Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3612 May 26-June 9 | Page 7

FRESHWATER VOL.36 • ISS. 12 May 26 - June 9, 2017 5 Bass Busters presents Deadly For Black Bass… ^ Black bass whether they are smallmouths like this beauty displayed by Al Linder, hard charging spots or thick bodied largemouths, are a ton of fun to catch. There are a bunch of lures that will catch bass at one time or another, but there are also a handful of proven lures and presentations that will catch bass across a wide range of locations and situations. ^ Drop shot rigs like the one shown here are absolutely deadly. This vertical presentation is a go to when targeting spooky or inactive fish in the clear canyon type reservoirs that dot the California foothills. A bon line. A small light wire hook is while back, we chatted about tied into the line via a Palomar knot trout fishing in this column and a split shot or drop shot weight is and I tossed out a few of my go to clamped onto the end of the baits and strategies that line. tend to work across a A soft plastic bait, most range of different destina- often a worm from 3 to 6 tions and situations. inches long is pinned on the This week I decided hook with the hook point give black bass the same exposed. The distance be- treatment. I’ve caught bass tween the hook and the split on just about every bait shot determines how far off you can imagine including the bottom the bait will be live night crawlers, min- worked. nows and crawfish, but all In terms of colors, my things considered I prefer first choice in clear water to tempt my largemouths, by Cal Kellogg is generally something spots and smallmouths resembling a bait fish in a on artificial lures. In the clear, light blue or light purple hue. If following paragraphs, I’m going to the water is stained I tend to go with toss out a trio of my favorite offer- darker colored worms. Witch’s T, ings and approaches. If I could only brown with a chartreuse tipped tail, is use these three approaches I’d catch plenty of bass during any given season my favorite “dark worm”. When employing a drop shot rig, and they’ll produce plenty of fish for a strike might be signaled by a tap or you too! two, but you might only feel weight or the line might go slack, if the bass Dropping Plastic moves up with the bait in its mouth. Regardless of how the fish strikes, the “Drop shotting is one of the most hook set is always the same. effective methods you can employ First, you want to reel down to the for black bass residing in reservoirs. fish and load the rod tip and then jab Drop shotting is largely a light tackle the hook home with a short, sharp vertical presentation approach aimed stroke. Since you are using a small at catching fickle suspended bass in hook and light line, it is important to canyon reservoirs that feature clear have your drag set correctly. When water and little cover beyond rock playing the bass, simply keep the rod piles, creek beds and drop offs. loaded and slowly work the fish up to At the heart of the rig is a light fast action-spinning rod teamed with a reel the surface. One of my favorite situations for sporting 6 or 8-pound test fluorocar- FISH SNIFFER HOW – TO ^ Vibrating crankbaits like these Yo-Zuris are super versatile. You can fish them slow, burn them fast, explore deep water or hammer the shallows with them. If there are active bass in the vicinity, a vibrating crankbait will likely trigger them. ^ These Yo-Zuri poppers are two of author Cal Kellogg’s go to topwater baits. Poppers are easy to use. If the bass are active and chasing, work them quickly. If the bass don’t react to a quickly moving bait, slow down, work methodically and keep that popper in the strike zone. CONTINUED ON PAGE 9