After a season long assault on the largemouth population, fall time bass don’t “fall” for the same old stuff. They have grown smart and choose their prey warily. Even the seemingly easy to catch schooling fish can make a seasoned fisherman feel like a rookie. As the bass leave their offshore hide-outs and push shallower into the creeks…
After a season long assault on the largemouth population, fall time bass don’t “fall” for the same old stuff. They have grown smart and choose their prey warily. Even the seemingly easy to catch schooling fish can make a seasoned fisherman feel like a rookie. As the bass leave their offshore hide-outs and push shallower into the creeks, you can put down your football jig and swap it for its relative.
Every tournament angler drools at the thought of active, shallow, feeding bass. Fall is known for producing large sacks of fish in the shallows, so competitors tie on their rattle traps and spinner baits and churn mud. After a long hard day that was not nearly as productive as expected, we wonder why our time on the water was so futile. “By the end of September, when fall starts to get under way, bass have become so conditioned to the stereotypical presentations that they can be fairly tough to catch” says Omega Custom Tackle Pro-Staffer Josh Bracamontes. “Doing something only slightly different can make all the difference in the world.”
Bracamontes has some of his greatest success swimming jigs to coax these suspicious bass. “I love to swim a Revelation Swim Jig made by Omega. It is the perfect size and it stays horizontal in the water” relays the host of Bass Cast Radio on www.basseast.com. “That is very important for ensuring consistent, quality hook-ups and it also keeps you from snagging in thick cover. I also add to it a grub sized to match the hatch.”
“Snaggy” cover is exactly what this Ardent sponsored competitor is looking for. “With draw downs taking place during the fall, shallow cover can be tough to find. If you spend the time to locate the thickest, snaggiest, cover in the lake, chances are that you will be greatly rewarded.” This is where the Revelation Swim Jig really excels according to Bracamontes. “Not only does this jig allow you to vary from what the other competitors are doing, but it also hangs up far less than a crank bait or spinner bait. While other fishermen are crashing their boats into stumps and laydowns attempting to retrieve their lure, I am moving on to my next target, resulting in a bigger sack at the end of the day.”
A typical jig rod does not cut it for Bracamontes. “I am looking for a rod with plenty of backbone yet a fairly light tip.” He believes that longer more accurate casts can be achieved with less effort if you use a good spinner bait rod. “You aren’t flipping or pitching when swimming a jig. It is more reminiscent of spinner bait fishing with a lot of pumping and twitching action.” He finishes off his set up with 16 lb. to 20 lb. test GAMMA Edge Fluorocarbon. “GAMMA handles so smoothly even at a higher lb. test, and although the sensitivity isn’t as important when swimming a jig, the non stretch characteristic allows for better hook-ups.”
In the coming weeks, when the bite should be good but isn’t, try what Josh Bracamontes suggests; swim the Revelation Swim Jig. You are sure to see more and bigger bass this fall.
