SLOP A HOG
By Bob Jensen

Different phrases have different meanings. In the Midwest, it used to be that when someone mentioned they were going to "slop a hog" they meant they're going to do something with a barnyard animal. With current trends in hog production, it's questionable if anyone actually has much contact with their pigs anymore, but I guess people in yesteryears used to "slop their hogs".

If you were to hear some bass anglers talking at the boat ramp, you might think they were going do something with pigs. However, when a bass-chaser thinks of "slopping hogs", the intent is to find the heaviest shallow water cover and throw weedless baits in search of the biggest largemouth bass in that body of water. Not only is this technique exciting, it is productive. Here's how you can "slop" your very own hog.

The first consideration is the equipment. The only tackle that will do the job effectively is heavy stuff. A Lightning Rod Flippin' Stick with a dependable reel like the Ambassadeur 5600C4 spooled with a minimum of seventeen pound test and preferably twenty or twenty five pound test super tough line is required. Trilene XT is the choice of most hog-sloppers.

This equipment might seem like over-kill, but you need it to get that hog coming your way once it hits the bait. If you go any lighter, the fish will simply wrap itself up in the vegetation and pull loose.

A weedless spoon like a Jaw-Breaker can be fished through the heavy weed growth with minimal hang-ups. You want to work it right on the top, but when it comes to a hole in the weeds, let it flutter down a bit. Strikes often occur as the bait is fluttering.

Many times you will be able to see a wake in the water as the fish approaches the spoon, and frequently the bait will disappear in a large boil. Don't set the hook when you see the strike, try to delay just a second until you feel the fish take the bait. It's hard to do: The natural reaction is to strike when you see the explosion on the bait. If you wait just a second though, you will hook more fish.

Shallow water bass can be spooky. If you make too much noise, you can see the wakes in the water as the fish move to a different location. Don't let them know you're there and you will increase the chance of catching them.

Right now an angler could probably catch more bass on a weedline with a jig/worm combination, but the fish wouldn't be as big, and the strikes certainly wouldn't be as exciting. In fact, you'll probably miss the first few hogs that smash your bait in the shallows. The explosive, visual strike has caused many novice and expert "hog-sloppers" to miss the strike. Once you get onto it though, you will look forward to going into the shallow, vegetation covered pig-pen and slopping a few hogs of your own.