We've all been down that road more than a few times as the hands on our watches tick down toward weigh-in time. "What to do?" is the $64,000 question we all would like the answer to. Frantically running around the lake or river isn't ever a viable option. And, let's face it: Hoping for blind luck isn't a very good strategy, either. In reality, we need something more...like a magic kicker bait.
Found an item by Ed Harp here recently, in which he had interviewed three bassin' legends...Bobby Gentry, Ish Monroe, and Bill Lowen...and asked what they use to, as Larry the Cable Guy says, "gitter done." Following is how they each responded to that question.
"When I really need a big largemouth for a tournament, I reach for the DD22," said Gentry, who calls Dale Hollow Lake his home water. "I nearly always throw a shad pattern that'll match the local forage. There's really nothing better for deep largemouths. It gets down quick, forces reaction bites from neutral bass, and is big enough to get the attention of heavyweights."
Gentry's approach is simple enough. He locates drops, ledges, stumps, rocks, or shell beds in 15 to 25 feet of water and then cranks them from every angle imaginable and with every technique known to man. Basically, he circles his spot and brings his bait back slow and fast, steady and with jerks, bouncing off everything in the area until he finds what they want.
"I use the 10 1/2-inch Zoom Old Monster Worm whenever largemouths are shallow," he continued. "I fish it on a Carolina rig with a half-ounce sinker, a couple of beads, and a 3-to-4-foot leader. The idea is to get something that'll attract big fish and that can be worked through stumps, rocks or weeds. This bait is perfect for that style of fishing. Any color will do, so long as it's plum."
Gentry's favorite technique is to pull the worm along, while allowing it to float up a bit and then slowly settle back to the bottom. Most of his strikes come while the bait is lying motionless on the bottom. He cautions anglers not to be in a hurry, regardless of what the clock says.
If the situation calls for a big smallmouth ASAP, Gentry turns to a Texas-rigged Brush Hog or Baby Brush Hog.
"I can't tell you how many smallmouths between 3-and-a-half and 5 pounds I've caught just dragging or hopping one in green pumpkin or watermelon on the end of a main lake point," said Gentry.
There's nothing fancy here. Just use a heavy enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom and move it along until you get a bite. The idea is to show lethargic smallmouths something different, something they've never seen before. Despite the popularity of this lure, few giant smallies ever have seen one, especially one that's Texas-rigged. Take advantage of that. If they aren't in the mood for a Brush Hog, go back to the DD22.
"Don't believe that smallies always want a small lure with a finesse presentation," Gentry noted. "That's one of the biggest myths in bass fishing. Some of my best brown bass bags have come off my old DD22. They'll kill it when the bite is on."
"This is my go-to bait when I need a big bass, and the fish are reasonably shallow," he said. "It's got a lot of bulk and can be worked through the nastiest stuff in the lake...the stuff where giants live. I try to keep it in the strike zone as long as possible and change my retrieve from quiet to noisy as necessary. Color is optional. Pick one you like and then change if necessary."
Take note: Monroe is talking about big bass waters. He isn't fishing for bass less than 5 pounds, and a lot of times, even one that big won't do him any good. He wants a serious bass and is willing to fish a long time for one big bite.
"If the bass are a little deeper, and there's no topwater bite," said Monroe, "I'll almost always go with a Jerry Rago Swimbait. There's nothing on the planet as natural-looking, or as versatile, for a big fish. You can fish them shallow or deep, fast or slow, and around almost any kind of structure or cover."
In the spring and fall, or anytime they're releasing trout, Monroe throws a rainbow trout pattern in the same size as the fish they're releasing. Beyond that, his primary goal is to match the prevailing forage. Swimbaits are not reaction baits; they mimic natural forage.
"If I need a largemouth kicker at the end of the day on a Midwest or Northern lake or river," he said, "I'll be pitching and flipping. My lure choice will be a 1/4- or 3/8-ounce D&L Jig in black and blue, with a matching Tightline UV Beaver as a trailer. I'll toss it into the heaviest stuff I can find, no matter if it's grass, wood, rock, or a combination of some or all of them. My goal is to get inside places where other anglers either can't or won't go and find the bass they missed."
That combination will allow his presentation to work its way down fast enough to get a reaction bite but slow enough to give the fish a good chance to get it in the heavy cover he's fishing.
"When I want to catch a big smallie," said Lowen, "I go with a big Brass 'n' Blades double willowleaf spinnerbait. The blades should be at least Nos. 4 and 5, but 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 are even better. My colors are standard, chartreuse or white."
This lure will allow Lowen to fish almost anywhere. It'll handle weeds and grass, as well as rock and wood, and will withstand the abuse monster bass routinely dish out.
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