Entry 234-4

How to Catch Bass in January with Greg Hackney

Day 4: Jig Up Big Spots

Question: Greg, if you’re going to a lake that has spotted bass in it this month, how will you catch those spotted bass?

Hackney: A Shaky Head worm is hard to beat for spotted bass this month. I like a 4-inch 3X Finesse worm on my shaky head. The water depth determines the size of head I’ll use. But usually I’ll use a 1/16- to a 1/4-ounce Strike King Shaky Head jig head. I may be doodling that worm right under the boat at 25- to 40-feet deep on certain lakes. I’ll be fishing with 6-pound-test fluorocarbon line, depending on the size of the bass in the lake. I like to shake the worm on a slack line and then let it sit still, especially if I’m fishing for spotted bass. Remember with this tactic that you’ll never see or feel the strike.

Most of the time the spotted bass and largemouths will pick the worm up when it’s not moving. Moving the worm attracts the bass, but they usually won’t pick it up until it stops moving. So when they pick it up, you’re not feeling the strike. After I shake the worm on a slack line, I start easing the line up to see if I can feel any weight on the line. If I do, I’ll set the hook. Most of the time, when the bass has the worm in its mouth, you will feel slight pressure on the line. When you pick the line up, the worm will feel like it has a leaf on it, and that’s when you set the hook.

Question: What color 4-inch finesse worm do you like?

Hackney: Usually watermelon or green pumpkin. If I’m on a dark-water lake, I’ll use a Junebug. With those three colors I can generally fish any lake in the country. Normally I’ll be fishing 6-pound-test line, but I’ll move up to 8-pound-test if I’m fishing in heavy cover or around boat docks. But I rarely use heavier than 8-pound-test line. The reason I use the lighter line is that you lose action on the 3Xworm by using heavier line. The smaller the line that you’re fishing, the more natural the action your worm will have.

Question: Why do you think the Strike King 3X Finesse worm is a better finesse worm than other companies make?

Hackney: There are two reasons. First, the Strike King Finesse worm, because it’s made of 3X material, is much-more sensitive than other worms. If you barely shake your slack line, that 3X Finesse worm will dance on the bottom. But a bigger feature, that I think is more important, is when that shaky head hits the bottom and sits there, the tail of the worm floats up. A largemouth bass will often take a finesse worm, whether its tail floats up or not. But I’ve learned that spotted bass will usually take the worm as soon as I stop it, and the tail starts to rise. That action seems to trigger the strike for the spotted bass. Last year, I was catching smallmouth 40-feet deep using this Finesse worm on a drop-shot rig, and I could tell that I was getting more strikes with the 3X worm than worms that not made with 3X material. In many situations, I don’t think that the type of plastic really matters. But when you’re fishing cold water and deep water, that’s when the 3X plastic really shines and really makes a difference.

Question: Where are you fishing this shaky-head worm tactic?

Hackney: The lake itself dictates where you need to fish. But I’ll usually be fishing around drop-offs, bluff banks, laydowns, stumps and/or main river points. My favorite place to fish the shaky head is a point that comes out to a main channel swing, whether it’s a creek channel or a river channel. At this time of the year, spotted bass especially like to hold where they have quick access to deep water. There are certain times of the year where the fish like tapering drop-offs, but during January they seem to prefer steeper drop-offs. This way, they can move up and down the drop-offs easily if the area has very-cold weather or a warm front comes through the area you’re fishing.

Next: Hit Them in the Head

Contents:

• Part 1: Bet on the Wild Shiner
• Part 2: Bass on the Rocks
• Part 3: Rolling Timber
• Part 4: Jig Up Big Spots
• Part 5: Hit Them in the Head