Top 5 Baits for Bed Fishing
Love it or hate it, bed fishing is a great way to catch the biggest bass of the year. If you live in warmer parts of the country you're probably already seeing the beginning of the spawn. We sat down with the camera this week to bring you the Top 5 Baits that will help you fool those feisty spawning bass.
The key to sight fishing is to treat every bed as a new opportunity to start fresh. The bait that caught the last fish might not work on the next. Each fish has its own preferences so don't be afraid to rotate through your arsenal of rods until you've found the bait that works best.
My top 5 choices:
1) Jig w/ Craw Trailer: 3/8 to 1/2 oz Dirty Jigs Pitchin' Jig coupled with a beaver-style or double tail grub trailer. This profile allows me to present a large bait but still have a compact enough profile that the fish can easily engulf it.
2) Swim Jig: 3/8 to 1/2 oz California Swim Jig in Alabama Bream or Tactical Shad coupled with a matching keitech or Sizmic Shad. With a swim jig I can hop or swim the jig, depending on the mood of the fish.
3)Bluegill Imitator: My two favorite bluegill imitators are the Mattlures Bluegill (boot or flat tail) and the Basstrix in "perch" color. The mattlures gives me that large swimbait profile whereas the basstrix is a very finesse, slow presentation that can really irritate those hard to catch bass.
4) 3.5" Tube: The tube is a deadly bait on all bass but its especially deadly with spots and smallmouth. I find a 3.5" to be best but you can drop down to a 2.5 if the fish are picking the bait up by the tails.
5) The Senko: Who can argue with the senko? 5" or 6" is your choice but if you use a bright color (white or chartreuse) and a natural color (green pumpkin or watermelon) you'll find a bait that the fish are willing to eat.
Please remember that bed fishing is a great time to catch the fish of a lifetime but its also a critical time during a bass' life cycle. Treat the fish with care and always return them to the bed quickly so they can successfully finish the spawning process.