Basic Techniques for the LV Series of Lures from Lucky Craft
By Jeremiah
T. Bagwell
Sponsored by
Lake George Boat Rental, Slaydens Auto Repair, www.qcbassfishing.8k.com
Saga
Sports International and VR&W Ltd. Lawyers.
If you have never thrown an LV
Series lure from Lucky Craft then chances are you have missed tons of bass.
The LV Series is one of the most productive bait lines on the market.
With its baitfish
looking design and extremely loud rattles the LV Series lures can call bass
from the depths of any
lake. LV which stands for “Lipless Vibrator” is an understatement. I think this
lure should be called
the “Lipless Louder than a Dump Truck Driving Over Speed Bumps at 70mph Lure”.
This lure contains glass and brass rattles that produce a very unique fish attracting
sound.
Right out the box the LV Series
lures are effective baits that require no after market modifications.
Each bait comes standard with a high performance
split ring to ensure that the bait runs true cast after cast. It also
prevents anglers from tying their knots directly on the split in
the ring which would
cause line breakage. These spectacular lures also come from the factory
with super sharp treble hooks that can withstand the abuse from catching
hundreds
and hundreds of fish.
When selecting the color and
size of bait to use I go by a very simple rule of thumb. This rule
is just my own
personal opinion and should
not be viewed as the only “right” way to chose colors and sizes. When the sky
is overcast or the water is overly stained I tend to use a gold colored bait.
On sunny days or in clear water situations I go for a silver bait. My two favorite
colors of LV Series baits are Aurora Gold and American Shad. These particular
colors add a little bonus to the standard gold and silver baits. They appear
to have almost a holographic design that refracts light and produces multiple
colors at the same time. Three time BassMasters Classic qualifier and Lucky Craft
Prostaff member Mike Auten would tend to agree with my method for bait color
selection. While speaking with mike he told me that on cloudy days he prefers
to use painted baits that don’t offer much reflection. He said the paint itself
will refract any available light and make the bait more visible to the fish.
On sunny days mike prefers to use a chrome colored bait that will reflect the
sunlight through the water. As far as choosing which size bait to use, 99% of
the time I will throw the 7/16 ounce LV 100. If the fish seem to be a little
finicky I will then downsize to a 1/4 ounce LV 70. On days it seems only the
smaller fish will take the smaller baits or if I simply need to get the bait
down deeper on my retrieve I will then tie on a 3/4 ounce LV 500. For those of
you just starting out I would recommend buying the 7/16 ounce size. This is an
all around good size that will allow you to get comfortable with the bait and
at the same time build up your confidence level. Once you gain that all important
confidence in the bait by all means feel free to buy all three sizes in a variety
of colors.
When it comes to retrieval
speeds and techniques involved with the LV Series, I have no set
in stone formula for choosing which one to use. I simply
try one for a while and if it doesn’t produce I simply switch it up a little.
Usually I will begin with a fairly quick tempo retrieve with a few quick jerks
thrown in to
add erratic movement to the bait. I will also use what I call the “side to side” and “up
and down” retrieval methods. These techniques are as simple as their names. As
the name implies when using the “up and
down” method I will simply move my rod tip up and down at a relatively slow rate.
This will change the depth at which the bait is running just a little bit with
each movement. With the “side to side” technique I move the rod tip from my left
to my right and then back again at a slower rate. This will allow the bait to
have a little variance in its course of travel. Although these techniques seem
very minor and on the verge of being dumb, they can in fact put a lot more fish
in the livewell. The easiest way to explain my logic behind these simple methods
is to just ask yourself “when the last time was that you saw a baitfish in your
favorite lake swim in
a perfectly straight line?” Now you understand my methodology don’t you? Another
retrieval method I use is
too simply “burn” the bait through the water. There have been several cases
where I will find a warm pocket of very muddy water containing a large number
of bass.
Usually when I come across this situation, I can only get those fish to strike
the bait by casting as far as I can over the pocket and reeling the bait in
as fast as I can crank. When I mentioned that point to Mike Auten he said well
that
just goes to show you that fish are going hit what they want and not just what
they are supposed to want.
Throughout the course of
my conversation with Pro Angler Mike Auten he told me some of his
favorite techniques and times to use
the Lucky Craft LV Series lures. Mike said that the LV Series
is a great search bait because; you can cover a lot of water with
the lure. He said he likes
to fish the bait on large flats, flats that have a lot of grass
on them and a variety
of other applications. He also stated that the LV Series lures
will stay in the strike zone a lot longer than other baits. Mike
also reiterated the fact
to me
that it is very important to stay in contact with the cover you
are fishing. Whether it is grass or lay downs try to keep the bait
as close to that cover
as you can get it. It is also very important to bump the cover
as frequently as possible.
I agreed whole heartedly with
Mike Auten when he said that in
his opinion the LV Series of baits from Lucky Craft is a great
bait even for beginners.
This series of lures is easy to use and will catch an abundance
of fish. Give this bait a try and I am positive you will soon find
yourself in bass fishing
heaven.
More Articles By Jeremiah
T. Bagwell