A FISHING GUY|FISHING OVER SKY

A wight less 6″ senko or tiki man brand finesse worm in a natural worm color, with a 2 to 3 inch red hook, for summertime bass. This bait have worked wonders for me when all else fails, it’s a great bait for summer, and during the spawn, and the reason for 6″ is because if they don’t hit it just bite a half inch off and keep going until you get to the length the want it at. to fish it, let it sink for bout 30 seconds and twitch it ever 5, this is great when fish pressured bass in heavy cover.

As for hooks, I like a thin wire hook by eagle claw weed less or true turn, so you can penetrate the fishes mouth more easily. I always carry around with me some Carolina Lunker Sauce Freshwater Pro-Series Fish Attractant, for that extra bite, and so should you!

The drop shot is technically one of the most simple rigs in bass fishing, but it’s also the most mis-tied rigs that I have seen. Everybody gets the hook above the sinker part of it, but not many are aware of the small, subtle aspects of the rig.

I’ve seen some people tie the hook on with knots other than the Palomar Knot (the only one that actually works with this rig unless you have the Stand-Out drop-shot hooks). I’ve seen people fishing rigs other than the drop-shot in situations where it would be perfect, and when I point that out, they say they’re simply unsure of how to tie and work the rig.

I might not be the “Guru” of the drop-shot, but I have read articles and watched DVDs which explained how to master it, and used it in competition with excellent results in the past. In this editorial, I’ll try to help you learn a trick or two about tying and working the drop-shot rig.

OK, first off I start with 10 lb test clear line, a 1/4 oz drop-shot weight (with pinch clip swivel), 1/0 EWG hook, and a 4″ Tournament Edge grub

As for rod/reel combo, I use a 6′ medium-light action rod, matched to a 20-series spinning reel. I opt for the smaller, lighter action rod due to this being a vertical presentation so casting far isn’t an issue and the light action ensures that the rod gives a little on the hit so the bass doesn’t spit the bait too quickly.

To start, you run the line down through the hook eye.
Make sure the loop for your Palomar Knot (the only knot a drop-shot can be tied with unless you have Stand-Out hooks) will allow for a 6-12″ tag end (dropper). Then tie your Palomar Knot.

After you’ve tied the Palomar Knot, you’ll notice that the hook does not stand-out so that the bait is held at a 90 degree angle to the line so that fish can easily be hooked. To fix this, you simply run the tag end (dropper) back around and down through the hook eye one more time.

Now, as you can see, the line is more straight, and the hook stands out. Also you’ll notice that I pulled the knot through the hook eye, and it is now under the hook eye.

Attach the drop-shot weight by putting the line through the pinch clip swivel on the weight and gently pulling the line into the narrow section. Be careful not to break the line.

Put soft bait on hook Texas-style as to avoid snagging bottom debris. I very rarely use an exposed hook point and a traditional drop-shot hook, just because you can never be positive there’s not a tree or rock down there just waiting to take your tackle.

As for where and when you use the drop-shot rig, there are very few times and places it doesn’t work. The main question you need to ask yourself is, “Is this the best technique to get to the fish under these conditions?”

In the Winter to early Spring, it’s great to use on deep points and humps. Pre-spawn it’s good to use on the first deep break (12-30′) near spawning areas. During the spawn it’s very effective since you can shake it in a bed all day long and drive the bass crazy. Post-spawn you can work that same first break near the spawning area. In Summer I would stick to main-lake humps and points. In the Fall I would again stick to main-lake humps and points, because the active fish will be up shallower and faster moving baits like spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and topwater would be more efficient to use.

One key thing to remember is, if you’ve got your drop-shot rig in a spot where you’re pretty sure the bass are, you don’t have to move it back towards the boat. You can just sit there and shake your rod tip while letting the weight keep the rig in place.

Now you know how to tie it on, and where and when to use it. Go out there and catch some big Summer bass and send me the photos for the newsletter. I hope this helped you to expand your bass arsenal.

If if these fails than move on over to live bait, bream and shade work well, live bait continually brings nice trophy bass to the boat, bring some worms and tiny hooks so you can catch bait, it’s also a good idea to bring a scoop net so you can catch minnows. Feed ‘em meat!!

“`good catchin“`

7″ zoom “wacky worms” with a “wacky hook.”

dark green tubes.

storm wildeye swim shad – bluegill or perch color.

in the evening a good spot is somewhere right along a weedline. also, believe it or not, the majority of the bass we catch come off the dock. so you could have luck either way.

zoom zlukes

i dont really care for plastics, but if i had to choose, i would say a fake worm. in the evining when bugs are out, use a top water lure, like a hula popper. or just use a bobber, but during the hotter parts of the day fish near the bottom

Don’t over complicate things on small bodies of water.

I’d grab a half dozen 1/8oz, half dozen #2 or 3 hooks, a bag of 6″ Red Shad worms, and a pair of plyers and keep them all in one of my pants pockets. You can fish all day like that.

Hopefully the pond will be away from wood, weeds, and anything other thing that prevents you from fishing a sizable portion of the lake.

Just spend a few hours and fish your way around the lake. Make a few throws into some grass, then around some logs, etc. Normally if it looks like a place a fish will be, there will be one there. If you catch a fish, throw it right back into the same spot and really work the area. It’s not uncommon to catch a half dozen bass right in the same spot.

Just go and “play around”

I like the 4″ plastic lizards on a 1/0 worm hook and a split shot to get it down. 4″ is a good size and all size bass, bluegill & crappie hit the lizard. Try fishing under the dock to catch the fish hanging around the dock first. Bass like the cover docks provide. Have a great time!!!

Super Fluke. Fish it weightless. Throw it out, let it sink for a 10 count, twitch it twice, reel in the slack, count 5, twitch, count 7, reel in the slack, count 12, twitch…Watch for your line to start moving because the bass will simply pick it up and take it.

Dock are good places to fish, but if you can fish from a boat and throw under the dock you’ll have better success. Wherever you fish, look for structure like rocky points, deep rocks, trees, boat docks, weed beds. Predatory fish like bass hide there waiting for smaller prey to come by so they can ambush it.

texas rig a super fluke or a senko-type bait.

you can wacky rig the senko too for great results.

depending on time of day and season, usually dark colors work better than bright, but make sure there are flakes in any color you use. bass are not blind like most fisherman think…. lures are sold to catch the fishermans eye not the fishes. just a little flake to reflect the sun light will do. when fishing murky waters brighter colors may work better but not to much bright color, i like a bright tail but not the whole warm. WORK IT SLOW. if you work a worm fast past a bass and he is not hungry he will not hit it, if worked slow it gives him time to think about it… usually resulting in more strikes. if your fishing from shore try to find some structure or steep drops. if you can find a rocky shore line that drops within casting distance at 6ft. more towards the evening the fish will move into shallow water 1 to 4 feet with lillys, weeds, rocks, wood, anything they can hide around or under. work the same methods around these structure.