by Juan Vereute, http://www.centralPAfishing.com
Most of the time when I’m on the water, other fisherman will ask the age old question “what bait were you using when you caught your fish”. I’m always glad to tell them but surprisingly very few fisherman follow up with what should be the second question. “What type of presentation were you using?”. This always amazes me because beyond locating the fish, presentation is such a critical piece of fishing success.
Another upside of focusing on presentation is that it can extend the effectiveness range of a bait. Lets take for example the very popular soft stickbait. Most fisherman see this as a shallow water bait that is effective in 4 feet of water or less and in fairly open water. I would argue that by changing up your rigging approach you can extend the “effectiveness” to a much wider range of depths and cover. Lets take a look at just three of my favorite rigging techniques and possible applications.
Nose hook
Al Winco's Custom Baits 3" Baby Stick Worm rigged on a Gamakatus 1/0 drop shot hook
A nose hooked soft stickbait can be used in open water, rock, or around sparse cover. I typically nose hook my baits on a circle hook or a finesse style drop shot hook. The great thing about this rigging technique is that it adds very little weight to the bait which allows for a very slow fall. A nose hooked bait presentation is great to use when you encounter smallmouth that are in a nuetural to negative feeding mood. The slow fall and natural drift created by this rigging technique are the ticket for triggering strikes from less then enthusiastic smallmouth.
Weedless Whacky Rig
Al Winco's Custom Baits 4.5 inch Stick Worm Jr. rigged on a 1/0 Gamakatsu Finesse EWG Weedless hook
Rigging a soft stickbait on a weedless circle hook can take the bait to all new places. You can fish the bait by pitching it between lilypads, drop it into holes in weed mats, and flip it into wood. This is a more vertical style of fishing but presenting a stickbait in cover like this can be extremely effective. Most fisherman don’t even think about using a soft stickbait around this kind of cover therefore in heavily pressured waters it definitely gives fish a look at something they’ve never or rarely seen. Hold on to your rod on this one!
Jig Head
Al Winco's Custom Baits 3" Baby Stick Worm rigged on 1/8 oz. jig head
If you want to go deep with your soft stickbaits there are a number of ways to accomplish this. One of the simplest is to rig the bait on a jig head. This is a great rigging technique for presenting the bait in deeper water or bouncing the bait along rocky river runs where smallmouth may be feeding. It definitely changes the action of the bait but you still have that great soft stickbait profile that smallmouth love. If I’m going to rig a soft stickbait on a jig head it will almost always be the 3″ size on a 1/8 oz. jig head.
Wrapping It Up
Time has proven that soft stickbaits are not a craze. They flat out catch fish. My primary fishing mantra is “It is not one big thing that makes a good fisherman, it is a lot of little things that come together to make a great fisherman”. Focusing on presentation and increasing the types of cover and depths you can fish soft stickbaits effectively will certainly help you become a better fisherman.
May 1st, 2010 at 1:21 am
Wow i always use these soft baits and i always thought it was just cast and reel, and my dad always told me no not make it such a special thing to make your bait look good… well i just want to thank you and i am sure to use all of these techniques next time im out on the water, Thanks again, Zach parks.
May 4th, 2010 at 2:50 am
Zach, there is certainly something to be said for keeping things simple. The way I keep things simple is to reduce the overall types of baits I throw but try to find different ways of rigging/ presenting them.
May 10th, 2010 at 12:18 am
What would you suggest for casting angles? I am asking this because I routinely fish from the bank and I am not sure if I am better off casting up stream, straight out, down stream, or some where in between. Also, I am not sure if different baits are better off served when they are cast in certain angles?
May 10th, 2010 at 12:23 am
I have another question, have you heard about fishing for smallies with hellgrammites? If so, can they be used all year and what presentation would be best(for the soft plastic hellgrammite baits)?
May 13th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
what colors seem to work the best for you?
May 21st, 2010 at 3:09 pm
I am a fishing guide on the Pigeon River in Tennessee. I have tried every rig out and I have’nt found anything that works as good as a plastic shad on a shacky head rig. I have to agree that presentaion is everything but im always looking for new methods and ways to get big fish to bite. So thank you for all the help. You would be amazed how the little things make a big differance.
Thanks for all your help,
Sincerely Dustin Lott
May 27th, 2010 at 2:00 am
I often rig these with various size split shots attached to the line about 3 inches above the hook. The stick is rigged weedless on a worm hook two or three size.
May 27th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
John, that’s a great tip for getting the bait down. It also preserves some of the action of the bait if you move the weight a foot or more up the line because when you drag the sinker the bait will come off the bottom and then drift back down…similar to a carolina rig but more compact.
May 27th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Dusty thanks..good luck chas’n those big smallies!!
May 27th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Water conditions/clarity will determine colors. stained water= dark colors, clear water= more natural colors.
May 27th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Case plastics who is a sponsor has some great hellgrammite imitations. I”ve used them and they work. I will typically “nose hook” the bait with an octopus hook and use a split shot about a foot up the line in current. ..basically the same way you’d fish a natural hellgrammite.
May 27th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
If you are tossing the bait into current cast at an angle upstream of you target spot where you think the fish are holding so that as the bait drifts it sinks down to depth at that point. You can also just cast it directly into eddy’s behind rocks and let it sit.