Colorado Bassin' 101
by Eric Allee
I know a lot of fisherman in Colorado mainly target trout, but the
bass fishing can be
excellent at times
too!!! During the summer
months I spend most of
my fishing time on
smaller ponds targeting
those big old
bucketmouths. They bite
hard, fight hard, and
will have any angler
addicted if given the
chance.
A lot of
trout fisherman have
problems making the
transition to bass for a
few reasons. When you're
used to throwing out
tiny spinners and
spoons, a big bass plug
or jig looks huge. Bass
routinely eat bluegills,
baby bass, bullfrogs,
and even snakes, so
don't be shy about using
big tackle...its amazing
how many small fish I'll
catch using a big Zara
Spook.
Do you have to
buy a new rod and reel
for bass fishing? No!!!
You can get away with
using light tackle in
certain
situations...actually
for most smaller ponds
in the metro area light
tackle is perfect. It
limits the baits you can
throw, but smaller baits
can really shine at
times. If you're going
to use your trout rod
and reel, I suggest no
lighter than 6lb test
and stick to lines
without too much
stretch. If small
diameter lines are what
you're comfortable with,
I would use a braided
line...Berkley Fire Lne
is awesome. I always
prefer a rod with a lot
of back bone to ensure
good hook sets!!!
Lets talk about some
basic lures and plastics
to get you started.
Lipless crankbaits such
as the Cordell Spot or
Rattlin' Trap are great
lures that don't take
years to master. Using a
basic slow retrieve will
get you hooked into a
good number of fish at
many local lakes and
ponds. Early in the year
a Firetiger Rattlin Trap
is killer on Spratt
Platte(100th and Mckay).
Like I said, just make
long casts and a slow
retrieve...Don't worry
about jigging or
complicating things.
Cast her out and reel
her in!!! Senkos!!
Senkos!! Senkos!! These
plastics are fish
catching machines even
though they don't look
like much. If you're not
familiar with the Senko
style plastic worm, it
pretty much looks just
like a pen. You can rig
a Senko style worm a
number of different
ways, but for me the
most productive has
always been "wacky
rigged". Basically all
you do is get a light
wire hook and stick it
right in the middle of
your Senko style worm.
After you make a cast,
the Senko slowly
flutters to the bottom
and it drives fish
crazy. Bite detection is
a little different when
fishing a
Senko...although there
will be times that your
line darts off and,
without a doubt,
 you
have a fish on. There
will also be days when
the only detection of a
bite is a little twitch
in your line. Basically
any little ticks or
pauses on the fall...I
set the hook. After the
Senko hits the bottom,
leave it there for as
long as a few minutes,
look for little ticks in
your line, and set the
hook. A great place to
use Senko's is Quincy
Reservoir in Aurora!!! I
suggest waders to get to
some of the brush piles,
but right off the dock
will put you onto fish
as well. So many
different companies have
Senko style worms now
its hard to keep up, but
the Zoom Centipede is my
favorite. With this
lipless crankbait and
Senko combination you
have the arsenal to
attack many of the metro
area bass lakes!!!
Now its time for my
favorite way to catch
fish, hands
down...Topwater!!!
Everyday during the
spring and summer months
I'll be at one of my
bass lakes before the
sun comes up tossing out
Zara Spooks and
Buzzbaits. If you've
never caught a bass on
topwater lures, you,re
truly missing out.
Although I've caught
fish all day on topwater
lures, the best times
are low light
periods...early in the
morning, and as the sun
goes down. First, lets
talk about using a Zara
Spook...If you're not
familiar with a Zara
Spook, its what we call
a walking bait.
Basically thru a series
of short jerks with your
rod tip, you can make
your Zara Spook "Walk
the Dog". It takes time
and practice but once
you get used to walking
the dog, its cake. With
a Zara Spook you're
limited to areas where
there isn't too much
weed growth on top, due
to having a couple of
exposed treble hooks. My
favorite way to fish a
Zara Spook is parallel
to shore lines.
Casting 3 or 4 feet out
from shore and walking
the dog all the way in
will get some explosive
strikes. When fishing
topwater lures, it's
really common for bass
to miss the lure a
couple times before
taking it. So if you get
a hit, but don't hook
up, cast back to the
same spot as fast as
possible. 9 times out of
10, the fish will hit
again. Another thing
thats hard for fisherman
who have just started
fishing topwater baits
is to wait until you
actually feel the fish
on before setting the
hook. I know its hard to
hold back when you see a
fish smack your lure,
but you'll catch a lot
more bass if you wait
until you feel the fish
before setting the hook.
My all time favorite
Zara Spook color...hands
down...is red and white.
Buzzbaits are really
effective top water
lures and on average
produce larger fish. No
need to get fancy just
casting out and reeling
in fast enough to keep
your bait above water is
perfect. To really
maximize results when
fishing a buzzbait,
bumping cover is a must.
If you see a fallen log
floating in the water
cast over it and bring
your lure right over the
top of it. Something
about buzzbaits hitting
objects in the water
drives bass nuts. Sure
you'll get hung up and
lose a few but its
 well
worth the numbers and
size of fish while
bumping cover. My
favorite color buzzbait
is black!!!
Hopefully
this helps out a little.
If you have any
questions, use the forum
or email me and I'll
gladly put you onto some
great metro area bass
lakes. Spring is just
around the corner and to
the people in the know,
it means great bass
fishing in our own backyard!!!
About the Author
Eric is a tremendous fisherman, and the star of Fishin' Secrets with Eric
Allee and Friends http://www.fishinsecrets.com |
