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My Confidence Bait-by Tommy (Fishin Bucky) Richardson |
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| Over the past year or so, I devoted myself to finding that special lure that has all the qualities of a confidence bait. Through my research and experimenting, I have found that very lure, the Weedless Bass Jig. I’ll flip it, pitch it, cast it, swim it, or any thing else I can think of. Whenevr I’m getting ready to go fishing, the first box I pull up to look through is always my jigs. From 3/16oz to 1/2oz, I’ll throw one sometime during the day. Ever since I caught my first fish on a jig, I was “hooked”. There are many uses and situations for jigs to excel in. Here, this might help more. Flipping & Pitching- I use both Baitcasting and Spinning for this. I like to use 3/8-1oz jigs for most flipping and pitching needs. I flip with Medium-Heavy Baitcast gear and 17-25lb test Mono. The thicker the cover, the heavier the jig is needed to punch through. When I’m flipping my jigs, I’ll find cover with the most “snag-appeal” and plop my jig right in the middle of it, hoping old Mr. Bucketmouth is home. When I’m pitching jigs, I mostly opt for Medium action Spinning gear with 8-12lb test Mono. With this method I’ll just pitch along a bank to visible cover and/or and irregular features I might notice. Swimming- I prefer spinning for this method, baitcasting will work also. I’ll start out working along cover and structure with a medium to slow retrieve, the same as a spinnerbait. If I don’t get any strikes that way, I’ll start a “yo-yo” retrieve by visible cover or even on “bare-bank” areas. Vertical Jigging- When the bass (and temperature) lower, I use this method. I use a sonar to locate any brush or humps on the bottom of the lake and drop a bouy to mark it. Then I troll back around with an ½-1 ½ oz jig tied on an heavy casting and drop the jig straight down to the structure and wait until it hits bottom and start hoppin’ it. I the length of the hop and pause between hops. If I go “bass-less” for about 5 minutes, I reel up and troll further away or closer and drop again. I’ll use almost any jig, but I prefer Strike Kings and Bass Pro Shops Enticer Series. I have all sorts of weights, but mainly 3/8 oz. My favorite colors in clear water are watermelon, camo, blue/white, black/red, and stained to muddy water I opt for black, black/blue, black/chart., about anything that has black. Trailer wise, I often use plastics over pork because I don’t want to risk the pork rolling over the hook point, but pork can be good in muddy water. I like the 5” Fat Albert Grub by Zoom in Smoke/Black-flake and Root Beer. I also like 3”Black grubs barely on the hook for more of a swimming action. When I use pork, the Uncle Josh SwimCraw in Black gets the go. And last but not least, is the attractant. I like the Real Craw or Yum, depending on the color of the water and presentation. Tommy Richardson |
