1-2 Punch, Who Still Does This?

[papajoe222]

Many years ago (more than I care to admit) I read an article in a magazine. This was long before the internet was born. Anyway, the article mentioned a way to get bass fired up.  Basically, it involves running a buzzbait over some prime cover or structure a few times and then switching over to a more subtle presentation. The reason this tactic works when bass aren't biting is the buzzbait does two things, it gets the fish in a defensive mood and it gets them looking up. The follow up lure was something that also stayed above the fish.  As Flukes and Senkos were not around, a Rapala, or a Pop-R were the recommended follow up .

I decided to give it a try next time things were slow and low and behold, I was able to keep the skunk away.  Although this isn't something I do on a regular basis, I will, on occasion dust this one off , which surprisingly works just as well today as it did back in the day. The Rapala and popper have been replaced by other lures, but I'm sure they would still produce as well as back then.  I've actually caught quite a number of bass on the buzzbait after the third or fourth cast. 

So has anyone heard of doing this, or actually done it themselves?

[Mike L]

I’ve heard about that but never personally done it. 
But what I have and seen done in a boat, after fishing an area with no luck, is to make a wide high speed donut in an area going out about 2-3 cast lengths, stop and fish my way back to the where we started. 

 

If there were fish any where near there more times than not we’d get a hit where before we didn’t. 
Was it specifically because of it?

I don’t know, but it does work…Sometimes 

 

Mike

[TOXIC]

It was a number of years ago I was watching a Sunday morning tournament show (probably the Elite Series) and Mike Iconelli was struggling. He noticed and made the comment that he got bites every time a boat came past him.  He eventually put his rod down fired up the big motor and ran a couple of circles in the cove he was fishing.  When he stopped, he would catch a couple fish.  When the bite died, he would repeat.  Worked a number of times.  Personally, I’ve never done it.  

[FishTank]

I do this regularly and it drives the guy I fish with nuts. I will throw a large swimbait or a glide to draw fish out. They seem to follow these bait but rarely commit. I then put it down and toss a smaller bait like a senko, BFS style crankbait, or a 3in Easy Shiner. I can usually get something to bite.

 

I can't explain it but it works. 

[Mike L]

10 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

It was a number of years ago I was watching a Sunday morning tournament show (probably the Elite Series) and Mike Iconelli was struggling. He noticed and made the comment that he got bites every time a boat came past him.  He eventually put his rod down fired up the big motor and ran a couple of circles in the cove he was fishing.  When he stopped, he would catch a couple fish.  When the bite died, he would repeat.  Worked a number of times.  Personally, I’ve never done it.  

The key to it from just my experience is to keep the circles tight to each other and make as much disturbance as safely as you can. 
If you go out more than say 2 boat widths it wasn’t as effective.  
 

 

 

 

Mike

[Functional]

I can see my wife and her family laughing at me now during our next vacation....

[LrgmouthShad]

8 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

Many years ago (more than I care to admit) I read an article in a magazine. This was long before the internet was born. Anyway, the article mentioned a way to get bass fired up.  Basically, it involves running a buzzbait over some prime cover or structure a few times and then switching over to a more subtle presentation. The reason this tactic works when bass aren't biting is the buzzbait does two things, it gets the fish in a defensive mood and it gets them looking up. The follow up lure was something that also stayed above the fish.  As Flukes and Senkos were not around, a Rapala, or a Pop-R were the recommended follow up .

I decided to give it a try next time things were slow and low and behold, I was able to keep the skunk away.  Although this isn't something I do on a regular basis, I will, on occasion dust this one off , which surprisingly works just as well today as it did back in the day. The Rapala and popper have been replaced by other lures, but I'm sure they would still produce as well as back then.  I've actually caught quite a number of bass on the buzzbait after the third or fourth cast. 

So has anyone heard of doing this, or actually done it themselves?

I have tried it and don’t believe it makes a difference

[softwateronly]

8 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

Many years ago (more than I care to admit) I read an article in a magazine. This was long before the internet was born. Anyway, the article mentioned a way to get bass fired up.  Basically, it involves running a buzzbait over some prime cover or structure a few times and then switching over to a more subtle presentation. The reason this tactic works when bass aren't biting is the buzzbait does two things, it gets the fish in a defensive mood and it gets them looking up. The follow up lure was something that also stayed above the fish.  As Flukes and Senkos were not around, a Rapala, or a Pop-R were the recommended follow up .

I decided to give it a try next time things were slow and low and behold, I was able to keep the skunk away.  Although this isn't something I do on a regular basis, I will, on occasion dust this one off , which surprisingly works just as well today as it did back in the day. The Rapala and popper have been replaced by other lures, but I'm sure they would still produce as well as back then.  I've actually caught quite a number of bass on the buzzbait after the third or fourth cast. 

So has anyone heard of doing this, or actually done it themselves?

 

I guess I do a version of this naturally, or learned it so long ago that I forgot I read it.  I like throwing bigger soft swimbaits when I first arrive, hoping for bites but definitely checking for followers.  If I get followed, I usually follow up with a slower, deeper, smaller, more erratic swim jig retrieve.  Without followers, but I'm confident I have the right place, I like to drag a bulky slow falling jig.  I've always attributed it to trying to determine where in the water column the bass are hunting and how active they are to chase down their food.

 

1 hour ago, TOXIC said:

It was a number of years ago I was watching a Sunday morning tournament show (probably the Elite Series) and Mike Iconelli was struggling. He noticed and made the comment that he got bites every time a boat came past him.  He eventually put his rod down fired up the big motor and ran a couple of circles in the cove he was fishing.  When he stopped, he would catch a couple fish.  When the bite died, he would repeat.  Worked a number of times.  Personally, I’ve never done it.  

 

I fish a lot of deeper weedlines on chokepoints on my small lake, and I get my spots buzzed by ignorant boaters all the time on busy and even empty days.  (There is no stopping certain people of a certain age taking their 3mph pontoon cruise on the exact route that they want.) I definitely have found success firing right into their wake, landing as close and as safely as possible to the prop wash.  Getting fish this way is cathartic to the whole experience and has kept me from not enjoying my time out on the water.

 

scott   

[Kirtley Howe]

3 hours ago, Mike L said:

I’ve heard about that but never personally done it. 
But what I have and seen done in a boat, after fishing an area with no luck, is to make a wide high speed donut in an area going out about 2-3 cast lengths, stop and fish my way back to the where we started. 

 

If there were fish any where near there more times than not we’d get a hit where before we didn’t. 
Was it specifically because of it?

I don’t know, but it does work…Sometimes 

 

Mike

In some places and at certain times of the year, that could be illegal.  For instance it is illegal to do anything to deliberately move, agitate or frighten fish by creating an "unnecessary disturbance" in an effort to get them to become active, on the Salmon River in New York State. "Unnecessary Disturbance" is defined to include things like throwing rocks into the water, or "gunning" a boat in the river.  It is fine to cruise through an area, but it is NOT ok to throttle stutter to create a large disturbance. This probably does not apply in most lakes or on large rivers but be sure to check your local regulations.

[Hogs_n_Logs]

 

I found out a season ago that bass seemed to blow up on my frog when I simply reeled it in fast over the top of a big stretch of emergent surface vegetation in my lake, rather than trying to walk/pop the bait.

 

I would miscast or feel like I was out of the strike zone, start reeling the bait to re-cast, and a fish would try to kill it halfway, even through thick layers of slop. I would get way more strikes this way, probably 5-1.

 

However, working it this fast, the thickness of the surface vegetation, and the inherent nature of frog lures means they would never hook up.

 

So now I just crank the frog fast over the whole muck field to get the fish to blow up and reveal its location, sling a senko into the hole in the muck made from the strike, and its an instant hit. Much faster and easier than flipping for me. The fish caught this are usually in the 3+lb class, which is quite large for this lake. This bite is not a guarantee obviously, most days the frog will get zero hits.  A few different conditions have to align that I believe pushes these bigger, mean fish under the shallow emergent vegetation from an adjacent series of deeper points and gets them riled. Its usually late summer and always in the evening.

 

[Woody B]

I've moved to create boat waves on calm days.   Also, last year (by mistake) during the mayfly I air mailed a lure into a tree overhanging the lake.  It shook a bunch of mayflies out and created a bluegill feeding frenzy, which created a bass feeding frenzy.  I caught several before I retrieved my lure.  Since then I've done that on purpose a few times.   

 

Also, somewhat related I suppose.  If you see someone mowing near the lake go fish right there, right then.   Mowing stirs up bugs, that stir up small fish, that stir up big fish.   

[12poundbass]

10 hours ago, TOXIC said:

It was a number of years ago I was watching a Sunday morning tournament show (probably the Elite Series) and Mike Iconelli was struggling. He noticed and made the comment that he got bites every time a boat came past him.  He eventually put his rod down fired up the big motor and ran a couple of circles in the cove he was fishing.  When he stopped, he would catch a couple fish.  When the bite died, he would repeat.  Worked a number of times.  Personally, I’ve never done it.  

Now that’s letting the fish tell you what they want! 

[WRB]

The late Tom Mann stated in his book Think Like a Fish that he would run his big engine through weed beds to stir up everything, then sit back and catch bass.

The 2002 Classic when Jay Eli’s catches a 6 lb bass when a pontoon boat buzzed him, Jay makes a cast into the boat wake and catches the big bass.

Tom

[KP Duty]

11 hours ago, Mike L said:

The key to it from just my experience is to keep the circles tight to each other and make as much disturbance as safely as you can. 
If you go out more than say 2 boat widths it wasn’t as effective.  
 

 

 

 

Mike

Is this stirring up baitfish?

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, KP Duty said:

Is this stirring up baitfish?

It stirs up insects and thier larvae which of course draws a nearby bass’s preferred food. 

Think of it as the first link in a Bass’s food chain.

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

1 hour ago, WRB said:

 

The 2002 Classic when Jay Eli’s catches a 6 lb bass when a pontoon boat buzzed him, Jay makes a cast into the boat wake and catches the big bass.

Tom

Happens all the time. 
 

I remember being in a BFL Regional Championship on Santee Cooper when my boater would purposely follow other boats in thier wake until they stopped to fish. 
 

When they stopped he would back off the  requisite 50 yds and start casting in his line of travel. 
He did that all day. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[Susky River Rat]

I almost always start with a faster higher in the water column bait. If that doesn’t work it goes deeper and slower.

[snake95]

I read an article in which a pro recommended making multiple casts to a target with a buzzbait rather than just one.

 

as I recall he said even more than a dozen casts was sometimes what I took to get a bite.

 

I have had good success with this approach- it sometimes takes multiple casts to get the bite.

[Troy85]

14 hours ago, Woody B said:

I've moved to create boat waves on calm days.   Also, last year (by mistake) during the mayfly I air mailed a lure into a tree overhanging the lake.  It shook a bunch of mayflies out and created a bluegill feeding frenzy, which created a bass feeding frenzy.  I caught several before I retrieved my lure.  Since then I've done that on purpose a few times.   

 

Also, somewhat related I suppose.  If you see someone mowing near the lake go fish right there, right then.   Mowing stirs up bugs, that stir up small fish, that stir up big fish.   

My brother and discovered this by accident as well during our trip to Lake Guntersville last week.  Played out the same exact way as you described.  It was a lot of fun.

[the reel ess]

1 hour ago, snake95 said:

I read an article in which a pro recommended making multiple casts to a target with a buzzbait rather than just one.

 

as I recall he said even more than a dozen casts was sometimes what I took to get a bite.

 

I have had good success with this approach- it sometimes takes multiple casts to get the bite.

And if there's anything vertical there to run the bait into like dock pilings, do that. I admit I don't use the buzzbait nearly enough. It catches bigger bass. Since the WP came out it has taken up a lot of my buzzbait time.

[papajoe222]

2 hours ago, snake95 said:

I read an article in which a pro recommended making multiple casts to a target with a buzzbait rather than just one.

 

as I recall he said even more than a dozen casts was sometimes what I took to get a bite.

 

I have had good success with this approach- it sometimes takes multiple casts to get the bite.

This is basically the same approach, but I switch baits to something more subtle after a couple of casts with the buzzzer. The reasoning behind it is to get the fish interested and looking upward. Then something like a jerk bait or popper gets them to strike. 

[zell_pop1]

On 6/21/2023 at 7:03 PM, Woody B said:

I've moved to create boat waves on calm days.   Also, last year (by mistake) during the mayfly I air mailed a lure into a tree overhanging the lake.  It shook a bunch of mayflies out and created a bluegill feeding frenzy, which created a bass feeding frenzy.  I caught several before I retrieved my lure.  Since then I've done that on purpose a few times.   

 

Also, somewhat related I suppose.  If you see someone mowing near the lake go fish right there, right then.   Mowing stirs up bugs, that stir up small fish, that stir up big fish.   

Did that with mayflies myself, then threw a popper, small jaws started smashing it.

[Columbia Craw]

On 6/21/2023 at 4:57 PM, WRB said:

The late Tom Mann stated in his book Think Like a Fish that he would run his big engine through weed beds to stir up everything, then sit back and catch bass.

The 2002 Classic when Jay Eli’s catches a 6 lb bass when a pontoon boat buzzed him, Jay makes a cast into the boat wake and catches the big bass.

Tom

Typo Tom?  Jay Yelas. I saw that footage on BASSMASTER. He was ticked at first then sacked a good one. 

[Tennessee Boy]

On 6/21/2023 at 6:03 PM, Woody B said:

Also, last year (by mistake) during the mayfly I air mailed a lure into a tree overhanging the lake.  

That’s why I throw into trees…. To shake stuff out.  Mayflies in the summer and squirrels in the winter.
 

Been doing it for years.     ?

[Fishingstickman]

I haven't done it in a while but down here if you can actually find a healthy shell bed, throw a rattle trap a dozen times then grab a speed worm. 

[Glenn]