Bass Fishing - Frenzy Bass

Normally the Rapala Frenzy is best fished with a quick erratic retrieve, I cast it out and reel fast while jerking the rod tip quickly, this produces a very erratic almost frenzied action, that aggressive fish cannot seem to turn down. I have cast it out towards the center of the lake and had fish come up fifteen or twenty feet to hit it. No other lure on the market will give you the action the frenzy does! It works best in clear to lightly stained water. I always fish this lure with six to ten pound Berkley fluorocarbon ( Vanish ) on a six and a half foot med action spinning rod.

The lure casts a country mile on this outfit, and handles most bass you will hook on this lure. But what do we do in those times when fish are in a negative or neutral mood? SLOW DOWN!!!! SLOW DOWN MORE!!! STOP!!! In bass 21we talked about deadsticking soft plastic baits, this is much the same except we are fishing a floating hard plastic bait much the same way. The water must be pretty clear for this method to be effective. This really works best on steeper shorelines and vertical cliff sections of the lake that have shoreline cover, it also works well cast over weedy or rocky reefs in five to fifteen feet of water.

Another good spot is a long shallow point that drops off into deeper water at its tip. Lets start with a steep shoreline, forty five degrees or more is best, I always start on a shoreline that has quite a bit of brush on it. I start by dropping my rear anchor out in the deeper water, then use the trolling motor on low to move the bow into a strong looking bush or tree and tie the bow to it. I try to find a rather long bank and anchor the boat in the middle. Now with the boat at a ninety degree angle to the shoreline, I can fish either way, first I fish to the right of the boat then turn around and fishto the left. This way I can cover a long stretch of bank without moving the boat. This is important when the fish are spooky due to heavy fishing pressure, and you can tie up a long stretch of shoreline and keep other anglers from fishing this stretch.

I always have one heavy rod rigged with a heavy shallow running crank bait, that I can cast a considerable distance, and when another boat comes around the corner I just grab the big crank and make a long cast in the direction of the other boat, it lands with a big splash and most other fishermen seeing the splash will give you a wide berth as they want no part of that big crank and its multiple treble hooks. Anyway they think you are nuts for throwing that big noisy lure under stealth conditions and stay away from you because you haven't a clue. I don't expect to catch anything on the big crank, just scare the other boat away from my spot.

Here in Southern California's crowded waters, this is the only way you can insure you have a area you can spend all day on if necessary to figure out fish that do not want to rush out and grab the first lure that comes by. I have certain shorelines that always seem to hold some fish most of the year and I know from experience that a quiet stealthy approach will catch some bass most days. Being on a forty five degree bank, I can reach water from one to fifty feet deep.

NEXT TIME: Strategies for fishing our private bank.