Hot Baits and Techniques for Largemouth

Hot Baits and Techniques for Largemouth
By Bob Popp

Living around some of the best smallmouth fishing in the world we often forget that we have access to some great largemouth fishing as well. Sandy Pond, Redfield Reservoir, Sodus Bay and Port Bay just to name a few of our waters that offer great largemouth fishing. There are numerous baits and techniques that can be used for bucket mouths; lets take look at some of the ways to put the odds in your favor of landing more and bigger largemouth this year.
Soft Stick Baits: It seems every few years a bait comes out that takes anglers by storm. In the eighties the Gitzit (tube bait) came on the scene and really wasn't accepted by largemouth anglers until Professional Angler Denny Brauer won the 1998 Bassmasters Classic using a black neon tube bait. Then in the late eighties to early nineties the first generation of soft stick baits called the Sluggo became a huge hit with bass anglers. It wasn't until the late nineties that the second generation of soft stick baits hit the market. This genre of soft stick baits was fashioned in the shape of an ink pen commonly called a "Senko". When you first look at these baits you may say, "How can this nothing looking bait be effective?" That is until you see this bait work its magic in the water. It sways back and forth as it sinks slowly to the bottom. This seductive action is what drives bass crazy.
Many companies manufacture "Senko" type baits. One of my favorites is the Kidz Stick made by Kid Lizard Bait Company. The Kidz Stick is 5.25" long and comes in many different colors. There are many ways to rig and fish these baits. One of the most common rigging methods is Texas style. Using a 4/0-5/0 wide gap hook like those made by Daiichi and Xpoint. Insert the hook point about 3/8" into the nose of the bait. Poke the hook out the belly, twist the hook 180 degrees, let the hook rest along the side of the bait, estimate the spot on the bait where the hook will go straight through the bait so the hook point will rest in the slot on the top of the bait. Rigged in this manner the bait can now be fished in the thickest cover you can find without the fear of snagging.

Another popular method of rigging these baits is to rig them "wacky" style. This is extremely easy to do, using a "catch and release wacky hook" by Daiichi run the hook point through the center of the bait and let it dangle on each side of the hook. This can be deadly at times.
There are many points of view regarding whether to use a "Bleeding Bait Hook" or a black nickel finish. A few years ago when the "Bleeding Bait Hooks" appeared on the market many anglers thought they were just another passing fad, where as in reality they flat out produce! They work great when paired with a bait of contrasting color like white or chartreuse that is not to say you should limit your selection to using them with just those colors. I have switched over to using "Bleeding Bait Hooks" with about 75% of my fishing; they make that much of a difference! What I will do, is to have two rods rigged with identical baits; one rigged with a "Bleeding Bait Hook" the other with an Xpoint black nickel finish and let the bass tell me which one they prefer.
As for the color of the bait, I try to keep that as simple as possible. This is not to say that color does not make a difference because it does. My favorite colors are green pumpkin and Junebug. A good rule of thumb is to use natural colors in clear water and bright flashy colors in stained water.
Spinnerbaits: The first generation of spinnerbaits appeared on the market in the late 1800's. Today spinnerbaits sit at the top of the list of favorite baits to find and catch largemouth bass.
Over the years we have seen much advancement in spinnerbaits. Everything from titanium to tungsten has been introduced to improve them. So what else could manufacturers do to improve an already productive lure? Secret Weapon Lures have found a way!

Spinnerbaits are without a doubt the most versatile baits an angler could use. Until now anglers had to carry a variety of spinnerbaits with different blade configurations to match the conditions they may face on the water. Secret Weapon Spinnerbaits now enable an angler to change blade configurations quickly and easily. They feature the no tool, quick change blade attachments enabling an angler to make blade changes without tying on a different spinnerbait.
I have been a spinnerbait fan for many years and one of my favorite techniques is to burn the spinnerbait just under the surface and the problem I faced with most spinnerbaits is that at high speeds the bait has a tendency to roll over on it's side, Secret Weapon has solved that problem for me along with allowing me to be even more versatile on the water.
Basically spinnerbaits resemble nothing in nature so what you are trying to do is create an illusion to the bass; this is when the color and blade configuration come into play. As for color selection there are a couple of factors to consider: one being water clarity and the other being the light conditions. For example when it is sunny and you are fishing clear water a natural color like baby bass or Tennessee Shad would be excellent choices or when fishing stained water a brighter color like Chartruese Shiner would be advantageous. But remember that these are just general rules use these then expand your selection from there.
The color and shape of the blade is also something you should consider when fishing spinnerbaits. Secret Weapon Spinnerbaits come in several different shapes and color of blades. Silver blades work well in clear water as gold blades produce well in stained water, color blades would be a good choice in muddy water. Sometimes though it pays to go against these rules for example, many anglers use a chartreuse spinnerbait with chartreuse blades for smallmouth; this configuration can also be great for largemouth as well.
Besides appealing to the vision of a bass, different blades create a vibration that attract bass as well. Colorado and Turtleback shaped blades create the most vibration making them a great choice for stained water or attracting fish in heavy cover. Willowleaf and Indiana blades create the least amount of vibration; these are great choices for fishing clear bright conditions.
Secret Weapon Spinnerbaits enable an angler to make adjustments very easily without carrying tons of baits out on the water. Best advise, experiment and see what works for you. For more information and read further about baits and techniques for largemouth visit www.lakeontariooutdoors.com.
Bob Popp, professional bass fisherman from Minetto, NY is a radio and TV show host. You can e-mail Bob at: Bob@BassChamp.com, his website is www.basschamp.com.