Bassmaster.com – Pro Spective:
A NEED FOR A NEED FOR SPEED!
(say above 60 degrees) and the skies are overcast, a spinnerbait or buzzbait might be the right choice. But if wind is blowing directly into the area, creating a chop, that could eliminate the buzzbait and significantly improve your odds with the spinnerbait.
SPEED!
Cooler temperatures or bright skies might require a deeper running lure, like a crankbait – billed or lipless. And if you’re dealing with cover that’s too thick for hard baits, then a fast moving soft-plastic might be the better choice – such as a Texas-rigged Yamamoto Speed Senko.
Keep in mind, certain crankbaits can be plowed through brush, stranding grass or lily pad stems at high rates of speed. By: Bernie Schultz Most often, the lure will deflect off the cover n tournament fishing, time is money. high-speed winding throughout the course rather than becoming snagged. That’s And any method that can produce quality of a day... or, in some cases, multiple days. particularly true for large profile crankbaits, like Shimano’s Macbeth series. fish in a hurry is of huge advantage, Their full-bodied profiles allow them to especially when you’re dealing with large bodies of water.
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One technique that’s perfectly suited for such demands is the high-speed retrieve. Not only does this method cover water quickly, with the right lures, it can trigger even the most reluctant fish to strike. All that’s needed is the proper situation and an angler with a need for speed.
THE RIGHT TOOLS Obviously not all lures are suitable for super-fast retrieves. Those that are include crankbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and certain soft-plastics. The requirements are simple: the lure must be able to maintain balance and direction at a high rate of speed. If it loses its track or balance on acceleration, then it’s not going to be very effective. With today’s advances in technology, many lures run true at high speeds right out of the box – no tuning required. We also have the advantage of super high ratio reels, which are perfect for fast retrieves. My choices include Shimano’s Chronarch, Bantam and Metanium casting reels paired to various Expride rods. These reels come in a range of retrieve ratios, high speeds included. And with higher ratios, fewer turns of the reel handle result. That, in turn, reduces fatigue, which is huge when you consider the amount of effort involved with constant
While faster reels and truer running lures may provide the proper tools, an angler must still be able to recognize the right situations for applying them. Here are a few scenarios that might help. tumble through cover, avoiding potential snags. And it’s that intermittent contact with grass, rock or wood that drives bass crazy. In fact, most strikes will occur just as the lure breaks free, in a sudden burst of speed. The same is true when a fast moving lure deflects off a dock piling or cypress knee. Fish can’t stand it. Simply by impulse, they’re The Right Stuff forced to react. And it seems the faster the Bass relating to shallow vegetation, flooded lure is moving, the more forceful the strike. brush, or riprap banks can provide the BURNING UP BASS perfect set up. Depending on the prevailing conditions, one of several lure types could Years ago, while fishing in a BASS event apply: If the water is reasonably warm on the Potomac River, I was getting lots of (Continued on page 16.)
Just Fishing . 14
Fall 2023
