 |
|
|
|
|
And the moment we've all been waiting for…SPAWN! Here we are…big fish are moving up on beds…best tactics….Mizmo tubes, shaky head, drop shot and split shot rigs! There are other fish still being caught on Mann's Baby 1-Minus, Lucky Craft LVR D-7 and Classic spinnerbaits.
For the For a great day of fun for the entire family join the Family Fishing Day & FLW Casting Skills Contest Saturday, June 13, 2009 at the well stocked fishing pond in Franklin Park, Loudoun County, VA. Food, fun, memories and fishing! Learn and improve your skills: Registration 08:00-09:00. For further info, please call Michael Hall at 571-236-1918.
Muddy water? It happens. Of course, the best thing to do is to find water that isn't so muddy! I look in backs or middles of creeks and along the main river. Lately, not much clarity on the main river! After that you must fish hard cover! Docks, seawalls and riprap, especially at higher tides, laydowns, etc! Fish slowly! And, then slow down a bit more. I like creature baits…my favorite is the Mizmo Swamp Monster! This bait has flapping claws and appendages and is not so soft, so it can come through heavy cover better than others! I also use a black/blue combo. But, the best thing about this bait is that it has pod pockets! You can put the Mizmo Thunder Rattles in them!!!!! OR put some flotation in them to keep them moving while sitting still! I use a _ ounce weight and keep it in contact with cover!
Texas rigged Mizmo tubes cast or pitched to holes in the grass and on the inside grass edges are the best bet. You can also toss stickworms like the Mann's HardNose Freefall worm. I like to use 3/16-ounce weights for the Mizmo in green pumpkin with copper flake on a 3/0 Mustad Ultra Point tube hook. For line, I like the lightest I can get away with…now it is 12-14 pound test…Berkley Trilene Maxx. I like casting gear, so I am using a 6'8" Quantum rod with a Tour Edition reel. This is a 7:1 fast reel to take up the slack!
For the drop shot, I like a 3-foot leader and a Mann's 5-inch HardNose Super Finesse worm. Again I will cast this on casting gear!!!!! I like the heavier equipment fishing around grass and during the spawn. The same goes for the shaky head…a _ ounce head and the same finesse worm. I also use this HardNose Super Finesse worm for the split shot rig…again with a 3-foot leader. For the weight on the split shot rig, go to a 3/16 Water Gremlin Bullshot or you can make this a light Carolina rig…swivel, bead, etc. I like using Tru Tungsten 1/4-ounce bullet weights with an 18-inch fluorocarbon leader. The tungsten gives me a better “feel” of what's on the bottom and the fluorocarbon leader not only sinks, but also doesn't absorb water like mono…retaining strength and sensitivity. For main line, I have been going to braid! 65 pound test Spiderwire stealth.
If I have clients who prefer a spinning reel, I am using Berkley Fireline in 14-pound test with a leader of Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon. For the drop shot, split shot, the shaky head and the Mizmo.
For Lucky Craft LVR D-7 and for deeper applications due to higher tides…the LV 500, a bit heavier and gets to the grass easier, I use 14-pound test and I go to my faster reels…at least 6:1! I am also going to a stiffer medium action rod! This is due to the warmer water and increased metabolism of the fish! I need to catch up to them. The 14-pound test makes it easier to pull fish out of grass…but if you can get away with 12…it's easier to keep the baits down! Also, a note here. I like to use mono but that said, I use 20-pound test Fireline on my client spinning rods! This makes it easier to snap baits out of grass and to set the hook, especially on long casts! It's also thinner making it easier to keep the baits down! One of my clients, Dan Lewis uses braid on his casting gear…Spiderwire here, 50-pound test. He didn't' miss or lose any fish on our last outing…an adjustment in my reels and rods will allow me to stay with mono. I just like it better! Dan has been on me for years to make the change…stay tuned!
I am also relying on the Mann's Baby 1-Minus! When the tide is lower I can keep this bait over the grass and it is really whacking them! I like the Splatterback Sunfish and firetiger! The Lemon Shad is good too! A sleeper color is the Elite RED! As for hooks on all of these baits, I like a Mustad Ultra Point RED hook on the belly…and I replace factory hooks with Mustad Triple grips on the lipless baits and a standard short shank Ultra Point on my Baby 1-Minus lures! Mustad has these new short shank trebles that are the exact same size as the #6 and #4 hooks form the factory!
Swimming the Mann's Stone jig with a HardNose Craw over the grass, just like the lipless cranks! You can also use a Rock N Runner…a chatterbait of sorts…Road Runner style! I am also swimming 5.5 inch Mizmo tubes with the R&R (Gerkin) insert tube heads. Here I like white and some craw patterns! For the jig, I like the Black/Blue and some craw patterns…be patient with these! They will produce bigger fish!
Bottom line, any lure you want to use now will work! There are fish in the grass and on riprap and docks!! I have seen boaters moving in to a spot with their big motor, making it difficult for others to fish…trolling motor into and out of spots will keep these fish biting.
"Take me fishing!" .·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸> >
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
