Fishing with Piotr

One of the best ways to cover water really quickly in order to figure out where the fish are is to run a crank bait. You’ve learned the basics about crank baits from my previous article Crank Baits, but now I want to start focusing on specific ones. This time I will feature the crank baits from Strike King, specifically the Pro-Model. These have to be my favourite lures to use and they are no joke. Bass gobble these guys up and I’ve also caught numerous pike on them too. They are very versatile for all fishing conditions and come in such a variety of running depths that you can really pick and choose the right one for what you’re fishing.

The models are varied and come in everything from a very small and light 3/16 oz and go all the way up to a beefy 1 oz. These lures are perfect for bait-casters and are an easy worry free way to get your bait into the strike zone. Here are the basics that you need to know. Series 1, 3, 4S, 4, 5, and 6 all have an oval shaped lip. As they go up in series number they also go up in size, weight, and the depth they run. Depending on the series model you can get them to dive anywhere from 2 to 14 feet. The easy way to check this out is to simply read the packaging, it will tell you all the specs on the bait. Another added bonus with these guys are the rattles which create more noise and vibration that really entice the fish to bite. Since fish are really sensitive to any vibrations, the rattles along with the side to side action of this bait will for sure land you some nice bass and the occasional pike.

The other models are the Mini 3, Series 1XS, Series 6XD, and the KVD. The mini is perfect for early season fishing when the shad are still small. By now you should of heard the saying “match the hatch” which basically stems from fly fishing but is also transferable to regular fishing. The idea is that you want your bait to represent exactly what the fish are eating, so early in the season a small bait like the Mini 3 is perfect, since the bait fish are small.

Strike King Pro-Model Crankbaits -Mini 3 – 3/16 oz. – Sexy Shad Mini crankbait catches almost anything and lots of them! Beautiful finishes, reflective eyes, and enticing wiggle are irresistible to the fish. Like all of Strike King’s Pro-Model Series crankbaits, the Mini-3 features free-floating rattles and lifelike 3D eyes. If you really just want to catch something, put one of these on and add some fun to your fishing trip. Weight: 3-16 oz. Dives 4′-6′. Manufacturer model #: HCM3.. Strike King® Pro-Model® Crankbaits – Mini 3 (3/16 oz.)

The Series 1XS is slightly different from the other series of baits as it has a square lip. Personally I find this square lip to be perfect for throwing the bait into heavy structure, such as tree stumps and fallen wood. With the shorter square lip I find my bait bounces off the trees a lot easier than with the oval shaped lip from the regular series baits. The regular series are a better choice for more open water if the fish are hiding deeper in the water column. If they are really deep you can turn to the Series 6XD. This bad boy drops, and drops quick into 19 feet of water for really deep fishing.

Strike King Pro-Model Crankbaits – Series 6XD – Green Back/Chartreuse “This thing is amazing. When it gets down to its running depth it moves back and forth as it travels along. It looks like it’s hunting or rooting or searching for something. It may be the most realistic action I’ve ever seen in a crankbait. They bite it like crazy. Kevin VanDamFrom their striking finishes to the free-floating rattle chambers that emit varying sound frequencies, it’s easy to see why these Strike King Pro-Model 6XD Series cranks are so popular with the pros. Dives 18 feet +. Weight: 3/4 oz. Manufacturer model #: HC6XD.. Strike King® Pro-Model® Crankbaits – Series 6XD

Finally comes the KVD from this Pro-Model line up. Now if I have to tell you about KVD you need to learn a little more about fishing. KVD stands for the top bass angler in the world, Kevin VanDam. If you know or follow the fishing tournaments, you know about KVD. He is the reason why this whole Pro-Model line up was created, and his KVD model is similar to the Series 1XS except that it has no rattles. If you are on a quiet lake and the fish are close to you, use the KVD and you won’t spook the fish.

As for colours, there are a ton to choose from. I have found that for my style of fishing and the lakes I fish on a regular basis, the traditional Sexy Shad colour is the best. For 2011, they call this colour The Chartreuse Sexy Shad, but I have caught a few pike on the Citrus Shad as well, so it all depends on what you’re after. Since there is such a wide range of colours my suggestion is to get a few of these baits in a few colours and see what works for you. Try getting a more natural colour, a high visibility colour like red, and a colour that is somewhere in between. For fishing the lakes of Southern Ontario bass the Strike King Pro-Model crank bait is the perfect way to start since it is a super easy to fish and hardly ever gets hung up on trees.

In the case of fishing, bigger is definitely better. What do I mean by this? Well, catching bigger fish is better, more fun, more challenging and allows to you have stories to tell for years to come. Now how do you catch these larger fish? The so-called “secret” to catching larger fish is simply to use larger baits.

Now be aware that there are some draw backs to fishing larger baits and lures, and they may not always be effective, but once you hook into a monster pike, musky, or even a big largemouth bass or walleye you will be hooked, pardon the pun, on fishing with larger baits. I have been reading and watching a lot of fishing shows and magazines which all stress the benefits of using these larger baits so I decided to try it out with wonderful results.

Baits and lures come in all shapes, sizes, and colours and of course the trick is to find the right bait for the right fish at the right time. This is what separates tournament winners from tournament losers and what can make for an exciting day of fishing for you or can make you come home without even pulling in one fish. This is why I stress that big baits do have some drawbacks but the benefits definitely outweigh these drawbacks.

So what big baits and lures am I talking about? There are of course a variety of them out there, from crank baits, spinner baits, swim baits, big spoons, big worms, and these are all targeted for catching those larger fish. When you go to your local fishing shop you will inevitably come across some of these large baits and wonder, is this a joke? Do fish really go after baits this big? The answer is of course, yes. They wouldn’t be making these baits if they were ineffective. If you are serious about fishing and have decided that this is a sport you can really get into I suggest buying one or two of these large baits and trying them out. For a first timer I would really suggest getting a large musky style bait such as a buck tail and a large crank bait. As you will see in the photos below.

Mepps - Bucktail Giant Killer

This lure is a Giant Killer Bucktail and is produced by Mepps. Mepps creates a lot of these styles of lures specifically for pike and musky anglers. These are proven baits and have been on the market for many years now. Many anglers swear by these. The one in this picture is one of the more traditional style baits you can use to target these large predatory fish. The best way to fish them is trolling them around the edges of weeds. You can cast these baits as well if you are shore fishing but ideally you use them when trolling. The red hairs, or the bucktail as it is referred to, gives the bait more body so a passing pike or musky thinks it is a larger bait fish. The red in this tail also increases your chances of a bite. Many studies have been done by pro anglers and they swear by the fact that red hooks or baits with a trail of red in them attract more fish. Also on this bait is a spinner. When trolling or retrieving this bait the spinner creates flash and vibrations through the water making it more noticeable to fish and more attractive. I have caught numerous pike on these baits and I too have been sold on them.

Storm - Giant Thunderstick

This large bait is a Thunderstick and is produced by Storm. This is just like any other crank bait/ stick bait but is just simply larger in size. With its rattles inside and side to side wobble in the water, this bait imitates an attractive meal to a large predatory fish. You can fish it just like the Mepps Giant Killer Bucktail. 

Giant Thunderstick comparison

Here is a comparison of the Giant Thunderstick to a regular 4 inch Thunderstick, and a regular crank bait. You can see the difference in size and what I mean when I talk about big lures.

Large Williams spoon

Large spoons such as this Williams spoon are also quite effective. Spoons are almost exclusively used when trolling. This particular spoon has a high reflective silver coating as well as a reflective red stripe on it. A spoon will wobble sporadically giving the impression that it is an injured fish, an easy meal for a pike or musky.

As I mentioned big baits are effective at catching big fish but they can be tricky at times. Ideally you want to troll these baits right beside weed beds, along channels in lakes, or through larger deep opened areas of a lake. If you start your troll and go through some heavy cover you will be do nothing but pulling weeds off of your bait all day long. If possible, use a fish finder or even visually inspect what type of water you are fishing. If it is extremely weedy then you want a shallow diving large bait such as the Thunderstick or a swim bait. If you are getting into deeper waters and need some more reflectivity to attract fish, something like the Mepps or Williams baits are perfect. These baits create a lot of turbulence through the water and reflect sunlight all over the place making the fish think that there is an easy meal right under its nose.

A key tip to fishing large baits is to only use them in the middle of summer right through to the fall. The reason being is that during the early season big pike and big musky do not have the larger food sources like they do later on in the year. Spring time is when most fish species lay their eggs and when most fish hatch so the food sources are smaller but plentiful. This does not mean that you won’t necessarily land a big fish using a big bait in spring, but you will have to slow down your presentation, troll at a lower speed, and you may wish to use a slightly smaller bait. Fall is the best time for big baits. The fish know the season is changing. They need to eat before the winter sets in and their food sources have had the summer to fatten up.  Ask any angler and they will tell you that the fall is the best time for monster pike and musky with big baits.

Do yourself a favour and next time you are at your local tackle shop don’t be intimidated by the larger baits. Grab a few of them and see if you can hook into a monster.

Mepps® Musky Marabou Inline Spinnerbaits – Silver/Black The Mepps Musky Marabou features a top-quality, heavy-duty #7 Colorado blade and a rugged, easy-spin clevis. Solid brass components mean every Musky Marabou is perfectly balanced and extremely durable. A heavy-duty split ring allows easy tail changes and eliminates the leverage that big fish can exert on straight-wire musky lures.All Musky Marabou tails are hand-tied with the highest grade of marabou feathers for outstanding durability and lifelike movement. Mepps’ time-tested tandem hook assembly incorporates heavy-duty extra sharp treble hooks. With its easy-spin low-drag blade, the Musky Marabou can easily be cast all day long. Its drag-resistant, high-flow marabou tail gives the Mepps Musky Marabou more lift and lifelike movement. For maximum effectiveness, retrieve the Musky Marabou at a medium to high speed just under the surface or burn it over the top of weeds. 1-1/4 oz. Specifications Heavy duty stainless steel shaft Extra-strong, solid brass Colorado blade Mepps high-speed, free-spinning clevis Solid brass body Heavy duty split ring Highest quality hand-tied marabou feathers. Mepps® Musky Marabou Inline Spinnerbaits

Once you get a spinner-bait you will know exactly why it goes by this name. A spinner-bait has a metal blade shaped like a tear drop or an oval that quickly spins around the bait as you retrieve it through the water. This spinning of the blade created a vibration through the water that is irresistible to fish. The spinning and vibration creates flash and it imitates an injured minnow which tricks the fish into thinking it has an easy snack.

A spinner-bait has 5 basic parts to it. Number one is the head. The head is basically a painted lead weight which allows the bait to be cast and allows it to sink once it hits the water. The heads come in different weights from ½ oz. to 1 oz. They are usually all shaped very similarly and resemble the head of a minnow. The second part to a spinner-bait is the skirt. The skirts in spinner-baits come in all sorts of colours, from chartreuse to white, yellow, pink, purple, basically all the colours of the rainbow and even sometimes they come in mixed colours. However, one suggestion that has proven to give you more strikes with this bait is to get one that has a few of the strands from the skirt in a red colour. The red colour has been proven to catch more fish as it resembles blood, tricking the fishing into thinking that this fish is already quite injured. You will see these red strands on the pictures below. The third part to a spinner-bait is the hook. The hooks in spinner-baits can range in size from a 1/0 size to even as large as a 5/0 size. I will cover hook sizes in another article. Because of the skirt, the bait becomes almost entirely weed-less, making it ideal for casting it into weedy spots to find the big boys. Now for the fourth part, what is called the wire-arm or the safety-pin. This is a small piece of very stiff metal wire that comes out of the head and bends out over the body of the bait. This wire-arm or safety-pin is what attaches the blades to the bait and is also used to attach your line to the bait so that you can actually fish this thing. The fifth and last part of the bait is the blade to which this bait owes its name. A spinner-bait can come with one or two blades and they are usually available in two shapes. As mentioned before it can be either tear drop shaped or oval shaped.

Spinner-bait - diagram

The blades are what attract the fish to the bait but the skirt is really what the fish goes after, this is what the fish thinks is its food. The blades play a crucial role in making the fish aware that there is something in its neighbourhood that may be worth eating. Like the skirt the blades also come in different colours. However, the two most popular colours are gold and silver. Gold blades are excellent in murky water while silver blades are great in clear water. Some spinner-baits come with two blades and often times these can be purchased with one gold blade and one silver. Try getting one with both blade colours as it will prove to be more versatile.

Skirt colours are as varied as the rainbow. Depending on the type of water you are fishing, the colour of it, the depth, whether it is weedy or not etc. you will have to change colours. It is a good idea to have at least 2 to 3 different skirt colours so that you can interchange them if one colour is proving ineffective. But remember try to get spinner-baits that have a few strand of red on the skirt.

One tip to make your spinner-bait even more attractive to the fish is to add a tail on it. This gives the bait a larger profile and adds some more vibrations to it as it swims through the water. In the pictures below you will see that I have added some plastic tails on some of my spinner-baits to add scent to the bait and to play with the contrast in colours.

Spinner baits

Booyah Red Hook Series Spinnerbaits – Single Colorado – Bleeding White Shad Bass instinctively attack injured baitfish first. That fact makes these already hot lures even deadlier because each is equipped with Mustad® ultra-sharp red hooks, special paint accents, and flowing red strands within the silicone skirts. Adapt your retrieve to simulate crippled prey and watch your catch rate soar!Super-soft 50-strand silicone skirts deliver outstanding action on all retrieves.. Booyah® Red Hook Series Spinnerbaits – Single Colorado -

 Fishing a spinner-bait is quite easy once you get the hang of it. Having a medium action rod with a sensitive tip is the best for these baits. The medium action rod will allow you to cast into the weeds without worrying that you will break anything while the sensitive tip will allow you to sense whether or not you are going over weeds or if a fish is attacking your bait. To actually fish this bait it is as simple as casting it out and retrieving it. Well, that is the very simple way to fish it but now here are some tricks to entice the fish to bite.

When you cast it out, a spinner-bait will begin to sink so if you start reeling it as soon as it hits the water it will stay within a foot of the surface. However, you can cast it out, wait for a few seconds, and let it sink to the bottom to try your luck at any drop offs that you may come across. While retrieving it you can pause it, jerk it, or just retrieve it at a steady pace to entice the fish to bite. Play around with these methods to find out what the fish are going after.

A spinner-bait is fantastic for covering a lot of water in a short period of time. It is also a great bait for fishing any weeds that you may come across. Because the skirt covers the hook, it makes this bait almost entirely weed less. You can really cast it into some heavy cover and pull it out with ease.

Spinner-baits are used to catch a variety of fish from smallmouth bass, walleye, the occasional musky or pike, but what these baits are known for is their ability to catch largemouth bass. As you know by now from reading other articles, largemouth bass love to hide in thick weeds, and this bait was made just for that. A few words of caution however. If you are a beginner angler this bait may prove to be a bit frustrating for you as it takes a little while to get used to it. Also you may lose some fish on this bait because of failed hook sets. Usually a fish will hook itself on this bait and then you can set the hook more firmly but sometimes you will feel a pull on the bait and try to set the hook too early. Fish have been known to go after the blades of this bait and since there are no hooks on the blades you will miss your fish. The best bet is to either wait until you really feel the fish on there to set you hook or if you feel a tap on your spinner-bait stop your retrieve and let the lure sink a bit, the fish will think that it has injured the bait some more and will usually come back to gobble it up. If all else fails cast it right back into the spot where you had the bite and see if you can entice the fish to take it again.

Do yourself a favour and go out there and get a few spinner-baits in different colours and different set ups, you won’t be disappointed.

Personally this is my favourite type of bait to use. I love the fun of seeing a fish go after my bait by using a top water lure, but crank baits have proven to be the most successful for me, the average angler, and even tournament anglers.

Crank baits come in all shapes and sizes. There are lipless crank baits, one’s with lips, deep diving crank baits, and some with rattles. Let’s start off with telling you about the lipless crank baits. I would suggest you use these baits once you have a little bit of practice with the lipped crank baits. Below is a picture of what these baits look like.

Close up of a lipless crank bait

Variety of lipless crank baits

You can get these baits in all different sizes and colours, but for the most part they usually resemble a diamond shape. These baits are great to use if you wish to fish a variety of water depths. The great thing about these baits is that you can cast them out and start your retrieve right away if you want to fish them shallow or you can let them sink and fish them a little deeper. The one draw-back of these baits, when compared to a lipped crank bait, is that they do not offer as much action when they swim through the water. What do I mean by this? Well, action refers to the amount of motion that the bait creates as it swims through the water. In order to attract fish you usually want a bait that is going to move side to side a lot and make some noise. The vibrations from the bait will usually attract fish as they can sense its movements through the water. Vibrations can travel a lot further through water then they can on land so fish are very sensitive to this. This action makes the fish think “hey, this must be a small injured fish that will make an easy snack.” Another great thing about these baits is that you can cast them out, retrieve them fast, if you are fishing shallow water, and then retrieve them at a lower speed to allow them to sink a bit as you retrieve into deeper water. You can really cover a lot of water with these baits and locate where they are hiding.

Lipped crank baits are my bait of choice when entering a lake I have never fished before or if I want to cover a lot of water (fishing as much area as possible) and find where the fish are hiding. I can cast this bait our repeatedly and basically do my own scouting of the lake. What is this lip I am talking about? Well, a lip on a bait determines how deep the bait will dive. If you look at the picture below you will see two crank baits with lips. The lure with the larger lip is a deep diver while the one with the smaller lip will usually stay quite shallow.

Lipped Crank Baits

Lip Size Comparison

 A deep diving crank bait can go up to 15’ in depth while the shallow one will usually go just beneath the surface, 2’-4’.  A shallow diving lipped crank bait will usually stay on the surface when you cast it out. It will only start to go under the water once you start your retrieve. As you retrieve this bait you will feel its movement on your rod. This is its action. These baits will jump from side to side and for the most part many of them come with rattles inside that increase the amount of vibrations in the water and entice fish. I absolutely love to fish these baits. I will use the shallow diving crank bait as I fish a shore line or if there is a large amount of weeds. I will usually cast it out and retrieve it slowly so that it does not dive too deep and get all caught up in weeds. After all you want to be fishing not catching salad all day. These baits create a lot of action but by fishing it fast or slow you can change its action and movement. If fish are in an eating frenzy then you want to fish it quite fast as the fish will grab at it. If the fishing turns slow and the fish are being lazy then you want to present it as if it were an injured fish, an easy snack for a fish. I will use a deep diving crank bait if I know I am in deep water. Once you cast these baits out they are usually weighted so that they start to sink right away. The action on these baits in similar to the shallow diving crank baits but you will need to retrieve them at a regular speed so that they maintain their action and stay at the depth they are supposed to stay at.

Crank baits are probably the most versatile lure you can use. It is a good idea to have a variety of colours and different style crank baits in your tackle box. They are ideal for covering water especially if you arrive at a lake you have never fished before. The beauty of these baits is that by having a few of them in your tackle box you can catch a large variety of fish, from largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, to walleye, pike and even musky.  If you are going thinking of getting into the sport of fishing or are just looking to add something to your collection of baits then go for the crank bait.

Strike King Pro-Model Crankbaits -Mini 3 – 3/16 oz. – Sexy Shad Mini crankbait catches almost anything and lots of them! Beautiful finishes, reflective eyes, and enticing wiggle are irresistible to the fish. Like all of Strike King’s Pro-Model Series crankbaits, the Mini-3 features free-floating rattles and lifelike 3D eyes. If you really just want to catch something, put one of these on and add some fun to your fishing trip. Weight: 3-16 oz. Dives 4′-6′. Manufacturer model #: HCM3.. Strike King® Pro-Model® Crankbaits – Mini 3 (3/16 oz.)

Jitterbug - Top View

Jitterbugs - Side View

Arbogast makes a variety of top water lures, from the Jitterbug, to the jointed Jitterbug, and a Hula Popper. The Hula Popper has a funny name but when you start fishing it you will know why it is called a Hula Popper. As you cast it out you don’t retrieve it as you would a normal bait. You have to twitch your rod and make the bait pop. This popping noise makes the fish think that there is an injured fish or frog for them to eat. Twitching your rod means to give it a slight jerk, stop for a couple of seconds, then give your reel a slight retrieve until you develop tension in your line again and repeat. One key note when fishing top water baits is to actually let the fish take the bait before you set your hook. If you try to set your hook as soon as you hear or feel a splash in the water you may miss the fish. Sometimes the fish swim up to the bait and snap at it but they miss it. If you try to set your hook too early you will scare the fish away and they won’t come back for a second bite. If you sense a snap at your bait and the fish is not on the lure, simply stop the retrieve, twitch it a few times and wait. A lot of the times the fish will come back and hit that bait hard because they don’t want it to get away. If you missed the fish completely, re-cast in the same spot and present the bait again, chances are that the big one is still sitting there ready to pounce.

Top water lures come in all shapes and sizes. Other then the Jitterbug and Hula Popper there are a variety of lure makers with top water baits. Some resemble frogs, some mice, and others look like some alien being, but they all work on the same principles. By putting your bait on top of the water and making some noise the fish think they have struck gold by coming across an easy bit of food. Try a variety of top water lures and chose what works best for you.

Where do you fish them? As I said the best places to fish them is in calm waters. Ideally you want to fish them in the morning hours or late evening, however, you can also fish them at night as they make noise and stir up the water making it easy for fish to locate the bait. I will usually find a bay with a large amount of lily pads or some tree structure and cast into there. As you know fish love to hide in lily pads and by presenting a top water bait to the fish that live here you will show them something irresistible. These baits will usually be most productive in mid to late summer as the fish are in a feeding frenzy, but keep on trying them out and I am sure you will land a big one.

Arbogast® Jitterbugs® – Jointed – 2-1/2″ – Black Just reel an Arbogast Jitterbug in and let it wag back and forth with a deep, gurgling rhythm that bass can’t ignore. The bigger lunkers often follow the Jitterbug for half a retrieve until they can’t resist it anymore and attack. In 3 versions: Original “Jitterbug” “Weedless” hook and skirted for thick cover “Jointed” tail for extra shimmy. Arbogast® Jitterbugs®