Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Spinnerbaits!

When I was young and fishing creeks in rural Iowa I looked at spinner baits with an incredulous eye, wondering what on earth something so odd-looking could possibly hold for fishing potential. Most crankbaits, for instance, actually look like a fish and rubber worms were a fair approximation of my bait of choice. I could understand the appeal of artificial baits even if I had no use for them in my pursuit of creek chub and bullheads.

After fishing my second Mission Bay tournament and hearing that Matt Moyer had used spinner baits to propel himself to the winner circle I figured enough was enough. Time to put my childhood misgivings aside and give this clanky, strung out lure a shot at my tackle box.

Imagine my surprise when I realized I had 3 in my freshwater tacklebox. I'd never fished a spinner bait and the only reason I could think of for their presence was due to some yard sale "lot" purchases a couple years ago. I took this as a starting point and resolved to fish them until I either figured it out or snapped them off in the eel grass.

Going into this I didn't have a real gameplan or a fixed idea of how these mechanical marvels even worked so I did what I do whenever something stumps me - look it up on the web. I found a few articles, all relating to freshwater bass fishing, that detailed some tricks for fishing heavy structure (logs and docks) with a spinner bait. We've got docks in Mission Bay but not a whole lot of sunken logs, at least none that I've found. But structure does exist and that's the meat of their advice. Tossing this in or under pilings works really well but my favorite way to fish spinnerbaits is in tall, gnarly, hook-nabbing, swimbait swallowing, never-let-your-crankbait-go eelgrass. Find the big grass beds, usually along shorelines in 6 feet or more of water and you'll find spotted bay bass with killer instincts. They stack up in the grass like lions, waiting to jump on unsuspecting wire baits that buzz their turf.

Also try throwing these lengthwise across the sterns of docked boats or up between the boats towards the docks. Be careful if you're doing this as spinnerbaits seem to have a strong affinity for wrapping themselves around the railings or sail mains of multi-million dollar sailboats. Fish along bridge pilings, mooring cans, construction barges anchored in place, next to the bait receivers, etc. Heavy structure that might prove too dense or challenging for crankbaits or plastics offer the perfect opportunities for tossing a spinner bait.

This is where the real beauty of this bait becomes evident - it's nearly weedless. Cranking a spinner through eelgrass is a piece of cake and it pays off better than the lotto. BIG spotties lurk in the roughest, darkest parts of town. These are the bruisers, the bullies, the contenders. I like these weedbeds any time of day if I've got heavier line (10# Stren Magnaflex) and a good crankin stick. I use a Shimano Chronarch 100 on a Shimano Clarus 7' Medium Heavy rod and it whoops ass when the bull spot comes a calling.

And when they come calling it's not like when the neighbor's wife stops by with an apple pie, it's more like when the neighbor finds out his wife has been bringing you apple pie and HE comes to visit. No doorbell, no knocking he just blows the freakin door off the hinges and starts thrashing. It's kind of like that. The steady thumping of the blades and a good retrieve can put you in a calm, almost meditative state where you're cranking slowly, feeling the tendrils of the eelgrass pulling gently aside as your bait passes through and then, just when you're reaching that fishing zen, the spotted bay bass will lunge out of hiding, tackle the bait and put up the kind of fight that makes Hemingway weep.

Spotties have a tendancy to "crocodile roll" when they grab their dinner. The spinning frenzy throws their prey into a confused state making them easy kills. You'll see this behavior over and over when you fish big spotties, they'll thrash and roll, twisting your line around their body. This is another reason for heavier line, those gill plates are like razors and the thought of sending a bass back to the water with something as gangly as a spinnerbait stuck in his craw is sad and inhumane. So use a net, take good pictures and send him on his way.

Buyers guide:

A good spinnerbait has a few requirements.

Weight - I like heavier spinnerbaits, 1/2 or 3/4 oz.
Blades - Tandem Willow or a small Colorado and #5 Willow
Color - Chartreuse and White is my main pick but at different times have had great luck with just white or firetiger pattern.
Swivels - it pays to spend a bit more and get good baits with quality swivels - the bait won't work if the blades don't spin.
Trailers - Sometimes a rootbeer or red grub just threaded on the hook will do, get fancy with Reapers and trailer hooks, too. (red)
Wire - Titanium baits will last longer and not get out of tune very easily but cost almost double.

Cabela's Livin Eye baits are an excellent choice for 1/2 oz or the beefier Stanley Wedge weighing in at 3/4 oz from Bass Pro Shops. I have to thank Matt Moyer for turning me onto this particular bait. The size is almost laughable at first but it's a powerhouse underwater.

The heartbreak of this wonderful lure is the pricetag. A good titanium wired bait will probably run you between $6 and $10 each. Make sure you're using a good 8 or 10 lb test that you trust and retie your knots often. A recent fishing trip turned comedically expensive as I managed to lose 3 spinnerbaits in a single morning. Two were lost due to bad line (avoid Munich line like the plague) and 1 to a chunky fish who wrapped me in heavy cover. Two of those were brand new, first time out and $7 each. Ouch!.

There's so much more to fishing these but I won't spoil all the fun of discovery for you. If you haven't fished spinner baits definitely add them to your arsenal. Combining these with other techniques (grubs, swimbaits, crankbaits, drop shot) you'll extend your abilities to fish in ever-changing conditions and maybe even win a tournament (I'm trying!).

How I fish spinnerbaits can be summarized quite easily into this:

  1. Find water.
  2. Throw spinnerbait very far from kayak.
  3. Wait for lure to sink to bottom.
  4. Immediately set the hook and crank hard two cranksto start the blades moving.
  5. Retrieve at varying speeds until you find one that works, pausing or twitching the retrieve occasionally.
  6. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The Berkley Frenzy Minnow

When Berkley set out to create the Frenzy Minnow they asked all their bass fishing pros to send in their favorite crankbaits. Their intention was simple yet brilliant, find the common denomiators in preffered lures that produce fish and hone in on the strengths. Use that information to create a powerful lure that will have mass appeal to fish and anglers alike. They got it right in the Frenzy Minnow...kinda.

The first generation Frenzy Minnow was a chrome based lure with painted accents. Available in more than half a dozen color combinations Berkley knew they had a winner - the test tanks in Spirit Lake, Iowa were proving that. The field tests were very good - this lure caught lots of bass. Sales were not impressive and the lure wasn't the huge hit it was expected to be. The minnow could catch fish, but not fishermen. But in San Diego a small group of kayak anglers were having jackpot events with strange and unusual rules. They started limiting themselves to a particular bait or lure and working zones across Mission Bay. What they found out was that the Frenzy medium diver was a killer lure for spotted bay bass. Devin Harmon rode this discovery to a couple of wins at the SDSC kayak tournaments and word got out fast. The medium diver is a perfect match for a majority of areas in the Mission Bay area - it dives between 9 and 12 feet which is the depth of most areas. Add this with the body shape being so similar to the local #1 forage fish, the northern anchovie, and it's a natural choice for saltwater bass fishing.


compare the northern anchovie with the frenzy minnow (photo: Devin Harmon)

The medium diver weighs in at 1/2 oz and is easily cast on inshore bass tackle, trolled or cranked through the flats or over eel grass it has proved very, very successful at catching bass of all sizes. Barracuda, bonito, smelt and halibut also seem to love this lure.

Frenzy Minnow - original

Frenzys then became a defacto lure in tackle boxes for anyone targeting bay bass. The first Plastic Navy tournament saw people scrambling to find Frenzys beforehand and trading them on the morning of the launch. Frenzys had arrived in San Diego.

About a year later, knowing they had a winner despite marginal sales, Berkley revamped the Frenzy line with a new body slip of holographic prisms. The colors and paint jobs were mostly the same but now what were plain chrome or reflective areas were now enhanced with the holographic finish. While there wasn't a noticeable difference in their test results the sales picked up - it was catching more anglers. This affected local anglers little, they Frenzy was still popular but the "old school chrome" became a hotter item and hoarding began.

Frenzy Minnow - 2nd style

The holographic model didn't seem to last long and then the rumors of the discontinuation of the Frenzys began. Ebay, outlets, tackle shops, they were all being raided for their remaning stocks. People found a source for the original chrome lures and wiped them out in three days.

Sure enough, a time came when Cabela's ran out of even the least preferred colors and the well seemed to dry up. Local anglers began ordering new lures and trying different styles to find the Frenzy replacement. But no sooner had those boxes of walleye deep runners and shad baits arrived then word came of a newly designed Frenzy replacement. this time it had a molded scale body type with more vibrant colors.

Frenzy Minnow - curernt style

Skepticism reigned for a while - such a large departure from the body styles that had been such successes was troubling to local vets of the Frenzy era. The sales, however, are better Berkley and the skepticism was unwarranted. It seems that the body style is the most important factor in this lure and color 2nd. Colors do matter, of course, as is proven time and time again. The history of this hot crankbait proves that some lures catch fish and some lures catch fisherman and it's a challenge to find the lure that does both. Tthe Frenzy seems to be here to stay...again...for now.

Some tips for using the Frenzy:

Devin Harmon wrote in and added some valuable points on how to use this bait most effectively.

  1. Black sharpie pens can change a blue into a black chrome very well.
  2. A red sharpie pen can be used to restripe the bottom of a used lure.
  3. Switch out the hooks to size 6 gamus round bend or 2x for better hook sets - don't use the factory hooks.
  4. Learn how to "tune" them as they have a tendency to have swim problems, even right out of the package. Do this by bending the split ring holder in the opposite direction of the errant swimming.
  5. The lip has a thick coat of clear coat on it. i clean it all off by scraping with a knife blade for a more true swim. make sure to clean out the split ring area also to allow for more free movement of the ring.
  6. The holo model was only out for a very short while and obtaining it online or mail order was sporidac at best, we found them to be mixed in with the others. I still prefer the old color, maybe because it is better, and maybe because it worked so well.
  7. The black red combo is the best by far.

Kayak Thresher Sharks

This was written by my friend Joe Lopez - a great read!

A couple months back, I had a really good day at La Jolla with Bonita, Barracuda, and even lingcod in the mix. Of course, as I've gotton accustomed to do, I posted my report on the web. That report was read my friend Trevor who emailed me saying that I was quick learner, since that was my second time off a kayak, and that he wanted to hook up and fish with me. So we made plans for Saturday.

We got to the launch at around 5.15am and the waves looked pretty crzy! I went out first and got soaked waiting for a set to slow down but made it fine without getting dumped. Trevor, well lets just say he's glad he had leashes. I paddled out just past the reserve, tied on a MirrOlure and trolled for about 15 minutes while Trevor finally made it out.

He tried to make bait there but nothing was happening so I suggested to try for bait closer to the Kelp. About halfway from the reserve line and the Kelp my MirrOlure goes off. It made an long first run. These two rookies were excited, blood pumping and all. I was finally gonna catch a yellow off a kayak, and feel what its like to get towed.

Well, I sure got towed for about a half hour. I would take a little and it would run a lot. At about 45 minutes into it I finally got it up to color. I could only make out what I thought was the tail but it was swinging around too much, it didnt look right. It didnt feel right either, in the second and third run, the drag wasnt flowing out, it was more like short spurts like maybe head shaking and taking drag at every head nod.(So I thought). I asked Trevor to try to get a better look and it took off screaming towards open ocean. I got it up to color again and I finally saw it, but to my surprise it was a tail hooked thresher shark. I looked over at Trevor like, what!?! This was crzy for 2 rookies to be fighting a shark, but hey you can't control what eats the lure so were excited. This would be a first for me.

Just past everyone, it finally went down and stopped there. Now this is about an hour and a half into this thing so I decided to tighten the drag and try and muscle it in. Well my rod thought otherwise. It snapped in half leaving 2 rings on to fight this guy. It was pretty funny so I heard, to watch me fight this thing with half a rod, but like a true warrior I was determined to land this fish. And again my rod thought otherwise and broke again this time leaving only one ring. This was getting weird now, but it wasnt making anymore runs so it was just a matter of getting it up. And there I was timing the waves to gain line and finally I had it up. It was totally lifeless so I decided to take it in. I dont know how but me and Trevor managed to get the thing on to my yak and started heading in.

After the long paddle back the waves were still pretty big. I was waiting it out to time coming in but got distracted by some tourist kayakers and when I saw the openning to go in I told Trevor and paddled in. That distraction caused me to be about 10 feet away from Trevor and just enough to get caught in a wave. Not a huge wave, but with the shark on board it caused the nose to bury and I flipped. Lucky for me the shark had a bright neon yellow rope around its tail and managed to rescue that. But I did mourn the loss of a Penn spinning reel and rod, and the broken rod with its wallmart spinner.

Back on the beach I was pissed for the loss but all the tourists asked questions so that made me forget the reels. I went over to Jim Sammons to see if I needed to take any special care of it. After giving me a hard time about it being kinda small he made some suggestion on where to take it. I was a bit hurt by his joking but when I came back I saw it, it was kinda small.

I decided to get home quick and ice it down. That took for ever to carve up not to mention the mess. Jim had suggested to take it to this place in Mission Bay to get it carved up, but no, I had to do it my way.

Anyway, it was a great adventure and both Trev and I learned alot.

No more spinning reels for me.
Need to get some rod leashes.
If its thresher get it cut up by a pro to avoid the mess.
Future thresher, too much trouble. Do mouth to mouth if needed to get him back home.*

Barrett Lake on the Kayak

I received "the call" on Thursday night. Brett had an extra spot that was bequethed unto him by Mick. I called for clearance from ground control and she said that it was all good as long as I was back by 2pm so we could go to her friend's wedding. With grand assurances of a timely return I rigged up and assembled a freshwater tackle box. This was no small task for I almost never fish freshwater and my supplies were meager. I had 1 shaddish colored Pop'R, a couple bags of senkos I'd picked up from God knows where, some chocolate blue veins 4" worms and some larger watermelon/blue/whatever worms. To make myself feel comfortable I stuck in a Frenzy shad style, a small spinnerbait, a couple of other small crankbaits in what seemed like reasonable colors, a few hooks, a few bullet weights and whatever plastics I thought might work. That was it! I had 6# on my Stradic and that turned out to be the best rod for the day. Ever the tackle horse I brought 3 other rods, two of which never saw the water.

I crashed into bed at 11:30pm and awoke without my alarm clock at 2:02 am. I watched the minutes tick by for a quarter of an hour and then crawled into some shorts and headed out the door. Brett's dog woke him up for me as I was moving my kayak onto his rack next to his Prowler. We hit the road with a pit stop for cash and a sack of predawn Breakfast Jacks and arrived at the gate by 4:30am.

I met our benefactor, Mick, who was the greatest guy - it was a pleasure to fish with him off and on through the day and a real treat to watch what they did early on.

After being led down to the lake at 5:30 the scene turned nearly comical as people raced, literally raced, down to the dock house and practically did flying leaps into their boats. Brett and I were caught up in it and unloaded the kayaks in what had to be record time. Geared up and ready to roll we pushed off the shore at about 6:20 am and began a nice long paddle all the way back to Becky's Cove. Brett had promised top water action and an abundance of fish. Reflecting on my past freshwater bass experiences, including one day at Barrett, thought he may have been overstating things a bit. Optimism reigned supreme however and a crankbait found it's way into the water about halfway to the cove. Dragging it in about 15' of water the rod tip began to bounce and jerk and then went slack. I kept paddling with an eye on the rod and once again it was hit. I reached for the rod, lifted it from the flushmount holder and set the hook into ....nothing. Barbless hooks were making themselves known!

I wound in the crank and caught up with Brett entering the cove. We snapped a few pictures of the mist on the water and then saw Mick and his buddy fly fishing near the shore...practically ON the shore. A splash and whoop and then followed up with an unmistakable "AAwwwww" which, by the down-tonal progression can mean only one thing - opportunity missed. I began throwing that little Pop'R up against the shoreline in water that only 1' deep and much to my surprise I was seeing boils and wakes by cruising and feeding bass. A topwater lure is a funny little creature, to be sure, and the use of it eluded me. I've watched my fair share of Roland, Hank and Mr. Dance to know some theory behind bass fishing with plastics, cranks and spinners but topwater doesn't seem to get much press - maybe because of the apparent heartbreak factors, it seems to me that topwater would make good television. Brett gave me a 7 second lesson on poppers - "Mick's fly popper doesn't make hardly any splash but mine does and I catch a few fish...let it sit until the rings disappear after you cast.". Ok. So I kept at it and was recommended another bank that was just behind me. I paddled the short distance and threw out the Pop'R again and this time, as the rings were drifting away from my still bait an explosion occured just behind and to the left of the sleepy balsa wood. It's been said that every action has an equal and opposite reaction and, by deductive reasoning I would state that the force with which I attempted to set the hook was tantamount to an F5 tornado. I make this assumption based on the speed and fury with which this tiny, double-hooked bullet was approaching my forehead. "Don't set the hook until you feel the weight...I'm sure you already know that" was the second half of my topwater lesson.

Barrett Lake - part 2

I calmed down and started thinking about what was going on and was soon rewarded with my first Barrett fish of the season.

Phew. I kept throwing the Pop'R and it got blown up a few more times but nothing stuck, finally landed two more on the topwater. The bass seemed to be hiding in shadows and as the morning wore on the shadows became fewer and farther between. We switched to plastics and I texas rigged a chocolate blue-vein worm and began tossing it around somewhat aimlessly. I was drifting down a shoreline and not getting any action, nor did I have the least bit of confidence in this style of fishing.

Brett picked up a fish on an Aaron's Magic worm with a curly tail and he tossed a few of them my way.

He had splitshot his line before leaving home and neither of his had any more shot. So I retied a carolina rig and pegged the weight, close enough, I thought. It worked! Back in the shallow water, between 1 and 3 feet, there was a school/pocket/herd/whatever of largemouth just waiting for something like this. It was fish after fish for a while and in less than an hour I had 6 more bass and no more of Aaron's great magic. I considered my options and pulled out the only other thing I had with a curly tail - Assalt ringed 4" worms in black/red flake. It was about 5X larger than the little worm I was using previously but I pushed it on the worm hook anyway. First cast landed my largest fish for the day - he went just a hair under 3#.

I saw a fish boil under a grass mat that was sticking out just a bit from the rocky shoreline behind me. I hadn't caught a fish on a Senko and the slow style of fishing required for them is challenging for my ADD riddled brain. But I threw the risk of boredom into the wind and plunked a senko down on top of the grass mat and wiggled it back to the edge, let it touch the water and then twitched it into the drink. It was instantly slurped up and the line went tight - I set the hook, prepared to dodge, but found a fish stuck on the other end. That was a thrill! The rest of the day was the Assalt rig - 8 more bass on this.

The rest of the morning we paddled back, stopped in a talked to Clayton a bit, saw Mick on the dock and we waited around for the train to leave (and hour or so later than we'd hoped).

Incidentally I made it to the wedding on time...kinda. We saw the exciting parts anyway and had a great time at the reception.

Thanks again to Mick and Brett for the fun and companionship - next time we don't leave early!

Deep Water Dropshot

Looking to freshwater bass fishing is a fantastic way to find powerful and effective techniques for the saltwater experience. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, texas rigging – these are standard freshwater tools that have migrated to Inshore fishing with proven results. Add to those the dropshot, and more than just the dropshot but a deadstick dropshot technique that works so well on the kayak that it might just outfish your primary or ‘active’ fishing style.

First, look at traditional dropshot methods. Typically the rigging comprises of light line (4-10# test), a #1 or #2 size hook and a ¼ oz to 3/8 oz lead weight and a bait ranging from 2” grubs to Senkos. This, attached to a medium action spinning outfit will get you onto the lake and into a bass’s mouth (hopefully). For saltwater we’re doing the same thing but upsizing considerably. My preferred setup is an Okuma Expixor 30 paired with a Daiwa Coastal spinning rod, 7'6" MH 8-20. With this setup I'm dropshotting depths from 15' to 240'.

Why a spinning rod?
The Spinning reel isn't as important here as the rod. There are three things that I considered when choosing equipment for this style of fishing and I tried several of my baitcasters and conventional rods in an attempt to find the perfect match.

  1. When "at rest" in the rod holder a spinning rig is setup correctly, that is to say, the guides are and rod are balanced in the appropriate direction (down) which means the spline is working with you. On a baitcaster the weight distribution is opposing, the weight of the reel is on top of the spline of the rod - letting gravity do it's thing puts the rod upside down.
  2. The lighter and softer nature of a spinning rod allows for better action in the bait during your drift. This works great as a dead-stick bait! Letting the rod do the work means you can focus on other things while this works.
  3. Spectra works really well on a spinning reel and won't give you the backlash issues of a baitcaster.

Spectra?
Dyneema or Spectra is a synthetic fiber based on Ultra Hhigh Molecular Weight PolyEthylene, 15 times stronger than steel and three times stronger than Kevlar. It is usually used in bulletproof vests, bow strings and sails on high-performance yachts but is extremely effective as fishing line. Personally, I use the spectra produced by Stren (Stealth 30#). As fishing line it has the properties of high abrasion resistance and almost 0% stretch, two more things that make this technique work so well. I've had the same Spectra spooled on my reel for 9 months now and don't plan on changing it for at least another 9 months, probably longer. Contrast this with the way we plow through mono at about a spool every 6 - 8 weeks and you see one of the perks already.

It's Terminal
We've got a rod, a reel and bullett-proof line, now it's time to lay out the temptation. For my own ease of use I tie a small barrel swivel on the end of my spectra, small enough that I can wind it through the tip guide if need be, and then use a uni-knot to attach a leader of monofilament. I generally use a 3' leader of 10# flourocarbon but have used regular mono in weights from 8# up to 15# successfully. The dropshot hook it tied onto this leader leaving enough line for between 8" and 18" of clearance below to the weight. For still water fishing (little or no current) I use a 2 oz torpedo sinker, when fishing heavy tidal flows, strong current or water deeper than 100' I switch up to anywhere between 3 oz and 6 oz torpedoes. Torpedo sinkers won't spin as much as other big lead and that'll reduce line twist.

Deep Water Dropshot - part 2

Dead-Stick the Dead Stick
Through all the experimentation the bait that came out the other end surprised me. Traditional (albeit larger) dropshot baits from local pour gurus and companies like Assalt were our starting point, and they were all successful, but as time went on baits got bigger and one shape took over as a dominant force - the Sluggo style stickbait. Unable to find colors and sizes that were suitable Steve Preslar and I conferred and began producing our own from molds bought online. it's a 6" slug/stick with almost no distinguishing features save for a slight taper from the center to the tail. It is a bait without glamour, flash or sex appeal, it's a pencil looking piece of plastic that crushes the competition. Colors from greens to black to red, clear, copper, rootbeer, chartreuse...anything worked. The great thing about pouring your own bait is that the options are endless and we're still creating new hot color patterns. Steve is the master at this and has found our favorites through his experimentation.

Git Er Done
Everything is lined up, kayak is in the water, leaders, bait and weights are tied on, now what? Generally you don't do much. Set up your normal drift, drop this to the bottom, place the rod in the rod holder and go about your business of fishing. When running this technique I work two swimbait rods at a time and dead-stick the dropshot. This requires a certain amount of intelligent deck design and the ability to clear your lines quickly, so develop a system in advance if possible as it will save you some heartache. What I've learned by fishing this in San Diego Bay is this: Sandbass love this presentation....they seem to love it more than the swimbaits by almost 4:1 some days. Rarely does this system get outfished by the active lines that I'm continually working manually. This summer I found two 4-5# sand bass doing this and three legal halibut. Those are fish I would probably have missed fishing other techniques. These are free fish! It doesn't stop there, either. This works for rockfish on deep ledges, switching away from a deadstick to a manual presentation can fill your freezer with some of the best meat in the ocean in no time. Spectra lets you feel every tick and bump even at 200+'. Bottom hugging calico bass climb on board without hesitation and mackerel...well mackerel will hit anything, won't they. When your kayak drifts with the wind or the current the amount of weight holding the bottom becomes important, too little weight will allow the bait to float off the bottom, too much will cause the load on the rod to spring back and whip the bait too quickly or just cause too much drag on the bottom. Use the right amount to keep your self on the bottom but allow drifting. What I've found with the setup I use is a good balance, the rod will load up some before it can lift the lead from the floor, when it does the rod tip will straighten out again. This causes the bait to "jump" from spot to spot and thump the floor every time it moves. I think the lead-thump is the reason for so many halibut on this rig, they hate kids knocking on their doors and running off.

Spectra shows it's worth again when a fish takes the bait - with no stretch in the line the hookset comes quickly from the backbone of the rod. An important note about spectra is that with out that stretch your drags will be different - adjust them accordingly and experiment to find your comfort zone there.

Get your rig ready and go try this out - you'll find fish and it can add serious numbers to your daily count!