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Big Bites Bait of
the Month
Big
Bite Insert Weights
Swimbaits
When
fishing swimbaits you have
a few different rigging
options at your finger
tips. For one you can just
rig your swimbait with an
extra wide gap work hook. When
rigged this way you will
be able to fish the
surface down to about one
foot of water, if you need
to get deeper you will
have to rig the bait with
either a weighted worm
hook or you can use Big
Bites Insert Weights.
What Insert Weight
you choose will all depend
on the size of the
swimbait you are using. If
you are using a smaller
4” you may not have
enough of the bait to use
an insert weight, but in
the bigger baits 5”,
6” and bigger you have
enough bait to get the job
done. How
much weight you add will
depend on the depth that
you need the bait to
reach.
Insert weights are a
great option to not only
add weight, but give you a
way to fish a treble hook
setup with your swimbait. Inserting
the weight through the
nose of the swimbait will
serve two purposes; one it
will add weight to the
bait that you need to get
your bait deeper into the
water and second it will
give you a way to feed the
line through the nose of
the swimbait so you can
tie a treble hook to the
end of your line. The
treble hook is a great
rigging option when you
are fishing your swimbait
in open water conditions;
the treble hook option
lets you fish an exposed
hook which gives you more
hooking power to get a
better hook set.
Cane Stick/Trick Sticks
We
all know how a texas
rigged Cane or Trick Stick
acts and fishes; but, have
you ever used an insert
weight on the opposite end
of the hook? I
use the 1/16oz insert
weight to tail weight the
Cane or Trick Stick.
When you cast the
bait it will fall
backwards. When
you pull the bait forward
with the rod the tail
weighted end will pull the
bait back, letting the
bait fall on a semi slack
line. This
is a great way to rig your
bait when bass are in a
finicky mood. If
they get curious and
follow your bait, it will
almost hit the bass in the
mouth when the bait falls
back causing a strike. The
key is not to overpower
the bait when using this
method. As
a rule of thumb I never
use an insert weight over
1/16oz.
Another variation of
this rig is to take your
Cane or Trick Stick and
insert your weight in the
tail; but, instead of
using a worm hook and
texas rigging the bait use
a drop shot hook and hook
the stick wacky style. When
you make your cast the
bait will fall tail first
until it hits the bottom. When
on the bottom gently put
tension on the bait and
shake the bait. This
will cause the bait to
stand on the tail and
dance in place.
This is a super
presentation to use around
spawning bass.
Try to make your
cast close to the nest,
and let the bait settle to
the bottom. Work
your bait next to the
nest, but be careful. You
do not have to move the
bait that much to give it
the dancing action to
trigger the bite.
Finesse Carolina Rig
Big
Bite Insert Weights also
make great finesse
carolina rig weights for your early
spring fishing. I
will rig a 1/8oz insert
weight on my line about a
foot ahead of a 2/0 worm
hook.
To
keep the weight in place I
will use a rubber stop or
a tooth pick. This
locks the weight to where
I set it.
Then on the hook I
will rig a 6” Big Bite
Finesse Worm or a 5”
Cane Stick.
If
the bite is tough I will
downsize my hook to 1/0
and use a 4” Trick
Stick. This
will allow me to work the
bait even slower and keep
the bait in the strike
zone longer to trigger a
few more bites.
I
fish this presentation on
a 7ft medium action
spinning setup, teamed
with a matching reel
spooled with 6lb to 8lb
fluorocarbon line. The
key is to make your cast,
and let it settle to the
bottom. Do
not use a lift, and drop
retrieve with this
technique, just drag the
sinker along the bottom. The
sinker moving along the
bottom will create a
commotion as it is pulled
along the bottom
attracting attention to
the rig, and get you
bites.
Scott
Petersen
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