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Fishing Grubs, The React Lure for all Seasons
One of the most versatile of all lures, the grub mimics baitfish better than almost any other soft plastic bait, and they can be fished many different ways and all year round. A grub's fat short body and thin twisting tail displaces a tremendous amount of water as it moves along, the bass picks up the vibrations with its lateral lines and movement means food. Once the bass has found the bait its natural shape and color gives him no reason to suspect a trap. In cold water, winter and early spring, the fish are more sluggish and a slower more deliberate presentation is necessary to fool them. Flipping, and Topwater Grubin' and Shakin' are excellent techniques to catch grub fish this time of year. In the southern most reaches of the west the bass will come into the shallows on warm days, even in winter. Grubs will entice even the most sluggish bass in these conditions. FLIPPIN' John Bailey, a Southern California bass fisherman known for his Jig prowess, flips for bass all year long. "In winter and early spring I like to start with the sunny tulle and bulrush areas and the rocky shorelines first." Says John "In our local lakes most of these areas are in less than 7 feet of water and warm up very quickly, the shad seem to find these areas, and where there are shad there are hungry bass." Bailey uses little or no weight, a 3/16oz. slip sinker at most does the job, and Gamakatsu EWG hooks. "I like the slow fall effect that no weight gives me, I just watch the line." John uses 14# test flouro carbon line on a Quantum flipping reel and a 7' Graphite rod. "You need a light line for this technique, but this is no place for 6 or 8# test, the fish will go deep into the tulles the moment he gets the bait so the heavier line helps get his head turned and coming towards me". Like many West Coast fishermen, John's first lure of choice is the Yamamoto grub, he flips a 4" smoke pepper or smoke sparkle w/blue flake. "Using the slip sinker instead of a heavy jig head it's easier to put it where I want it without making a big splash". If the fish are feeding on smaller shad John switches to a 3" Saturn grub from Phoenix. John points out that it is important to be accurate with your cast But don't disrupt the area if you are wrapped on a reed or deeper into the tulles than you wanted to be. "On those casts that weren't perfect, work the bait where it falls, bass will come get a bait in the strangest places". "You need to keep your rod in strike position, don't get caught asleep at the wheel" Says Bailey. "Be ready it can happen at any time." I like using a slow lift and fall motion followed by a shake, you need to watch the line closely where it enters the water, if it goes slack before reaching the bottom or twitches, set the hook." Fishing the outside edges of the wood beds with a small Texas rigged zipper grub is another of Bailey's cold water techniques. John pegs the sinker and works the crawdad colored zipper slowly. If the fish are deep in the wood Bailey uses a crawdad or shad colored, Yamamoto single tail Hula grub. John rigs these on a Gamakatsu football head and crawls it along the bottom near the brush and fallen trees. "You have to be careful hear, I use an exposed hook football head and a miscast will cost you." Says John. "If you get snagged in the trees with these hooks you will either mess up the area getting it loose or lose a $1.50 lure setup." But fishing with John Bailey has taught me a few things, and one thing is sure, the reward is worth the risk. TOP WATER GRUBBIN' Every bass angler who has been on the water for any length of time gets excited when he sees flooded timber, it has to hold Bass. But, what are the key elements to decide good timber from great timber. To start with I look for old timber as opposed to green, fresh timber. I am told that new fall or flooded timber leaches sap, and the water quality is not conducive to forage fish. On the other hand the old timber tends to rot. This in turn attracts insects, which attract small forage fish like shad and bluegill, the rest of the food chain follows. My first target is the flooded timber closest to an old channel or creek bed, If this area has a small feeder creek running into it, all the better. Most fishermen see this area and reach for their spinnerbait or Jig rod. It wouldn't be a wrong choice, a spinnerbait is a great tool for timber, and if you are good with a Jig you will probably pick up some of the more aggressive fish. But next time try a surface grub. I use a 6' 6" medium action Graphite spinning rod. Tied to the end of the 12# string is a 4" Bass Ripper grub. The long tailed, zipper style grub is rigged Texas with a 2/0 EWG Gamakatsu hook and a pegged 1/16 oz. bullet weight. I like the flat style body of the Bass Ripper because it helps slow the fall and the long flutter tail and small silhouette is very enticing to big bass. Another good choice in a larger profile would be a 5" Yamamoto Grub or a big 6" tube bait. When fishing a grub in this manner you can be very deliberate and work much slower than a spinnerbait. The twitch and pause method keeps it bait in the strike zone much longer. With the Texas rig and Pegged sinker I can work right over a fallen tree and use the "kill" technique, bass hate this. I can also throw it right into the weeds. SHAKIN' THAT THING If your target fish are bunched up in deeper water, you need a different approach. Shaking a grub will entice those sluggish brutes to bite. I like a rod with plenty of backbone but a fast tip for this technique. The key here is light line, I use 8# Trilene XL but any quality line will do. Attach a smaller, crawfish-colored Hula-grub to a fine wire 1/0 or 2/0 hook and a 1/4oz. brass n' glass setup. Rig your bait of choice Texas-style, make sure you push the hook all the way through before skinning the grub with the point. For fish holding the bottom, position your boat right over the structure, channel break or bait school you are fishing. If you are new to shakin', the principle is quite simple. After the bait reaches the bottom, start shaking the rod tip gently to rattle the brass n' glass. Work the complete structure keeping a light hold with your thumb and index finger to feel for subtle bites. Beware here, not all bites will be subtle, some will be vicious. For suspended fish the shaking technique is the same, but position your boat slightly up current and cast a shad colored bait past the fish. Most bass pros will tell you that a fish won't go down to get a bait, but most will come up to hit it. When your bait is to the desired depth use a slight lift pause motion while shaking, bringing in just enough of the slack line to stay in the strike zone. The slow fall and natural swimming motion of a grub's tail coupled with that aggravating click of the B & G will entice most suspended fish to attack. One final note: The key to fishing any of these techniques is persistence, don't give up, stay focused. If your spinnerbait or Jig technique isn't working, try fishing a grub. And if they're still not biting. go somewhere else. And remember, this is supposed to be fun. THE REACT LURE FOR ALL SEASONS WINTER: For shallow fish, flip 3-4" grubs, for deeper fish shake 3"single tail or 4" twin Hula-grubs.For suspended fish, match the baitfish,size & color. SPRING: Try sight fishing a 3" white or glitter grub. for Topwater use a 5 or 7" smoke pepper grub or Tube bait. SUMMER: For shallow fish go back to flippin, but use a larger 5-7" grub. For inactive fish try a split shot rig on a small 3'' zipper style grub. FALL: For shallow fish, pitch and flip 4" grubs and for active fish swim or split shot techniques. Michael Klasno was born and raised in SoCal and is an expert freshwater and saltwater float tube and kayak fisherman. Michael is the webmaster for FKPFishing.net a southern California float tube and kayak fishing network and the shore fishing website www.Cyberfishhead.com. For more fishing articles by this author please visit these fishing websites.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. Premiere CEO Is Replaced by News Corp.'s Williams (Update2) (Bloomberg.com) Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Premiere AG , the German pay- television company partly owned by News Corp., said Chief Executive Officer Michael Boernicke is being replaced by a senior News Corp. executive. News Corporation to redevelop London Wapping site (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is to redevelop its Wapping site in London, moving all its UK businesses, including News International, Harper Collins, MySpace and Dow Jones, under one roof. DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news (MLB.com) DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (Philly.com) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. Tribune blames Google for damaging news story (Market Watch) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Tribune Co. said Wednesday that the mistaken online publishing of an old news story that cratered UAL Corp.'s stock price earlier this week was because of a repeated technology failure at Google Inc. Get the latest news in racing (Daily Racing Form) In order to read Daily Racing Form's free daily news stories it is required that you have a DRF.com free membership. If you do not have a DRF.com free membership, please register here . You will NOT need to be logged in to read each day's free news stories. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) Chesney nominated for 7 CMAs ... Hoffman: I'm not playing Penguin ... 'RocknRolla' No. 1 at U.K. box office ... Jessica Simpson stops song on 'GMA' ... News from United Press International. Kyodo News agency says three inmates executed (AP via Yahoo! Malaysia News) Kyodo News agency says three death-row inmates have been executed in Japan. Site: news - Google News Amid Gaza violence, a new task for Obama - USA Today
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for fishing Fly-fishing for these salmon is simple, fun (Detroit Free Press) SAULT STE. MARIE, Ontario -- Going after pink salmon is perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to catch salmon on a fly rod. The techniques are so simple and so much fun that they should call this Salmon Fishing 101. INSIDE THE OUTDOORS: Fishing by the numbers? Try a 7 (Detroit Free Press) My standard fly-fishing tackle for chinook salmon and steelhead used to be a nine-foot, eight-weight rod with a traditional floating line. But for pink salmon I've sometimes used a six-weight trout rod for fish that run two to five pounds. They're considerably stronger than trout of the same size, so using a six-weight really revs up the sporting factor with these fish. Fishing report: Sept. 11 (The Tennessean) FISHING REPORT South Florida fishing report (Miami Herald) With water levels more than 15 feet in Lake Okeechobee, Howard Kleeman of Slims Fishing Camp in Clewiston reported that largemouth bass are scattered and moving further up into the grassy areas, where they have not been able to get in years. . . . Largemouth bass are being caught in the Moon Shine Bay area, Pelican Bay and the west side of Red Island. The bass are eating swimming frogs, shiners, ... Fishing derby designed to promote sport of fishing to kids - and parents, too (Morris Daily Herald) The third annual Just 4 Kids Fishing Derby is just as much for the parents as for the kids, Troop 471 leader and derby organizer Dana Morse said. Pittsburgh hooks big-money fishing tournament (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Pittsburgh will host another big money fishing event on the Three Rivers in July and August, 2009, with $1 million guaranteed to the winner. Fishing report: Sept. 11 (The Longview News-Journal) AUSTIN (AP) ? Here is the weekly fishing report as compiled for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for Sept. 10. (Report also available on Web as www.txfishing.com.) Of the Outdoors ? Jig Fishing: The Ultimate Catching Tool (Yankton Press & Dakotan) With all of the traveling I do, I have the opportunity to talk with a lot of anglers. At a recent in store promotion, I was talking with a group of fishermen talking about different fishing techniques. Boy Scouts set to host fishing derby Sept. 13 (Morris Daily Herald) Morris Boy Scout Troop 471 will host its free Just 4 Kids Fishing Derby on Saturday, Sept. 13, at Gebhard Woods State Park in Morris. PHOTO GALLERY: Fishing Rodeo in Fairview Heights (St. Clair County Journal) The pond at Everett Moody Park in Fairview Heights was the place to be for young anglers on Aug. 30 as Elk?s Lodge 664 and Mayor Gail D. Mitchell sponsored the 16th annual Kid?s Fishing Rodeo. Site: fishing - Google News Fishing/hunting report - San Diego Union Tribune
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