(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
As the only two-tour pro in the modern era, you might think that John Cox would be in a hurry. That may be the case, but one of his best money-producing lures is something that’s at its best when you crawl it along: the soft stickbait.
“You can’t fish it too slow,” he said of his favorite Berkley MaxScent The General. “You can just leave it out there if you want to.”
Why does he like it so much? Partially, it’s because it’s a 12-month presentation. Also, he can cover the entire water column with one, from inches down to 30 or more feet of vertical depth.
Whether he’s using a wacky rig or a Texas rig, Cox usually fishes his soft stickbaits on spinning tackle. He likes a 7-foot medium-action Abu Garcia rod with enough backbone to move bass away from cover. Despite that, when fishing around the thick stuff, he’ll typically resist the urge to set the hook immediately, instead allowing the fish to swim away from cover before crossing his eyes. He caught fish up to 10 1/2 pounds this way in 2019, so the proof is in the pudding.
He spools his reel with 8-pound Fireline and adds a leader of about 12 feet of 6- to 10-pound fluorocarbon. When the lure is affixed to the lure keeper on his rod, he wants the knot inside the rod, but not inside the reel. The fluorocarbon is not only invisible to the bass, but it also absorbs the shock of the hookset and of a surging fish. “Soft” fluorocarbon is the key, he said. If it bends or creases when you fold it over, it’s likely too stiff.
He’ll use a wacky rig as often as cover will allow, utilizing a Berkley Fusion Finesse Wide Gap hook but varying the size and the weighting mechanism to adjust the fall and presentation. He starts with a No. 2 hook, but he’ll go up as large as a 1/0 if he wants the lure to fall faster. If the water is especially clear, or the bass are very finicky, he’ll go as small as No. 4. He places the hook just up from the middle of the worm, toward the head. At the middle there’s more “meat,” which may impede a solid hookset.
When fishing docks in 10 to 15 feet of water, or other deep cover like bridge pilings, he’ll weight both ends with nail weights. Because the head is typically pointed, that requires a little bit of surgery. “I’m going to pinch just a little bit of the tail off,” he said.
For an “in-between fall” he’ll utilize 1/32-ounce tungsten nail weights, adding more as needed to get the right rate of fall He puts them near the center of the lure, close to the hook itself.
When thick cover makes wacky-rigging difficult or impossible, Cox will Texas-rig his stickbaits, increasing his leader strength to at least 10- or 12-pound fluorocarbon. He usually adds a 1/32-ounce tungsten bullet weight with an insert and puts a bobber stop ahead of it to prevent it from slipping, and is certain to wet his line to prevent it from causing breakage. His hook of choices is a 4/0 Berkley Fusion Wide Gap. The key is to make sure that you rig it correctly. “You want this bait to lay straight in line with the hook.”
If you want to get more insight into how Cox makes the most of soft plastic stickbaits, including his three key color choices, check out his video, filmed on the water, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
