What is considered "finesse" fishing?

[ajschn06]

What is finesse fishing-  Does it have to be done with a spinning reel? 

 

Is it about the bait, or how you fish it?

 

Does it have to be slow?

 

I have a hard time going past the "classics" such as a 7" power worm or something like a 3.5" tube when I think of finesse options.  Are those even close to finesse?

[MIbassyaker]

As far as I can tell, the only consistent meaning of "finesse" is light line + light tackle.

 

Always seemed to me like "Finesse" should be about making precise presentations regardless of setup and gear, but that's not how people usually mean it.

 

 

[roadwarrior]

In my mind "finesse" means small lures and light line.

[GaryH]

☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️ I second that.

[Team9nine]

29 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

As far as I can tell, the only consistent meaning of "finesse" is light line + light tackle.

 

28 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

In my mind "finesse" means small lures and light line.

I’m ‘old school’ with a healthy respect for the sport’s history. Charlie Brewer coined the term “finesse” as it applies to bass fishing (note: not saying he ‘invented’ finesse fishing) specifically in regards to his Slider Fishing system, and it’s what the two previous posters stated above ^^ 

[scaleface]

To me finesse fishing is when bass cant be caught  on heavier gear , so a switch is made to light line and lures and I still cant catch them .

[Choporoz]

 

 

[OkobojiEagle]

carefully; subtly; with a light touch...

 

oe

[thediscochef]

I consider tubes to be a finesse bait, the retrieve I use for them that worked was a ned finesse retrieve. I think a lot of the definition of finesse depends on who you talk to. For me it's more about how I'm moving the lure than the size, but size plays a factor in how I retrieve.

 

For instance, when we start hitting 90 degree days, I will start using my little chatterbaits again. I'll fish them and rig them like a ned - a small 2/0 hook with a 2.6-3" plastic, no skirt. Retrieved slowly slowly over rocks, river flats, and dam riprap. Every 40% of distance or so with a pause to let the bait sink. I did probably 90%+ of my catching on that setup last year until our lake temps got below 49.

[ajschn06]

55 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

In my mind "finesse" means small lures and light line.

 

44 minutes ago, GaryH said:

☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️ I second that.

 

7" Power Worm

3/16 oz weight

12 pound line

Medium action casting rod

 

To ME, that fits the bill for small lures and light line.... just kind of curious how many share that opinion

[Tennessee Boy]

I'm of the Charlie Brewer school of finesse fishing.  Light line 6# or less.  Spinning rod.  Small bait.

 

To me it also involves another one of Charlie's terms,  a "do nothing" presentation.   Do nothing means you just let the lure glide through the water without adding any extra action.  

[TOXIC]

The rules have changed for finesse.  It used to be anything over 6lb line and spinning gear was not “finesse”.  Then the overseas market picked up and manufactured baitcasters that could throw light line and small baits.  I have fished the Senko for over 25 years and I have never thrown it weightless on any more than 6lb test.  No braid, no leaders.  If you think throwing a Senko on 12lb test and a baitcaster is finesse, then we will just have to disagree?.

[WRB]

The first time I heard the term finesse fishing was from Micheal Jones in a article describing Dick Trask* and Don Iovino presentations in the early 70’s.

Don Iovino is in the bass fishing Hall of Frame as the Father of Finesse Fishing. Trask fine tuned the split shot and dart head jig presentations using small curl tail worms and Don used his doodling and split shot presentations. Both Dick and Don used what is called today BFS. Don’s modified Abu 2500C reels and Phenix rods are legendary in the west.

Trask also used spinning and BSF tackle. Trask was a master at fishing off shore with unbelievable boat control in the wind, he was a human spot lock.

Suggest reading Don’s book Finesse Bass fishing and the Sonar Connection.

The Midwest and Western finesse presentations were parallel in developing “sissy stick” bass fishing.

Tom

* Trask mentored the late Aaron Martens.

[TnRiver46]

It depends on who you ask. I see a lot of people throwing what they call finesse jigs that would break my rods on the cast. And finesse spinnerbaits and finesse 5 “ swimbaits , the list goes on and on. The word sells stuff 

[gim]

I am more along the lines of referring to "finesse" as a strategy rather than the lure itself or the tackle that is being used.

 

You could rip a tube or fluke pretty good using a spinning setup.  In my mind, the setup itself may be finesse, but the fishing style is not.

 

The opposite of finesse fishing to me is power fishing.  This is how I prefer to fish.  When I think of that, I think of a bait caster with heavier line, and perhaps a bigger lure generally fished in a more aggressive manner.

 

Many anglers use a bait casting setup with a "finesse" approach.  I do too.  So in that case, the setup may be directed towards power fishing but the style is slower and has more finesse.

 

Most common anglers think that there is no finesse approach for muskie fishing.  You just toss enormous lures with big bait casting setups for hours.  While most of it may be like that, you can vertically jig a big plastic like a medussa or a bull dawg in the fall when the ciscoes are spawning.  This would be a finesse tactic to me, even though the tackle is still the same.

[ajschn06]

19 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

The rules have changed for finesse.  It used to be anything over 6lb line and spinning gear was not “finesse”.  Then the overseas market picked up and manufactured baitcasters that could throw light line and small baits.  I have fished the Senko for over 25 years and I have never thrown it weightless on any more than 6lb test.  No braid, no leaders.  If you think throwing a Senko on 12lb test and a baitcaster is finesse, then we will just have to disagree?.

Is a weightless Senko a finesse presentation?  

[MN Fisher]

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I am more along the lines of referring to "finesse" as a strategy rather than the lure itself or the tackle that is being used.

I'm in the same boat - it's the technique, not the rig or lure you're using.

 

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

You could rip a tube or fluke pretty good using a spinning setup.  In my mind, the setup itself may be finesse, but the fishing style is not.

Conversely - a 1/2oz jig with trailer on a MH rod and 17# FC could be fished finessely.

 

I think too much emphasis is placed on 'finesse means light lures, light line, light rods'...some lures/baits can't be finessed, but finesse fishing is a lot more to me than "M or lighter spinning rod with 8# or less line"

10 minutes ago, ajschn06 said:

Is a weightless Senko a finesse presentation?  

I'd consider that finesse - depending on how you're fishing it.

[EWREX]

to me, finesse is anything with lighter line and lighter lures typically fished on spinning gear. dropshot, ned rig, wacky rig, neko rig, weightless texas rig, hair jig, tube, small swimbaits, etc

[TnRiver46]

19 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I am more along the lines of referring to "finesse" as a strategy rather than the lure itself or the tackle that is being used.

 

You could rip a tube or fluke pretty good using a spinning setup.  In my mind, the setup itself may be finesse, but the fishing style is not.

 

The opposite of finesse fishing to me is power fishing.  This is how I prefer to fish.  When I think of that, I think of a bait caster with heavier line, and perhaps a bigger lure generally fished in a more aggressive manner.

 

Many anglers use a bait casting setup with a "finesse" approach.  I do too.  So in that case, the setup may be directed towards power fishing but the style is slower and has more finesse.

 

Most common anglers think that there is no finesse approach for muskie fishing.  You just toss enormous lures with big bait casting setups for hours.  While most of it may be like that, you can vertically jig a big plastic like a medussa or a bull dawg in the fall when the ciscoes are spawning.  This would be a finesse tactic to me, even though the tackle is still the same.

My buddy caught a huge Muskie on 4 lb test and a Bobby garland 2” baby shad this winter 

18 minutes ago, ajschn06 said:

Is a weightless Senko a finesse presentation?  

A senko is pretty heavy, I chuck them on baitcasters 

[gim]

A lot of the traditional lighter plastics and lures that were originally designed to be fished with spinning tackle can now be used with a bait caster too because of advancements with reels.  I know for a fact that @FryDog62 pretty much only uses a bait caster nowadays, even on a ned rig.

14 minutes ago, EWREX said:

dropshot, ned rig, wacky rig, neko rig, weightless texas rig, hair jig, tube, small swimbaits, etc

 

So if I'm ripping a tube or a hair jig off big boulders for smallmouth, is that still "finesse?"  Its not in mine based on the way I'm fishing it.  If I'm crawling a tube along the bottom real slow then it has become "finesse."

 

I'm not trying to start an argument here, but to me it makes more sense to refer to the term based on how you are fishing it, not what is being used.  I've seen some people toss a jerk bait on a spinning setup.  Is that a finesse or power tactic?

[MIbassyaker]

Regardless of how "finesse" originated, or of the plain meaning of the word, as with most other things it's use as a marketing term seems to have taken over entirely -- "Finesse" now seems primarily to be a category of things you buy, not a set of techniques you use.

[EWREX]

17 minutes ago, gimruis said:

A lot of the traditional lighter plastics and lures that were originally designed to be fished with spinning tackle can now be used with a bait caster too because of advancements with reels.  I know for a fact that @FryDog62 pretty much only uses a bait caster nowadays, even on a ned rig.

 

So if I'm ripping a tube or a hair jig off big boulders for smallmouth, is that still "finesse?"  Its not in mine based on the way I'm fishing it.  If I'm crawling a tube along the bottom real slow then it has become "finesse."

 

I'm not trying to start an argument here, but to me it makes more sense to refer to the term based on how you are fishing it, not what is being used.  I've seen some people toss a jerk bait on a spinning setup.  Is that a finesse or power tactic?

like i said, lighter line and lighter lures with spinning gear is what i consider finesse when i am fishing. there is no real concrete definition in my opinion because you can do so many different things with many different baits. spy baits are typically 3/8-1/2 oz. but are thrown on 4-6lb. test. i wouldn't consider that finesse fishing in my opinion ?

[Mobasser]

You might look back at the history of finesse bass fishing. Look up Charlie Brewer, Billy Westmoreland, Guido Hibdon or Don Iovino. All fished they're own version of finesse. There are others also.

[Spankey]

1 minute ago, Mobasser said:

You might look back at the history of finesse bass fishing. Look up Charlie Brewer, Billy Westmoreland, Guido Hibdon or Don Iovino. All fished they're own version of finesse. There are others also.

You and I are a bit old school where we have been fishing like this for many years. Long before you ever called it or heard of it as finesse fishing. 
 

NED rig is just a vague term. I’m sure many old river rats on here have been fishing broken cut worms on jig heads since the 80’s. A lot of hype around nothing. 
 

But if you look up some articles about the NED rig I take it as how it came about in the mid-west. 

[TOXIC]

52 minutes ago, ajschn06 said:

Is a weightless Senko a finesse presentation?  

Originally it was but it is so adaptable that it is now used in many, many applications that could never be described as finesse.  I drag a Senko on 35lb braid and a 1/4 oz football head jig on St Clair.  I have been with Yamamoto for over 30 years and I can tell you what Gary himself told me….”A Senko is meant to be a finesse presentation fished on light line, a spinning rod and a 3.0 ewg hook”.  There’s exact reasons for every aspect of that rigging.  It has become so popular that rigging is now all over the spectrum.  I actually wrote an article for Yamamoto on 78 ways to rig a Senko.  A lot of them are not in any way finesse.