During the course of a normal year I spend countless hours on the water guiding and fishing tournaments. Over time I have settled in on three soft plastic baits that have continually helped me to have countless successful trips in the spring. I want to share these with you today, and consider these a Must for your tackle box. The three baits that we will look at today are (1) Prowler Grubs (2) Prowler Tubes (3) Prowler Worms. Take these three baits, add water and you have a recipe for a successful day on the water!
One of the reasons that they work so well is their versatility. These baits have been effective for me in water as cold as 38 degrees. They perform well in lakes that have heavy fishing pressure. They are great on high pressure blue bird days. They can be fished shallow or deep, slow or fast. They can be fished in all types of structure from grass to rip-rap-bridges-humps points, lily pads and more. Let's take a closer look at these three deadly spring time baits.
Prowler Grubs
The 3 inch and 5 inch Prowler Grubs have a very strong resemblance to a bait fish and are both very effective in clear or stained water. When bass are chasing bait fish don't hesitate to throw a grub. Fish it right under the surface on a fast retrieve, then pause and let it flutter and then repeat the process back to the boat. To swim a grub, make a long cast take up your slack line, point the rod tip toward the grub and then reel slow and steady back to the boat. By using this method you can target the fish that might be in a suspended pattern. I also like to fish a grub on a Carolina rig. I keep my color selection simple staying with pumpkin seed, smoke, white, watermelon seed and June bug. I catch allot of Smallmouth on Prowler Grubs rigging them on a 1/16th ounce jig head on 6 or 8lb test line. My rod of choice for fishing Prowler Grubs is the AllPro APX66MSRS spinning rod. This rod is tailor made for this application. View all the APX rods at www.allprorods.com
Prowler Tubes
Tubes rank as one of the best soft plastics that has ever been made for catching big bass. A tube has all the strong points of a jig without their weaknesses. A tube can be fished in the heaviest of cover or can swim it out in open water imitating perfectly an injured bait fish. I have taught at Bass Pro Shops in Nashville for over 6 years now and I can tell you this technique works! I don't think you can go wrong with any color but my favorites are green pumpkin, watermelon seed, pumpkin seed, white, and June Bug. I like to insert a Prowler rattle into my tubes. I think these have to be the loudest rattles on the market. I swim a Prowler Tube on 1/8th-3/16th and a 1/4 ounce jig heads on 6lb or 8lb test line and HOLD ON! They are also awesome on a Carolina Rig or being pitched and flipped into heavy cover. I also like to throw the 3 inch Prowler Stubby Tube without a rattle letting it fall slowly in and around shallow grass beds. I use a couple different AllPro APX rods for these applications. The APX80HTFS for Flipping a tube and the AllPro APX76HTFS for Pitching.
Prowler Worms
I believe the Prowler straight tail worm which has a very subtle action in suited just right for inactive bass. They are also great when wacky rigging and extremely effective in 1 to 5 feet of water. Twitch it gently and let it sink on a 1/8oz or 1/16oz jig head or Texas rigged with a small bullet weight. My favorite colors are green pumpkin, watermelon, cotton candy and June Bug. Used on a Carolina rig this little worm can be dangerous and it's super effective when fishing a drop shot with 6lb and 8lb test line.
Conclusion
All these techniques and presentations will work on any lake or river. I hope these tips will help you put more bass in your boat this 2006 season. In my opinion Prowler Pro Pitch Lures are the best soft plastic baits on the market. Try them you will love them. Have a blessed 2006 fishing season.
Tim Mason Guide
