www.westernbass.com/magazines
Click on the Westernbass.com link above to read the best magazine focused on the Western US. It's free and published online. I have written articles for the last few years and my first article appears in the February 2012 issue. My goal is to introduce my readers to the lakes of the Central Coast of California, Nacimiento, Santa Margarita, San Antonio and Lopez Lakes. I will also touch on some of the gear and techniques I use on these particular bodies of water. I have found that Lowrance Questions and Answers are very popular so I've written alot of those also. If you have questions, please go to "Contact Ken" on this web site, submit your question and I'll be happy to answer them.
FISHING A SENKO
By Ken Sauret
The Senko is one of the most versatile plastic baits available. I really like this style of plastic bait. Your imagination is the only limiting factor here. I use these baits on a variety of techniques. I fish them weightless, wacky, on a darthead, drop shot nose hooked and drop shot wacky and with a wacky jig head.
There are two of these techniques I would like to talk about here. First, the ever-popular drop shot rig. Most people have used this rig before and probably caught fish on it using traditional straight tail worms. To change this up a little is to get a pack of 3 inch Yamamoto Senko and drop shot them with the nose hook set up. This is a great finesse rig that will catch bass whenever the fish are picky and not real aggressive. To change up the drop shot technique and show the fish something different so they don’t become conditioned to any one presentation, I will take out a pack of 4 inch baits and hook the bait in the middle. This is a very popular technique called a wacky rig. I like the 4 inch bait because it will mimic baitfish in size pretty well. If the fish are eating shad choose the smoke pearl colored bait. If you feel they are feeding on baby bass, choose a Baby Bass Senko. If you see bluegill around, choose the green pumpkin bait with a chartreuse tail.
With the wacky rig you will be able “match the hatch” or at least be able to match the preferred food source and therefore catch more bass. I normally throw this rig on spinning gear with 8 pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon line. Set up a spinning rod with a high quality fluorocarbon line, cast out your drop shot and try to see the line in the water. You will be able to see the line above the water line but below it just disappears when in the water. Try this line and you will be as impressed as I am.
The second technique I want to talk about is the wacky rig jig. I use spinning gear with 8 pound test line with this presentation also. There are a few different jig heads produced specifically for this technique but just get a darthead, a 5 inch Senko, hook it wacky and drag it around rocks and gravel flats where you see the arches on your electronics and prepare to be amazed. There isn’t a color that doesn’t work with this presentation. The retrieve with the wacky jig head can be a stop and go drag or better yet a subtle shake so the bait pluses on the bottom with both ends shaking. This can be irresistible to a bass. The other thing to watch for is when bass are suspended on steep rock walls this rig will catch bass as it sinks along side these walls. Be sure to watch your line for that tell tale jump that indicates a fish just sucked in the bait. You won’t usually feel the bite but you will see the line move in some way, sometimes it just starts moving off to the side. Believe me this bait doesn’t fall sideways so when it does this reel down and set the hook!
Get yourself a few packs of these baits and try them with the techniques I described and let me know how it goes. Submit your comments on this web site under the "Contact Ken" form.
YAMAMOTO HULA GRUBS
By Ken Sauret
In winter here in California, we find that the tournaments are scheduled around the spotted bass lakes. I’m sure this is because of the cooperative nature of the spots even in cold weather.
The alternating weather patterns in winter from overcast and rainy to cold and clear create unique patterns that position the spots accordingly. Each year’s temperatures and weather patterns are different, therefore the fish are different — not always in the same places doing the same things year after year. As I fish these deep western lakes for active tournament-winning fish, I find myself going to the tried and true baits that entice the quality fish for the ride to the weigh in.
Jigs worked very slowly in rocky areas or in the bottoms of cuts or small creeks is one of the best methods for success. This is where the Yamamoto Hula Grub is my go-to bait. I throw the 4-inch Grub on a 1/4- or 3/8-ounce football head and the 5-inch Grub on a1/2- or 3/4-ounce football head for spotted bass. For the lighter jigs I use a Dobyns Extreme 744c casting rod and when throwing the heavier jigs I choose the Dobyns 745c Extreme but you may find that the 744c is the best all round rod they make, period! Both rods have great, responsive actions that allow a contact feel with the jig and the power to get the hook into the fish on the hookset. When I find the depth of the baitfish or active arches on the Lowrance HDS 12 CARBON, I rig the appropriate weight jig head to make the presentation that will get those big bites.
I have found that the smaller fish seem to pick up the Hula Grub vigorously and I feel the "thump" of a traditional jig bite. The tournament-quality fish I’m looking for seem to have the ability to inhale the bait by opening their mouths and expelling the water through their gills — getting the Hula Grub into their mouths quickly with a very fluid movement of the jig. That makes the bite seem like a subtle "nothingness" or something that is just different and is almost undetectable. When you feel this, set the hook! If I don’t feel the initial pickup, then the only thing I feel after a while is the little tick when they spit it out. I know this because when I feel the tick and set the hook, there’s nothing there. Another missed fish. Concentrate on what the jig is doing as you feel each rock it climbs over. Usually you don't need to hop the bait — use a slow, slithering method of moving the bait, and you will get the bigger bites we are all looking for although there are those times when "popping" the jig will get the fish to react with a vigorous bite that can't be unnoticed. Here again is where I am so happy to have my Dobyns Extreme in my hand, that fish is in trouble!
There are a few colors I use the most. Green Pumpkin, Cinnamon Purple and Watermelon Red are the colors I like. These colors fill my needs in all water color situations I find at the lakes where I fish tournaments for spotted bass.
California is known for deep, clear water lakes and therefore I need to use lighter line to get the bigger fish to bite, which means I’m throwing 1/2-ounce football jigs on 10-pound line. This necessitates using a tough, invisible line that can hold up to the rough teeth the spotted bass possess. This is why I like to use a high quality fluorocarbon line which is the best line for the job.
Next time you go after spotted bass in cold weather, try a Yamamoto Twin Tail Hula Grub rigged on a football jig head. Make slow presentations, pay close attention to what the bait is doing, set the hook if anything seems different in any way and you may find a new "go-to" bait.
WINTER DOLDRUMS?
DOBYNS EXTREME SPINNING ROD
By Ken Sauret
Sub freezing mornings, cloudy, cold, rainy days…you know, that time of the year when Canadian geese are flying over the lake. These signs don’t normally predict a great day on the lake bass fishing for most people. Although those lucky enough to live near a lake with spotted bass these signs mean a change in technique can still put a limit in the boat. I’m one of those lucky one’s with Nacimiento Lake located on the Central Coast of California in my backyard.
As you venture out onto your favorite spotted bass lake this time of the year the reaction baits you normally get out such as a Spinnerbait, deep diving crankbait, hollow body swimbaits or your rip baits can be good search baits to start with to see if there are any aggressive spots roaming about. If you don’t find any of those big cruisers looking for a big meal then it may be time to downsize your offering.
The metabolism of the bass has slowed and if we go smaller with our offering and slow down to match the activity level of the bass, we can still have a great day on the water. I use my Lowrance HDS 12 CARBON and focus my attention on the water column to locate the bait. I normally start in the feeder creeks and pockets off the main channel. Start deep, even 50 or 60 feet if you have water that deep and search shallower until you find them. When the bait is found locate the “arches” that indicate that bass are following the bait. These are suspended fish that most fishermen find hard to catch. Pay close attention to your electronics all year and you may find like I have that spotted bass spend more time suspended than they do on the bank. Even though they suspend they still relate to structure alot of the time. This is where my Lowrance Structure Scan can not only show the fish suspended in the water column but also the rock outcroppings or humps that they may be relating to. Then being able to see the formation of the structure you can figure out where the "sweet spot" would likely be and the best angle to present a bait to.
With the quality of today’s electronics we can not only locate these fish but present a bait vertically and suspend it right in front of their noses. I like to start with a Robo worm in a baitfish color like the sexy shad, rig a drop shot with a # 2 or a #4 drop shot hook and just nose hook the worm. Get a Dobyns Rods Extreme 702 S spinning rod for this presentation because you want the most sensitive and perfectly balanced rod available so you can feel the subtle pick up of the worm and the correct action to get the fish to the boat. Position your boat directly over the arches you found and drop this rig straight down. You can follow it on your meter’s screen and when it is at the same depth as the bass stop the bait and gently quiver it right in front of them. This is a great presentation that replicates a baitfish really well. Since the bait is suspended over the weight the fish is looking right at the worm and your line, so small line that the fish don’t see very well is preferable. Try either a fluorocarbon line or a high quality monofilament. I use either 6 or 8 pound test for this presentation on a high quality medium light spinning rod like the Dobyns Rods Extreme 702s. This particular rod has the best soft tip for light line and the action required to subdue even those bigger spots that can be caught on this presentation.
If you find bass and bait relating to the bottom this is even better. I find that bass near a steep bank or point with the bait pushed up against the structure will be more aggressive and is more likely to eat your offering. I like to use tungsten drop shot weights because their shape along with the hardness of the tungsten will let you know if you are on the bottom or not with a distinct tap. The weight usually has a slip clip that allows you to attach it to your line without a knot. This can be handy when your hands are so cold that all you want to do is pick up your thermos of coffee and but you can hardly get the lid off to get a warm drink.
Another method of catching these feisty spotted bass is to throw a good chartreuse and white spinnerbait on those cold days when the sun does shine and if it's windy this is even better. Look for rocky banks and you may be surprised as to the size of the fish that will hold on these rocks looking for some heat in the midst of winter although contrary to that, windy banks with waves crashing into them will attract big spots too. Don't pass these up. Get a Dobyns Rods Extreme series 744C casting rod, tie on a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait and slow roll it along the shoreline especially where there is a little point of rock protruding out creating an ambush point but if you have running water, start there. Some of the largest spotted bass of the year will be caught in the cold winter months using this presentation. These big spots seem to take charge of an area and there may only be one fish along a stretch of bank or in a cove. The bites may be few and far between but the “kicker” we all like to catch can be caught this way.
Take the time to learn how to catch those suspended fish and you will still catch the numbers of fish in winter with some big fish mixed in. Look for those big boys on the rocks and you may get the biggest spotted bass of your life.
Always practice CPR, catch, photograph and release
Good Fishing,
Ken Sauret
FINESSE FISHING THE CENTRAL COAST
By KEN SAURET
I live in Central California and fish primarily for bass - largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. Out here in California we have a lot of clear, deep reservoirs requiring the use of finesse tactics to consistently catch numbers of tournament keeper bass. In the heat of summer, the heart of winter or anywhere in-between for that matter, there are times when bass are not in a positive, aggressive mood. This is when it is important to downsize your baits to keep catching keeper bass.
It may be excessive fishing pressure, weather, boat traffic or a myriad of other influences that put bass off the "hot" bite we all like to experience. You may downsize to a 6-inch Zoom Trick Worm or a 3-inch Yamamoto Senko on a dropshot rig, or go to a 1/4 oz. G Money Jig with a twin tail trailer. Even a Baby Brush Hog on a light Carolina rig will entice a bite from lethargic bass all the way down to 40 feet out here in our clear lakes.
The presentation for tough to catch bass is important. But what I believe is even more important is what the bass do with the bait when they are coaxed into taking it into their mouths to see if it is something to eat or something to spit right back out. We've all probably seen the fishing videos where a bass will inhale a bait and immediately exhale the bait before the fisherman even knew he had a bite, missing the fish.
In finesse situations when fish are neutral or negative this is a huge advantage. For example, while drop shotting recently in late October, the spotted bass in my local lake were still in a summer pattern with the 70 degree surface temperature. When I did get a bite the bass only nipped at the tail of the 4-inch worms I was using. After a few of these tugs on my worm I switched to a Jackal Cross Tail Shad and started catching bass.
Try these baitfish imitations in clear water situations and you will be amazed at the effectiveness of these little baits on a dropshot rig when bass are primarily eating shad. First, find the activity level of the fish on your lake. Then find shad in contact with the bottom and fish at that level on steeper rocky banks. Just dance the weight on the bottom in little one or two inch hops and the Senko positioned 6 to 12 inches above the weight will produce action when other more traditional baits fail.
If the fish are in a little more positive mood then a Senko or a Trick Worm with a nail weight in the nose and the worm rigged wacky style will give a little more action that the bass will respond to. This rig is commonly called a Neko Rig.
Good Fishing,
Ken Sauret