Bombing bass with Crews
Category: Tournament
Jul 10th, 2015 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jul 10th, 2015 at 12:00 AM
Summertime is prime time to break out the pitching and flipping gear and head to your favorite stretch of grass on your local fishing hole. Mercury pro John Crews shares his basic attack for prying bass from the grass during the heat of the summer.
Bigger baits and power fishing.
“During the summer I like to fish with larger baits,” said Crews. “I will use the Missile Baits D-Bomb to start with. It imitates the bream that are usually in the thicker weeds I like to fish this time of the year.
“I pitch and flip a lot. I’ll use anywhere from a 5/16-ounce sinker up to a 1.5-ounce sinker depending on cover.
“I’ll only use braid if I’m punching through thick cover, otherwise its fluorocarbon for me. I use 18-to 25-pound Sunline.”
Crews’ color choice for his D-Bombs are Green Punk, Candy Grass or Toxic.
The retrieve is generally a pitch to the pocket or clump, let the bait fall to the center. Raise the bait once or twice. Pull it up about half way. Hold it for a moment. If nothing bites, move on.
Keep your eyes on the grass and your electronics.
“Pitching and flipping grass isn’t just mindless casting and retrieving,” said Crews. “Look for any points or irregularities. You can often see these edges in the grass. Also, make sure you pay attention to your depth finder. You can be going along at the same depth and then get hit without noticing there was a depth change. Those changes are often where the bass will school.”
Bass tend to look for the light.
“I’ve found that low light isn’t the best for fishing the grass,” said Crews. “This is especially true when fishing scattered grass. The fish tend to spread out more. Sometimes, it is easier to catch them when it’s sunny. It tends to concentrate the bass into the grass clumps.”