Quick reactions can put more lunkers in the livewell
The buzzbait just barely sputtered over the surface when the water boiled, but the fish didn’t connect. Immediately, the angler put down the rod, reached for a second one equipped with a soft-plastic stickbait and tossed it where the massive bass exploded on the lure moments earlier.
Bass don’t always successfully snatch what they seek, especially a fast-moving enticement. After missing a strike, most anglers instinctively throw the same lure back to the same spot and work it exactly the same way. That can work, but more frequently a bass won’t strike the same lure twice, especially if it detects something artificial or tastes steel.
“Most often, especially in highly pressured reservoirs, bass won’t strike a dynamic lure twice,” said Pete Ponds, a Bassmaster Classic veteran from Madison, Miss. “If we reel in the bait and pick up another rod, that bass is still looking for that prey. I always have a Senko rigged wacky style ready to go as a follow-on bait.”
If bass miss something, they don’t just disappear, especially in the spring when they stay close to their nests to protect their offspring. Rather than throw the same bait again, follow up quickly with something entirely different. Bass might not move far from their nests, but they could slurp something temptingly staring them in the face.
“Spring is a great time to get a follow-up bite,” said Greg Hackney, a professional bass angler from Gonzales. “I throw a wacky worm where the fish appeared and let it sink to the bottom. Once it hits bottom, shake it a couple times. Fish don’t need to be aggressive to hit a wacky worm. They just see something easy to grab. A wacky worm just hangs in their faces and they can’t stand it.”
Follow-up lures
Rather than hook a worm “down the throat,” rig a stickbait or straight worm through the body. As the worm slowly sinks, the tips quiver seductively. Don’t add any action. Just let it sink naturally. Even bass not actively feeding might gulp such a temptation drifting past its nose. For fishing deeper, increase the sink rate by inserting a finish nail into the worm’s nose.
“In 4 to 5 feet of water, I rig the hook a little more toward the head,” Hackney said. “That makes it fall faster and causes the worm to pull down so it falls more at a 45-degree angle. In water 2 feet deep or less, I always hook it right in the middle so it floats higher longer. That gives bass longer to look at it. The shallower the water, the longer I want that bait to stay higher in the water column.”
Salamanders, crawfish and small fish constantly try to get at bass fry or eggs in the spring. Bass habitually attack these creatures more out of anger or instinct than hunger. They want to kill whatever threatens their offspring. Lures that resemble such nest raiders make excellent springtime follow-up offerings. Rigged weightless with the hook inserted into the plastic, Texas-rigged stickbaits, flukes and similar soft plastics look lifelike as they slither across heavy vegetation or woody cover.
“When a bass strikes at a lure and misses, the first thing I do is pick up a Senko, as a follow-up bait for a one-two punch,” Ponds said. “That’s my go-to bait, especially when following up something like a buzzbait or a topwater lure. A Senko is really subtle and falls slowly.”
Water depth
After bass strike at baits, they start looking for whatever they just killed or wounded. Unweighted soft plastics stay in the strike zone a long time. Many anglers keep several rods equipped with assorted soft plastics ready to cast in an instant.
“Water depth dictates what I throw back,” said Dennis Tietje, a retired professional bass angler and guide for Grosse Savanne Lodge (337-598-2357, www.grossesavanne.com) in Lake Charles. “If I’m fishing shallow water and a bass blows up on a bait, but misses, it thinks it killed the prey. It goes to the bottom to find it. I follow up with a stickbait like a Strike King KVD Ocho. It stays higher up in the water column. I want the bait to stay in the water column, slowly sinking toward the bottom.”
Texas-rigged worms and jigs also make outstanding follow-on baits, particularly around heavy cover and when bass gorge on crawfish. Jigs tipped with craw trailers simulate crawfish. In tidal waters, black or brown jigs with black and blue claws mimic blue crabs.
“Crawfish are a Louisiana bass’s main diet in March,” Tietje said. “I like baits that imitate crawfish until bream start bedding. A creature bait in orange colors or a red shad worm are great to throw in the spring. A swim jig with a craw trailer looks like a crawfish swimming through the water. When bass feed on crawfish, a gold or orange-bellied Rattlin’ Rogue is another good bait to throw.”
Mimic their prey
Sometimes bass swirl at something, but really don’t want it. Try to determine what bass do want. After catching a bass, look down its throat. Perhaps some crawfish feelers or a bluegill tail sticks out. Bass commonly spit up whatever they just ate onto the deck or livewell bottom. Find something that mimics that prey.
“Just by paying attention, people can determine what bass want at that time,” Tietje said. “They’ll grab about anything they can get down their throat. On one recent trip, the first bass I caught, about a 4.5-pounder, spit up a shad about 3 inches long and a 10-inch bass. It had another fish it its stomach. The next fish spit up a small live crappie. The third fish spit out a 6-inch crawfish that started crawling around on my deck. That directly correlates with how I select my follow-up baits.”
When bass won’t cooperate fully, try changing the colors or pick a similar bait in a slightly different size or shape. Vary the retrieval cadence. With soft plastics, changing the weight slightly could produce a huge effect. When a fish hits, try to recall everything about that moment and duplicate it.
“For soft plastic colors, I use whatever matches the water,” Hackney said. “In black, tannic water, I like Junebug or black and blue. In clear water, I prefer green pumpkin or watermelon. Some cypress lakes have greenish water. That’s when I use green pumpkin and dip the tails in chartreuse dye to make them stand out.”
More action
When picking second-chance baits, anglers usually switch from large aggressive lures like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits or topwaters to smaller, more subtle ones. However, at times, bass want something with more action.
“When bass are feeding aggressively, I go from a subtle bait to a more dynamic lure,” Hackney said. “If I see fish striking and they don’t want what I’m throwing, I’ll throw a suspending jerkbait. I jerk it down fast and then let it hang right there to give fish a longer look at it. Then, I jerk the rod up so the bait comes up and let it hover again. Every time I pull it either up or down, it hovers wherever I stop it so I can control the depth to put it where bass are feeding.”
Not all second strikes come from the same fish. Regularly, several bass stay in the same good cover, such as around a fallen tree. One fish striking at a lure could provoke others to do the same.
“Bass typically don’t swim around by themselves,” Ponds said. “One will give the rest away. I’ve caught four or five bass in a row on a crankbait in the same spot. If they stop hitting the crankbait, I switch to a Carolina rig, a lizard or worm to entice the more finicky fish in that school.”
Be prepared
A shaky head makes another great follow-on lure, especially when fishing deeper water. A Texas-rigged worm falls straight to the bottom, but a jighead spirals down in ever widening spirals.
“I like a shaky head with a 4- to 6-inch straight worm,” Hackney said. “Texas rig it with a 1/16- or 1/8-ounce jighead. Once it hits bottom, shake it along the bottom. Don’t drag it. Once it moves forward, I pick up the slack and shake it again. When I pick up the bait, it’s just heavy. The bass has it. I don’t really feel the bite.”
Anglers can throw multiple options for a second chance at bass. The key, do it fast! Be prepared with several choices and note what works best.
“The secret to fishing a follow-on bait is being prepared,” Tietje said. “Have a rod ready. When a fish hits or swirls, we know exactly where it is. We only have a couple seconds to react. I want the rod in a position where I can grab it and cast immediately.”
Every angler tells tales about “the big one that got away” or the “lunker they almost hooked.” Anglers prepared to react swiftly when bass swing and miss tell more stories of bucketmouths they landed.
