Certain times of the year find bass heavily concentrated on specific deep water spots. Consolidation is a regular occurrence during the fall and winter months and presents the opportunity for exceptional catch rates and big fish.
Wired2fish shared the boat with Rapala’s Dan Quinn for what turned out to be one of those special “revelation” outings where you discover a new deadly fish-catching technique. After failing to get on a good bite with a drop shot, we rigged up paddle tail swimbaits on Tokyo Rigs and proceeded to pound big smallmouth bass on a deep gravel hump with scattered boulders.
FISHING GEAR:
- VMC Tokyo Rig
- Storm 360 GT Coastal Largo Shad
- VMC Tungsten Flippin Weight
- 17-pound Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon
- Ark Invoker 7’6″ Heavy Casting Rod
- VMC Swinging Rugby Head
We were blown away with the bottom-holding effectiveness of a Tokyo Rig outfitted with a heavy tungsten weight in the 1- to 2-ounce range. It kept our swimbaits glued to the bottom much better than traditional swinging jig (wobble head). We’re not suggesting the Tokyo Rig is a replacement to swinging jigs, but that it is a better tool for maintaining bottom contact in deeper water situations.
Although the storyline gets a little lost as this was primarily a fun fishing trip, the takeaway is there. In addition to shallow water versatility, productive uses for the Tokyo rig keep expanding with experimentation. Give this system a try with your favorite plastics on deep spots, be it ledges, points, bridge pilings, humps or even open water scenarios.
