Lures for Calico Bass (1/2)

Calico bass eat much the same lures you would use for freshwater bass, I have used all my freshwater lures and caught fish on all of them, some are better than others, but they all catch calicos. Depending on the type of structure/area you are fishing, lure choice is basically the same as freshwater bass in the same type of area. For fishing breakwaters parallel to the rocks my old favorite comes up again, the Bagley DB3 in chartreuse and white really shines, early and late in the day, calicos will really clobber the DB3.

I use my trolling motor to parallel the breakwater and cast the DB3 right up against the rocks in the white water area caused by the breaking waves, this is where the larger calicos like to hang out to prey on hapless bait fish caught in the powerful wave action. The calicos being big and strong can easily overcome the effects of the waves and make easy meals of small fish caught up in the breaking waves. After the DB3 lands next to the rocks, I start a stop and go retrieve to mimic a bait fish thrown about in the powerful currents next to the rocks, these breakwater bass really smash a crank bait hard, you have to use heavy tackle and forty pound test line and have your drag cinched down as tight as you can get it, this is the calicos home court and he knows every nook and cranny and if you give him a foot he will get in behind a rock and you might as well say good by to a five dollar crank bait, as the line will break before you pull the bass from his hole.

The best time to fish with the DB3 is on an incoming tide through high tide and the first hour of the outgoing tide. The outside of the wall, as the breakwater is called, is usually the best place
to fish but you can also catch fish on the inside when the wind and waves make it to dangerous to fish the outside. Always use caution when fishing the wallas many very large boats are always going in and out and their passing makes very large waves that if you aren't being watchful can push your boat into the rocks in a heartbeat, always wear your life preserver at all time when fishing the wall on the outside or inside. Even on the inside there are lots of large fast moving boats going by a mile away, and you may suddenly be hit with a very large wake that can throw you out of the boat. Don't fish the wall unless your boat is in tip top shape and always starts right up, first time every time.

Make sure all your running lights are in good working order and you have at least two large volume bilge pumps that work, I have almost been swamped several times when large wakes came out of nowhere and hit me broadside, you need to remove water quickly before it does any damage to your motoror electrical systems in the motor area. I usually fish with three people in the boat, two fishing and one watching out for large wakes or waves. The lookout sits in the drivers seat where he can see a wave or wake coming and quickly start the motor as he shouts "wave" and turns the bow into the oncoming threat as this is the best way to take a wave is head on. We usually change watches every every fifteen minutes and with three guys you watch for fifteen minutes and fish for a half hour.