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Home , Bait fish, Bass fishing, Fishing, Fishing techniques, Hook set, Plastic worm

By Brian Brecka “While many of our higher quali- ty are smaller in ALMA - While longtime Depart- size and don’t reach national ment of Natural Resources fisher- notoriety, waterbodies such as ies biologist Brian Brecka takes Sturgeon Bay and the Mississip- pride in being a multispecies an- pi River are consistently highly gler, he typically finds time to ranked as top bass fisheries in catch a bass or two on each of his the nation.” outings. One more reason bass are boss “Wisconsin boasts largemouth and are their accessibility from the fisheries that are shore. passionately supported by droves of today’s anglers,” says Brecka, “If you're thinking you can't Get the Scoop on Smallies who has been stationed along the bass without a fancy and a dozen rods, think again,” he Mississippi River since 1992. Scientific name: dolo- says. “They can be caught from mieu (Micropterus means "small fin"; A recent Wisconsin angler diary shore, by wading, by or dolomieu was named after M. Dolo- study found bass to be sim- , or from a or mieu, a French mineralogist. ilar in popularity compared to wall- your grandfather's 14-foot flat eye fishing during the spring and bottom boat.” Distribution: Occurs in all three summer months. The study found only panfishing, the pursuit of No matter how you plan to fish, drainage basins in Wisconsin (Lake bluegill, and , to be Brecka shares his Michigan, Mississippi River, and Lake Superior). more popular during the May- basics, updated from a 2002

September period. Wisconsin Natural Resources article written with Ken Snow. Spawning: Usually occurs at water “There’s good reason for the pop- temperatures between 62 - 64º F, but He encourages anglers to learn- ularity of largemouth and small- they have been found spawning at ing more about bass life history, mouth bass,” Brecka says. Buck- 53º F. In southern Wisconsin, small- behavior, seasonal movements etmouths and smallies together mouth from mid-May through and fishing patterns to increase are the most widely distributed June (water temperatures between their chances of success. “But recreational fish in the state – 55 - 75º F). The male may build sev- book learning cannot replace the found within inland lakes, cool and eral "practice nests." The nest is usu- benefits of spending time on the warmwater streams, large rivers, ally a large, perfectly circular, clean water "reading" the situation, and the . gravel structure. The male bass pro- adapting to changing conditions, tects the nest against intruders. “No matter where you live in Wis- getting in tune with your quarry consin, you're within a short drive and enjoying some time out- ID tips: Mouth extends to middle or of quality bass fishing,” he says. doors,” he says. back of eye but not beyond; Solid col-

or, dark mottling, or 9-16 diffuse verti- For a line on places to fish for cal bars in adults; distinct vertical bass, check out the Wisconsin bars with tail yellow-orange with dark Fishing Report forecasts for margin in young of year. and small- mouth bass.

Don't be surprised if the bass strikes at the frog but misses it. Just cast Surface back to that same spot. Many times, the bass will strike again. lures Buzzbaits are surface lures that have at least one rotating blade that DESCRIPTION: Surface lures, also provide continual turbulence when called "topwaters," float on the sur- retrieved. The lures have silicone face and cause a disturbance that skirts and one upright hook at the bass can see or hear. The fish also rear. Although not weedless, they sense the lures' vibrations through can be retrieved through open water their . Lure types in this vegetation such as lily pads and category include poppers, frogs and across logs. You need a continual buzzbaits. retrieve to keep the blade rotating. Vary your retrieve speed to find TECHNIQUES AND TIPS: A pop- what stimulates bass strikes. per is the perfect lure to cause sur- Buzzbait size, color and style may face commotion that stimulates also influence your success. Land- strikes. The front has a concave ing percentage for buzzbait bass is cupped face that "spits" water when usually high. Set the hook shortly moved, sending sounds and vibra- Above: Brilyn Brecka has mastered her after seeing the strike. tions of struggling prey. The pop- father’s bass . Below: A per's color and size is often plastic frog bait and a slow, steady retrieve LOCATIONS: Surface lures are matched to imitate . A short can work well. most productive in shallow water six jerk of the rod moves the lure from feet and less. In general, as water a few inches to a foot or more. clarity increases, so does the depth Don't continually reel-in during the where surface lures are effective. retrieve, but pause between jerks. Cover such as stumps, logs, vegeta- tion or boat docks are likely areas to Reel up the slack line, then attain a concentrate your efforts. When fish- rhythm on your retrieve to stimulate ing rivers, shallow waters where the strikes. Jerk-jerk-pause, jerk-jerk- current breaks can also hold fish. pause is a good rhythm to start your fishing day. We find most BEST FISHING TIMES: Dawn and strikes occur during the pause dusk are both excellent times to fish phase. surface lures. However, other times can be productive as well. Cloudy Vary the pause duration from less days can produce popper or than one second to five seconds or buzzbait bass anytime. Frogs are more. Experiment with the rhythm, A slow and steady retrieve works often most effective during midday and the bass will tell you if you're well, but an erratic presentation on sunny days. providing what they want. may also produce fish. If your frog ROD, REEL AND LINE: In open Strikes can be aggressive, and for lure comes to an opening, stop water weedline areas, try a spinning many anglers there's nothing better and give it a few tantalizing twitch- or baitcasting reel paired with a than watching their lure being at- es. medium heavy action rod. Monofila- tacked. If a fish has your lure, it When bass strike a frog, there is ment line from 10- to 15-pound test soon provides pressure to your rod. no doubt you've been bit – the fish will work. As you progress deeper When you feel it, set the hook. Pop- explodes through the canopy. into the cover, use slightly heavier pers have treble hooks that provide Less experienced anglers (and line. You may also find you need to a good hook-up percentage. even experienced ones) may be try heavier braided line of the 30- to Another that's worth startled by the force of that strike, 50-pound test in thicker vegetation trying is a rubber or plastic frog. and they instinctively jerk the lure and woody cover. Frog imitations are fished across lily away from the fish. We've seen pads or in a canopy of duckweed. this many times when fishing with They are designed to skirt and hop first-time froggers. To ensure the across thick overhead cover without bass inhales the lure, wait one or hanging up in the vegetation. Bass two seconds. Tighten your slack rely on their lateral lines to detect line, then set the hook. the lure's vibration. Spinner baits DESCRIPTION: are easy to use and they find fish quickly. The two traditional types are the in- line and the safety pin style spinnerbait. The inline has a spinner blade in direct line with a weighted body and a treble hook that is usually tied with hair. Examples include the Panther Martin and the Rooster Tail. Safety pin style spin- nerbaits have a blade or blades di- rectly over a single hook and are usually dressed with a silicone or rubber skirt. TECHNIQUES AND TIPS: Retrieve inline spinnerbaits fast and don't al- low the lure to sink more than a few inches below the surface. Try this "burning" fast retrieve around fallen logs, brush or rock that are often fa- Bucketmouth Basics vorite smallmouth bass hangouts in northern Wisconsin lakes. LOCATIONS: Although we've seen Scientific name: Micropterus fish come from depths of 20 feet or salmoides (Micropterus means The safety pin style spinnerbait can more to smash a burned spinner- "small fin"; salmoides means "- be fished just about anywhere. It can bait, most cover that holds these like" in gameness and food). be retrieved through vegetation, fish will be less than six feet deep. brush and fallen logs. To trigger You can quickly cover long shore- Distribution: Occurs in all three strikes, let the lure make contact with line stretches or island perimeters drainage basins in Wisconsin (Lake the cover, then give it a small jerk with these baits. Michigan, Mississippi River, and and a fast retrieve, a so-called "bump Lake Superior). Wisconsin is near and run" presentation. BEST FISHING TIMES: the northern limit of distribution; it Spinnerbaits are a great choice dur- has been suggested that its pres- ing the early morning hours, on ence here, especially in northern cloudy days or after dark. However, counties, resulted from introduc- don't be afraid to try them at other tions. times as well. ROD, REEL AND LINE: For inline Spawning: Occurs from late April to spinnerbaits, try a spinning reel early July. The selection of nest matched with a medium action rod. sites begin when water tempera- Monofilament line in the 6- to 10- tures reach 60º F, and eggs are laid pound range will be adequate. The when the water temperatures are at safety pin style spinnerbait works 62 - 65º F. The male usually selects best with a baitcasting reel paired a sand or gravel bottom upon which up with a medium-heavy action to build a nest; however, the fish will also nest on soft bottoms and can rod. Choose a monofilament line in expose hard objects like roots, the 12- to 17-pound range. You twigs, and snail shells on which to need the heavier line to pull a spin- deposit the eggs. Bass defend their nerbait through heavier cover. territories against intruders. ID tips: Mouth extends to or beyond back of eye; Thick, diffuse, irregular (zig-zag) lateral stripe; faint in large adults, pronounced in juveniles. Soft plastics

DESCRIPTION: It doesn't matter if you're in Wisconsin, Florida or points between, more bass are caught on soft plastic lures than on any other When fishing shallow, target LOCATIONS: Soft plastics are bait. Why? First, a lot of anglers specific pieces of cover such as versatile lures. They can be throw them. Second, they're fished vegetation patches, logs, stumps fished deep or shallow in varying for good reason – bass find soft plas- or boat docks. After near types of cover. Vegetation beds, tics irresistible. the target, allow the lure to fall on logs, stumps and boat docks pro- As the name implies, these molded slack line. Most bites will occur as vide bass safe haven–cooler wa- lures are flexible and produce life-like your worm falls to the bottom. A ter without direct sunlight, where movements when fished. Soft plastic bass inhaling a worm will not bass can ambush prey. Deep choices are available in hundreds of throttle your rod or be explosive weedlines may extend 10-12 feet shapes, sizes and colors. Traditional on the surface. The subtle bites in depth, while stumps, logs and soft plastic bass lures include worms, feel like a light "tick." You may see boat docks will be found in shal- , lizards and tubes. Each re- your line jump or feel a slight rod lower water. sembles a naturally occurring food. vibration. Once you see or feel it, Other forms look nothing like BEST FISHING TIMES: Soft wait 1-3 seconds, lower your rod seen in the wild. These soft plastics plastics can prove successful toward the water, take up the with strangely placed appendages from dawn 'til dusk. and wings are called "creature" baits. slack line, and set the hook. We recommend a powerful , ROD, REEL AND LINE: When TECHNIQUES AND TIPS: Because as your hook typically needs to fishing areas with light cover, use there's such a wide offering of soft come through plastic before em- a spinning reel with 6- to 10- plastics, we recommend starting bedding in a fish's mouth. pound test line matched with a basic with a . Your arse- light to medium action rod. When nal can expand to crayfish, lizards, If the fish doesn't bite as the lure fishing around thick vegetation, tubes and creature baits after you've drops, employ a lift-and-drop re- logs or stumps, a baitcasting reel had success pitching and retrieving trieve, just like jig-fishing for wall- with 12- to 20-pound line and a worms. Start with a black or purple eye. On tight line, lift your rod medium or medium-heavy rod will worm that's six or seven inches long. from the nine o'clock position to do the job. Dark colored worms work well under the eleven o'clock position. Drop varying conditions, and are good your rod slowly back to the nine bets. Plastic worms are rigged on a o'clock position, reel the slack line "worm" hook that is shaped for weed- and repeat. By using this retrieve, less rigging. We recommend a size 2/0 or 3/0 worm hook for a six- or the worm rises off the bottom, seven- inch worm. To minimize line moves a few feet and then returns twist, align the worm straight on the to the bottom. Again, fish usually hook so it won't spin when retrieved. bite as the lure falls. The lift-and- Standard worm rigging requires a drop retrieve is also effective in free sliding bullet weight ahead of the deeper water along submerged hook. Weight size is dependent upon edges and points that hold bass in the depth and cover. A quarter-ounce summer and fall. bullet weight can be used for most situations, but deeper water and heavier cover demand greater weight.

Jigs

DESCRIPTION: There's no doubt that a jig is one of the best and most consistent artificial lures to catch fish. A jig consists of a head molded to a single hook. Most bass fishing jigs come with a plas- tic bristle weed guard over the hook that helps minimize snags. Jigs come in many designs and colors, with or without rubbery skirts. Some come ready to fish, while others are sold as compo- nents that allow the angler to his own jig head with separate soft plastic lures such as a grub, crayfish or shad body. Two jig types are most commonly used – one with a bullet-shaped head where the line is tied on near its nose, and the other with a We occasionally throw a darter- BEST FISHING TIMES: Anytime round or flat face where the line is head jig tipped with a four-inch is a good time to fish jigs. Even tied from an eye that protrudes off plastic worm or grub. This jig is during hot afternoons, jigs that the jig head. A bullet-shaped jig is fished with an exposed hook and imitate crayfish draw strikes easier to fish through vegetation, is deadly for catching weedline when imitations don't get while a round or flat-faced jig is a largemouth or open water small- a second look. It's tough for a better choice for fishing around mouth bass. Present the darter- bass to pass up a tasty high pro- wood, rocks and docks. head jig with a slow and steady tein meal like a crayfish. Crayfish retrieve. The lure imitates a bait- are found across Wisconsin and TECHNIQUES AND TIPS: If you fish, and if a bass is near, you'd are very abundant in many bass haven't tried fishing lead heads, better hold on! fisheries. now's the time. One of our favor- ites is a rubber-skirted jig. This jig LOCATIONS: Anywhere you can ROD, REEL AND LINE: In open presents a bulky profile and is ex- find structure with cover is a good water weedline areas, try a spin- cellent to fish in the thickest cover. place to fish with a jig. Bass will ning or baitcasting reel paired with This lure is great for pitching into often bury themselves within the a medium heavy action rod. Mono- a small area of cover that may cover and ambush prey as it filament line from 10- to 15-pound hold bass. Your target may be swims or crawls by. A jig will work test will work. As you progress deeper into In open water weed- submerged wood under over- from the shoreline all the way out line areas, try a spinning or hanging trees, emergent vegeta- to the outside weedline edge. baitcasting reel paired with a medi- tion, docks or rock piles. Try Factors such as weather, water um heavy action rod. Monofila- bouncing the lure through the cov- clarity and available cover will de- termine where the fish are. If you ment line from 10- to 15-pound er or dragging it across the bottom test will work. As you progress to elicit strikes. We use a variety aren't getting bites on the outside weedline, try within the vegetation deeper into the cover, use slightly of jig sizes and colors and often heavier line. You may also find you tip them with a soft plastic trailer. or on the inside weedline. It's our opinion that if you can find the need to try heavier braided line of fish, you can always catch bass the 30- to 50-pound test in thicker with a jig. vegetation and woody cover.

LOCATIONS: Some prime loca- Crank- tions for crankbaiting include riprapped banks, stump fields, vegetation beds, logs or underwa- baits ter islands. Depths may vary from less than one foot near shore to DESCRIPTION: If there was ever more than 15 feet in other areas. an artificial lure meant to fool bass into believing it's real forage, a BEST FISHING TIMES: Given the crankbait would be it. First, crank- crankbait's ability to emit sound, baits have true three-dimensional vibration and flash, they're a good design to imitate food no matter lure to use anytime, especially af- which direction or angle they're ter dark. seen by the bass. There are ROD, REEL AND LINE: A crankbaits that closely match al- baitcasting or spinning reel paired most every type and size of natu- with a medium action rod are ral food. good choices when crankbait- The most obvious difference ing. A rod with a very slow tip will among crankbaits reflect the enhance your hook-up percentage depth they are intended to dive. and help land more fish. Six- to 10 You'll find long-billed crankbaits -pound test monofilament line al- lows your lure to achieve its maxi- dive deeper than short-billed Colton Brecka, the author’s son, ones. Most crankbaits are made mum depth on the retrieve. Heavi- shows off a nice smallmouth bass of plastic or balsa wood and carry er lines may be needed if you're caught using a surface bait. up to three treble hooks. Balsa fishing around rocks that cause crankbaits tend to be more buoy- line frays. Keep in mind that heav- ant and generate less noise than ier line reduces a crankbait's run- plastic cranks. ning depth. TECHNIQUES AND TIPS: Though fishing TV shows tout southern states like Florida and Crankbaits are universal lures that Texas for great bass fishing, we catch fish in and around various think the bass fishing in Wisconsin cover, given the right conditions. is of unmatched quality. Through Determine the depth of the struc- resource management and sup- ture or cover you are fishing. port from anglers, Wisconsin of- Next, choose a lure that makes fers both unique and diverse fish- Bureau, 2018 contact with the structure or cover ing experiences. As long time during the retrieve. For example, if bass fishing fanatics, we see the you're fishing a rock hump in 10 size structure and populations of feet of water, choose a crankbait both smallmouth and largemouth capable of 12 feet deep. bass improving year by year. When contacting the structure, use a stop-and-go retrieve to mini- mize hang-ups and draw strikes.