To fish weeds, especially
heavy weeds effectively with a spinnerbait, you'll probably need
a quick
retrieve and a longer arm on your spinnerbait. The longer arm
will stop more snags, and for a quicker retrieve try a tandem
or double willow bladed spinnerbait (unless the water is the
consistency of chocolate milk). The best way is to work the
edges of the weedbed, because this is where the bass will sit and
wait to ambush passing schools of minnows, which is what your
spinnerbait is supposed to represent. Retrieve speeds should
vary, it's completely up to you. I like a slower retrieve in
hotter water, and of course the opposite. After fishing the
edge as thoroughly as possible, try casting your spinnerbait
into the weed mass, ripping it over or even through the tops
of the weeds to entice active bass into biting. If there are
no active bass, you could try to helicopter the spinnerbait
into the holes in the weeds, then rip it out as fast as you can. This sometimes
provokes BIG bass into biting. If those retrieves don't work, you'll
probably be best to switch over to a different lure, like a texas rigged
plastic worm or a finesse jig.
Brush Due
to the fact that in my area there isn't that much brush to fish,
I\'m not exactly
the most skilled man on the subject, but I do know a little bit. Basically
you have two retrieves.. around over the brush, or actually bumping
through into the brush with your spinnerbait. In situations like this
you will need a strong spinnerbait that won't get all bent out of shape
when you pull bass out of the heavy cover. Terminator's series of titanium
spinnerbaits are perfect for this task, because they are incredibly
strong and always run straight, right out of the box!
Logs/Fallen
Timber/Stumps Much like
with brush, you can retrieve your spinnerbait over or around these
structures. With logs,
I find it works best to retrieve parallel to the log, that way you
cover all the possible bass in the area. With stumps I almost always
make it a priority
to bump my spinnerbait off of the stump. This stirs up oxygen/mud
from the stump and the sound itself can grab the bass' attention,
even if
he's not actively
feeding! Remember, spinnerbaits are a reaction lure, that make bass
react on impulse.
Docks Let's
face it, a dock is basically a man-made version of a fallen tree,
only wider and with
wooden legs
coming down. I find
it best to cast parallel to the dock, much like a log, and to bounce
it off the legs. For tips on which docks to fish, read my article entitled "Dock
Fishing 101."
Rocks/Boulders/Gravel
Piles Once
again, a subject I don't have lots of experience on, but I'll
try my best. For these situations, I usually just cast my spinnerbait
past the structure, and bring it right over and a medium pace.
This is usually best suited to smallmouth, who will bite the
lure
if they
are active. If they're not,
try soft plastic grubs or stop & go retrieves with a jerkbait.
These retrieves can be
adjusted to about any other type of cover you can think of... because
I sure can't think of anymore.
For drop-offs in rock, you'll probably want to try helicoptering
the spinnerbait down, or slow rolling. Or earlier in the day try
casting parallel
to the
ledge or
drop off and "rip" the spinnerbait in as fast as you
can.
This is just covering
another part of spinnerbaiting for bass. I live by the fact that
they
are the most versatile lures ever, so the spinnerbait strategy
saga is far from over! Hopefully this has helped some
of you out there!
Good luck and tight lines!
"Big
Bass" Rich Articles
By Richard Sims
