LITTLE ROCK — March is big-bass season in the South. As water temperatures rise, big fish move from their usual deep abodes into shallower water, where they're much more vulnerable to being caught.
Based on conversations with Texas fishing professionals during the Bassmaster Classic in Louisiana recently, an angler would be wise to keep a swim bait handy during the spring season.
Kelly Jordon, Alton Jones, Gary Klein and Byron Velvick were asked what three lures they would tie on if targeting big bass in spring. All listed a big swim bait high on their list.
"I like a five-inch Yum Money Minnow swim bait worked just as slowly as I possibly can and still make the tail work," said Jones, the 2008 Classic champion. "I like to rig the lure on a 6/0 Owner Beast hook - the weighted version - and fish it on 20-pound fluorocarbon line. That's the best combination to get really good action from the bait."
Jordon said a lot of big bass are caught on swim baits, but many fishermen don't talk about them much.
Klein said he keeps a swim bait handy whenever there's a chance to catch a big bass, but he fishes the lure only in specific places.
"The key is when not to fish it," Klein said. "If you just go out and try throwing a swim bait all day, you'll get tired of it before you gain confidence. I like a BBZ1 swim bait made by Spro, and I just use it in places where I expect to get a big bite."
A lot of lures can be loosely called swim baits, but the ones these guys are talking about fall into two categories.
One style is a soft-plastic lure that generally gets its action from a tail design that wagsfrom side-to-side. The other style is a hard-bodied lure that's often segmented and swims with a realistic action.
Some of the hard-bodied lures look exactly like the baitfish they are designed to emulate.
Another favorite of the pros is the Senko - a straight-bodied plastic worm. Jordon said he likes a seven-inch model.
Todd Faircloth, another Classic contender from Texas, favors a 6-inch Senko. So does Jones, who uses the Yum version of a Senko. It's called a Yum Dinger. Velvick uses the biggest Senko he can find.
As with the swim bait, the Senko works best when fished slowly.
Other lures mentioned by the pros as a good bet for big bass are jigs (Jones and Klein) and a deep-diving crank bait (Velvic). Faircloth is fond of the plastic lizard, which he usually works on a Carolina rig.
Outdoors, Pages 38 on 03/05/2009