More time and money have been spent tring to catch largemouth bass than any other sportfish. From Texas rigs to Carolina rigs, burning a buzzbait or crawling a creature bait, bass anglers pull out every trick to fool a bucketmouth. We tapped Georgia-based Jackson Pro and River Stalkers blogger Evan Howard for his top bass tactics.
Big Bass Baits
Big baits catch big fish. In recent years bass anglers have taken that mantra to a new level throwing five- to nine-inch lures to pull the lunker of a lifetime. Evan Howard has mastered the technique, scoring double-digit bass with life-size baitfish imitations. “Long accurate casts are the number one rquirement, he stresses, explaining that a long cast wll land the big lure well beyond the strike zone.
“Don’t spook the fish with the considerable splash of a lure the size of your hand.” The cast must also be accurate. “Retreive the lure as close to the structure as possible,” Howard emphasizes, “work it along a drop off, through rocks or over grass, and vary the retrieve to vary the depth to find where the big lure works.
Holding Pattern
Many times the bass follow the lure a long way before striking. “If the fish sees the boat, it’s gone,” Howard warns. He says it’s important to position the boat downwind and down current.
“The lure is so big that it pulls the kayak,” he says. Deploying an anchor or stakeout pole will help the angler hold position, or get out of the kayak and fish from shore.
Watch Your Hook Point
There is a big bass in every pond, and it takes a big lure to catch him. “I may only get one or two shots,” Howard says, “so I make them count.” That means sharp hooks to make sure the big lure sticks and stays stuck. “Check the hook by running it along a hook file. Always carry extra hooks and split ring pliers to switch out trebles.
Cast from shore or anchor the kayak to counter the pull of a big lure. Photo: Chris Funk
Rocket Launcher
Big bait fishing has spawned a whole new breed of rods and reels. Long, heavy sticks and big, powerful low-profile baticasters carry a lure a long way and control its travel. Adjust the centrifugal and magnetic break to gain maximum distance. Each lure flies differently. Tighten down the brake for heavy lures or windy days or back off the settings to catch a lighter lure.
Gear & Gadgets for Big Bass
Daiwa Lexa
Daiwa’s Lexa uses a shaved and cut aluminum body to pack 25 pounds of drag and 250 yards of 40-pound braided line in a reel that only weighs 11 ouncs. The reel features a heat-resistant carbon fiber drag system for smooth line play and magnetic cast control to keep the line on the reel. Match to an eight-foot Dobyns Champion 807 rod with zerp-tangle line guides and Kevlar-wrapped blank for big baits and big fish. Daiwa.com.
Bull Shad
The Bull Shad is a triple-jointed swimbait with a life-like profile for a 3D effect. Made of premium resins, the bull shad is painted with a color scheme that changes as you roll the body. THe lure sports swiveling hook hangers so it won’t twist out of the fish’s mouth. BullShad.com.
This article was first published in the Summer/Fall 2015 issue of Kayak Angler. Subscribe to Kayak Angler Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
