Summertime Scary Baits for Largemouth

Summertime Scary Baits for Largemouth

During summertime months there are a few classic presentations that people reach for in order to put bass in the boat. For many it is a top water frog, popper, Texas rigged worm, or even a spinnerbait. Don’t get me wrong those baits and presentations will produce, but one might be amazed as to how a simple change in style and presentation can produce even more results.

With so many different soft plastic style lures on the market today it can be a daunting task to decide what body type to use. Of all the lures available one specific body style that has really caught on the last few years is the creature style lure. From tournament pros to just the average weekend warrior angler, these lures have proven to be dynamite when it comes to hooking bucketmouths.

What makes a creature bait a creature bait? These types of soft plastics are generally found with multiple appendages protruding from the main body shape. It is as if a traditional tube, worm, lizard, and crawdad were all mixed together to create a Frankenstein lure. The motto with many soft plastic companies today seems to be “the weirder the design and look, the better.

The look of a creature bait plays into its role as a very universal plastic. It can imitate a bluegill, crawdad, bullhead, salamander, or just about anything that largemouth will feed on. Some of these plastics can be found with more “moving” parts to them. Open water situations are great to use baits like this in. Another category that could be found in the sea of creature bait choices are the more subtle versions. Baits like these tend to have parts that don’t swim or really do much of anything special in the water. They are there to add bulk to the bait and give it a larger profile.

The great thing about these oddball baits is that they are at home most anywhere you throw them. One of the best places to entice a warm summertime bass into biting is up near the bank. From rocks to weeds to wood, the ban has all the cover and food to keep a bass content.

There are really only a few options when it comes to tackle for throwing these baits shallow. First is the rod. Some of the baits are bulky by nature, then you add a weight and a decent sized hook to it and you have one hefty offering to present. That is why most anglers who fish these lures opt for a 7 foot med-heavy action rod. This is about the best all-around rod that you can get. Sure, you can get away with a shorter rod, but I would say nothing less than a med-heavy action rod. They key is to have enough backbone in your rod to get the fish up and out of the cover.

The number one choice for line when fishing shallow cover is braided line. Braid allows you to cut through the weeds when you set the hook, and has zero stretch to help drive the hook home. Another great feature is that your sensitivity goes through the roof with braid. You can feel every little thing that the lure is doing underwater. As far as poundage goes it isn’t uncommon to see anglers use up to 65 pound line. The main reason for using the bigger sized line is to help prevent the line from breaking on the initial shock of the hook set. Fluorocarbon works well too if the fish seem a bit line shy or you are just more comfortable using fluoro. If that is the case stick with something in the 15-20 pound range.
The main way that any creature bait will be rigged to fish it most effectively is a Texas rig. Hook size is generally determined by what size bait and line you have. A 4/0 extra wide gap hook should work in most instances, though if you are using larger lures and line you might opt for a 5/0 extra wide gap. Another style of hook that works great would be the straight-shank flippin hooks. These tend to work better with smaller bodied baits and have a keeper on the shank to hold your bait up. For this style of hook a 3/0 or 4/0 is perfect. Although, again if big line and big fish are your style then a 5/0 might be the way to go. Match these hooks with 3/8th, 1/2, or even a 1 ounce weight depending on the thickness of the cover. If you are fishing thick cover that you want to get the bait through, peg the weight to the line. This way the weight stays next to the hook and pulls through cover better. Rubber bobber stops work great to peg weights because they will not fray the line like a toothpick does.

Having a selection of creature baits can really help put the odds in your favor. Whether this means two different styles or two dozen, being able to give the fish what they want is crucial. There are many companies out there that make creature baits so finding a good selection shouldn’t be an issue.

One of the most important things to help your presentation is to match the cover to the style of your creature bait. What I mean by that is you don’t want to throw a giant chunk of plastic into really thick weeds. The bigger baits tend to get hung up or may not even break through the canopy of grass. In thick weeds, a smaller more compact bait will be a better bet. It still has bulk to help draw attention to it while at the same time is slender enough to slide through cover.
When it comes to colors, keep it simple. With clear water go with more natural colors like green pumpkin, watermelon, or pumpkinseed. In dirty or stained water go with darker colors, black/blue, black/red, or something along those lines.

These small compact creature baits also work well in shallow weedy areas. Like other shallow presentations, focus most of your time to high percentage places. Most of these spots consist of weedline transitions, points, turns, or bottom content change. Any change is a prime ambush location for a hungry largemouth to be waiting. Weed changes where you have two or more kinds of vegetation meeting are always going to be prime holding areas for bass. Even pockets or holes in the grass are going to be great spots too. Don’t be afraid to cast into the nastiest, gnarliest, mats of weeds you can find. These thick canopies provide much needed shape to keep big bass cool.

Another type of shallow cover that shouldn’t be overlooked is hard cover. Spots like these consist of rock, wood, or even docks. If you can find an area that has hard cover and weeds mixed together, then the odds you will find a fish there go up dramatically. Not all hard cover is created equal though. Depth can be a little more crucial with this type of cover. Most of the time having deeper water some place nearby helps draw fish out of the deeper areas and onto to shallow cover. When fishing hard cover the bigger and bulkier creature baits are the way to go. Big fish want big baits, but smaller fish will still inhale them just as quickly.

There is no doubt creature baits have “crept” their way into the soft plastic world for good. They absolutely produce bass, with bigger bites to boot. Many anglers are starting to embrace these oddities and as results to continue rise many more people will come around and start using them! Put a creature on your bait and reap the rewards during the middle of summer.