Herman Kunz-Fish Illinois:“CLICKER RIG”BASS LURE

FISHIL The “Clicker Rig” Bass Lure Is This the Next Super Bass Rig? By Capt. Herman Kunz

Bass baits! If I had to count them all I would have to take off my shoes and socks to just come close to the number of baits, and the ways to catch bass that are on the market today, and then I would need four feet! Well, every time I think I know every way that there is to hook the wily bass a better mouse, or shall we say bass trap comes along.

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This time it’s the “Clicker Rig.” If I hadn’t seen it, and done it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe that there are still new innovations that are different and more tantalizing to Mr. Bass, than the ones already beating the bassy waters to a froth. Crankbaits, Jigs n pigs, spinnerbaits, Texas rigs, drop shot rigs, Carolina rigs, I’m sure I’ve missed a dozen or more, but that’s all right.

Now along comes the “Clicker Rig.” Since it was designed right here in Illinois maybe it should be called the “Illinois rig.” In any case it catches fish...BIG fish! First of all, you must understand, I am not a bass fisherman in the true sense of the word. I am a fish fisherman. If the bass are not biting, the crappie rigs come out. If the crappies are not biting, bluegills are OK with me. I am not real fussy. I might draw the line at carp. But then even that is questionable.

I just love to catch fish, and I’ll use any (legal) means possible to do so. Big fish are a bonus. Here enters the “Clicker Rig.” On my first outing using this rig I shocked even myself. Usually I’m pretty thick skinned and don’t get impressed too easily. I caught five for seven on bass in just three hours of fishing. Not bad, but no big deal, until you realize that the runt of the catch weighed in at a little over three and a half pounds. That is scale weight, not “it looks like.” The biggest bass was just over five pounds. This is the same body of water that I have fished for three or four years and the occasional three pounder was cause for excitement. I never before had put together a string of five bass that weighed in at over twenty pounds in that short of a time.

Then again, like I said, “If they don’t come easy, I fish for something else.” I like the “jerk” at the end of the line. (No wise cracks here please!) Was this a fluke? Did I just get lucky? Or did I really stumble onto something. I had to find out.

Aweek later I tried the “Clicker Rig” again. This time the catching was not as good...But! I had five bass on the line, two of which I never saw and three that made an encore appearance by leaping out of the water and staying visible just long enough for me to see that these three fish were all in the three pound plus range. They gave me the middle fin just before plunging back into the depths, free of any encumbrances like hooks or lines. I probably should have set the hook harder instead of just sitting there in awe.

This venture was in just two hours of fishing. Now I’m excited! These weren’t just tap, taps, but honest to goodness slam bams! The last test was on a day when fishing was to put it mildly, rotten. Hardly anyone I spoke to had any fish at all. This day I boated seven fish and although they were all “short fish,” but one, it was five more than anybody else had gotten a look at.

So just what is this magic rig that makes fish appear out of now where? You make it yourself! It is simple and easy to rig, you just need a few items, most of which should be in your tackle box.

First add a Lindy-Little Joe bobber stopper to your line. It can be adjusted up or down and eliminates the damaged line you can get by pegging...and no, you won’t be using a bobber, second use a bullet weight appropriate to the depth of the water that you are fishing in. To me the smallest weight that you can get by with, the better off you will be. Most of my fishing/experimenting was done with 1/16th and 1/8th ounce bullet weights, although on the worst day, I was using a 1/4 ounce weight. Next slide onto your line a 3/16th inch chartreuse bead, when you look at this rig, the bead actually looks like an eye as it snuggles into the hollow of the weight. My beads are plastic. Glass would probably work if you can find them. Next, tie on a # 3 or # 4 Daiichi Bleeding Bass Bait Hook. Finally, to the hook I’ve been using a six-inch Texas rigged Berkley pumpkinseed colored Power Worm. That is all there is to the rig. By moving the bobber stopper up or down an eighth of an inch or so from the weight you can make this rig click in different cadences against the bead. Up close you get sort of a rattle, moved away a bit you get more of a tap, tap. I usually kept mine about a 1/6th of an inch from the weight. It worked for me. As far as the line itself is concerned I like using Spider Wire in the 6/30 weight. I have at times, since using this rig when faced with clear water conditions, have tied on a two or three foot leader of Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon. Here I think personal taste comes into play, use the line that you are comfortable with. What makes it work? Is it the “clicking” that provokes the strike? Is it the beady eye looking back at the fish? Is it the “Bleeding Bait Hook” that simulates an injured meal? Or is it the Berkley Power Bait that by design, is made to attract the bite of a hungry fish? I don’t know! All I do know is that since I have been using this exact combination, my bass fishing success has gone up a thousand percent. You can try experimenting with different colored beads or worms, but for my money, it’s the rig that “keeps gettin bitten, while it keeps on clickin!!” Try it, you might like it!!!

Big bass, like the one shown here, can be more readily caught by using the “Clicker Rig” method of fishing, while pursuing big bass on your favorite bass waters.