Pros Have Mixed Feelings Toward Some Baits

By Jonathan Manteuffel
Special to BassFan

Every angler has his favorite lures that he’ll reach for first every time. They’re the confidence baits that suit his style of fishing and the ones he's had success with in the past.

Then there are the ones he’d rather not even have in his boat – if they didn’t just have to be there. Maybe they don’t fit his personal fishing style, or they lose fish too easily, or seem too simple-minded, or just flat wear him out in a short while of throwing them.

The following are some of the lures that some pros "love to hate" – at least until they help fill the livewell.

Rattling Lipless Crankbaits

From the original Rat-L-Trap to countless imitators, these things flat get a bass’ attention. There’s something about the rattle, speed and vibration that triggers a reaction bite from even inactive fish. Even a novice can fish them successfully by just casting out and reeling back.

The simplicity and lack of any significant skill requirement are precisely why some pros dislike them. When fish are “suiciding” on them it’s anybody’s game.

The biggest complaint, however, is how easily a bass can jump and throw these relatively heavy lures. While they can be cast a figurative mile, even in wind, the same mass that makes such great distances possible also allows a thrashing fish to leverage that mass against the hooks and sling the lure from its mouth.

“I will throw whatever they are biting and enjoy it, I promise," said Virginia Bassmaster Elite Series pro John Crews. "But I am not a big fan of lipless cranks because you lose a bunch of fish on them. I will throw them if the situation dictates they are the most effective lure, though.”

There are things an angler can do to improve his odds of landing a fish that slams a rattlebait, however. Changing out the hooks for one size larger, with an extra wide-gap bend, can increase holding power. A stout rod for powerful hooksets, but with a more forgiving tip to absorb some of the shock will help.

Some pros use braided line with these lures, as they are often fished around aquatic vegetation, and the no-stretch braid makes ripping them from the weeds easier. Others avoid braid, as they like the stretch of monofilament lines to absorb some of the head-shaking from a furious bass, and they believe this reduces the chances of the lure being yanked from the fish’s jaw.

Shaky-Heads

One of the so-called “sissy baits” that Elite Series pro Mark Menendez would rather not use is the shaky-head worm.

“I seldom ever throw it just because you don’t catch big ones as a general rule,” he said. “It’s more of a limit-filler lure and you can rarely win with it.”

He’d rather throw baits that are likely to produce larger fish – if they’ll bite them. But if that’s not the case, he won’t beat his head against the wall.

“The shaky-head worm works well in heavily pressured lakes with less cover and clearer water,” he noted. “So if I’m on an older highland reservoir, places like Beaver Lake, Table Rock, or Smith Lake, I’ll use a Strike King Shimmy Stick (like a Senko) on a shaky-head. I’d rather use that than a regular finesse worm, for a fatter profile to try for a better bite versus the skinny finesse worm.”

Buzzbait

Surprisingly, Menendez would rather not throw a buzzbait either, even though it’s one of those "big-fish baits."

“I have a mechanical issue with the buzzbait,” he said. “I take it away from most fish. I snatch it too quick. I’ll throw a different topwater bait if I can.”

When he needs a big kicker, though, and feels like a buzzbait is the ticket, he alters his bait to compensate for his adrenaline-charged hooksets.

“I always use a trailer hook,” he said. “Sometimes I even use an oversized treble hook as a trailer over open water or isolated cover or along docks.

“The other things I do are I bend the wire to the head of the bait down so I can retrieve slower, to allow fish a better chance to hook up. And in the fall, I will take the skirt off and add a Strike King Z2 as a trailer. I’ll use white most of the time, but I’ll put on a chartreuse one – especially for spotted bass – if there are a lot of shad, since it stands out from the schools of bait."

He explained that the trailer in place of a skirt makes the buzzbait look more like a minnow, which he feels the bass are more likely to chase in the fall.

“I’ll still use braided line with it,” he said, “But I’ll pair it with a 7-foot Lew’s softer rod, like a medium instead of a medium-heavy action, to let the fish get the bait in his mouth. I’ll also use a cranking reel with a slower ratio.”

Deep-Diving Crankbaits

FLW Tour pro Jay Yelas has a love-hate relationship with throwing deep-diving crankbaits on the ledges in early summer.

“Using a crankbait that dives way down is a fun way to catch big bass, but it’s an enormous amount of work,” he said. “It’s great when you’re not in a tournament to get out on those Tennessee River ledges in mid-May to mid-June and throw a deep-diver. You can fish it until you’re tired, then throw a big worm or jig for a while to rest. You just aren’t as likely to catch the big fish, though.

“But in competition you have to keep throwing the big crankbait the whole time. You can’t give up or go somewhere else for a while, because with the great electronics we have now, everybody finds these fish, and it’s a round-robin with boats jockeying for position. I really don’t like to fish in crowds and feel compelled to just grind away with a big crankbait, but the bigger bites come on those big plugs.

“Guys who aren’t conditioned for that end up with elbow and shoulder injuries from doing it,” he added. “It takes a toll on you. It’s a phenomenal way to catch big fish at certain times of the year, but it’s so much darn work.”

Weird or Unusually Large Baits

Sometimes it’s not so much the lure that a pro doesn’t like, but more the fact that the situation is such that it makes sense to use it. For example, there are guys who always fish for five good bites and don’t really mind casting for an hour or more waiting to get one. Many others like catching numbers of fish, hoping the next one will be a 5- or 6-pounder.

FLW Tour pro Dave Lefebre has a foot in both camps.

“One of the things I'm best at is one of the things that scares me most in a tournament situation, and that’s fishing for just five bites,” he said. “This usually means using a weird or bigger-than-normal bait, or fishing places where smaller fish just don't hang out. This is scary in a big tournament because points are so important, and coming in with only three or four fish can literally ruin an entire season.

“There are times when you figure out a certain deal that triggers those bigger fish, but you have to cover tons of water to achieve enough opportunities, and then you have to capitalize on them when they happen. With as many uncontrollables as are in this sport, coupled with my luck, this scenario really scares me.

“Weird might be an orange spinnerbait or jerkbait when everyone's throwing baitfish colors, a white Wiggle Wart when you’re supposed to throw craw patterns, a brown swimbait – just something stupidly different from the norm, but when you get a bite it’s a better than average fish," he added.

For increased size, he might go to a No. 7 or No. 8 blade on a spinnerbait.

“Maybe you need to throw a 6-inch swim bait on Beaver Lake, or a big Rapala DT Fat 1 or wakebait when small crankbaits like a Mann’s 1-Minus are what everyone else is throwing. It could be a big, bulky, heavy jig and oversized trailer fished on a small jig or little worm lake, or a Husky Jerk on Table Rock.

“These things don't work that great, going against the grain, and that’s why it’s a tough thing to do. But bigger fish like bigger baits and things they haven't seen regularly, because they're smarter.”