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Finesse Fishing
by "The Bass Coach", Roger Lee Brown
Finesse fishing is pretty much nothing more than "Down
Sizing" a particular type of bait or lure. When it comes
to winter fishing, or times throughout the year that are considered
to be in-active, most anglers will find more success at catching
bass by "Down Sizing" or "Finesse" fishing.
Finesse fishing patterns are usually fished at a much slower
rate as far as "pattern" or "technique" goes
due mostly to the inactive bass during these periods. The biggest
factor an angler should be aware of is that the bass’s metabolism
slows way down in colder water temperatures thus making them
very "in-active" or "Lethargic," and a bass
will not extend great amounts of energy during these colder water
temperature periods. By nature, it seems that a bass will always
extend the least amount of energy for the greatest amount of
benefit, that’s why a bass is considered to be more of an
ambush fish than a chaser. There are a few tricks or as some
would say a few "How-To’s" when fishing a Finesse
pattern, and I will explain some of the techniques or patterns
used for Finesse fishing that may help you to become a better
angler when it comes to these "cold water" or "inactive"
periods.
First....., lets talk about plastics. 4" Plastic baits
such as "French Fries, also known as Centipedes," "Grubs,"
"Worms," "Crawls," "Tubes," or
any other smaller types of plastic baits are a good choice to
use for Finesse fishing. The most successful techniques or patterns
by using these small plastics would be; A. rig these baits like
a "Texas Rig" using a thin wire hook and by using the
lightest weight possible (just light enough so that the plastic
bait just barley falls through the water.), let the bait completely
fall to the bottom, and just make a slow twitch, slowly reel
the bait back in, then do it again. B. If the water is more than
40’ deep, try to find any structure within this depth, a
steep bank, rocks, or any irregular drops, positioning your boat
in the deeper water, cast over these areas and let your bait
pendulum fall (swing) itself back under the boat. C. If you have
underwater structure areas like tree-tops, old buildings, rocks,
and underwater vegetation, a technique known as "doodling"
can be successful at catching bass. When "doodling"
a Finesse bait, let the bait go down to where it suspends just
over these structure areas and just lightly twitch the bait and
let it just hang. Repeat this over and over again leaving the
bait in the water just above the structure and hold on! D. Carolina
Rigging can also be used for finesse fishing!, just use lighter
hooks, weights, and baits. E. One rig that has proven to be deadly
is the "Double Rig." Sometimes when you’re not
sure what type of baits to use, this "double rig" allows
an angler to use two baits at once. First, tie a Jig&Pig
on your line, then tie a 2’ to 4’ leader off of the
Jig&Pig, then tie a hook on the end of the leader (making
sure that you use no weight) and rig a plastic bait on the hook.
Work this pattern just as you would a Carolina Rig. Now, you
have two choices for the bass to zero in on. F. When fishing
a Crankbait Pattern during these cold or in-active periods, and
you can see by looking at your graph that the bass are in the
20’ to 40’ depth, and the shad or bait fish are only
small in size how would you get a small Crankbait to dive down
to these depths? Easy!, tie a small Crankbait on a Carolina Rig!
there are more techniques and patterns to use for finesse fishing,
but these are a start for you to try! I teach several different
patterns and techniques to my Bass School Students as well as
use them when fishing with my Bass Guide Clients. Finesse Fishing
can be fished "Year Round" and will bring success to
you when nothing else seems to work. Try these methods and see!
Don’t forget, any questions, comments, booking reservations
for my "Personalized" Bass Fishing School or Pro Bass
Guide services on Lake Champlain or Lake George, NY, you can
write or contact me at the following: "The Bass Coach"
(Roger Lee Brown), Route-1 Box-65 Pearl Street, Crown Point,
NY 12928, (518) 597-4240 or Email: www.rlbrown@capital.net,
or visit my site at:
www.fishing-boating.com/basscoach
I enjoy helping anglers learn to be more successful at catching
bass! (Please always practice "Catch & Release).......God
Bless! and.....................Good Fishin’
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