Everyone knows drop shots and small jigs are standard operating procedure for bass. Problem is, the bass know about finesse fishing, too. Give old mossback something he hasn’t seen before by combining old school tackle with new school techniques. Here are four proven finesse rigs to use while kayak fishing for bass.
Finesse Rigs for Tough Bass Fishing
1
Downsized Jigs
What’s swimming over the weeds? Is it a fish? Is it a crawdad? No, it’s a small swim jig with a wiggly tail trailer. A 3/16-ounce or 1/4-ounce Strike King Bitsy Bug pairs perfectly with a Zoom Super Chunk Jr. trailer to mimic a bluegill, shad or crayfish. The skirt gives the body depth and action like a thick-bodied bait. Swim the combo close to cover. Let it drop on break lines. Watch your line for a grab on the way down. Or, let the lure settle to the bottom and drag or scoot it in rocks and wood where bass hunt crabs.
2
Texas Rig Centipede
A good old Zoom Centipede dragged behind a heavy Carolina rig sinker has caught bass for years, but there’s more than one way to rig a centipede. Try threading it flat on an exposed 1/0 Matzuo Sickle Hook with a 1/16- to 1/8-ounce sinker to keep the big bait near the bottom. The lure works great casting into a quartering current in rocky areas where it rarely hangs up. Use 20-pound fluorocarbon on a baitcasting combo for the power to pull the centipede out of the rocks and snags.
In still water, the centipede is equally deadly dragged along the bottom. The big, juicy worm looks like dinner to bass. They often nail it when they’re not even in the mood to feed.
3
Split Shot Worms
The split shot worm is a California classic for heavily pressured fish. Picture a downsized Carolina rig. The traditional rig uses a split shot 12 inches above a rubber worm. Instead of pinching the thin line with the split shot, peg a bullet-shaped sinker to the line. Tungsten weights offer more heft with less bulk to easily slide through the grass. Also, tungsten sinkers are harder and more sensitive than lead, providing a better feel of the bottom structure. A classic rubber worm works great or change up to a fluke, minnow or crawdad to match the local bait.
Use a spinning combo and light line to cast the split shot worm. Or horse the jig out of cover with a baitcasting setup and 15-pound-test fluorocarbon.
4
Super Finesse Jigworm
Take a cue from anglers fishing heavily pressured bass in Japan. They don’t worry about using small hooks to catch some of the world’s biggest bass. Two favorites are 1/32-ounce head and No. 6 hook or 1/16-ounce head with a No. 4 hook. A good compromise is Z-Man’s 1/15-ounce NedlockZ mushroom head, which has a heavy-duty No. 2 hook. Elephants eat peanuts, and a four-inch Z-Man Finesse WormZ shortened to 3.5 inches matches a small minnow’s slim profile.
Put out good vibrations by swimming the lure—slowly, reel while twitching the rod tip.
This article was first published in the Early Summer 2018 issue of Kayak Angler Magazine. Subscribe to Kayak Angler Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
Little worm, big fish. | Feature photo: Dustin Doskocil
Awesome article
Awesome article Dave!
I’ve been doing great with the green pumpkin Ned Rig this year.
Sorry for the very late reply, but THANKS!
As a novice fisherman , I’m sure there are quite a few of us out there, I would like to see in photos or drawings what the lures and rigging actually look like that you’re writing about
It would be nice to see pictures of these rigs. Some of us have never seen them.
Are you on FB? I have photos the mag didn’t use. I’ll post them on the Finesse News Network Facebook page.
Great! Makes me happy that maybe they can help people have more fun fishing!
I’ve been fishing for years though I’m not keen to all the specifics and brand names on all of these rigs without a lot of searching. I’d love to see some photos otherwise the article seems really great but ends up useless aside from something to read before bed as it’s doubtful I’ll go back and research each description. Thanks though.
Great article! Dave what brand of knife on your vest ?
Dustin Doskocil What brand of knife is on your vest ?