9 minute read
ON TOP OF THE CALICO WORLD
ADD EXCITEMENT TO CALICO FISHING
TARGET AGGRESSIVE BASS IN THE SALT WITH A VARIETY OF UNWEIGHTED TOPWATERS
By Capt. Bill Schaefer
It’s that time of year for all calico anglers to head to the kelp beds for topwater action.
Bass are spawning now and have switched to killer mode. They will attack anything that passes in front of their noses. Schools of calicos roam the kelp and will practically go after anything you throw in the water.
A lot of fishermen will work along the outer edge of the kelp, which may be where the fish stack up from time to time, but going into the stringers can put you into some giants. I’m not talking about the stringers that are so thick there’s barely a hole in them; I’m talking about the fairly thick stringers that are all laying in a row on top. Tilt your motor slightly and drift over these stringers for nonstop action.
WATCH THE WATER
Current can make a difference when it comes to catching fish. As most calico fishermen know, you want a down-and-in current; that is, the stringers are pointing down to the south and into the beach. But an upand-in flow will work as well.
You see, the current will be pushing the baitfish into the stringers where bass are waiting to feed on them. The current will stir up the food chain no matter what direction it’s going. But if it’s slow in one area, then move on to the next, as it may be flowing correctly up or down the shoreline.
THE CHASE IS ON
Every once and a while you’ll see calicos chasing baitfish right on top of
Topwater baits, those with minimal or even no weight, are an effective and exciting way to target postspawn calico bass around kelp beds off the Southern California coast this summer. (BILL SCHAEFER)
the water’s surface. They may be up for a second, or they may be up for quite a long time. It’s worth it to try to make it over to them and take a few casts in their general direction. A lot of times the baitfish may have sunk out but the bass will still be there and ready to eat your lure.
GO WEED-FREE
So now that you’re out there, how do you fish topwater baits for calicos? Most of the time I will throw a weedless swimbait with no weight at all. I want the true topwater explosion you get when a bass comes up to gobble it on the surface. It does take some getting used to the strike, so don’t be discouraged if you miss a few of them. Once you get the hang of it you will not want to put this rod down.
If there are a lot of stringers in your favorite area, your first cast should be across them at a 90-degree angle. Bass are under these stringers and throwing your lure down the alleys will work, but I feel I get more strikes covering more stringers.
The key is, the second your casted bait hits the water, start reeling it back across the top. The lure should be on the surface or no more than an inch or two underneath it.
The lighter the jighead, the easier it is to skitter the bait across the stringers. I only pause for a second as I come off the kelp stringer and then go right back to full speed. Many times the calicos will eat it right as you approach a stringer, because they think it’s going to get away, or right after you come off of the kelp while they are tracking it.
Author Bill Schaefer’s son Bricen shows off a nice calico taken on a surface swimbait. You might miss a few early strikes, but keep at it and you’ll eventually hook up.
(BILL SCHAEFER)
THE THRILL OF THE STRIKE
When a calico explodes on your bait – and you will probably miss the first one – it is a super exciting, rattling moment that will wake you up.
I feel that jigheads with weed guards get more hookups. When reeling in the bait, keep your rod tip up at a 45-degree angle. When it gets hit, stop reeling and wait for the fish to pull your rod tip down. Then set the hook. This does take practice, but you will hook more calicos.
Even the explosions that you are sure to miss help keep the day exciting. If one bass misses the bait, go right back to reeling. Sometimes he will circle around and grab it or one of his friends will.
Light conditions can make a difference as well. Gray light first thing in the morning can bring larger fish to the surface, although I have done well all day at times. If the conditions, current and bait are right, then you should score the rest of the summer and into early fall.
When everything lines up, I won’t put my topwater rod down the entire day. I may not get quite as many bites as my fishing partner, but the explosions right on the surface make every one worth two or three times a regular catch.
A PLUG FOR SLUG BAITS
While the fast action of a topwater bait right in the thick of things is exciting, there are a few more ways to have fun fishing the surface that you may or may not have tried yet and should if you haven’t. Slug-type baits are another method to fish right on the top or just under the surface. They can be an exciting topwater bait.
Slugs are fished without a weight and aren’t rigged on a jighead. The bait will sink a tad on its own and will still give you the big toilet-flush boil or explosion when bit. Again, cast out over all the stringers and twitch the bait along, keeping the rod tip up at a 45-degree angle. Let the bass pull the rod tip down before setting the hook and then wind like mad to get him out of the weeds.
BRING SOME SWIMBAITS
The last topwater I want to tell you about is a weedless swimbait. But like the slug baits, fish them lightly weighted or – most of the time – weightless. You can use larger swimbait hooks, like my Mustad widegap hooks, without weight.
The weight of the bait will take it down a bit and make it easier to pull a big boy out of the stringers. I usually use this technique when I know there should be some big fish in an area. You need to give the calico the bait a tad longer and then set the hook on them; because of this I will use a little heavier tackle.
There are some other topwater baits you can use in sparse kelp or when the current has the pulled the stringers completely under, like glide baits, walking baits, etc. But I want you to try this method right on top. I find so many fellow anglers who just can’t believe the way I chase these bass on top, but many who have fished with me adapt quickly, and I know you will too.
Jeff Linsenbard caught a hungry calico on the surface off Point Loma in San Diego. “If the conditions, current and bait are right, then you should score the rest of the summer and into early fall,” Schaefer
RODS AND REELS
Speaking of tackle, let’s look at how to set up for this fun. I use Daiwa DXSB swimbait rods in various actions, usually 10- to 30- or 12- to 40-pound line actions. My Daiwa Lexa WN 300s are loaded with anything from 20-pound Maxima Ultragreen mono to 60-pound braid.
If you are using braid and keep missing fish, you may be pulling the bait away from them too fast. Try going to mono for a little stretch and allow a few more seconds for the fish to inhale the lure.
For bait brands, you need to have a variety. The different vibrations produced by different tails can make a difference to what bass are keying on with their lateral lines. There are so many good companies out there now, with Big Hammer, MC Swimbaits, LK Lures, Reyes Swimbaits, Yamamoto and Reebs Lures being some of my favorites. All these designers feel their tail kicks the best. And they do at different times, so you need to change if your buddy is outfishing you.
Try darker colors for early morning and then a little lighter as the day clears from the overcast skies in the morning. The best suggestion is that you fish with your favorite colors.
GET FIRED UP
I hope that you get excited about trying out this type of topwater fishing if you haven’t already. It’s fun, fast and exciting when a calico explodes on your bait.
You probably have the right equipment already if you fish for calicos, so just adapt to the suggestions I have made here and you will find it hard to put the topwater lure down if the bass are biting it. I know it is for me. CS
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