Something Different for Finicky Bass

When I got out of the skin doctor's office today, I came home and started checking the Internet for something new to work up for my blog...but that wasn't before the doctor took his proverbial pound of my flesh. Was going there for him only to dig a bit deeper in a cancer spot he found a couple weeks ago on the back of my right arm. As it worked out, though, he found a couple new spots close to the original one and wouldn't let me go until he had taken biopsies from both of those, too. At least, I'm not in any pain, and that's all that really matters.

In any event, I hadn't much more than started looking around the Internet until I happened across an item that mentioned "spybaiting" in the headline. Given what we've seen in the news here recently about China's big spy balloon that got shot down, I couldn't resist giving it a read.

As it turned out, the article had nothing to do with China or any balloons. Instead, spybaiting refers to a finesse technique designed to help you catch more fish.

Unlike most finesse presentations, however, which usually involve slow bottom-fishing tactics, spybaiting is done with a simple minnow-shaped bait with small in-line propellers that spin when the lure is retrieved. The technique originated in Japan some years ago around the famous Lake Biwa, known for its ultra-clear water and heavily pressured fish.

The angler simply ties on a lipless jerkbait-type hard bait with a propeller at each end, makes a long cast with light line...usually fluorocarbon...and allows the bait to sink ever so slowly. It can be fished throughout the water column and features a subtle rocking motion from side to side when retrieved...preferably with a spinning reel. It's the subtle shimmy at slow speeds that makes it irresistible to bass of all varieties.

A spybait might look like a type of lure you'd reel quickly, or that needs some additional action, but the opposite is true. It seems to produce in most any situation, as long as the water is relatively clear, though there are some times it really excels. For example, it's quite effective for targeting suspended bass, no matter the species. Be aware, however, that there are different approaches for targeting the different species.

When it comes to targeting largemouth bass, Jason Lambert finds value in fishing a spybait anytime the water cools off in the Tennessee River. He doesn't hesitate to pick up one of these baits when the water temp gets down around the low 50s or colder and the fish won't chase a jerkbait.

"Working suspended fish is where it works best," he said. "You just have to figure out what depth they are sitting in and count the bait down and work it slow from there.

"The majority of the bites come on the fall," he continued. "The key is to find a spybait that has a balanced, flat fall to it. A slow, subtle drop will help trigger bites. Of course, you catch some while reeling, but I think most of them hit it as it falls toward the school."

Lambert reaches for a 7-foot, medium-action Duckett Micro Magic Pro spinning rod and 8-pound-test fluorocarbon for working picky largemouths. While he has used several different spybaits, he says the Duo Realis Spinbait 80 is his favorite.

The late Aaron Martens (left) had a little different take on the spybait than Lambert. He acknowledged that the period from prespawn to late fall was the prime time but said, "It works all year, as long as the water has at least a few feet of visibility.

"Spybaiting shines on days when it's too calm to throw a jerkbait," added Martens, "and works great when the fish are scattered because it's a finesse reaction bait that you can use to cover water.

Like Lambert, Martens normally threw the spybait on a spinning rig, spooled with light fluorocarbon. However, if the water wasn't gin clear, Martens advocated that you could "get away with braid to a fluorocarbon leader."

Though spybaiting is a niche technique, it's still a heavily underutilized technique, and many anglers still haven't experimented with it enough to realize its potential. That's a good thing for anyone willing to give it a go as the water cools off each season, because it just might be the ticket to getting stubborn suspended bass to commit when nothing else works.