Technical Notes:
Size: 5 inches, Weight: 2oz
Sink rate: 2 ft per second
Optimum Retrieving Speeds: From slow roll
to just about as fast as you can make it go!
Minimum Recommended Line Test: 15-25 lb test.
Recommended Rod Specifications: Due to the large size of bass this bait tends
to catch I recommend a heavy rod made for fishing swimbaits. The 7’6" heavy big
bait rod by Okuma is an excellent choice, however this is one swimbait that you
can fish with a regular flipping stick, but don’t let its small size fool you.
Big bass eat bluegill.
Colors
Ok, this is how I choose colors. First I look into the water and look at the
bluegill. If I see a particular species than that makes my choice easier.
Generally in the spring and summer they become much more colorful. The males
will have their spawning colors and the females will have a little more color to
them also. I usually like the male pattern at this time. For most of the year
the males aren’t as colorful and the females are dull. Towards the end of summer
you will se a lot of juvenile bluegill. Smaller bluegill are usually not very
colorful and this is when I throw the female pattern
If I know that a particular lake has a lot of red ear or if I am sight
fishing and I notice that the bass are bedding close to the red ear nests,
that’s when I fish the red ear. Also if I graph a deep school of pan fish that I
think are red ear with some large fish close to them, I will throw the red ear.
The crappie is for when there is a lot of stunted crappie and the bass are
feeding on them. If I was going to fish just one of them, I would base my choice
on when and where I thought I would use the bait the most. I really think that
they all can be used for any of the applications but I generally try to match
the hatch.
Recommended Gear
When fishing big baits, you need the right
gear. You can get away with a heavy flipping sticks when throwing most 5in baits
but when it comes to 7 in and up you really need good quality heavy gear. I use
and highly recommend the
Okuma Guide Select big bait casting rods.
 Designed
specifically for the needs of West Coast big bait fishermen, the Okuma Guide
Select big bait casting rods do just what they are designed to do, throw big
swimbaits. As far as reels go. I recommend the Okuma Induron 400. You will need
a 400 sized reel for making long casts with heavy line. A 300 size real will
work well also but I prefer the 400 size because they also work well in the
saltwater.
I use a minimum of 20 lb line and I often use 25 lb line for the big baits.
When I am throwing smaller baits like the bluegill or baby bass I sometimes will
go down to 15lb but I usually stay around 20 lb test.
Remember when you are fishing these baits you are fishing for big bass and
you need to have gear that can handle these trophy fish
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