Classic Countdown | Seven Questions with Seven Qualifiers

2/12/2011 3:58:29 PM

Great insight from top Bassmaster fishing pros getting ready for the Classic



Tommy Biffle

You've had a remarkable year fishing shallow rocks with your new Bottom Buggin' technique. Does the Delta offer much in the way of rock piles for this type of fishing? If not, how do you adapt to this environment?

Biffle - No, it really doesn't have any rock piles. But I do have a lot of confidence I can still use my Biffle Bug on a HardHead, swimming it in and around the vegetation here instead of actually crawling it along the bottom. The free swing hook really allows that bait to provide a lot of action and I can swim it slow. Of course I'll also be flipping and pitching.




Dale Hightower

You've said you have a lot of confidence in soft plastics. Are you fishing them right out of the package or do you use dipping dyes and/or scents? How do you make the call as to when and how to doctor a bait?

Hightower - I do use cover scents & dye. Garlic is one of my favorites to use. The Gene Larew HooDaddys I'm fishing with come packaged with the garlic scent that helps you get a little extra edge. With the water as cold as it is, it can help a fish hold onto the bait just a littler bit longer which helps me get the hook in 'em.  




Jeff Kriet

Okay, all of you guys have made it clear that the Delta is full of vegetation. So, what's on your reels: monofilament, fluorocarbon or braid? And why?

Kriet - I've got 25-lb. fluoro on a couple reels and and braid on the rest. There's no sense in throwing anything small here and there will be a lot of times when you have to get around barnacles and things. I'm not too sure if fluoro is as good in that stuff as braid. Sometimes it'll even cut braid easy. But when I'm flipping, I throw braid.




Mike McClelland

Grass punching is a term we're hearing more and more about in bass fishing circles. Describe the concept of what you look for, how it works, and the ideal punch rig?

McClelland - To me right now the biggest thing to look for is not so much the grass as it is the dying or dead hyacinth and matted vegetation. I'd say the Jewel Flip'N jig with J-Lock keeper or the new Jewel Hole Punch skirts rigged with a Zoom Super Hawg and 3/4 oz. tungsten weight. These are my two best punch rigs. There's a lot of good stuff on the market but the biggest advantage on my flipping jig is the J-Lock keeper. It holds the plastic on better than anything else out there, which is important when you're punching through grass and heavy cover.
 

Scott Rook

We know you're good at reading grass. As a general rule, do you find that one type is better than another when given a choice of hydrilla, milfoil and hyacinths? Is there one kind that should be more prominent in the Delta in February?

Rook - The right type during any given tournament is the one that is holding fish at the time. Sure, there are times when one type might be more productive than another for a variety of reasons. But here on the Delta right now, it's mostly about hydrilla because that's what I'm seeing more of. I'm really not seeing much milfoil.



Terry Scroggins

We know you're dialed in as an expert flipper/pitcher. Sometimes we see you using a left-hand retrieve baitcaster. Are you naturally right or left-handed? If right handed, explain your choice of a left-hander for this application?

Scroggins - I am right-handed but I do use a left-hand cranking baitcast reel when I'm flipping. I've found that 90 percent of my flipping bites come when the bait first comes through the cover, so with the left-hand retrieve reel I'm always in position to get an instant and solid hookset. I use a right-hand retrieve baitcaster when not flipping. The switching back and forth is something I started doing a long time ago. I couldn't have been happier than when I found out Lew's had introduced both right- and left-hand models in the same series. I bought some and found them to be perfect for my needs. I've since become part of Team Lew's. Lew's not only complements my fishing style, but makes me look better, too, because before that my mix of reels looked like I'd been shopping at flea markets.

Kevin VanDam

You talk about power fishing. Is power fishing all about moving fast or can you power fish with a slow presentation? Can you power fish with soft plastics?

VanDam - Power fishing is all about covering water and being efficient in what you're doing. But sure, you can you power fish with a slow presentation. That really happens a lot when I'm in an area with isolated targets, whether it's bushes, stumps, docks or whatever. I'm still moving quickly from target to target, but I'll slow to fish the target with a jig or such. I'll hit the target, shake my bait a time or two and move on. And yes, I do use soft plastics quite often when power fishing. "Efficient" is the key word here. You're making the most of every fishing second you have when the trolling motor's in the water.




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