out there its kinda hard yknow

[JustJames]

Try 4-6” worm like roboworm (none fat version) finesse worm or zoom Z drop or meathead.

[PressuredLakeFisherman]

  On 4/8/2021 at 4:37 PM, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

Try 4-6” worm like roboworm (none fat version) finesse worm or zoom Z drop or meathead.

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Okay Will look into those, thankyou!

[Kdizzle]

A thin walled finesse tube, a 4 inch yum dinger, any of the Z-man ned rig baits, and of course a finesse worm of some type always do great for me on a light texas rig with spinning tackle. 

[galyonj]

  On 4/8/2021 at 8:41 PM, Kdizzle said:

...any of the Z-man ned rig bait

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I get to show off my idea for a finesse punching rig again!

 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Sluggish after the spawn? In my parts that's exactly the opposite. Water is warming and cranking up their appetites. Now is when you should be upsizing your baits not downsizing.

 

I guess it's just me but I've grown weary of the word finesse. Everywhere you look people are downsizing and calling it finesse.

Finesse swimbaits

Finesse topwater

Finesse t-rigs 

Maybe it's just me, not throwing shade at you op just voicing my opinion 

[Catt]

[Bluegillslayer]

Berkley 4 inch rib worms and 4 inch power worms. Last weekend I did good throwing a small 3 inch pit boss on a small texas rig as well

[galyonj]

  On 4/8/2021 at 9:00 PM, NittyGrittyBoy said:

I guess it's just me but I've grown weary of the word finesse. Everywhere you look people are downsizing and calling it finesse.

Finesse swimbaits

Finesse topwater

Finesse t-rigs 

Maybe it's just me, not throwing shade at you op just voicing my opinion

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I don't disagree, and I think the difficulty is rooted in the fact that the term (in this context, anyway) means different things to different people.

 

Add industry marketing jumping on the finesse train and the whole thing kind of loses whatever intrinsic meaning it may have had.

[Bankbeater]

Over the past few years I have gotten away from fishing small plastics on a Texas rig.  I rig them up on a split shot rig, or I'll try weightless if there is no wind.  I'll be using a 3" Stik-o, 4" straight tail plastic worm, or a 4" Stik-o.

[Log Catcher]

I would go with a Zoom Centipede or Fat Albert grub.

[BrianMDTX]

  On 4/8/2021 at 4:25 PM, PressuredLakeFisherman said:

I was using a zoom trick worm. 

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Definitely one of my favorites. I like Zoom Mag 2 worms as well. 

[PotatoLake]

  On 4/8/2021 at 10:12 PM, Catt said:

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This^

[Michigander]

  On 4/8/2021 at 9:00 PM, NittyGrittyBoy said:

Sluggish after the spawn? In my parts that's exactly the opposite. Water is warming and cranking up their appetites. Now is when you should be upsizing your baits not downsizing.

 

I guess it's just me but I've grown weary of the word finesse. Everywhere you look people are downsizing and calling it finesse.

Finesse swimbaits

Finesse topwater

Finesse t-rigs 

Maybe it's just me, not throwing shade at you op just voicing my opinion 

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One of the core problems in my opinion is that there's no actual definition of finesse. Based on OP's post, it seemed to be equating a slower rate of fall to finesse, which isn't how I'd define it. I'm with you, they're hungry and want a meal. Though bigger and slower tends to work for me in post spawn.

[Bluegillslayer]

  On 4/9/2021 at 12:24 AM, Michigander said:

no actual definition of finesse.

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I always thought its throwing smaller lures/rigs for pressured/finicky fish. 

[Michigander]

  On 4/9/2021 at 3:02 AM, Bluegillslayer said:

I always thought its throwing smaller lures/rigs for pressured/finicky fish. 

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Sure, but where does it cross the line from downsizing a presentation to being finesse? And smaller is relative. Basically what I am saying is that "finesse" means different things to different people so it gets confusing.

[Bluebasser86]

  On 4/9/2021 at 12:24 AM, Michigander said:

One of the core problems in my opinion is that there's no actual definition of finesse. 

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verb

 

1. 1.

   do (something) in a subtle and delicate manner.

    

   I agree with you that a "Finesse" bait does not need to be light or small. I can finesse fish a 3/4oz football jig by dragging it painstaking slow along the bottom in 40' of water. To me, and others definitions will vary I'm sure, finesse is the presentation itself, not the bait.

    

    

[Mobasser]

Roboworm, Zoom Finesse worm, Zoom.Critter Craw

[Catt]

[Jigfishn10]

Why go small? IMHO, I would think that after spawning they'd be a little on the hungry side. I mean, seriously, they just worked up an appetite, feed'em something big and hearty. ?

[roadwarrior]

Rage Tail Baby Craw

[Michigander]

  On 4/9/2021 at 4:54 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

verb

 

1. 1.

   do (something) in a subtle and delicate manner.

    

   I agree with you that a "Finesse" bait does not need to be light or small. I can finesse fish a 3/4oz football jig by dragging it painstaking slow along the bottom in 40' of water. To me, and others definitions will vary I'm sure, finesse is the presentation itself, not the bait.

    

    

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So dragging a big Huddleston painfully slow is finesse? ?

[Boomstick]

I have great luck getting finicky fish to bite a Berkley Power Worm. I usually carry 7" and 8.5" ones. Also try a Zoom baby brush hog. Of course you can also try a Roboworm straight tail or the X-Zone lures deception worm which are smaller in profile as well.

 

  On 4/9/2021 at 2:25 PM, Michigander said:

So dragging a big Huddleston painfully slow is finesse? ?

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Only if it's on a medium light rod.

[galyonj]

  On 4/9/2021 at 2:25 PM, Michigander said:

So dragging a big Huddleston painfully slow is finesse? ?

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I mean...I reckon it can be. There are probably fifty different things one could fish that would be more effective than dragging a big swimbait, but...sure! Why not?

 

Here's how I think I look at it, after putting entirely too much thought into it after I posted in this thread yesterday:

 

If what the conditions and the fish are telling you to do requires you to change to a presentation that's slower/smaller/quieter than the presentation you'd normally like to be fishing in whatever part of the water column you're trying to fish, that's finesse for you.

 

Is a swim jig a finesse presentation? Compared to a chatterbait, I'd say there's a good case to be made. By the same token, I'm sure there's someone out there that, when they need to finesse, they set down the swim jig and swim a ballhead jig and a grub (or a tube) instead. They're both reaction lures, but one's a little smaller package to which pressured and/or really spooky fish might be a little bit more likely to commit.

 

Justice Stewart, of course, wasn't talking about finesse fishing when he wrote his concurrence for the majority opinion in Jacobellis v. Ohio (378 U.S. 184), but he may as well have been:

 

"I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that."

[Alpster]

Zoom finesse or trick worm w/small splitshot.