TRICKS LEARNED FROM THE TOURNAMENT TRAIL
As a kid growing up there were many weekend mornings where if I wasn’t out fishing or playing hockey, I was probably watching fishing shows on TV. In fact, I used to record them on VHS tapes that I’m sure my parents still have sitting in a box.
BASSMASTERS THE FAVOURITE
Bob Izumi’s Real Fishing Show was one of my favourites, so was the In-Fisherman but The Bassmasters TV show, which would feature a tournament somewhere across the U.S. was the one I liked the most. Most of the fishing techniques I learned as a youngster came from watching these shows.
I loved bass fishing from a young age, caught the tournament bug early and the rest is history. Today, I make my living as an angler on the Bassmaster Elite Series and get to travel all over the U.S. trying to capture this popular game fish. When I’m not out on the tournament trail, I come home to Sunset Country where I try to spend as much time on the water as I can because we have such great bass fishing and some pretty good tournaments. Here are some of the techniques that I have learned out on the road that have served me well around home.
THE NED RIG
When I first heard about the Ned rig around ten years ago, I thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever seen. Why would a stubby little straight-tailed worm be any better than the bait options we already had? I wasn’t impressed.
My first experience with the Ned rig was in 2016, a little late to the party, but since then it’s been a mainstay in my rod locker. I have won thousands of dollars with Ned. Drew Reese, a friend from Kansas who spends his summers in the Sioux Narrows area of Lake of the Woods met me at Table Rock Lake in Missouri days before I would fish a tournament on nearby Beaver Lake and he wanted to show me the Z-Man Hula StickZ, one of their Ned rig baits.
LEARNING FROM A MASTER
Reese, who fished in the first Bassmaster Classic in 1970, had been using the baits for several years and wanted me to know of their general effectiveness. We caught a bunch of fish, and I could see how much confidence he had in this bait. I used it the following week for a great finish in my tournament.
I now catch hundreds of bass each year on a Ned rig and the Hula StickZ is usually my go-to bait choice. It is a finesse presentation that I often use with a heavier jig (1/6 – 1/4 oz) to give me some level of efficiency. I want the jig to get on the bottom and do it’s thing. I’m a big fan of the Z-Man Elaztech baits because of their buoyancy, which allows the worms to stand up on the bottom, making them stand out and get more bites.
LOTS TO CHOOSE FROM
There are a bunch of different Ned-style baits out there, but the Z-Man options are the most popular and have been really productive for me.
I like to fish a Ned rig on a medium action spinning rod (G. Loomis IMX-PRO 882 NRR), with ten-pound Power Pro braid and an eight pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader attached by an FG knot. It will catch bass in all situations from shallow to deep. If you aren’t using a Ned rig yet, you need to.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CRANKBAITS
Historically, crankbaits have not been a go to bait for tournament anglers in Canada. It’s not that they don’t catch fish! In the southern U.S they are a top choice. When I first started fishing tournaments down south my crankbait fishing was a weakness. I fished events where if you weren’t “crankin”, you were probably going to be donating. I saw it firsthand so I had no choice but to add crankbaits to my arsenal.
COVERING WATER
Crankbaits are effective because they allow anglers to cover a significant amount of water, putting your bait in front of more fish. They also have a triggering quality to generate reaction strikes. The bait goes by quickly and the fish needs to make a split second decision of attacking or letting it go.
I now use crankbaits a lot more around home, particularly in tournament situations. It has helped me contact with numbers of fish and attract bigger bass.
BALSA BAITS
Most of my crankbait fishing today is done with Bagley balsa crankbaits. Balsa – a type of wood, is a popular material also used by Rapala. its high buoyancy promotes the unique action that balsa baits have. They wiggle naturally and simply catch fish.
CRANKING ROCKS
Around home, crankbaits shine around rocks. I am typically using them in shallower water, from four to twelve feet and choose my colour based on what I think the primary forage is. That’s often crayfish but on waters where baitfish are the primary forage, I’m going to go with a natural shad colour.
Crankbaits do a great job of bouncing off rocks, avoiding snags. They are great to use around snaggy areas and especially around current.
Wherever you are using them, you should try to make some contact with the bottom. Crankbaits ricocheting off the bottom is a top triggering function.
CRANKBAIT SELECTION
Favourites for bass around home are the Bagley Sunny B and the Diving Balsa B1. These crankbaits run true every time and will put fish in the boat. I fish them on a seven foot crankbait rod (I like the G. Loomis IMX-PRO 845C CBR) with 12 pound Seaguar fluorocarbon. For tournament fishing, I like to change my hooks to Gamakatsu G-Finesse treble hooks, which are extremely sharp, super strong, light wire hooks.