Bass Fishing ArticlesSmall Lures, More Fish By Jim Crowley One of the questions I get asked the most is, what is your favorite bass lure? "What I am catching fish on at the time" is my truthful response. That is when I see the smiling face change expression to one of disappointment. I always elaborate so the person knows I am not trying to keep a secret. When I was tournament fishing, I use to tell people, that there is no need for anyone to lie, simply because bass fisherman never believe your telling the truth anyway! I have always said that lures are merely tools to get a job done. Certain tools are better in certain situations. For instance, lets just talk fishing. Not science, not theories, just the idea of wanting to get more bites. We want to get a lot of bites and we want to catch a lot of fish, and not to be greedy, but we also want the opportunity at a big fish or two. In the past I have also said that fishing is, always has been and will continue to be a game of odds. The more odds we put in our favor, the more chances we have to catch fish. With that being said, the more bites we get, the more chances we have at catching fish. So lets talk more bites. There are so many options when it comes to small lures that for this article I will concentrate on crank baits. I can not recall how many times small crank baits pulled me out of a jam over the 15 plus years that I fished bass tournaments. There were numerous times I went from zero to hero by rethinking what I wanted to accomplish than picked up a rod and reel combo set up to throw small cranks and started covering water. "Covering water" is a term that is used loosely and I think that most fisherman just think, the trolling motor gets put on high and you start casting. In most cases, if this approach is the only approach you take, you will be just casting and casting, and casting. As always, time of year, weather and water conditions and forage base are critical aspects of success. Than the proper tools are applied to complete the job. Lets take a look at 3 lures that I use for panfish, largemouth and small mouth bass respectively. Understanding that once you down size your lures, not only will you have the chance at more bites, but also at more species and size of fish. The 3 lures we will discuss are all made by Yo-Zuri (www.yo-zuri.com). In order of size from tiny to somewhat tiny they are, for panfish the Aile Goby, for largemouth the L-Minnow and for small mouth (my killer crank!) the SH-60. Rods and reels used for these are simple and highly effective setups. For panfish, I use a 6-foot light action Pflueger microspin rod and President 6720 spinning reel. For large mouth and small mouth I use the same rod and reel combo. A 6’4 All-Star light action-spinning rod paired with a Pflueger Supreme 8030MG. For small crank baits and these particular rod and reel combinations, I use fluorocarbon line. 6-pound line for the blue gills and crappies and 8-pound for the large mouth and small mouth bass. I use a fluorocarbon line because, it has no stretch, which makes it highly responsive and it sinks, which gives the small lures maximum depth. Ok, that is what I use and what works for ME; if you have setups that already work for you continue to use them. The Aile Goby is a strange looking little lure. Its highly detailed etched finish is very cool and it has this independent fanned tail that wiggles constantly on the retrieve. It has a very tight action and reeled over and around tree limbs and brush piles; big crappies hammer it! But be aware, I have caught 3 pound plus largemouth on this lure. Small and big bass have inhaled it. That is why I choose to use 6-pound instead of 4- pound line. The L-Minnow has a count down sinking design. It works well on a straight retrieve. It was designed for long cast and on a proper setup, it cast like a bullet. Around boat docks and riprap banks large mouth bass will smash this 1 ¾ inch lure! But again beware; on a stop, rip, and go retrieve, I once caught a 4-pound small mouth on it! Ok, lets get to the lure I really have not talked about up and until this point in time. It has been the best small mouth crank bait I have ever used. The Hardcore Shad SH-60 is a small mouth catching machine. This 2 3/8 inch lure has a patented Tungsten Magnetic Weight transfer system (sounds cool don’t it!) and with its flex lip design has an amassing swimming action. Enough of the technical terms, fish flat out EAT IT! It dives 6-8 feet and again on the previously discuss setup is a blast to fish. Guiding clients for both large mouth and small mouth bass here in Central Illinois there are a lot of times I need to down size lures so my clients catch fish. Showing them the proper setups so they can catch more fish after we are through for the day is extremely satisfying. People are often surprised how many and sometimes how big, the fish they catch on such small lures are. All fish have to eat smaller fish to get big, so again its factoring in the odds to be not only more successful, but more consistent as well. I mentioned lures, equipment and some species of fish, but to be honest, the reason I continue to use a lot of smaller lures, when conditions call for it is simple. I want and like to catch a lot of fish, and who doesn’t. I know for a fact some of the hard core bass fisherman out there will never ever pick up a spinning rod, some may just pick it up, to move it out of the way, and for that, the rest of us are grateful. Give these or any small lures a chance. Several things will happen. You will get more bites, you will catch more fish, and you might even laugh a little more, add another fishing story to a campfire setting and add another technique to your arsenal. I also know that when you use small lures, you will catch more fish. |