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Finessing spinnerbaits take big
bass by surprise where they live
bass by surprise where they live
TOP: Kevin
VanDam, a
multi-year
Bassmaster Classic
champion from
Kalamazoo, Mich.,
uses finesse
techniques to entice
a bass to hit a
spinnerbait near a
point at Lake
Amistad, Texas
BOTTOM: Kevin
VanDam, a
multi-year
Bassmaster Classic
champion from
Kalamazoo, Mich.,,
unhooks a
largemouth bass he
caught while fishing
with a spinnerbait at
Lake Amistad, Texas.
VanDam, a
multi-year
Bassmaster Classic
champion from
Kalamazoo, Mich.,
uses finesse
techniques to entice
a bass to hit a
spinnerbait near a
point at Lake
Amistad, Texas
BOTTOM: Kevin
VanDam, a
multi-year
Bassmaster Classic
champion from
Kalamazoo, Mich.,,
unhooks a
largemouth bass he
caught while fishing
with a spinnerbait at
Lake Amistad, Texas.
Big, noisy and flashy, spinnerbaits cause considerable commotion,
but sometimes, bass anglers want a more subtle approach.
Especially in clear water, anglers may want to downsize their baits to
“finesse” non-aggressive bass into biting. Typically, this means using
small, light soft-plastic lures, but Kevin VanDam sometimes takes the subtle
approach to provoke finicky lunkers into striking -- even when throwing big
spinnerbaits.
“If you cast a spinnerbait behind cover, bass feel the vibration and
know it’s coming,” said the four-time Bassmaster Classic champ from
Kalamazoo, Mich. “It gives them time to think about whether they should hit
it. My idea is to get the reaction strike before they know what’s happening.
When I want a reaction bite, I fish fast and erratic. In very clear water, I
move baits really fast so bass don’t get a good look at them. With a
spinnerbait in clear water, I jerk it, stop it, speed it up and let it fall to attract
fish not in an active mood to bite.”
To finesse spinnerbaits, VanDam makes short, accurate casts with a
low-arcing sidearm maneuver. As the bait sails toward his intended target,
VanDam keeps his thumb lightly on the spool of his bait-casting reel. He
watches the bait until it nears the preferred impact point or passes directly
over it, then he lightly depresses his thumb to stop the bait in mid-air just
above the surface. Instead of smashing into the water, the bait plops down
with hardly a ripple. Surprised by this sudden “invasion” of its territory, the
bass strikes out of anger, not necessarily hunger.
“If you can make an accurate cast and make the bait land in the water
without a ripple or sound, you can use the element of surprise and trigger a
bass into biting without it knowing what happened,” he explained. “If it
doesn’t spook, the bass bites the bait reactively without thinking.”
“Finessing” a spinnerbait works particularly well around logjams, fallen
trees, lily pads, weed beds, dock pilings, rocky banks, riprap, stump fields
or similar places with visible cover to target. Tree-lined rivers and lakes
rich in woody cover or small coves in major reservoirs provide ripe
conditions for finessing lunkers.
Ambush predators, bass hide in such thick cover and wait for prey to
approach them. The bigger the bass, the thicker they like it, but many
anglers tepidly toss baits around the edges of cover because they fear
losing lures. That’s a risk people must take if they want to land lunkers. A
lunker bucketmouth might not even see a bait brushing the edges of a
fallen tree. With long wires holding blades, spinnerbaits can move through
fairly dense cover, although anyone who fishes eventually loses a few lures
to snags.
“Sometimes when fish aren’t feeding aggressively, we have to throw
numerous times to one spot that looks like it should hold a bass,” VanDam
explained. “Bang the bait off every limb and stump. Hit it from several
different angles until you finally tick one off enough to bite. Sometimes it
takes multiple casts where people really work a bait intensely before a fish
bites.”
Besides pinpoint casting, finesse fishing also requires a stealthy
approach. Avoid spooking bass with excessive noise or vibrations. Watch
where shadows fall. Don’t give bass any warning, especially when fishing
clear water.
“Try to keep noise to a minimum,” VanDam explained. “I definitely don’
t want to make too much noise in the boat. I try to avoid stomping around,
slamming tackle boxes or locker lids. I only use the trolling motor sparingly.
I don’t want to let the bass know I’m there if possible. I try to be stealthy,
not just clear water. That’s good sense no matter what type of water I’m
fishing.”
For finessing bass, anglers may consider downsizing the line,
especially in transparent waters. When throwing spinnerbaits, though, most
anglers want heavy line for yanking baits through entangling cover, but
thick line could look like a steel cable cutting through clear water.
Fluorocarbon lines virtually disappear in the water. Many braids, like Power
Pro, offer anglers the advantage of considerable strength in small
diameters.
“I generally don’t downsize lines for reaction baits, but I’m a huge
proponent for fluorocarbon lines with finesse baits because bass cannot
see it in clear water,” VanDam said. “As a tournament fisherman, I throw as
heavy a line as I can get away with. When I get a big bite, I don’t want to
lose the fish. On spinnerbaits, I throw 17-pound line.”
While “power” fishing covers territory quickly and can locate fish,
slowing down and thoroughly working an area might put more lethargic
bass in a livewell. Instead of covering more area, finesse spinnerbaits to
cover area more to pull bass from potential honey holes.
but sometimes, bass anglers want a more subtle approach.
Especially in clear water, anglers may want to downsize their baits to
“finesse” non-aggressive bass into biting. Typically, this means using
small, light soft-plastic lures, but Kevin VanDam sometimes takes the subtle
approach to provoke finicky lunkers into striking -- even when throwing big
spinnerbaits.
“If you cast a spinnerbait behind cover, bass feel the vibration and
know it’s coming,” said the four-time Bassmaster Classic champ from
Kalamazoo, Mich. “It gives them time to think about whether they should hit
it. My idea is to get the reaction strike before they know what’s happening.
When I want a reaction bite, I fish fast and erratic. In very clear water, I
move baits really fast so bass don’t get a good look at them. With a
spinnerbait in clear water, I jerk it, stop it, speed it up and let it fall to attract
fish not in an active mood to bite.”
To finesse spinnerbaits, VanDam makes short, accurate casts with a
low-arcing sidearm maneuver. As the bait sails toward his intended target,
VanDam keeps his thumb lightly on the spool of his bait-casting reel. He
watches the bait until it nears the preferred impact point or passes directly
over it, then he lightly depresses his thumb to stop the bait in mid-air just
above the surface. Instead of smashing into the water, the bait plops down
with hardly a ripple. Surprised by this sudden “invasion” of its territory, the
bass strikes out of anger, not necessarily hunger.
“If you can make an accurate cast and make the bait land in the water
without a ripple or sound, you can use the element of surprise and trigger a
bass into biting without it knowing what happened,” he explained. “If it
doesn’t spook, the bass bites the bait reactively without thinking.”
“Finessing” a spinnerbait works particularly well around logjams, fallen
trees, lily pads, weed beds, dock pilings, rocky banks, riprap, stump fields
or similar places with visible cover to target. Tree-lined rivers and lakes
rich in woody cover or small coves in major reservoirs provide ripe
conditions for finessing lunkers.
Ambush predators, bass hide in such thick cover and wait for prey to
approach them. The bigger the bass, the thicker they like it, but many
anglers tepidly toss baits around the edges of cover because they fear
losing lures. That’s a risk people must take if they want to land lunkers. A
lunker bucketmouth might not even see a bait brushing the edges of a
fallen tree. With long wires holding blades, spinnerbaits can move through
fairly dense cover, although anyone who fishes eventually loses a few lures
to snags.
“Sometimes when fish aren’t feeding aggressively, we have to throw
numerous times to one spot that looks like it should hold a bass,” VanDam
explained. “Bang the bait off every limb and stump. Hit it from several
different angles until you finally tick one off enough to bite. Sometimes it
takes multiple casts where people really work a bait intensely before a fish
bites.”
Besides pinpoint casting, finesse fishing also requires a stealthy
approach. Avoid spooking bass with excessive noise or vibrations. Watch
where shadows fall. Don’t give bass any warning, especially when fishing
clear water.
“Try to keep noise to a minimum,” VanDam explained. “I definitely don’
t want to make too much noise in the boat. I try to avoid stomping around,
slamming tackle boxes or locker lids. I only use the trolling motor sparingly.
I don’t want to let the bass know I’m there if possible. I try to be stealthy,
not just clear water. That’s good sense no matter what type of water I’m
fishing.”
For finessing bass, anglers may consider downsizing the line,
especially in transparent waters. When throwing spinnerbaits, though, most
anglers want heavy line for yanking baits through entangling cover, but
thick line could look like a steel cable cutting through clear water.
Fluorocarbon lines virtually disappear in the water. Many braids, like Power
Pro, offer anglers the advantage of considerable strength in small
diameters.
“I generally don’t downsize lines for reaction baits, but I’m a huge
proponent for fluorocarbon lines with finesse baits because bass cannot
see it in clear water,” VanDam said. “As a tournament fisherman, I throw as
heavy a line as I can get away with. When I get a big bite, I don’t want to
lose the fish. On spinnerbaits, I throw 17-pound line.”
While “power” fishing covers territory quickly and can locate fish,
slowing down and thoroughly working an area might put more lethargic
bass in a livewell. Instead of covering more area, finesse spinnerbaits to
cover area more to pull bass from potential honey holes.
