I frequently get asked this question:
What is your go-to lure for targeting big bass?
Well that question is an easy one for me. I use two bait styles 80% of the
time. These baits are the Stanley original casting jig, and the
Stanely ribbit/top toad. I use this combination starting in early spring when
the water hits the 55 degree mark and all the way through the fall. These two bait styles are very
versatile. You can use a jig in its conventional form, or you can swim it like a
crankbait/spinnerbait, skim it across the surface like a frog, or you can hop
it like a blade bait. This allows it to be used in all depths from 6 inches of
water to the deepest depths you choose to fish.
Fall Smallmouth on a Stanley Original Casting Jig
The frog style bait has some versatility as well. The Stanley ribit can be
used as a buzzbait, a sub surface jerkbait in the shallows, and throwing it in the slop (as it was made for). The Stanley top toad is also a frog bait that floats. This makes it great for buzzing across the surface, and
killing the bait dead in its tracks. This bait is truly a deadly presentation. This style
bait does not have to be used strictly around thick mated weeds. I personally
like to use them anywhere there is shallow water. I look for a depth range of 6 feet or less. There are those rare instances when vegetation will reach the surface in 10-15 foot range. Utilize the frog in this spot and you could land the biggest bass of your life.
5 lb Smallie - Hawgline Creature Bait
Until last year, these two baits were the only baits that I would rely on to put big fish in the boat. However I recently began working with a new soft plastic bait company that you probably have never heard of called Hawgline. The soft plastic bait brand will be released to the public within the next 6 months, and my suggestion is that you give them a try. I can confidentially say that last year I caught more big bass than in years past, and a big portion of that success was because of Hawgline and the baits that they had me demoing.
