Adjusting to a winter bite, Part 2

As I recall, when I stopped writing last Tuesday, we were talking about slowing down and fishing with the same Luck “E” Strike baits on the second day. That was the core of how things were. There’s no doubt in my mind that was the biggest thing I changed. But I also did something else different that helped a bunch. I expanded by areas.

It was bitter cold both days, at least as far as I was concerned. It didn’t seem like there was much of a reason for the bass to move or go anywhere else. I really didn’t see any significant changes in the lake. Nevertheless, I discovered something interesting. The fish did move, just not very far.

I expanded some of my spots by about 100 yards overall. That’s not much in a lake as big as Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees but it seemed like it helped me put fish in the boat. My observation is that with relatively stable weather conditions winter bass will still move from day to day. If I fish in those conditions again, I’ll make sure I keep that lesson in mind.

I have no idea why they do that but I suspect it has something to do with their feeding cycles or the forage. It’s cold and they’re lethargic but they still have to eat. In February, in that cold, nothing else makes any sense to me.

The biggest thing I learned, though, was about myself as an angler. I have to keep my emotions under control. It didn’t matter to the fish that I was the 2012 Bassmaster Classic champion. They could have cared less. All that mattered to them was how fast my baits were moving.

I played into that on the second day and ended up with a sack that weighed over 18 pounds. My first bass was in the livewell early and she weighed about 5 pounds. In short order, I had two more 4-pound beauties with her.

When I tried to force the fish to do it my way, instead of my doing it their way, I blanked. The problem was my presentation, not my lure and certainly not where I was fishing.  

As I look back on things, I have to say that for a guy who lives in a neighborhood where we worry more about sunburn than frostbite it was a real eye opener. Bass might be bass, but cold water bass don’t act like warm water bass.

That may sound obvious, but it’s something I needed to learn in the real world. It was important that I see it for myself. It’s one thing to know that in your head. It’s another to experience it on the water. The water lesson stays with you longer.

I just wish I hadn’t learned it the hard way. I hope someone out there can learn a little something from my mistakes and from my successes in Oklahoma. If so, it’ll make your winter bassing one heck of a lot more productive.

Chris Lane’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Twitter and Facebook or visit his website, www.chrislanefishing.com.

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Get a grip on basic sonar

Editor's note: This is the first of a series by Wilson Frazier covering every aspect of how to use, and get more out of, your electronics. Frazier is one of the leading experts in the industry on the setup and use of electronics. For more information, visit his website.

We'll start by defining sonar. It’s an acronym for SOund, NAvigation and Ranging. It is not visual. It’s all about sound. It’ll work as well in the dark as it does in the light. What you see on your electronics screen is nothing more than a visual interpretation of sound information.

Your sonar unit is not a "fish finder," and it’s not a "depth finder."

Sonar detects objects in water — suspended, on the bottom, or the bottom itself — by sending and receiving sound waves. It does that on our boats through a crystal in the transducer. The sound waves measure time over distance. That is, how long does it take for a sound wave to leave the transducer, bounce off of something and then return to the transducer as our boat is moving across the water’s surface? That gives us distance.

The only thing that's "live" (real time) on your sonar screen is on the far right side. Unless you're running an old paper graph, the screen isn’t moving at all. What’s happening is that lights — your screen is a grid of tiny lights — are being sequentially turned off behind the signal. This creates the illusion of movement. Everything past the right side of the screen is way behind you, so far behind you that you could almost never cast to it.

As you view the screen, and interpret what you’re seeing, keep three things in mind. If the line or object is going up, it’s because that line or object was coming into (toward) the sound waves from your transducer. If the line or object looks flat, the sound waves from the transducer are right over the top of whatever it is that you’re looking at. If the object appears to be going down, it’s because the sound waves from the transducer are moving away from it. (That’s why a fish looks like an arch instead of a straight line.)

If these lines are long, it’s because the sound waves were over the top of them for a long time. If they are short, it’s because the sound waves were over them for a short period of time. Boat speed has a big effect on that. It’s not all about size. Think of it this way: a rock that’s a foot long will look longer if your boat is moving 2 mph than it will look if your boat’s moving 10 mph.

Another thing: approximately 50 percent of the sound waves are concentrated in the power zone (cone) under the transducer. That circle is roughly one-third of the depth of the water you’re in. So, if you’re over 12 feet of water, your most detailed screen information comes from an area about 4 feet across directly below your transducer.

That’s not all you’re seeing, though. Some of the sound waves outside the cone are bouncing back to your transducer. You get some information from them. Think of it like a flashlight beam. You can see things in the middle of the light the best but you can see things on the outer edges, too.

And another thing: a soft bottom or object will look narrow because the sound waves bouncing off it are weak. There’s no strong, reflective surface. A hard bottom or object will look wide because the sound waves bouncing off it are strong. There is a strong, reflective surface. This is easy to understand if you think about dropping a golf ball on carpet and then on tile.

Pro Angler Tip: If you want to get really good at interpreting what you’re seeing with your unit do what Elite Series angler Dennis Tietje did when he decided to take his fishing to the next level — invest in an Aqua-Vu camera.

Mark something with your electronics and then look at it with your camera. It’ll help you make better judgments when you’re actually out fishing.

Next time — before we get any deeper into sonar — we’re going to cover basic GPS.

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Dispelling ice fishing myths

Most of the nation is in an ice box, and that means it’s ice fishing season here in Michigan.

While my southern brothers don’t get to experience this, many have a misconception of what it’s really like. They can’t fathom driving a truck onto a lake, drilling holes into ice to catch fish.

But for those of us who grew up fishing this way, it truly is fun and a huge industry up here.

I don’t get to do as much as I like because of travel in January and the Bassmaster Classic in February. But when we get a cold snap like this one before Christmas, I take advantage of it.

We fish for everything from bluegills to walleyes, pike and bass. I like it all, but there’s nothing like jigging for bass when they’re active.

I’ve learned just how active bass can be under the ice, and that has helped me with fishing cold water everywhere. I used to think you had to slow down and drag something on the bottom and hope for a bite. That’s not the case; fish are more active than you imagine. They will thump a jigging lure through the ice nearly as hard as they do an artificial lure in the summer.

Another misconception is that the fish always go deep in cold water. I’ve caught hundreds of bass through ice in less than 5 feet of water, especially during early ice season and on our shallow weedy lakes. Deeper lakes may be the exception but bass really don’t go as deep as you think in cold water.

To be an effective ice fisherman, it really helps to have a handheld GPS to help you find those spots and a portable fishfinder to help you locate fish under the ice.

Ice fishing graphs are amazing. You can see the fish, structure and cover plus the tiniest ice jig on the screen. I never fish a hole unless I see fish activity on my Humminbird Ice 55 and can put my bait right on the nose of those fish.

I can’t sit in one spot, so I drill a lot of holes along what I determine to be the outer edge of a weed flat. I may drill 75 holes or more, then go back over them with my graph and jig the holes that contain fish.

I work my bait tied to a short spinning rod and can sometimes predict a bite before it happens. I’ll see a fish drawn to the bait and if it doesn’t respond, I’ll experiment with tip movements to make it bite.

My favorite baits are a 1/4-ounce Strike King Red Eye shad (chrome or gold sexy shad), small jigging spoons, blade baits like Silver Buddies, or even small grubs and Strike King Bitsy Tubes.

Another techy tool I plan to try this winter is a HydroWave Mini electronic sound device that mimics sounds to attract fish. The mini is a portable unit, and when used with my fishfinder, I can tell whether it’s drawing fish to my bait.

Bass fishing through the ice can be a great way to spend a winter afternoon. It’s not unusual to catch a dozen or so bass in three-hour trip, and while most will be 1- or 2-pounders, you can get a few 3s and 4s on a good day. What’s cool is the fish school; so once you get one to bite, you might catch six bass out of the same hole!

Remember, it’s all about the attitude!

Kevin VanDam's column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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The physical side of fishing, Part 2

This week I want to go into some detail about how I selected my trainer and why I think it’s so important to do something like that right.

First, let me say that I have nothing against sweaty gyms and musclebound meatheads. They have their place in the world, especially if you just want to get into a little better shape. They’re just not for me. I want true professionals who take the time to customize workout routines and really help you do something special.

The other thing is that I’m on the road all the time. This business is nothing if it’s not constant travel. I don’t want a program that’s all about fancy, specialized gym equipment. I need a program that I can do in my room or on the dock before or after I go fishing. I don’t have the time to travel someplace to work out and I don’t have the room in my truck to carry a lot of stuff. It’s filled to the brim as it is.

Those are a couple of the things that impressed me about Dan Burns. We get together three or four times a week as of right now. That’s fine. I’m home and doing less travel than normal. But it won’t be that way for long.

He’s going to fix me up with a system that uses small, light weights and a set of straps or pulleys that I can hook to a door or to the back of my truck. Heck, he’s even working with me on how to go up and down stairs so that I get some exercise when I do that. It’s perfect for the lifestyle that I live.

Like I said last week, I can already feel the difference after about six or seven weeks. I can only imagine how much better I’ll feel when the Classic rolls around in February.

This is really what I call the third part of professional bass fishing. There’s the equipment part, the psychological part and the physical part. I’ve worked for years developing tackle and equipment. That’s gone pretty well.

Last year I worked hard with a sports psychologist — I’m still using the things she taught me — and I think that’s gone pretty well, too. I mean, I’m not as calm and controlled as I want to be but I’m a heck of a lot better than I used to be. And now I’m working on the physical.

I’m not here to tell anyone how or what to do with their fishing lives. That’s a personal decision each person has to make for themselves. We all have our own goals and aspirations, and we all define success differently.

All I can say is that this is what I’m doing and, so far, it seems to be working. Take what you can use from what I’ve said about these three topics and throw away the rest.

Next fall, or maybe about this time of the year, I’ll let you know how it all worked out.

Mike Iaconelli's column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter or visit his website, MikeIaconelli.com.

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10 best tips for fishing wood

If both bass and bass fishermen have a magnet, it is a strategically positioned piece of wood.

That can take many forms: a fallen tree with its roots on the bank and its branches extending well underneath the surface; a stumprow situated on a deep water ledge; shoreline bushes freshly flooded by rising water; a forest of standing timber; the extensive root system of a cypress tree; a brushpile anchored in a secret spot; a dock piling; a lone log hugging the lake bottom.

Those are just a few examples of the types of wet wood that attract both angler and prey. They are features of a lake, reservoir or river where the proper approach will usually produce a strike.

Here, then, are the 10 best tips for fishing wood, from some of the country's most experienced pros and guides.

To watch Kevin VanDam dissect a fallen tree, with jig in hand, is to see a skillful surgeon at work.

VanDam makes initial pitches to the heart of the tree, probing each individual junction formed by a major branch. His boat is positioned perfectly to enable him to methodically work each intersection of limbs along the trunk during the retrieve. If that effort goes unrewarded, the Michigan pro then drops the lure along the outer portions of the shallow, submerged tree.

"I always go right to the middle of cover, even if I have to throw over a lot of limbs and stuff, because I believe my best chances of catching the biggest fish living in that tree are with that first pitch," the seven-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year says. "If you can get a bait in there real quietly and drop it on his head the very first time, your chances are a lot better (in that shallow water situation) than if you fish it from the outside and work your way in."

Few lures are as universally productive around submerged wood cover as the rubber-skirted jig. That is especially true of underwater brush and shallow laydown trees.

"You would be hard-pressed to find a better bait than a jig with those types of cover," emphasizes Joe Thomas, an accomplished pro from Ohio. "Day in and day out, there's no better bait for wood."

For casting and pitching to submerged brushpiles, Thomas utilizes a 1/4- to 1/2-ounce Arkie jig, which sports a standard stand-up-style head with a loud external rattle. Black-and-blue or chartreuse are his usual color choices. The exception is in clear water, when he switches to green-pumpkinseed. His trailer is an Uncle Josh No. 1 pork chunk (when the water temperature is 55 degrees or colder) or a 4-inch plastic craw that has been reduced to about 3 inches in length. Thomas trims the jig's weedguard at a 45 degree angle, down to about 1/8 inch above the point of the hook to ensure a better hooking percentage.

"My first concern with fishing brush with a jig is trolling-motor speed and boat control," he adds. "To have total boat control, you need to try to fish into the current or wind. That way, you can actually govern your speed and you won't have the wind pushing you into the cover. The second thing I like to do is keep my trolling motor at a low, constant speed to minimize the noise and water displacement."

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How do I get more from my batteries?

Expert: Michael Simonton, Fremont, Ohio — The second year Elite pro is working hard to make a name for himself on the tournament trail.

If you fish from a boat, you've probably got several batteries in it — batteries for your trolling motor, a cranking battery for your outboard and maybe even a battery for your electronics. They take up a lot of space, add weight to your rig, and the best ones are not cheap.

It's important to get the most out of your batteries, and I've learned a lot about battery care since joining the Crown Battery pro staff. These tips should help you as much as they've helped me.

Lithium grease isn't just for science fiction films anymore. Actually, it never was -- it's real stuff, and it will improve your battery performance, but you have to use it correctly.

Ken DukeLithium grease is great, but only to prevent corrosion.

The grease doesn't belong on your connections. It will only reduce your power flow there. The only place you want to put the grease is on the nut and on top of the post after you've tightened everything down. It's designed to prevent corrosion, not to enhance your connection.

The battery compartment of your boat can be a mildew greenhouse if you're not careful, and it's important to keep everything clean back there. Dirt and mildew buildup on your batteries — even and especially on the sides of the batteries — will sap your power.

The good news is that it's easy to fix and prevent. A little soap and water works wonders to keep everything clean and working properly.

Loose connections are the biggest thief of battery power. If your battery doesn't have a good connection to your wiring, you're not getting everything you can out of it. Be sure tighten everything down and check it frequently.

It's even a good idea to check your connections throughout the course of the day. A long drive to the lake followed by a lot of running around on the water can loosen your connections and keep you from getting maximum power.

A hydrometer is a tool that measures the relative density of a liquid — like the water in a battery. A battery hydrometer estimates the state of charge of a battery by measuring the density of sulfuric acid solution in it.

A good battery hydrometer can tell you if your battery cells are functioning properly. If they're not, it's time for a new battery.

When adding water to your batteries, use distilled water or "pure" tap water. For most of us, "pure" tap water isn't an option because our water supplier adds chemicals to our water that may be good for us, but they'll hurt a battery. You can pick up distilled water at most grocery stores.

And when you're refilling your batteries, don't overfill them. That's a battery killer! Only fill them up to about 1/8-inch below the vent well. If you overfill the battery, it will lead to tray corrosion and can cause extensive damage to your battery and boat.

Just because you've parked the boat in the garage for the winter doesn't mean it won't need a little regular maintenance. That's especially true with your batteries.

Ken DukeKeep the aspirin in your medicine cabinet, not your battery.

Charge your batteries three times over your off-season: (1) after your final trip of the year, (2) around the mid-point of your off-season and (3) right before your first outing of the next season. This will add life to your batteries and keep them powerful when you need them.

And here are some well-known myths about battery care.

This was true a long time ago, when car batteries were encased in hard rubber that was porous. Back then, leaking battery acid could create a conductive path through the floor and drain the battery. With today's battery cases, it won't happen. Concrete is no longer the enemy!

It's just not going to add enough of a charge to help you crank a motor. Aspirin might relieve a headache caused by a dead battery, but it's not going to do much for the battery itself. Charge it or replace it.

For more on battery care, check out the Crown Battery FAQ page.

Originally published June 2013

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How can I reduce fatigue when deep cranking?

The longer I'm in this business, the more respect I have for the guys who came before me and who are still at it. A lot of fishing fans don't realize how demanding a full day on the water can be —especially if you're getting older.

I'll turn 50 next year, and there are days when I feel every day of it, especially when I'm deep cranking or doing any sort of fishing that's really physically demanding. Big baits, long casts and hard cranking can take it out of you even if you're young and healthy. If you've got a few years in your rear-view mirror, it can be brutal.

That's why I worked with the folks at Lew's to create a new handle design for cranking rods. We call it the "Palmer," and it will definitely make your crankbait fishing easier, less demanding and more productive.

We all know what to look for in a good cranking rod blank. We want plenty of length to make long casts, a soft and forgiving tip and midsection that helps to keep the hooks in the bass' mouth and the slow action that you get from fiberglass and composites.

Unfortunately, too often we overlook the handle which is important because that's where the angler meets the rod. Conventional casting rod handles have a trigger that requires you to divide your fingers and wrap them around the handle and reel. That puts your wrist, elbow and shoulder at angles that can add to your fatigue and may even contribute to tendonitis or other problems.

The Palmer keeps all of your fingers above the trigger during the retrieve and keeps your wrist at a more comfortable and ergonomically-friendly angle. Match it up with a slower reel, like the Lew's BB-1 Pro Series in the 5.1:1 gear ratio, and you have a combo that will take a lot of the fight out of the biggest and deepest diving crankbaits on the market.

Another thing you can do is to really refine your mechanics. A good long cast with a big deep-diving crankbait doesn't have to involve every muscle in your body. It should be efficient and smooth, involving your wrist, elbow and a slight turn of your upper body. It shouldn't look like you're throwing a discus at the Olympics.

If you've ever watched my friend David Fritts cast, you know how economical the movement can be. David has probably reeled a big crankbait more miles than anyone I know, and that wouldn't be possible without good mechanics. He's won a Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year award and a Bassmaster Classic and can throw a big crankbait 60 yards or more because he uses balanced gear and lets the rod and reel do the work. Believe it or not, he does most of his casting and cranking while sitting down!

To get more out of your deep cranking with less wear and tear on your body, use the right gear and get the bugs out of your mechanics. You'll catch more bass and feel better at the end of the day.

Work smarter, not harder.

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Elites to take on sweet Seminole

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series profiling 2014 Elite Series locations.

The Bassmaster Elite Series pros will be “grinning from ear to ear” when they kick off the season at Lake Seminole March 13-16 believes Florida's Shaw Grigsby. Grigsby knows this storied 37,500-acre reservoir well, having won two of the 13 Bassmaster events that have happened here.

“The whole lake will be good in March,” Grigsby says. “And very few patterns won’t work, so the pros will be able to play to whatever their strengths are.”

Located in Georgia’s southwest corner along the Florida border, Seminole’s bass spawn peaks in February, Grigsby points out. There will be spawning activity during the tournament, but many of the bass will be on a postspawn feeding spree.

You might think that Grigsby, who excels at bed fishing, will concentrate on spawning bass. That could happen, but Grigsby isn't locked into sight fishing.

“I finished third at Seminole once and caught every bass on a lipless crankbait,” Grigsby says. “And, it was full spawn time. Seminole is a great cranking lake.”        

Key areas on the main lake will be sand bars and high spots that have stumps and submerged hydrilla. A jerkbait or lipless rattler could score big here.

Schools of bass will also be relating to main lake creek channel drops, Grigsby adds.

“I look for structure guys like Timmy Horton and Paul Elias to be extremely competitive,” Grigsby says. “Mike Iaconelli wiped us out at Seminole once by fishing one of those drops.”

Grigsby also believes that everything from drop shot fishing to punching hyacinth mats with heavy Texas rigs could be productive. Could the shad spawn be a factor?

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Starter kit for bass

It's hard to decide which lures to buy when you're new to bass fishing. There are so many of them, and you don't have enough money to get them all. But, if you make the right choices, you can put together a small collection of lures that will catch bass anywhere. Let's look at some good ones for getting started in bass fishing.

Have you ever seen a bass "explode" on a topwater bait? The bait is chirping along on top of the water without a care in the world. Suddenly, Moby Bass leaps up from nowhere, and the bait disappears into its big mouth.

Because you see the strike, there is no doubt about when to set the hook. You can also see how a topwater bait acts when you twitch the rod or crank faster or more slowly.

Popper: The silver and black 1/4-ounce Rebel Pop-R is used by many professional bass fishermen. This includes Zell Rowland from Montgomery, Texas, who has won tournaments with the Pop-R and Zell Pop. Rowland catches many bass up to 3 pounds — and sometimes even larger — on a Pop-R.

The Pop-R works best in clear water where you can see down at least 2 feet. Cast it next to bass cover along the shoreline, such as boat docks, fallen trees and the edges of weeds. It also catches bass in the middle of ponds.

 After the Pop-R splashes into the water, let it rest until the ripples die. This is when many bass strike. Hold the rod level with the water, and give the bait a soft, sideways twitch. You want the bait to "pop" the surface while moving a short distance. Let the Pop-R rest for a few seconds, and pop it again. Then continue the pop-pause retrieve back to the boat.

Buzzbait: A buzzbait doesn't float like a Pop-R, so you have to start reeling immediately after it hits the water. Its blade sputters on the surface like an airplane propeller and triggers strikes from big bass. Buzzbaits cover water quickly and rarely snag because the hook rides up. They catch bass in clear to murky water and are especially good when pulled over weeds.The 5/16-ounce Triple Clicker from Bass Pro Shops has a triple blade. This lets it work on the surface with slower retrieves than standard double blade buzzbaits. Slow retrieves usually produce more strikes than fast retrieves. Cast beyond the cover whenever you can, and run the buzzbait over the bass. You can't go wrong with a white skirt and a silver blade.

Jerkbaits are slender minnow-shaped lures that work well in clear water. The basic retrieve is a jerk-jerk-pause, jerk-jerk-twitch-pause rhythm that makes the bait dart along under the surface. These lures pull bass up from rocky bottoms, submerged weeds and out from under boat docks.

Floating: Fish a 1/2-ounce Bomber Long A (model 15A) when bass feed after the spawn. Use quick jerks with short pauses, because the bass are hungry and active in the warm water. Try the Silver Flash Blue Back color.

Suspending: Working a jerkbait with soft twitches and long pauses catches big bass in cold water before the spawn. Fish a suspending jerkbait that hangs in place during pauses so the sluggish bass have time to react. Smithwick's 3/8-ounce Suspending Super Rogue in the Clown color is a proven producer.

The spinnerbait catches bass of all sizes spring through fall. It works in clear to muddy water and from less than 1 foot deep to more than 10 feet deep. The overhead wire and spinners protect the upturned hook. As long as the spinnerbait is moving forward, it bumps through most weeds and limbs without snagging.

Willowleaf Blade: Bass feed mainly by sight in clear to lightly stained water where they can easily see a long, flashy willowleaf blade. Strike King's 1/4-ounce Premier Elite spinnerbait has a willowleaf blade and a smaller Colorado blade, a good combination. Get the white shad pattern: It has silver blades and a silvery skirt.

Colorado Blade: In stained to muddy water, bass feed more by sound than sight. A spinnerbait with a single, round Colorado blade puts out thumping vibrations. Bass charge after this spinnerbait even before they see it. Booyah's 1/4-ounce single Colorado blade spinnerbait in chartreuse with a gold blade will do the job. Fish it around stumps, stickups and other wood cover.

Wiggling crankbaits can imitate baitfish or crawfish. They cover water fast, and bass usually hook themselves on the sharp treble hooks.

Super Shallow: A crankbait like Mann's 1/4-ounce Baby 1-Minus runs no deeper than 12 inches. Choose a baitfish color like Wild Shiner or Tennessee Shad, and crank it over weeds that grow up within inches of the surface.

Square Bill: Fat, shallow running crankbaits that have square bills bounce over stumps and limbs and rarely snag. Bagley's 7/16-ounce Balsa B is especially snag resistant. Stop cranking the Balsa B for a second when this buoyant bait hits something and floats free. Chartreuse with a black back is a color that produces well when cranking wood cover in murky water.

Lipless Rattler: Lipless rattling crankbaits, like the 1/4-ounce Rat-L-Trap, swim with a tight, vibrating wiggle that makes its internal BBs chatter. The commotion excites bass into biting in all seasons, and especially in the spring and fall. Cast this crankbait over weedbeds and into open water. Keep it away from wood and snaggy bottoms, because the hooks latch onto anything they touch. The chrome with a blue or black back color catches bass anywhere.

Soft plastic baits are harder to fish than most other lures. That's because the bites are light and hard to sense. You'll have an easier time learning with plastic baits that you fish without weights. Since you normally fish these baits within a few feet of the surface, you often see the strike.

 Even if you don't see the strike, a bass tends to hold onto a soft plastic bait longer if it doesn't have a weight. Watch your line closely because you'll see many strikes you can't feel. If the line jumps or starts moving off, reel in the slack and set the hook as hard as you can. Texas rig these baits with a wide gap 3/0 worm hook, and you can twitch them over the thickest bass cover. You can also skip them far up under boat docks.

Floating Worm: A white or bubblegum color floating worm stays up near the surface where you can see its bright color. The 6-inch Weedless Wacky Worm has a short piece that extends from the middle for the hook.

Soft Jerkbait: Twitch Zoom's white/pearl 5-inch Super Fluke on or just below the surface. Its baitfish shape and darting action make it look like an injured or fleeing minnow.

Senko Style: One of the most productive baits used by the pros is the Senko style worm. Kinami's 4-inch Flash in the watermelon color is a good example. Cast this bait next to cover and let it sink. It falls with a gentle wiggling action that bass can't resist. Almost all the bass strike as the lure sinks.

All the lures mentioned here fit neatly into a size 3700 utility box. It's just like the ones the pros use. This flat box is clear, so you can see what's inside. Removable dividers let you customize it to make long and short compartments as you need them. And, it's small enough to fit into a backpack when you bicycle to a fishing hole.

A 6 1/2-foot medium action baitcasting outfit with 12-pound test monofilament is a good match for all the lures mentioned here. Another good choice is a 6 1/2-foot medium action spinning outfit with 10-pound line.

 All bass anglers should have three important tools in their tackleboxes:

Line clippers. Never bite through the line because this can damage your teeth.Needle nose pliers. They remove stubborn hooks from bass and reshape bent hooks.Small sharpening stone. Smart fishermen check their hooks often and immediately sharpen dull points.Originally published August 2007

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Ike's tips for catching smallies from bald spots

Mike Iaconelli didn’t get the victory or Top 12 finish he wanted at the Bassmaster Elite Series Plano Championship Chase tournament on Lake St. Clair last August, but thanks to bald spots, he caught 47 pounds of smallmouth and hauled home $10,000.

No, Ike’s not referring to a lack of hair on his 41-year-old head, but instead, places on the bottom of the lake in 10 to 15 feet of water where the vegetation stops growing, and in turn leaves a very clean bottom.

“When you get to a lake like St. Clair, it’s so flat for miles across the bottom, that you have to pay real close attention to any little change on your sonar screen,” said the 2006 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

“Sometimes that tiny change is represented by just 1 foot of depth, and sometimes it’s represented where the aquatic vegetation growing on the bottom stops all of the sudden to form an edge with a bald spot of sand and gravel,” explains Ike.

“The vegetation looks like a guy’s short spikey hair growing off the bottom of your sonar screen,” grins Ike. “Well, where the ‘hair’ stops and the bottom goes bald is where you want to start looking for smallmouth.”

Iaconelli finds the majority of these bald spots with his sonar, but also admits that sometimes he can spot them with his eyes because they look like 100- to 300-foot-long blue holes in contrast with the surrounding water.

Once he or his transducer have the bald spots located, he combs them with four primary lures. Admitting, like most Bassmaster Elite Series anglers in the August 2013 tournament, that a drop shot rig caught the majority of his fish.

Alan McGuckinIaconelli shows off two healthy Lake St. Clair smallies.“When the wind blew, and the fish were more aggressive, I could catch them with a 3/16-ounce tube on 6-pound fluorocarbon, or by cranking a Rapala DT10 or DT14,” said Ike. “But when the wind stopped blowing, the surface slicked off, and the bite got tougher – that’s when I had to use the either the traditional drop shot, or what I call the ‘Power Shot’ with a big 1/2-ounce weight.”

The “Power Shot” is a drop shot rig with highly oversized components.  Instead of 6-pound line on a spinning reel, Ike bumps up to 10-pound line on a baitcaster. Then, in place of a tiny hook and finesse worm, Ike uses a Berkley soft jerkbait on a large 4/0 worm hook. “I’m trying to get their attention with the Power Shot rig,” says Ike. “It’s like throwing a big 3/4 -ounce football jig for largemouth – when that big weight hits the bottom it’s like a cannonball – it creates a disturbance that they have to come investigate.”

No matter the lure, Ike stressed that none of the 47 pounds of smallmouth he brought to the scales came from within the vegetation. “No matter which of the four lures I used, I never fished right in the weeds. I always fished right on the edge of the weedline, or mostly, in the middle of the bald spot,” stressed Iaconelli.

This time, bald really was beautiful. Pretty like a $10,000 tournament paycheck.

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