Lake Fork Bass Fishing: "Stick Baits"

"Stick Baits"

Throughout the spring the most effective technique is a soft stick bait rigged weightless.

Soft stick baits have evolved into the most popular technique for a good reason. Soft stick baits catch fish…Big fish… under all conditions.

Rigging a soft stick bait is quite simple. The top two ways are: “Wacky” and Weightless (This is just like you would rig a worm just minus the weight).

Soft stick baits work because of the slow fall and their tempting wiggle.

Colors and sizes of soft stick baits are many. Experiment with different styles and colors and sizes of soft stick baits until you find your favorite for your body of water.

My favorites for Lake Fork are the Grande Bass rattlesnake and honcho in the watermelon red flake, green pumpkin, water melon seed and black and blue fleck.

My color choices are directly related to weather and water. During sunny days and clear water I go with watermelon red and watermelon seed. On cloudy days in off-colored water I go with green pumpkin and a black and blue fleck.

Fish with weightless soft plastics around cover and in water that is one to six feet deep—in spawning areas.

Focus your efforts in cover such as grass, stumps and lay-downs.

Use medium heavy gear…And be ready to handle Big Bass!

Good Fishing,
Lance Vick
Professional Angler
www.lancevick.com
www.lakeforkbassfishingreport.com ...New Lake Fork Bass Fishing Reports--on video!

Lake Fork Bass Fishing: "Texas Rigging"

"Texas Rigging"

During the spawn season “Texas Rigging” is a big-bass technique.

A “Texas Rig” is simply rigging a bullet weight with a hook and tipping with a soft plastic lure. This technique is for heavy duty bass fishing. Buffalo are not hunted with a BB gun…Use heavy line and at least a medium-heavy to heavy action rod and line size should be 15 pounds or better. Weight size should be a 3/16 ounce.

Now for the soft plastic:

During the spawn the largemouth has a few threats to the nest site so spotting these threats really gets their attention. Salamanders and crawfish are both mortal enemies of the bass (and also good for them to eat) so select soft plastics to match these.

The selection of soft plastic lizards and craws is abundant. My personal favorites include: Grande Bass mutant and machine. These new baits have new and improved action that bass haven’t seen yet.

Fish your “Texas rig” around cover on spawning areas slowly. Cover stumps, lay-downs, boat docks and vegetation.

“Hawg On!”

…”Texas rigging” soft plastic produces Texas-sized bass!

Good Fishing,
Lance Vick
Professional Angler
www.lancevick.com
www.lakeforkbassfishingreport.com ...New Lake Fork Bass Fishing Reports--on video!

Rattle Trap Fishing

“Speed Trap”

It is during the Pre-Spawn that Rattle Traps are “King of the Road!”
Rattle Traps in the ½ ounce size are the most popular and versatile sizes, but when conditions change so does the size of the Rattle Trap… ¼ ounce and ¾ ounce will also come into play.
For all around Rattle Trap fishing you should tie on the ½ ounce size. Use line sizes between 12 and 20 pounds—depending on the amount of cover and sizes of the fish.
The new fluorocarbon lines are excellent for fishing with a Rattle Trap. Fluorocarbon lines offer greater sensitivity, less stretch, and are invisible to the bass. Simply changing your line can double the number of bites you get.
The best areas to fish with a Rattle Trap include: Points, creek channel bends, and ledges close to spawning pockets. Fish the Trap around stumps, lay-down logs, and around boat docks. Be sure to “bump” whatever cover you encounter to get a reaction strike.
On lakes with Hydrilla a Rattle Trap is deadly on big bass! Fish over grass lines (near spawning areas) allowing the Rattle Trap to bind up slightly in the grass and then “rip” it free. It is during this process that the fish will normally bite. The speed at which you retrieve your Rattle Trap is an important detail. By varying your retrieval speeds you can discover what the fish “prefer” at any given time. In some instances, burning the Trap in shallow water produces a killer bite! At other times, fishing more slowly in deeper water will produce more favorable results.