Tag: Shad Rap

Prespawn Bass Fishing Techniques – Crankbaits

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Prespawn Bass Fishing Techniques – Crankbaits

When bass are moving from their wintertime habitat toward the spawning grounds, a crankbait can be a great lure not just for numbers, but also for big fish. Those fat females are full of eggs and they’re feeding up to have the energy to reproduce. When I think of this time period – no matter where in the country you’re fishing – the water temperatures are still comparatively cold but warming and the fish are moving. Moving fish love a moving bait, and you have to cover water, so the crankbait is the perfect tool, but not just any crankbait […]

Top Five Baits for Winter Finesse Fishing

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<strong>Top Five Baits for Winter Finesse Fishing</strong>

In my last column, I outlined five of my favorite power fishing lures for winter bass. There are times when power fishing is the deal and you can use baitcasting gear to force the bass to react. However, as the weather gets frigid, and water temperatures drop into the 40s or even the upper 30s, bass often become tight-lipped and lethargic. When that happens a spinning rod and light line can really change your day. Here are five of my favorite finesse options for those conditions. This first one probably isn’t much of a surprise if you’ve followed me over […]

The Ultimate Guide to Crankbait Fishing

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<strong>The Ultimate Guide to Crankbait Fishing</strong>

When I look back at some of my greatest successes in my tournament career, a lot of them are directly attributable to crankbaits. Why are they so good? The biggest reason is their ability to get bites from fish that are feeding as well as fish that are not actively feeding. Sure, a lot of baits will produce “hunger bites,” but the ability to trigger reaction bites puts them in a different class. So what are we talking about when we use the term crankbait? It’s a lure, made of wood, plastic or resin, that has a bill that helps […]

The Ultimate Cold Water Bait

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The Ultimate Cold Water Bait

This is one technique I never wanted to give up to anyone, but you fellow bass-heads make all of this possible, so it’s only right that I let you in on one of my most effective cold water techniques. That is the Rapala Shallow Shad Rap. It’s the perfect crankbait for cold water conditions. It has a tight wiggle and no rattle. I do, however, modify it a little bit. First off, by cold water I mean anything from the middle 50-degree range on down. And, by little modifications I mean swapping out hooks and adding a split ring or […]