Rattlesnake Aversion Training July 7 , 2018
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VOL . 37 • ISS . 13
GONE FISHING continued from page 1
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FRESHWATER |
June 8 - 22 , 2018
WHAT ’ S HOT Continued from page 1
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25 |
providing ample firepower for hooking and fighting big bass in thick cover .
Lucas works quickly and methodically through prime lies . “ Flip the bait out and let it fall to bottom ,” he says . “ A lot of times bass hit on the first fall . Don ’ t expect a crushing strike , though . Bites often register as nothing more than a soft and spongy feeling on the line .”
However the fish hits , Lucas advises setting the hook immediately . “ Set hard , right away ,” he says . “ Then get the bass moving up and out of the cover .”
If nothing bites on the first drop , Lucas recommends using your rod tip to raise the bait slightly off bottom and shake it once or twice . “ If you don ’ t get bit , reel in and flip it out to the next spot ,” he says .
Lucas notes that the technique works in weeds thick and thin , as well as around laydowns and in shady areas under docks . “ Finding isolated spots that concentrate bass is the key ,” he adds .
No . 2 Feeling Shaky
When largemouths and smallmouths roam offshore weedlines and rocky structure , Lucas leans on a slightly shakier approach .
“ Twitching a slender soft bait along bottom on a shaky head jig imitates crayfish and other forage , triggering strikes from bass that pass up crankbaits and other fastermoving presentations ,” he explains .
His go-to is a 5-inch Berkley PowerBait Shaky Snake . “ The bait has a lot going for it ,” he explains . Indeed , Berkley designers graced it with unique , corkscrew ribs to give the slender body and cone-shaped tail a subtle , undulating action . “ The ribs also create more surface area ,
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Rattlesnake Aversion Training July 7 , 2018
Rattlesnake Aversion Training Includes :
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• Snake aversion training w / live muzzled & de-fanged snakes
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which aids in the delivery of PowerBait scents and flavors ,” he adds . “ This encourages bass to hang onto it longer than they would other baits .”
For this tactic , Lucas switches to a 7-foot , medium-heavy spinning outfit spooled with 8-pound Berkley Trilene 100 % Fluorocarbon . Water depth dictates jig weight , with common sizes ranging from 1 / 8- to ¼-ounce . Thin wire hooks aid in hook-setting , while the angle of the head affects bait action and resistance to snags . In general , 90-degree heads enhance shaking , while 60-degree heads tend to slide more cleanly across structure .
Once you ’ re rigged up and in position , Lucas advocates fishing the shaky setup with a slow hand . “ Cast out , let the jig land and slowly move it along bottom , shaking it with the rod tip ,” he explains , noting that the approach also works wonders in shallower strike zones such as around docks .
No . 3 Tube Time
For summer smallmouths , Lucas also favors the time-tested tube jig . “ Dropshotting is deadly , too , but it pays to always have a tube rod rigged up , so you can show the bass something different ,” he says .
Tube jigs excel at imitating crayfish , which drives smallies crazy . Lucas ’ top choice is Berkley ’ s PowerBait Power Tube . Along with tantalizing tentacles and PowerBait scents and flavors , it features a slightly flattened torso , which yields a smooth glide on the fall .
Tubes are extremely versatile baits , allowing a variety of retrieves ranging from basic bottom dragging to variations of swimming , shaking , bouncing and deadsticking — along with combinations of all five .
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Lucas recommends experimenting with different moves , without getting overwhelmed . “ The simplest approach is to drag the tube across the bottom , similar to a shaky head ,” he says . “ That will put smallmouths on the line all season long , everywhere in the country .”
For more , go to www . berkley . com .
When Collins is high and spilling like it is right now , the peninsula that divides the far side of Elmer ’ s Cove from the rest of the lake turns into an island . Right at the end of that island we spotted something that looked odd . A ripple , a shine …? Maybe it was a bird diving or even a muskrat or something ….?
“ Bait … It ’ s bait . Those are shad , something has to be chasing them ,” I exclaimed .
“ I see them , I see them ,” Wes repeated as he scrambled to tie on a shad pattern minnow plug .
I already had the lure I wanted on the end of my line , so I took the initiative and made a big looping 2.5 mph circle around the bait with a small Ex-Cel Spoon working about 8 feet deep …. Nothing !
Doubt was flooding into my mind , when Wes hooked up right behind me and peeled off . I came around hard with the video camera running and learned that Wes had hooked a good size spotted bass .
After tossing the bass , we once again started circling the bait that was still breaking off the island . Wes landed and released another bass almost immediately and I had a husky rainbow actually run into the side of my kayak as it zeroed in on a terrified shad . I ’ m pretty sure the shad got eaten a nano-second before the trout ran headlong into my Hobie .
While the action off the island held up I caught a bass and a second trout , while Wes ’ s rod went dead .
When the shad action tapered off outside Elmer ’ s Cove we moved into the cove itself and found more bait breaking around a section of floating dock .
Wes hooked his personal best trolled rainbow when a hefty 3.5 pounder slammed his plug on his first pass around the dock .
We high-fived in celebration of Wes ’ s big rainbow and then got back to trolling . By this time , I ’ d added a 6 inch green Sling Blade to my rig with the Ex-Cel trailing about 30 inches behind it .
I made a very close pass to the dock at just under 3 mph and the Sling Blade and spoon combo got crushed . I was certain I had a big rainbow like the one Wes had landed , but instead it was a big open water spotted bass that simply couldn ’ t lay off a shad pattern spoon zipping through the water !
Of course , we kept on grinding on the bait and we kept landing fish . Most of them were bass .
Early in the afternoon , we decided that we ’ d have to hit the road soon . We decided to go to the extreme rear of Elmer ’ s Cove to shoot some final scenes for the video we ’ d be putting together .
It looked pretty bassy in the back of the cove and Wes was fooling around with a wacky rigged worm , when I spotted shad blitz out of the water amid three distinct swirls . I knew exactly what to do .
With trembling fingers , I dug a small River2Sea walking bait out of my tackle kit and tied it onto a spinning rod armed with 20 pound braid .
I fired the lure out , started walking it and a bass immediately exploded on it . By the time , I landed and released that 2 pound spot Wes was at my side .
“ Put on a popper ,” I told him as a bass boiled on the walking bait and I had a second two pounder struggling on the end of my line .
Wes ’ s white popper got slammed almost as soon as it hit the water and so it went .
We ’ d get a few blow ups , the bait would move and we ’ d have to wait for the bite to develop again . I don ’ t know how many bass we ended catching . I do know it ’ s the only time I can recall leaving a topwater bite still in progress and heading home , but that ’ s what we had to do in order to beat the traffic !
Wes was in a bigger hurry than I was , so I stopped at the Collins Lake Store for a soda and a waffle cone packed full of yummy peanut butter cup ice cream … It had been another fantastic day at Collins Lake !
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