Get off the couch and Go fishing!

The cold arctic weather looks like it is going to hang around for a while. You can do one of two things, sit on the couch and watch fishing shows or get out on the lake and go fishing. Bundling up like an Eskimo and going fishing doesn’t sound like fun until you get out there and realize that you can catch some of the biggest bass you will ever catch. Don’t believe me? It can be done, but only with the right equipment. There is one bait and one bait only to throw this time of year. That is a suspending jerk bait. There are hundreds of models to choose from but I throw the Strike King Wild Shiner. The Wild Shiner comes in a variety of colors. One of my all time favorites is the clown color. It features a red head, a yellow back, and chrome sides. This color seems to out perform most others colors day in and day out. One myth that I recently learned that was not true is the fact that you have to fish the jerk bait off a point or bluff. Wrong. Yes you can catch them on those types of places but you can also fish inside the pockets. Small secondary points or deep grass lines are key areas to fish. Since the lakes have little or no pressure on them now, it is easy to find a good looking spot without anyone on it. The basic retrieve is a jerk, jerk, pause cadence. Sometimes the bait needs to be paused for as long as thirty seconds before the fish bites it. Other times it can be as little as five or so seconds. Light line is also a key to getting the bait down to the maximum depth. I have found that eight pound Vicious Fluorocarbon seems to work best for me. Not only is it very sensitive but small in diameter to let the bait dive further and not keep it so high in the water column. A medium action rod works just fine. One that you can cast a fairly long distance and still have a little backbone in it. You can either use a spinning or a bait casting reel. A lot of fishermen are using spinning gear now a days because it is easier to cast these light weight baits. For my spinning reel I use an Ardent S2500 spinning reel. This reel casts with ease and is very smooth. If I want to throw a bait casting reel I choose the Ardent XS1000. This is one of the best reels on the market. Not only does it cast great but is very smooth. Whatever equipment you choose make sure that it is up to the task of fighting big fish. This is the time of year that you can literally catch the biggest bass of your life. If you have the guts to get out and brave the elements, you just might catch a giant. You won’t know until you get off the couch.