By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan
The post-spawn period is highlighted by aggressive, feeding bass so California-based pro Chris Zaldain makes sure to have several swimbait rods on deck.
“If I have four fish in the box and its 1 o’clock and I need a big bite, I’m going to pull it out,” the Elite Series angler said.
Peak Opportunities
A lake or river system chock full of big gizzard shad, rainbow trout, tilapia, bluegill, or sunfish give strong indications that a swimbait could be an effective presentation.
When fish set up on ledges, he’ll seek out bait tucked in behind the pinnacle of a point. The bass aren’t going to be too far down current from that so he’ll make super long casts to make the right presentation by swimming his bait through the bait ball and school of bass.
Desperate Times Mean Think Outside of the Box
Zaldain fishes with the wind, and current, explaining that’s how bass naturally feed.
He’s encountered situations where fishing bigger swimbaits uphill has brought success, noting bass become conditioned to seeing baits presented in the same manner and are indeed impacted by fishing pressure. He’ll look to break away from the pack and cast from shallow to deep to present the bait differently.
Don’t be Intimidated
“The biggest key to fishing swimbaits seven inches and bigger is to fish the most obvious piece of structure in the lake,” Zaldain said. “When the wind is blowing on it, be it a main lake point, isolated docks, bridge pilings, guys will throw spinnerbaits and crankbaits through there but fish haven’t seen the big swimbaits through there.”
Zaldain doesn’t shy away from community holes as there are more than enough fish for everyone and he’s confident that he can pick off the bigger fish.
Paddle Tales vs. Glide Baits
Light penetration is influenced by current and wind and affects the mood of the bass.
“Slick calm means a lot of followers,” Zaldain says, “but once the wind kicks up a lot of those fish commit.”
The clearer the water, the more wind and current is required to break up the light penetration so the fish cannot get a clear view of the bait. Zaldain’s ideal water clarity is 6 to 8 feet, but he can’t always choose his fishing conditions so he’ll have to employ some sound swimbait logic.
Two feet of visibility and dirtier water means he’ll fish a 5-inch soft-plastic Megabass Spark Shad in a pearl-based pattern.
“It’s a full body plastic swimbait that puts off a good vibration and moves a lot of water,” he said.
He prefers the Megabass Orochi XX Perfect Pitch rod and 20-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon for single-hook swimbaits.
Glide baits excel when visibility reaches 15 feet due to their side-to-side motion.
“I like the silver salmon colored Megabass I-Slide 185 on 20- to 25-pound line using a slow retrieve allowing it work left to right,” Zaldain reasoned. “Sometimes, I’ll kill it causing a real slow horizontal sink which will trigger bites. Those big fish will hunt it down and once it swims through their strike zone, they’re going to commit.”
The 8-foot Megabass Orochi XX Leviathan rod was built for glide baits and fishes “like a huge crankbait rod with more horsepower,” Zaldain added.
He’ll use a slow steady retrieve yet lock the drag down on his 6.3:1 Shimano Core reel. He’ll reel up the line and employs a sweep set once he detects a bite. If he hangs a big one, he’ll use his thumb bar to let line out if the fish surges.
Downsizing Cues
When targeting pressured smallmouth in clear water with high barometric pressure conditions, Zaldain scales down to the 3-inch Spark Shad as well as during the post-spawn when bass target small shad. He’ll rig the bait on a Megabass Okashira 1/8-oz. Screw Head that sports a propeller behind the head of the bait causing it to vibrate.
