While most anglers believe cold front bass clam up with a long-lasting case of lockjaw, avid tournament angler Kenny Covington has learned the nuances of making bass bite even when they don’t want to. And much of it has to do with his rod position.
“The more I watch guys like Kevin VanDam, the more I see them maneuvering their rod tips while they retrieve their lures,” Covington said. “They never hold their rod in the same position the whole retrieve.”
Covington began experimenting by imitating what he had been seeing on fishing shows, and he quickly discovered why the pros never stop putting their rods at different angles. Moving his rod made his lures react more erratically, thus provoking more reaction strikes.
“Now I do it all the time when fishing a Rat-L-Trap or a Chatter Bait after a cold front,” Covington said. “I may start a retrieve with my rod tip held straight up in the air and then drop it to 10:00 a few feet into the retrieve. Then I drop it down parallel to the water and then back up.”
This constant change in rod position forces his lures to nosedive when he drops his rod and jerk forward when he lifts it. And at different angles, his lure does different things. It is these sudden changes in action that trigger bass to bite out of instinct.
“Even though I never stop reeling, my bait has an erratic action,” Covington said. “Moving your rod tip to different places is a great way to give your lure a lot of action without having to impart a lot of action.”
