With the combination of redfish and largemouth bass becoming more prevalent around Lafitte because of the Davis Pond diversion canal, it only makes sense for anglers to throw baits that target both fish at one time.
Popping corks, although ideal for redfish, don’t attract very many bass. Fish a bait like a spinnerbait, on the other hand, and you’ve got a bait that bass will crush just as readily as redfish.
There’s another kind of reaction bait like a spinnerbait that has become just as popular in bass-fishing circles as it has redfish circles, and it is a swimbait.
Soft plastics like the Berkley PowerBait Split Belly Swimbait look just like the shad and pogies that inhabit saltwater estuaries like the Barataria system below Lafitte. And according to 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese, they are just as easy to fish as spinnerbaits.
“I love them in open water or around heavy cover,” Reese said. “When I fish the PowerBait Split Belly in open water, I tie on an appropriate belly weight hook to handle the wind and cast out toward my target. Then I just swim it back much like a spinnerbait. When a fish hits the bait, I let him take it down just a bit, and then I set the hook.”
With neither redfish nor bass willing to let a feeding opportunity pass by, try a swimbait the next time you think your spinnerbait is just a little too much, especially in calm conditions.
You’ll find they are a much more natural-looking presentation when fish are keyed in to feeding by sight more so than by sound.
