Entry 292-4
My Five Best Techniques for Catching Bass with Luke Estel of Illinois
Editor’s Note: Luke Estel of Murphysboro, Illinois, one of Strike King’s regional fishing pros, has been quite successful fishing numerous state and regional tournaments. This week, Estel will tell us his five best techniques for catching bass.
Part 4: The Anaconda for Action
Question: Luke, what’s another tactic you enjoy?
Estel: I’ve always liked to fish the plastic worm. This year, when Strike King introduced the Anaconda, I began to enjoy fishing the plastic worm even more. I fished the Anaconda at Lake Guntersville, Alabama, last year and saw the amount of action the tail produced. Too, the Anaconda is a big-bass bait. I particularly love swimming it over grass and fishing it out in 10 to 12 feet of water on ledges. I prefer to fish the Anaconda off points and along the edges of grass lines.
Question: How do you rig the Anaconda?
Estel: I like to rig the Anaconda on a No. 5/0 straight-shank hook rigged on a lead as light as 3/16- to 1/2-ounce, depending on the water depth. I’m sure you can Carolina rig the Anaconda, but that’s not how I prefer to fish it. I’d rather use a light weight and fish it like a swimming worm on top of grass or let it go all the way to the bottom and fish it with a 1/2-ounce sinker while dragging it along the bottom. We’ve seen that the Anaconda will catch numbers of big bass on big-bass lakes like Amistad and Falcon in Texas. The Anaconda also will catch big bass on most any lake you fish.
When you see that Anaconda swimming across the top of the grass, you just know a big bass will eat it. I love to watch the bass blow-up on that lure when I’m swimming it. You can hop the Anaconda off the bottom on deep ledges, and its sickle-like tail will cause it to swim as it falls back toward the bottom. Or, you can drag it on the bottom, and the tail will produce an excited swimming action. Because the Anaconda is big and has an unusual tail, when I’m fishing it, I know the bass haven’t seen any lure like it. I definitely believe this gives me an advantage. I’ve liked fishing Strike King’s soft plastics in the past, but I love the newly-released Anaconda.
Next: The Rage Toad for Me
Contents:
- Part 1: Bet on the Jig
- Part 2: You’ve Gotta Love a Spit-n-King
- Part 3: Strike King’s Series 5 or Series 6 - It's All Cranking
- Part 4: The Anaconda for Action
- Part 5: The Rage Toad for Me
