Entry 281-4
Mark Davis: My Favorite Bass Techniques
Editor’s Note: Mark Davis of Mt. Ida, Arkansas, has competed in 13 Classics and has won the Angle-of-the-Year title three times. He’s also the only angler to win BASS Angler of the Year and the Bassmaster Classic in the same year (1995). He’s one of the most-consistent fishermen on the BASS circuit. This week we’ve asked Mark to tell us his five-favorite tactics for taking bass. He says, “That’s like asking me about my five-favorite flavors of ice cream. I like them all.”
Part 4: My Bread-and-Butter Technique
Question: What do you think your best technique for catching bass is?
Davis: If I look back over my entire fishing career, I’ve caught the best bass and won the most money by Carolina-rig fishing. One of the things I’ve learned about Carolina-rig fishing is most fishermen believe that with a Carolina rig, you either fish a worm or a lizard. But I’ve learned that a lot of different lures will work on a Carolina rig, and you can catch bass in many different ways with a Carolina rig.
One of my favorite new baits to fish on a Carolina rig is the Ocho. Most fishermen believe that a fat worm like the Ocho needs to either be fished Texas-rigged or wacky style, cast out or allowed to fall to the bottom on a slack line. This technique really works on catching bass in the wintertime, or when bass don’t really want to bite. But I’ve also learned that the Ocho can be a deadly Carolina-rigged bait. I like the 7-inch Ocho the best on a Carolina rig. 
The Ocho is what I consider an oversized Carolina-rig bait, and one of the secrets to fishing these oversized baits on a Carolina rig is to make sure you’ve matched the sinker you use to the size of bait you’re fishing. Let’s say you’re going to use an Ocho or one of Strike King’s big lizards like an Iguana. You don’t want to use a 1/2-ounce sinker to get that big bait to the bottom. You want at a sinker that weighs at least 1 ounce, if not more. One of the things that makes the Carolina rig so effective is that you can cover a lot of water with it.
To cover a lot of water, you have to be able to make a long cast. When you try and launch an Ocho or an Iguana with a 1/2-ounce weight, you can’t throw it very far. However, when you use a 1-ounce sinker on your Carolina rig, you can load the rod up when you start your cast and send that bait flying. You’ve got to remember that a big lure has more wind resistance than a smaller lure does. 
Therefore, you want a heavier weight to help overcome that wind resistance to that big lure when you’re making a long cast.
Another thing that will help you get more distance with oversized lures is to shorten-up your leader from the barrel swivel to the lure. I’ll usually fish a 3-foot leader or less when I’m fishing these over-sized lures. Generally I’m a big fan of using an extremely-long leader on a Carolina rig. However, when you’re fishing oversized lures, you’ve got to shorten that leader to get less wind resistance.
Contents:
- Part 1: Fishing a Wake Bait
- Part 2: Schooling Bass on Deep Structure with a Crankbait
- Part 3: Buzz ‘em Up
- Part 4: My Bread-and-Butter Technique
- Part 5: Carolina Rig the Game Hawg
