 I'm
pretty much willing to bet that nearly every angler
reading this article, at one point or another, has heard
the cliché "Bigger baits catch bigger fish".
But does this hold true in every situation? As a Long
Island angler, I seriously doubt it! Time to face facts,
bigger isn't always better. So with that in mind, we
ask ourselves, what are we left with? Answer; finesse!
Finesse, a word that many long-time, traditionalist
bass anglers cringe at the sound of, has brought about
a revolution in the way many anglers approach bass fishing.
Lighter lines, lighter lures, and lighter rod setups
have all taken the bassin' market by storm, and as we
speak, new products are added to the already enormous
line up. Another interesting point of fact is that many
of the new wave finesse lures that are being bought
up by the zillions have been on the market just as long,
if not longer, as their larger counter parts. Also,
in many cases, they are the same lures that anglers
have been using and trusting, just in a smaller size.
For example, the Rapala floating minnow, which was in
existence well before the Allies took Normandy, has
been catching fish for nearly eight decades. It has
been produced in sizes ranging from just over an inch,
to the well-known magnum muskie plugs for all eighty
plus years. So what? While big water anglers stuck to
the largest plugs, bass anglers bought up the mid sized
baits, and for nearly all eight of those decades the
only anglers that would give the first five sizes even
so much as a passing glance were those in seek of crappie
or pickerel. Flash ahead to 1999. On a recent trip to
the ridiculously over-pressured waters of Lower Massapequa
Reservoir, I managed to chalk up seven bass, weighing
between one and two and a half pounds on the smallest
size of floating "rap" available. Is this
extraordinary? Not really. It's offering the fish what
they want. So with that said, it undoubtedly bears the
question how do I go about "getting finessed"?
Unquestionably the first step is to take a look at
what you are using and are comfortable with now in the
form of rods, reels, and baits. Then you can begin your
"evaluation process". The simplest form of
throwing a bit of finesse into your fishing arsenal
is to simply buy smaller, lighter versions of the same
exact items you use now. While for some this my end
their quest for finesse, others take this technique
to a whole new extreme. In the following articles I'll
attempt to cover some of the finer points of finesse,
and how, with practicality, add it into your cache of
styles that you use to get more bass in the boat
Contrary to popular belief, finesse is not just smaller
lures. It's smaller everything, including the rod and
reel. Finesse rods and reels are not to be confused
with "dinky", or "wimpy" rods simply
because of their lighter, more flimsy appearance. There
is in fact an army of rod manufactures that have turned
a portion of their rod production facilities over to
the perfection of the finesse style rods. Depending
on how "finessey" you want your presentation
to be, the actions can range from medium light, all
the way down to the absurdly supple ultra-ultra light.
Of course, all of these rods are spinning, and some
of the models feature a "Tennessee spinning"
style handle. This grip, previously used by crappie
fishermen, puts the reel in direct contact with the
padded handle for a lighter, more compact, and sensitive
feel. It also allows a "blank through" construction.
With that said, how would one go about selecting the
perfect finesse rod for his or her application? One
must first ask, exactly what it is one would want to
do with this setup. Pitching light tube style baits
and finesse style crankbaiting would reacquire entirely
different setups. Normally selection depends on preference,
style, and the "comfort factor". For a first
rod, a generic medium light, or light action spinning
rod will normally give you the feel for the new finesse
type setups in the future. This will also allow you
to decide weather or not you would like to further peruse
this style of fishing. Also, in the future, one could
use this rod as a judge of other rods, and whether or
not lighter or heavier action is in order for ones'
new technique.
Of course, one could have the greatest rod on the face
of mother earth but what's a rod without the reel. Finesse
reels are usually one of two things. They are either
A: The smallest version of a "regular" bassin'
reel available, or B: An ultra light, or panfish type
spinning reel. Some good choices I've seen recently
are Mitchell's Zero Gravity ultra light reel, and JWA's
SC3000 "Spidermite" spinning reel. Both of
these reels are very similar and fall into the "micro"
category. Granted many anglers would take one look at
these "minis" and immediately assume that
any proclaimed bass fisherman using it was a complete
moron, but there is hope! Many of the smaller versions
of existing reels will do the job rather efficiently
as well. Quantum, Daiwa, and Abu Garcia all make smaller
versions of their more popular reels, which would normally
go unnoticed by bass anglers. These reels are designed
specifically to hold the lighter lines associated with
finesse fishing, as well as give a bass angler more
"meat" on the reel. It is a comfort and confidence
factor if nothing else. Selection of these reels should
be made the same way as traditionally sized reels, taking
into consideration the anti-reverse, ball bearings,
and overall style. They have just as great of an effect
on finesse fishing as they do any other style.
With rod and reel selected, it comes time to make the
mind numbing "what line to use" decision that
has become all too common in the product flooded bassin'
market. Line weight, for most finesse presentations,
should be somewhere between four and ten pound test.
Most of the applications are more easily handled by
the more popular eight and ten pound varieties. A quick
word of advice: Mono! In an age where there are more
line compositions than there are flavors of designer
coffees, traditional monofilament lines reign supreme.
One might ask why not braid? After all, it is super
sensitive. The only reason braid is not used here is
because braid floats and floating line in a light lure
presentation will absolutely obliterate the lure's action.
Another factor, is that while mono will somewhat blend
and disappear underwater, braid will remain completely
visible and effectively kill any attempt at making the
bait look natural. Pick your brand, pick your style
(super thin styles are very effective here), but four
to eight pound test is a hard deal to beat.
With setup chosen, the question at hand here is obviously
lure selection. Ever since it's popularity in the last
few years there are more lures, lure types, and rigs
that fit the finesse description that I can ever hope
to cover in one article. Therefore, I'll list my favorite
few and one can set about their task by reading, watching
and asking. Long Island's chosen son, the Git-Zit, can
be rigged as one of the most deadly finesse baits known
to man or fish. A wide gap hook, like Gamakatsu's standard
wide gap worm hook in 1/0 or 2/0, will work extremely
well in this application, with the larger gap accommodating
the bulky body of the famed tube bait. To this, add
an internal clip type weight, like the one produced
by Eagle Claw, in 1/32nd oz., all the way to 1/8thoz.
This all depending on the depth of the presentation
as well as the way fish are taking the bait. With this
rig assembled you are now in possession of one of the
most popular finesse rigs on the planet, as well as
a great Long Island rig. Fish this in and out of just
about any cover you can get a boat near, and pay close
attention to line movement. In many cases strikes will
be extremely subtle! Make note; if the bass develop
an extreme case of lockjaw, it is possible to fish one
of these lures completely weightless. While this "live
lining" technique takes a considerable amount of
practice to master, it is very deadly on super pressured
waters. Make another note; just about any soft plastic
can be "live lined" in this fashion, with
lizards and wide tail style worms making the top of
my list.
Another very overlooked bait that can be rigged for
finesse is the always faithful, Strike King "Pork-O".
Yes, the Pork-O, the time honored strip-like piece of
pig that until very recently has been terminally locked
into the role of jig trailer. This bait, if rigged correctly,
can tempt some of the largest, most wary bass into striking.
The rig that consistently produces upstate for me consists
of the Pork-O Junior (5 ¼ inch in length), on
a 1/0 or 2/0 Gamakatsu weedless worm hook. This is fished
on a six and a half foot medium-action spinning rod,
with 8 to 10 pound test mono. (Ed Note: This is a rare
case where braided line might be applicable for strength
in and around heavy cover. And for hook set power, though
I still prefer the mono for the ease of working the
bait.) The presentation I normally use consists of pitching
the bait as close to shore as possible, making as little
entry noise as possible, and s-l-o-w-l-y dragging it
over lay downs or what ever cover is present. With a
good pair of polarized fishing sunglasses one can watch
the bait travel through the cover. Here's the key: when
the bait is resting on a lay down, s-l-o-w-l-y drag
it off and allow it to free fall as long as possible.
Then, at the bottom of the decent, give several delicate,
but sharp, pulse-like rod jerks to give the appearance
of a swimming bait. Ninety-nine percent of the strikes
will come right as the first twitch is applied and the
other one percent will come while the bait is in free
fall. Strike detection is not even an issue when fishing
this rig. When a bass takes the bait it usually feels
something similar to snagging the bumper of a passing
semi-truck. (Note: Cutting the bottom few inches of
the Pork-O into two or more tentacle like stripes, sometimes,
significantly enhances the "bass appeal" of
the lure.) It should be mentioned that half the challenge
of fishing this rig is trying to yank a poorly positioned
bass on eight pound test line from lay downs and all
sorts of other "nasty stuff"! While this style
of "pork-pitchin'" will take a little practice
and a metric ton of patience, the reward is well worth
the effort!
My final tidbit pertaining to the finesse discipline
of bassin' concerns the use my pet lure, the time honored
spinnerbait. Now immediately one might say, exactly
how in the world can a spinnerbait be "finessed"?
Answer, plenty of modifications! First of all, the base
lure I normally start with is the Bass Pro Shops, "Crappie
Spin ". Top colors to start with are chartreuse,
white, and blue & white. The first step to constructing
a finesse bassin' weapon is to change the stock size
1.5 Colorado blade to a silver or gold 1.5 Indiana style
blade. The Indiana style blade provides the necessary
balance between the sound and buoyancy of a Colorado
blade with the speed and efficiency of a willow leaf.
The next step is to trim back the skirt about ¼
of an inch to give the bait a smaller profile. To this
add a Zoom Split Tail Trailer, but due to the smaller
size of the lure, some trimming may be in order. Trim
it so the body of the trailer covers the hook shank,
but without bunching. Also, some tail trimming may be
in order. Trim enough of the tail so it protrudes from
the skirt about an inch and a half to two and a half
inches, depending on how aggressive the bass are biting
that day. While on the subject of trimming, to add to
the "bass appeal" of this rig, with a very
sharp razor blade cut each of the two tentacles in two
lengthwise to make four thinner tentacles. This can
be considered a secret weapon for those lock jaw days.
As far as the color, match it to the color of the skirt.
I know Zoom makes trailer colors in all the skirt colors
available on the mini spin. Another way to set this
unique little offering apart from the rest is to experiment
with various "dip dyes", such as the ones
produced by Lake Hawk. Adding a high light color to
the trailer can mean the difference between a good day
and a day where you refer to every piece of fishing
equipment you own as that "#@%&$# piece of
@%&$". For starters, adding a chartreuse tip
to the white bait can turn on finicky small mouth in
a big hurry.
With that said, I hope that this insight into the world
of finesse fishing will at least peak your interest
enough to give it a try the next time you hit the water.
See ya on the water…
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