Yep the spawn is topwater time too — for catchin’ ’em and/or findin’ ’em. Here’s a couple for ya, startin’ with the Yo-Zuri 3DB Prop:
That’s “bluegill” and “silver prism black.” FLWer Mike Surman:
> “The 3DB Prop is a bait I’ll always have tied on during the spawn. It’s a great search bait to cover a lot of water and get the aggressive bass guarding a bed to show themselves. It especially shines on grass lakes where any hole in the grass could be the home of spawners.
> “This is a great bait to really agitate spawners because it has the sound of other fish chasing fry, and also sits in place which will really trigger bites on the pause.
> “On cloudy days or where there’s more color in the water, I’ll throw the solid painted version. But when the sun is high or I have really clear water, I always use the prism finishes.
> “I typically throw this bait on a heavier rod with 50-lb
Yo-Zuri SuperBraid. I can make super-long casts this way and create a lot more action without overworking the bait because of the zero stretch in braid.”
For more pro pointers, here’s Elitist Brandon Card talkin’ ’bout fishing it:
“Matte ghost bluegill” [heart eyes emoji] and “skeleton ayu” ^. If you’re unfamiliar:
> …has a metal prop on the rear hook to provide added water displacement…a “true” waking action on water surface.
BPTer Jason Lambert on the Noi-Z:
> “When springtime rolls around and fish start ‘thinking about it,’ there’s always a topwater on my deck. The Hardcore Noi-Z is my new favorite go-to when looking for aggressive spawning bass up shallow.
> “…when I’m forced to beat the bank, I want to use a bait I can cover a lot of water with and be effective. The Noi’Z is a perfect fit for this. I can cover a lot of water, and with the waking action of this bait, if a fish is aggressive they are going to show themselves.
> “I like a wakebait because I believe bass are a bit skittish during the spawn. I want to throw a bait that will surprise them once it gets in their face rather than create noise before they actually see it.
> “The bluegill pattern is perfect this time of year because bass will become really defensive against bluegill and protect their beds. In super-clear water I like the ‘ayu’ color also.
> “I like to throw this bait on a shorter M-action rod so I can make a more accurate casts when going down the bank. Unless I’m fishing super-clear water, I’ll always fish this bait on 30-lb
green Yo-Zuri SuperBraid, but if the water’s clear then 15-lb Hybrid will get the job done and has less visibility.”
Yo-Zuri Hybrid line is a fluoro/mono combo….
A FLOATING ‘Trap? That’s right! Stop for a sec and imagine all the places you could fish a lipless crank if it didn’t sink right away:
Hahaha! Bait feels a little different than a regular ‘Trap cuz it floats, but I know you’ll get the hang of it fast.
Up top are TW-exclusive colors: “stump knocker,” “blueberry perch” and “blue shiner.” Gitcha chromes, sexy and TN shad colors here.
Is there ever a time a bass won’t eat a 3.8 Keitech Fat? Not a trick question so…nope. If you’re stick of fishing it on a jighead or want a different presentation that can move slower through the water column, the Jewel Gem Series is it. Here’s a little more on one of those, the Gem Blade 2.0:
> …features a smaller head and more-compact profile perfect for targeting finicky fish or navigating highly-pressured fisheries.
> Like all of Jewel’s Gem heads, the Jewel Baits Gem Blade 2.0 Spinnerbait is engineered and created using their proprietary “Resin Tech” over-molded injection process, which provides a super durable and perfectly balanced head design that swims and tracks true at any speed.
Key part: ANY SPEED, meaning slow too….
If you’re gonna fish a treble-hooked bait up shallow — for that matter any bait up shallow — your cast better be accurate and your hookset better be right for you…which in my opinion means it needs to be a little slower than we think it should.
Anyhow, with that in mind, here’s a couple good Alpha Angler options for you, I guess no matter what your hookset style is cuz somehow they’ve been good for everyone I’ve talked to about ’em:
TopHammer — 7′ MF — video here:
> Allowing for braid mainlines, the guides are sized larger to allow leader knots to flow seamlessly.
Slasher — 6′ 10″ MF — video here:
> From early-season jerkbaits to mid-summer topwaters, the Slasher has the perfect action to launch, work and land.
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– End of part 2 of 2 –