By : Mark Hicks
Clark Wendlandt has an arsenal of lures that are specific to certain seasons and situations. However, he always has three lures tied on that are likely to catch bass whenever and wherever he happens to be fishing.
It would be impossible to list the best lures and lure colors to use in every season and bass fishing situation. The possibilities are infinite. You can simplify things by doing as 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year Clark Wendlandt does.
Wendlandt throws the KVD 1.5 squarebill in muddy to clear water, in cold to warm water, and he targets wood, rock and grass cover with it. The KVD 1.5 easily bounces off cover without snagging, which is typically when a bass pounces on this proven crankbait.
“The greatest thing about the KVD 1.5 is that it deflects left and right when you’re reeling rapidly,” Wendlandt said. “It doesn’t have to hit anything to trigger a reflex strike.”
The KVD 1.5 comes in myriad colors that match a wide variety of bass forage. In the spring Wendlandt opts for crawfish patterns that have red in them. During the prespawn phase, he fishes these red-hued squarebills wherever bass may be staging just prior to spawning. This includes rock and riprap shorelines, wood cover and submerged grass.
“That same strategy works well after the bass spawn, too,” Wendlandt said. “But it is not the best way to go when the bass are actually spawning.”
In summertime, Wendlandt fishes the 1.5 in shad and bluegill patterns. He often runs it in shallow water early in the morning before heading offshore to fish deep with other baits.
“In the fall I’m going to start with a KVD 1.5 in a shad pattern in the backs of creeks,” Wendlandt said. “Bass just about everywhere are feeding on shad at that time of year.”
He looks for surface feeding activity and swarms of shad. Besides the backs of creeks, the shad and bass could be relating to sand or mud flats, rocky shorelines, windfalls on the edges of creek channel banks and submerged grass.
“When the KVD 1.5 hits grass, I clear the hooks with a hard snap of the rod tip,” Wendlandt said.
He serves up the 1.5 with a medium-heavy cranking rod matched with a high-speed reel and 16-pound fluorocarbon line.