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John N. Felsher's Bass Fishing Adventures
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Sharpening techniques for blade
baits can put lunkers in the boat
baits can put lunkers in the boat
TOP: Capt. Steve
Niemoeller of Central
Florida Guide Service
shows off a bass he caught
on a SteelShad blade bait
while fishing on the Harris
Chain of lakes near Mount
Dora, Fla.
RIGHT: With such a thin
profile, a blade bait, such
as this SteelShad, mimics
baitfish such as threadfin
shad. The metallic bait also
gives off considerable flash.
Niemoeller of Central
Florida Guide Service
shows off a bass he caught
on a SteelShad blade bait
while fishing on the Harris
Chain of lakes near Mount
Dora, Fla.
RIGHT: With such a thin
profile, a blade bait, such
as this SteelShad, mimics
baitfish such as threadfin
shad. The metallic bait also
gives off considerable flash.
Minutes from the launch, we stopped at a cut connecting this lake to
another in the Harris Chain of central Florida. Three casts later, Capt.
Steve Niemoeller of Central Florida Guide Service fought a 6-pound bass
while I threw a topwater bait. Two more casts, and he connected with a 3-
pounder, convincing me to switch to a blade bait.
Blade baits, like a SteelShad, Silver Buddy, Gay Blade or Vibee, look
like short scimitars. Generally about two to five inches long, they resemble
threadfin shad in size and action. They give off excellent flash and vibration
as they flutter through the water.
“A blade can work at any time, but if I had to pick one season to use
one, it would be the fall,” explained Stephen Browning, a professional
angler from Hot Springs, Ark. “That’s when bass feed heavily upon shad
and tend to chase baits better. I particularly like to use a blade in a lake
that gets a lot of pressure from lipless crankbaits.”
Highly versatile baits, blades might entice bass wherever an angler
may throw a crankbait or spinnerbait. Crank it with a steady retrieve or yo-
yo it up and down like a spinnerbait. Bounce it off stumps or other
obstructions or work it parallel to weeds. Some anglers drag them across
sandy flats, occasionally thumping bottom to create a mud trail. Run them
over submerged vegetation, occasionally letting them fall just a bit into the
tops of the grass.
“A straight retrieve works well, but the best retrieve is a pump and
drop,” Browning said. “Most fish hit it as it falls. Stay in contact with the bait
on the fall. Allow the bait to fall on a slack line, but watch the line very
carefully.”
Niemoeller “tunes” his SteelShads to run in particular directions.
Although made of virtually indestructible steel, the thin blade bends easily.
Out of the package, it normally runs straight with a throbbing vibration, but
bending the tail slightly can make a blade track in a certain direction. The
curved tail also makes it rise and flop sideways on the surface like a
wounded shad. A skilled angler can flutter a blade across the surface,
almost like a topwater bait.
“I put my thumb on the blade right behind the weight,” Niemoeller said.
“Where my thumbnail ends, I bend the tail about 90 degrees. If you’re
looking at a bank on the right and want it to run along that bank, bend the
tail to the right while looking at the face of the bait. By doing that, I can run
a bait sideways along a bulkhead, stump line or the edge of a weed bed. If I
want it to run straight again, I just bend it back into its original position. For
schooling fish, I put a little bend in the tail to make it run to the surface and
throw it past the school.”
Since blade baits closely resemble shad, they devastate schooling
bass or any predators that key on threadfin shad or similar prey. Bass
frequently herd shad to the surface and attack from all sides. Watch for
them breaking the surface and drop a blade into the frenzy.
“A blade bait is highly effective around schooling fish,” said Mark
Menendez, a professional bass angler from Paducah, Ky. “It can cast a mile
with great accuracy. I like a 1/4-ounce blade early in the year after the shad
spawn and a 1/2-ounce size during the rest of the year. Around schooling
bass, I fish it on 12-pound Berkley fluorocarbon line. I like to rip it and let it
fall under the schoolers. Sometimes, I run it one to three feet under the
surface and burn it back to the boat as fast as I can to make it vibrate like
crazy.”
When the school stops herding shad to the surface, try vertically
jigging over a deep hole. Heavy and streamlined, blade baits sink quickly,
reaching great depths. Simply drop one over the side and let it sink. After it
hits bottom or the desired depth, raise and lower the rod tip to pump the
bait up and down. When it falls, it mimics a dying shad.
Although primarily designed to attract largemouth bass, a blade bait
might entice anything that eats a shad, which includes just about every
game fish in North America! In Florida, Niemoeller caught bass, crappie,
catfish and several saltwater species with a SteelShad. It also works on
freshwater trout, walleye, muskie, pike, smallmouth bass, stripers, white
bass and other predators.
“It can catch fish from 6 inches to 60 feet,” Niemoeller said. “I’ve had
trips where I’ve caught 40 to 50 bass on it with some up to 8.5 pounds.”
For booking trips with Niemoeller, call 386-846-2861 or see www.
Cflfishing.com. For more about SteelShads, see SteelShad.com.
another in the Harris Chain of central Florida. Three casts later, Capt.
Steve Niemoeller of Central Florida Guide Service fought a 6-pound bass
while I threw a topwater bait. Two more casts, and he connected with a 3-
pounder, convincing me to switch to a blade bait.
Blade baits, like a SteelShad, Silver Buddy, Gay Blade or Vibee, look
like short scimitars. Generally about two to five inches long, they resemble
threadfin shad in size and action. They give off excellent flash and vibration
as they flutter through the water.
“A blade can work at any time, but if I had to pick one season to use
one, it would be the fall,” explained Stephen Browning, a professional
angler from Hot Springs, Ark. “That’s when bass feed heavily upon shad
and tend to chase baits better. I particularly like to use a blade in a lake
that gets a lot of pressure from lipless crankbaits.”
Highly versatile baits, blades might entice bass wherever an angler
may throw a crankbait or spinnerbait. Crank it with a steady retrieve or yo-
yo it up and down like a spinnerbait. Bounce it off stumps or other
obstructions or work it parallel to weeds. Some anglers drag them across
sandy flats, occasionally thumping bottom to create a mud trail. Run them
over submerged vegetation, occasionally letting them fall just a bit into the
tops of the grass.
“A straight retrieve works well, but the best retrieve is a pump and
drop,” Browning said. “Most fish hit it as it falls. Stay in contact with the bait
on the fall. Allow the bait to fall on a slack line, but watch the line very
carefully.”
Niemoeller “tunes” his SteelShads to run in particular directions.
Although made of virtually indestructible steel, the thin blade bends easily.
Out of the package, it normally runs straight with a throbbing vibration, but
bending the tail slightly can make a blade track in a certain direction. The
curved tail also makes it rise and flop sideways on the surface like a
wounded shad. A skilled angler can flutter a blade across the surface,
almost like a topwater bait.
“I put my thumb on the blade right behind the weight,” Niemoeller said.
“Where my thumbnail ends, I bend the tail about 90 degrees. If you’re
looking at a bank on the right and want it to run along that bank, bend the
tail to the right while looking at the face of the bait. By doing that, I can run
a bait sideways along a bulkhead, stump line or the edge of a weed bed. If I
want it to run straight again, I just bend it back into its original position. For
schooling fish, I put a little bend in the tail to make it run to the surface and
throw it past the school.”
Since blade baits closely resemble shad, they devastate schooling
bass or any predators that key on threadfin shad or similar prey. Bass
frequently herd shad to the surface and attack from all sides. Watch for
them breaking the surface and drop a blade into the frenzy.
“A blade bait is highly effective around schooling fish,” said Mark
Menendez, a professional bass angler from Paducah, Ky. “It can cast a mile
with great accuracy. I like a 1/4-ounce blade early in the year after the shad
spawn and a 1/2-ounce size during the rest of the year. Around schooling
bass, I fish it on 12-pound Berkley fluorocarbon line. I like to rip it and let it
fall under the schoolers. Sometimes, I run it one to three feet under the
surface and burn it back to the boat as fast as I can to make it vibrate like
crazy.”
When the school stops herding shad to the surface, try vertically
jigging over a deep hole. Heavy and streamlined, blade baits sink quickly,
reaching great depths. Simply drop one over the side and let it sink. After it
hits bottom or the desired depth, raise and lower the rod tip to pump the
bait up and down. When it falls, it mimics a dying shad.
Although primarily designed to attract largemouth bass, a blade bait
might entice anything that eats a shad, which includes just about every
game fish in North America! In Florida, Niemoeller caught bass, crappie,
catfish and several saltwater species with a SteelShad. It also works on
freshwater trout, walleye, muskie, pike, smallmouth bass, stripers, white
bass and other predators.
“It can catch fish from 6 inches to 60 feet,” Niemoeller said. “I’ve had
trips where I’ve caught 40 to 50 bass on it with some up to 8.5 pounds.”
For booking trips with Niemoeller, call 386-846-2861 or see www.
Cflfishing.com. For more about SteelShads, see SteelShad.com.
