Bass Fishing Rigs

The Last entry in the Bass Fishing series

A couple of popular rigs are the Drop Shot and the Wacky Rigs which are essentially the same, except for a difference in attaching the plastics. Two other fishing rig set ups, are the 'Texas' and 'Carolina' Rig. All are for bait fishing with soft plastics.

Drop Shot Rig 

This is tied right on the fishing line itself. To tie this rig, I stretch out about 18 inches or so of my line, maybe even an inch or so more. Right at 18 inches, I will double the line over on itself. Then, using a 1, or a 1/0 hook, I slide my folded over line through the eyelet of the hook and then tie the loop back over the line, don't worry about the excess or about cinching it tight just yet. Once my loop that I ran through my hook's eyelet has been tied around the line above the hook, I slip the excess loop over the hook and now  cinch the entire thing up tight. The hook is now suspended roughly 18 inches from the end of my line. I tie on a drop shot weight on the end of that line (18 inches below my hook)  and the rig is ready to fish except for my plastic. I insert through the nose of the plastic worm I've chosen and this allows my worm to swivel back and forth to entice a Bass.

Wacky Rig 

The set up is really not wacky, as it is made up exactly like the Drop Shot Rig. It's just in how I attach the plastic to the hook for a completely different presentation. After I've made up my rig, instead of hooking my plastic through the nose for that 'swimming' action, I hook it through the middle of the worm. This creates a completely different presentation, because the worm no longer looks as if it's swimming, but flopping a bit as the rig falls to the bottom. I fish this set up, either as it's going down or coming back up, depending upon 'how' I'm generating strikes.

Texas Rig 

I start by sliding a slip sinker (the size depends upon the lure I'm going to use) just by inserting the line through the small end first and sliding it on the line. Then, using a 2 or 3/0 hook and tie it on the line using the same method as the Drop Shot Rig. It's a really simple and secure knot. For the plastic, I insert it about a 1/4 inch back of the nose and then shove that all of the way up the hook. Once I reach the end of the hook, I simply bury the tip of the hook in my plastic, creating a weed guard for my hook. It affords me the ability to drag through heavy cover without snagging.

Carolina Rig 

I use an egg sinker for this one, a bead a swivel and a 12-18 long leader. I start by sliding the egg sinker on first then the bead (as a shock insulator for the swivel) and then I tie on a swivel. Now the bead helps absorb some of the shock from the weight sliding back and forth. All of the knots I tie are the same as they are strong and reliable. The knot is called a 'Palomar Knot' and it works great. At this stage, I'm half done as I now have to tie on a hook. I use a good 6 or 8 lb test leader and I tie about 12-18 inches of it to my swivel. Now I'm ready for a hook, and once again I use a 2 or 3/0 hook tying it on using the same method I've talked about. I hook my plastic on exactly like I talked about with the Texas Rig making it a weed guard style hook. Now, when I toss my line over the side, the egg sinker slides up and down and my plastic has a resistance free presentation when a Bass strikes.

That's it, the four set ups for plastics.Thanks for reading and I'll see you on the trail--

Bass Fishing in the Spring - Mighty Bite Lures are my choice

What to use in the spring

Everyone has their favorite rig for catching Bass, and I'm no different. I like to put something in the water, that will number one, xxcite the fish. Number two, it will excite them enough to trigger the 'strike' mode. Some folks prefer plastics. Truth is, what you use is dependent upon the water, it's clarity, it's temperature and it's depth, time of day, etc.

If it's muddy and you're fishing in the daylight? Use brightly colored baits (we'll get to what 'kind' of bait in a bit) but if the water is clear, you can fish the clock around. I fish from midnight to dawn. (the time of moonrise and moon set) In the spring, Bass will move to the shallower waters to feed, mostly on sunfish and on crawfish especially. Really, they are opportunistic fish and will strike about anything if they are hungry and will feed in shallow waters. 

I'm always alert for the spawning beds or areas with a lot of cover and fish in there with a top bait. With the spawn over, the Bass will begin feeding heavily on any bait fish. Take advantage.

 
To catch the big ones, I have learned that the bigger and clunkier the bait? The better the Bass will strike. (I found this out during a Striped Bass derby in Arizona) Bass will strike at most anything that resembles food to them. One rig I use for this is the Mighty Bite Lure. Fish work off five main senses. Sight, (looks like a wounded bait fish) sound (the rattles) smell, (scent sticks) feel (the lure even feels like a bait fish) and taste (again, the scent stick will draw them in)

It's a complete system that's proven to be effective on most any predatory fish, Bass included. The lure set up comes complete with everything I need, including various sizes and many interchangeable parts. What that means to you and I, is that I can change the scent stick or swim fins to create more or less scent being left in the water and what type of movement I want from my lure.

The Mighty Bite kit even contains hooks with weed guards for thick cover or for fishing on, near or along the bottom.

The lure itself looks and acts like a wounded bait fish (easy prey for a 'dinner minded' Bass) I have to say, that the overall setup can drive the fish crazy.  

If fished right for the conditions, this lure will generate that DNA triggered  'strike mode'  I spoke of earlier. Bass strike hard on this lure.

It's a complete system with simple easy to read instructions on how to use.......and fish the Mighty Bite System.

Next up:  The Texas and Carolina Bass rigs. Which is best and how to set each one up.

Bass Fishing in Texas

When to fish

As a point of discussion,  to give you an idea of the size of the state of Texas. When measured in miles: (from the state of Oklahoma on the north to the border with Mexico on the south), is 801 miles. Now, the mileage across the state (From New Mexico on the west to Louisiana on the east) is 773. 

All of this means that Texas has a land and water mass of 267,277 square miles. That translates into Texas occupying right at 7 percent of the total land and water mass in the United States!  I'm not telling you this for bragging rights, just to describe it's vast size in comparison to the number of lakes available for Bass fishing.

To be honest, there are just too many lakes in Texas to pick one over the other, so with that in mind, we're going to talk specifically of how to fish when fishing these lakes.

 
Bass are kind of just like people, they don't like it when it's hot. So Bass try to fool us by leaving their normal spots, when the water temps are above 85.  They will wait until after dark to feed. 

In fact many folks consider night fishing as the only way to catch Bass in the summertime. Believing since Bass prefer water temps around 65 or 70 degrees that fishing is normally best in the spring (after the spawn when bait fish begin to school) and fall (when the water temps fall and shad begin to migrate). Simple fact is, you can start night fishing at most any time. Even as early as January or as late as August in Texas.

Again, the spring and fall offer a good time to Bass fish because of the water temps. But really, it's the bait fish that draw Bass out, regardless of the time of year.  While it's true that the spring and the fall offer the best fishing, it doesn't mean that's the only Bass fishing times. It just means it's the "easiest."

If you are fishing for Bass in the summer, there are some simple things to do to ensure your success. Like finding the deepest parts of the lake. As usual, look for the cover on the bottom, trees, rocks, etc. Great spots for the big boys to hide. Fish later in the day or even after dark and most of all, have an assortment of baits and lures to use for night fishing.

Next up: We are going to talk about some of those lures and setups.