Techniques for Better Bassin': Part One
By Josh Lantz - January 10, 2022We all have our own confidence lures and presentations. But what happens when these go-to techniques fail to produce? Well, you either adapt or go home disappointed. That's why learning a new technique or presentation - or refining one you've dabbled in - is one of the easiest ways to become a more effective bass angler.
We asked four of our St. Croix pros to tell us a bit about one of their favorite bass presentations. We hope the information they share will arm you with the information and confidence you'll need to give these techniques a try - or improve your skills and success with them - in the coming season.
Jerkbaits with Dax Szegda, Chetek, Wisconsin
Dax Szegda has guided anglers in Northwest Wisconsin for the past 14 years while also pursuing a busy tournament schedule. "I fish anywhere where smallmouth bass live and wherever my tournaments take me," he says. "I love fishing for anything, but there's something about putting five big bass in the livewell on tournament day or hunting for a giant smallmouth and looking into those red eyes before letting it go. That's what it's all about for me."Szegda fishes his jerkbaits on 12-pound fluorocarbon line. He prefers a baitcasting rod and reel but says the presentation can be effectively fished on spinning gear, too. "The rod itself is most important," he advises. "You need something with a fast or extra-fast tip so you can impart that slashing action with a quick, sharp jerk of the rod. Beyond that, you want something with medium power that's light, crisp and comfortable in the hand; something around 6'6" in length with a good handle design that minimizes fatigue makes a great jerkbait rod. That's important because it takes a lot of effort and wrist movement on the part of the angler to fish a jerkbait effectively."
Szegda says St. Croix's BassX BAC68MXF is ideal for jerkbait fishing. "This rod is rated for 8-14-pound line and lures between ¼ and 5/8 ounce, so it's perfect for most jerkbaits. It's got that sweet extra-fast action, only weighs 3.4 ounces, and has a short, split-grip handle that really seems custom-made for jerkbait fishing. St. Croix makes a ton of different medium power extra-fast action rods across a variety of different series and price points, but for me, the BassX model at just $140 has everything I need in a jerkbait rod."
As with any other technique, Szegda says anglers simply need to put the time in on the water to improve their jerkbait fishing. "Fishing a specific technique or tying a knot or getting good at finding the best fishing spots all comes with time on the water," he says. "Every day is a learning experience, so treat them that way. Pay attention to the small details, practice, adjust when things don't work as you hoped, and you'll eventually get a system dialed in and jerkbait fishing will become second nature. You'll be a better angler and then you can move on to the next technique."
Punchin' with Kyle Grover, Rancho Santa Margarita, California
St. Croix Pro, Kyle Grover, has bass fishing flowing through his veins. His grandfather, John Storie, founded Champion Boats and his parents own one of the largest bass boat dealership in the Western United States, Anglers Marine in Anaheim, which also includes a tackle shop. He works in sales there and also fishes a busy schedule of Western MLF Toyota Series and Bassmaster St. Croix Western Opens Series tournaments.Punching involves the use of long, powerful rods and heavy, streamlined jigs to penetrate into the thick beds of hyacinth, hydrilla and other weed growth that provide food, oxygen, shade and ambush cover for big bass. Success comes from first getting the lure down into a bass's strike window, then having the power to get the fish - and sometimes pounds of attached vegetation - out of the weeds and back to the boat.
Grover agrees with Szegda that time on the water is the best teacher, no matter what technique you're trying to learn or improve. "You will never get better at punching until you get out on a lake that has grass, put the rod in your hands, and just punch into as many mats as you can."
Typical punching rigs consist of a 1-2-ounce weight threaded onto the line and terminated at a 3/0 to 5/0 hook, which can be rigged weedless, Texas-style, with a variety of soft plastics. Standard conical lead weights can be used, but many anglers opt for specialized tungsten punchin' weights shaped to penetrate vegetation much easier. Hooks are also commonly snelled directly to a braided mainline for maximum strength. Due to the thickness of the weeds, leaders are rarely used or considered necessary. The rig is pitched and wiggled as necessary to penetrate into the cover, then slowly brought back towards the boat with a crawl, lift, bump, and fall retrieve.
Some anglers new to punching think they need a broom stick for a rod. "You definitely want a longer rod with a lot of power, but combined with a more moderate action," Grover says. "The new St. Croix BassX BAC711HMF is just the ticket. It's got that little bit of tip you need to maintain contact and get feedback from that heavy lure, plus all the backbone you need to drive a big hook home and get the fish out of the heavy mats. Extra length helps in picking upline and tapping the rod's power a lot more quickly."
Aside from the BAC711HMF's ideal length, power and action, Grover says St. Croix created a punchin' rod that feels surprisingly light and well balanced. "That's not easy to do with a long, powerful fishing rod, especially one in the $100 - $150 price range. When you are dropping that 1-2-ounce weight into mats over and over again throughout the course of an entire day, it can get tiring if you don't have a light and balanced rod with a comfortable grip and handle. In my experience, rods in this price range usually feel off-balance the second you pick them up. That's not the case with this or any of the BassX rods I've fished. They deliver exceptional feel and performance at a really accessible price. That value is important to me because you want to use the lightest weight you can get by with. You will be punching a thick hyacinth mat one minute and then come to a patch of hydrilla the next, so I need to have up to three punchin' rods rigged and ready to go at any one time."
Swimbaits with Robbie Mendez, Jacksonville, Florida
St. Croix Pro, Robbie Mendez, is a tournament kayak angler who loves helping others just starting out to experience more fishing success via his social media channels. From his home in Jacksonville, Florida, Mendez has access to great, big-bass-fishing opportunities. "I like to help shorten the learning curve for new anglers, and my social media interactions provide a lot of opportunities for me to learn and improve my angling skills, too," he says.Mendez says would-be swimbait anglers should also understand that swimbaits can be expensive and they'll also likely need to invest in new gear. "There are a lot of different swimbaits on the market today selling for between $10 and $300 apiece," he says, "and then you've got to have a rod that's made to cast these baits that can weigh up to half a pound. So, there's an investment to be made."
Deep Crankin' with Mark Hooker, Montgomery, Texas
St. Croix Pro and educator, Mark Hooker, has enjoyed a career in the outdoors industry spanning nearly 40 years as a tournament angler and outfitter. He's owned Web & Fin - specializing in duck hunting and bass fishing - since 1996 and has been a Social Studies Department Chair and teacher at Lake Creek High School in the Montgomery, Texas Independent School District for nearly 20 years. "The thing that I'm most gratified by is that I started the Montgomery ISD Fishing Team eight years ago," says Hooker, who also serves as the standout team's coach. "We have 92 young men and women on the team. In seven years of competition, we have won six conference championships, three regional championships, and a state championship, and we've accomplished this in one of the most competitive geographic regions of the country."Hooker says the sinking properties and low visibility of fluorocarbon line make it an ideal match for this presentation. "Utilize a large-capacity reel with a lower gear ratio of 6.3:1 or even less if you can find one," he says. "The spray-on product called Real Magic works as advertised and is also really helpful here. It keeps the line more supple and with fewer kinks, which allows you to cast farther, which is paramount with this technique."
He also says the right rod is really important. "Deep-diving crankbait fishing demands a longer rod for longer casts, with a more moderate action to absorb the slashing strikes, head shakes and runs," he says. "You don't get much stretch with fluorocarbon line, and because of the depth, you're dealing with some extreme angles, so the forgiveness of your rod is what keeps those treble hooks attached to the fish. A good deep-crankin' rod works for you, not against you, in all phases, from the long cast, to the retrieve, to managing the strike and ultimately winning the battle."
Hooker and several of his student anglers recently helped St. Croix beta test the new BassX BAC74MHMF rod. "Knowing that our team would be targeting offshore schooling bass with deep diving crankbaits such as Strike King XD 5's and 6's, St. Croix came down last winter and brought half a dozen prototype 74MHMF BassX rods," Hooker recalls. "They launched the 15-to-20-foot divers flawlessly and proved to be a deadly combination with our anglers, who caught well over 50 fish in the three-to-five-pound class. With a strong butt section and medium-heavy power to help winch up the big ones, these rods have the ideal length, power and action for the specialized work of deep crankin'. We've also found this particular rod to be perfect for ripping ½ - and ¾-ounce lipless crankbaits over grass flats with submerged vegetation on either heavy fluorocarbon or 50-pound braid."
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