1. Bass are not Only Aware of Surface and Underwater
Use a Baitcaster to Cast the Lure as if a Creature such as a Dragonfly were Flying
If you spot a large active largemouth bass just below the surface of a clear lake, try casting a voluminous spinnerbait or voluminous buzzbait with a low trajectory. And just before the lure comes into sight of the bass, use thumb braking to rapid deceleration the lure as it passes the bass line of sight. When bass see this change in the speed of the lure in the air, their predatory instincts are stimulated and they easily bite the lure that is retrieved after landing on the water.
The key to this fishing method is to cast the lure as if a creature such as a dragonfly is flying, and to stimulate the predatory instinct of bass that sees it. Therefore, it is necessary to use a lure with a large volume and cast it with a low trajectory so that bass can easily find the lure flying in the air. It is also important to pass the lure through bass's field of vision while slowing the lure rapidly, rather than landing the lure right in front of the bass.
Suitable Situations/Conditions
- Sunny and clear water, calm water surface without waves
- Highly active fish
- Appropriate water temperature
- When fish is in shallow water such as just below the surface
- When it is easy to react to topwater lures
- Large fish (small fish tend to get scared and run away when they see a lure in flight)
Suitable Lure
- A lure that can make it look to bass as if a dragonfly-like creature is flying.
- A lure with volume as shown in the posted picture.
When such a voluminous lure is flying in the air, it is easily spotted by fish, has the advantage of high aerodynamic resistance to suppress excessive trajectory speed, and the skirt acts as a cushioning material to quietly land on the surface of the water. Please adjust the volume of the skirt and the weight of the lure, and tune the lure so that it is easy to cast for you.
Unsuitable Lure
- Small lure. Smaller lures are less likely to be spotted by bass when flying.
- Lures that cannot be shown to the bass as if they were flying dragonflies or other creatures.
Baitcasting Techniques Required for this Method
- Forehand and backhand cast
- Less movement and quick cast
- Casts that make less water landing sound
A Baitcasting Techniques in Which the Cast Lure Gives Bass an Illusion that a Dragonfly or Other Creature is Flying
- Low trajectory with a long dwell time
- Ultra-low trajectory and smoothly rapid deceleration
- Casting to alter the trajectory of the lure
When the bass is pointing in the direction of 6 or 12 o'clock, I think it is also effective to bend the lure's trajectory to the side and cross the bass's line of sight.
However, after bending the lure at the target point and stimulating the predatory instinct of the bass, it is quite difficult to suppress the sound of the lure landing on the water. I am still a work in progress. If you can do this, it will be a more interesting fishing technique, so if you want to try it, please practice!
The Degree of Fishing Pressure, Bass Direction, and Depth Make a Big Difference in How they Respond
This method was devised to catch smart largemouth bass in clear lakes. In order to catch bass under particularly high fishing pressure, it is necessary to cast the lure with an ultra-low trajectory. This is because it is necessary to make the bass strongly aware that a creature such as a dragonfly is within reach.
Also, I believe that when a voluminous lure like the one in the picture is cast just above the water surface, wind pressure causes the water surface to shake, which is another factor that stimulates the predatory instinct of bass. Because, when dragonflies fly near the surface of the water, the wind pressure from their wings causes the water's surface to shake.
It is difficult to induce predatory instincts in fish under fishing pressure.
However, if such casting can be done, it is possible to get a smart bass a few meters away to bite the lure in an instant. So, usually, I would not cast a high trajectory lure with this method, but, when fishing pressure is low and the bass is highly active, the bass may respond to lures with a slightly higher trajectory.
In addition to these factors, direction, and depth of bass also affect how easy or difficult it is to fish.
For those Who Want to Try
For example, it is not difficult to catch a healthy bass that has not yet been caught by an angler. However, the more anglers catch them, the smarter the bass become. In order to catch such a bass, it is necessary to improve the perfection of various elements. It is not an easy fishing method, requiring casting practice, lure tuning, and tackle setting, but once you learn this method, sight fishing in clear water becomes more interesting.
This is because not only can you catch fish that you couldn't catch before, but you can also see bass reactions that you can't easily see with other fishing techniques.
Although this blog focuses on largemouth bass, I have confirmed that Snakehead and Catfish in the shallow water of clear water respond just as well as Largemouth bass. There are many different game fish in the world, and it is possible that there are other fish that respond to this method of fishing.
I'm not an angler from the United States, which is the holy land of bass fishing. What I have written on this blog may already be known in the United States. However, if there are people who don't know about it, I would like to share this fishing method with them, so I wrote it in English using a translation site.
This blog is based on a blog post I wrote in my home country. I'm just writing about my experience, but descriptions such as "casting lures like dragonflies are flying" are my speculation, and I don't necessarily know if they look that way to fish. My blog posts, including that one, are not scientifically verified in any way.
Also, please understand that the translation may not go well.
The link below is to a blog I write in Japan.
