Hot Bass Fishing Lures

Spinnerbaits

The spinnerbait is a great choice for bass fishing. My favorite is the Stanley Jigs Wedge Plus Spinnerbait. First of all, I want a spinnerbait that has double willow leaf blades. The double willow leaf blades allow you to reel your bait in faster, while still keeping it well below the surface. The fast moving action of the bait is key to triggering strikes from fish that are keying on fast moving baitfish.

Next, I want a bait that is realistic looking. Often in the Fall, especially the early fall, the water in your favorite lakes will be clearer than any other time of the year due to water filtration by weeds and grass in the lake, as well as lack of summer rains. I want my spinnerbait to have a natural looking skirt pattern, and a realistically painted head that matches the skirt. The bass can see better in clear water, and you don't want that bass of a lifetime shying away from your lure because it looked unnatural.

The last factor I look at when choosing a spinnerbait is the quality of the components. Again, when you hook up with that monster fall time bass, you want to make sure your bait is stout enough to put him in the boat! A large needlepoint hook is essential, as well as a quality ball bearing swivel. The Stanley Jigs Wedge Plus spinnerbait has all of the attributes that I look for in a spinnerbait.


Plastic Worms

Often as fishermen, and especially weekend fishermen, we are forced to fish in less than ideal conditions for bass. After a cold front, or during dropping water conditions, or the day after a major tournament. These are all conditions that will turn the bite off for our favorite fish. You can either keep throwing your big baits and hope that you catch a fish, or adjust to the conditions and flat out tear 'em up!

The adjustment I'm talking about is called finesse fishing. Fishing with smaller, more subtle lures, in combination with fishing slower often triggers strikes on fish that are under pressure.

There are several different ways to finesse fish. Drop shot, split shot, shakey head, weightless rig. These are all finesse techniques that require one thing: A finesse worm.

Not all finesse worms are created equal. There are an awful lot of smaller worms on the market to choose from today. How do you choose a bait?

When I've determined that finesse fishing is the way to catch the bass, I want a worm that DOESN'T have a lot of action. I want a worm that has a small, unintimidating profile. I want a worm that looks natural in the water. The Zoom Finesse Plastic Worm fits the bill for me in these conditions.


Crankbaits


I was lucky enough to have come across an excellent crankbait almost by accident. A very good friend of mine, who fishes the Elite Series, gave me a box full of baits to "Test" for him. I threw the box in the bottom of the boat and almost forgot about it until one early spring day in a club tournament. I was fishing shallow wood cover with a different brand of crankbait, and just not getting the bites, although I knew there were fish in there. Just by chance, I tied on one of the Bandit 100 Series Crankbaits in a chartreuse pattern, and began loading the boat. I wanted to find out what was so different about the Bandit 100 that made the fish strike, and found the answer rather quickly. The bill on the Bandit 100 is square, which allows for what I call a "Medium wobble", a good all around, all year round action. The biggest difference that separates the Bandit crankbait from the other baits is the way it deflects off of cover. I noticed that when I hit a log or rock in the water the bait would dart very erratically and unpredictably, and that's when the strikes would come. The coolest thing about this bait, I found out, is that you can throw it in just about any kind of cover you want to and not hang the bait up! Way cool!