SHALLOW BASS ON PLASTIC BAITS
By Bob Jensen

Many bass anglers consider early summer to be their favorite time of year to chase largemouth bass. The bass have completed their annual spawning ritual and are starting to go on a serious bite. They will be found in shallow water, and shallow water fishing is always exciting. Here’s how you can get in on this action.

The first thing to remember when fishing shallow water is that quiet is very important. Shallow water fish are often aggressive, but they are also easily spooked. Approach the area to be fished very quietly. The Minn Kota electric motors that are favored by many anglers enable you to sneak into an area without scaring the fish out of the area.

The plastics we’ll be fishing will be either a Power JerkShad or a Gulp! Sinking Minnow. These baits are designed to be fished without weight in shallow water.

The baits can be rigged a couple of different ways. Anglers have been rigging these plastic baits Texas-style weightless for many years, and this remains an effective way to rig them. Texas-rigging is a very weedless presentation.

Another rigging method that has been gaining in popularity in the past couple of years is called Wacky-style. Wacky-style rigging is accomplished by simply inserting a 2/0, 3/0, or 4/0 worm hook in the middle of the bait. The hook is exposed, so this rig is not as weedless as Texas-style.

Some anglers like spinning tackle for throwing plastics, others prefer casting equipment. There are several Abu Garcia casting reels that will do a good job with plastics, while the 604 Cardinal is the best size for spinning.

A solid hookset is critical for putting these fish in the boat. 14/6 FireLine or twelve or fourteen pound Trilene XT teamed with a medium heavy Series One or Lightning Rod will provide good hooksets.

White is my favorite plastic color for this style fishing because white is easier to see in the water. It is helpful to be able to see the bait so you can keep track of where it is.

Fish these rigs around and through vegetation and any other type of shallow water cover. You will see a lot of the strikes: Be sure to wait until you feel the fish before setting the hook.

This is a slower presentation. There are times when the bass will respond best if the bait is on the bottom. Other times they will prefer a twitching, gliding retrieve.

If you find some bass in the shallows, and if you throw a plastic bait of this style, you will have action. Right now is a great time to give this method a try. All you need to do is find a pond or lake with bass, and that’s not hard to do in most areas of the Midwest, and you can get in on some fast bass action on plastic baits.

For more fish-catching information, visit fishingthemidwest.com