Entry 241-4

Fishing Reelfoot Lake with Billy Blakely for Bass and Catfish in March

Part 4: Raging for Spring Bass

Question: Billy, yesterday you told us how to catch bass during their transition as spring begins and they get into a spawning mood. How do you catch the bass on Reelfoot when they move up to that shallow water and under the lily pads?

Blakely: I use the Strike King Rage Toad. I’ve found that I catch more fish when I use lures that the bass never have seen. The Rage Toad has a different profile, a unique swimming action, and a sound unlike any other frog-type bait on the market. I like to be able to stop the Toad over the stumps, even if the stumps are only in 1 or 2 feet of water. I’ll stop the Toad, let it fall to the top of the stumps, allow it to sit there for 2 or 3 seconds and then hop it off the stump. That’s when the bass usually will eat it.

Question: What size hook are you putting in the Toad, Billy?

Blakely: I use a No. 5/0 hook, and I’m fishing 17- to 25-pound-test monofilament. I’m casting that Toad out into the lily pads and retrieving the Toad to any hole I see in the lily pads. Those holes in the lily pads are where the stumps are located. The bass will be lying back under the lilies watching that hole, and if they don’t take the Toad when it swims into that hole, they’ll watch that lure fall down on top of that stump. When I twitch the rod, that Toad jumps off the stump, triggering the bass to eat it.

Question: Billy, why are you letting that Toad land on top of the stump instead of falling behind, beside or in front of the stump?

Blakely: Remember that every other angler who has fished that stump has run or pitched a bait behind, beside or in front of that stump. So, the bass have seen that game played. But when that Toad comes swimming out of the lily pads, stops on top of the stump and then jumps off the stump, those bass have never seen that action before. It will trigger a strike. Sometimes the bass will come up and take the Toad right off the top of the stump.

Question: How are you getting that bass away from the stump, Billy?

Blakely: I use a 7-foot heavy-action G. Loomis rod. So, when the bass opens its mouth to eat the Toad, I set the hook and bring the bass’s head straight up and away from the stump. When you’re fishing around lily pads and stumps, the faster you can get the bass’s head turned-up and moving away from the cover, the better your odds will be for landing the bass. That’s the reason I like a heavy-action rod when I’m using this technique.

Question: Billy, when the bass start moving to the beds, how many fish will you catch?

Blakely: Usually from 7 to 25 bass per day, weighing from 3- to 8-pounds each.

Question: What’s the best day you’ve ever had fishing the Rage Toad?

Blakely: A buddy and I caught and released 56 bass in one day using this bait. Our biggest bass weighed 7-1/4-pounds.

Question: What made that day so good, Billy?

Blakely: The weather was cloudy and rainy, so we could get in really close to the lily pads and stumps in the shallow water without spooking the bass and without the bass seeing us. On those kinds of days, the bass will move-up really shallow and often take the Toad as soon as it comes out of the lily pads. The rain and the dark sky cause all the critters and the fish under the lily pads to move out to those openings in the stumps, and the bass will go where the bait is concentrated.

Question: What color Rage Toad do you like, Billy?

Blakely: On a cloudy, rainy day, I prefer a black Rage Toad. On a sunny day, I like a white Rage Toad. When I’m fishing a Toad, I’m a black or a white kind of guy.

Question: Billy, if someone wants to fish with you, how do they get in touch with you?

Blakely: They can call (877) BLUE-BANK, or visit www.bluebankresort.com.

Next: Catch Kitties Now

Contents:

• Part 1: Go Shallow for Bass the End of February Through Mid-March
• Part 2: Timber Hunting the Lunkers
• Part 3: Open Water for Big Spring Bass
• Part 4: Raging for Spring Bass
• Part 5: Catch Kitties Now