Bass fishing is, overall, an amazing activity. I’ve spent decades pursuing that tick on the end of my fishing line, and I’ve caught all kinds of fish, from bluegill to bluefin tuna. Yet, I keep finding myself returning to bass fishing, more specifically, I always return to targeting BIG bass — mostly largemouth, and some big bronzebacks when I travel, and occasionally big Alabama spots.
Of everything I’ve experienced with a fishing rod in my hands, nothing satisfies me as much as holding a trophy bass that I pursued, and fooled, in pressured public waters. Here are the unconventional lure tactics I’ve used to catch big bass across the country.
Using Giant Trevally Topwater Lures for Bass
Ever heard of a Giant Trevally? They’re often a top bucket-list species that swim in the tropical oceans of the world, like off the coast of Australia and in the South Pacific, including Hawaii. These hard-hitting, hard-pulling fish weigh between 100 and 160 pounds. They’re ferocious and have an affinity for something I also love: topwater. This is where my multi-species experience and exposure to different fishing methods and tackle have influenced my freshwater bass fishing. I’ve taken techniques from one fishing culture and applied them to the styles of fishing I engage with.
Unconventional Stickbait Methods
What’s a stickbait? It looks similar to a cigar-shaped walk-the-dog type topwater lure that many of us are familiar with. However, stickbaits, as they’re designed and used in the inshore and offshore saltwater scenes, differ from the walk-the-dog topwater lures that most bass anglers are used to. As Ryan Hanks, my friend and co-owner of Cast Fishing Co. in Australia put it, “It’s not a walk-the-dog lure.”
That might sound confusing, since it does walk the dog — and incredibly well. However, what he and Mick Guthrie, the founder of Cast, which made the OG stickbait, were trying to convey is that these stickbaits can do so much more than just the standard zig-zag, left-and-right action that bass anglers love. I’ve found this to be true in my use of these lures.
Search for “stickbaits for Giant Trevally” videos, and you’ll quickly see what they mean. You’ll witness all kinds of wild retrieves and presentations. That’s what makes this category of lures so special—there’s no wrong or right way to fish them. Unfortunately, such flexibility has also been the demise of many lures over my career.
Many lures that aren’t as simple as a cast-and-wind style often fade into obscurity, because anglers must manipulate the lure to bring it to life and trigger strikes. Manufacturers discontinue them simply because they don’t sell enough units to justify production. Don’t let that be your mistake. Figuring out a new presentation with a lure that fish haven’t been exposed to has led to some incredible days on the water for me, and I know it can for you. too.
The Lure
The stickbait I’ve used the most — and therefore have had the most success with — is the Cast Fishing OG stickbait. It’s a balsa wood-bodied lure, and for those familiar with this material, you understand it’s been used to create some of the best lures ever tied to the end of a line. Its buoyancy and liveliness on and above the water’s surface are hard to replicate with resin materials. It’s light and prone to damage through heavy use, but man, does it get bit!
To offset its fragile nature, Cast Fishing’s balsa baits all employ a through-wire construction. This means they can handle big game fish, including Pacific bluefin tuna, which we target regularly using these exact same lures rigged with different rings and hooks. No bass on earth could bring this lure to failure, so fish it confidently to target truly big bass.
Colors
Initially, I fished with some patterns developed for the Australian market, which focused on inshore reef species. The colors were very Australian and salty, so we decided it would be a good idea to create a collaboration color between Big Bass Dreams and Cast Fishing so I could, selfishly, benefit from a lure that I could fish with confidence across the country.
The first color option I requested was a black bass pattern. After all, if I’m going bass fishing, small bass are present in almost every body of water. That’s an easy match-the-hatch scenario, and baby-bass patterns have always been a confidence color for me. Topwater lures in some kind of bass pattern, especially, seem to produce for me.
So, we settled on the Big Bass Dreams Spotted Bass color for our first collaboration, modeled after a Lake Lanier spotted bass. It’s a very good largemouth mimic, and I’ve found that big smallmouth bass, especially, respond to this pattern with extra aggression.
The second color I wanted and needed was a baitfish pattern. We decided that Big Bass Dreams Smelt would be the way to go for a second collaboration. The color is what you’re looking for when targeting fish that eat baitfish like shad, herring, ciscos, and, of course, smelt — a greenish back with silver/gray sides and belly. It has produced for me from coast to coast. Other notable colors I’ve had success with from the standard Cast Fishing lineup include herring, bone, and black pearl.
Size
When we placed our initial order for the OG and Down Under Diving Popper, Mick asked me what sizes I wanted for this collaboration. I told him, “ALL OF THEM.” Mick was shocked, as they had only intended to produce the 20- and 30-gram sizes that retailers had brought in to target bass fishermen. But to target truly big bass, I need big lures.
So, we ordered them all, including the 40, 60, 75, 90, and even 120 gram versions! I know you’re probably reading these sizes and scratching your head because Americans aren’t terribly familiar with the metric system — just know you should know that the 120-gram model measures 9 inches in length!
Why would I want this insane size range of topwater stickbaits? As I’ve mentioned before, I like big baits for big bass. However, a big bass is relative. A 6-pound bass is a nice bass anywhere, but in regions like the northern U.S., it’s a truly big bass. When targeting some of these bass, the 40-gram and 60-gram sizes are in heavy use on my boat.
When I’m around even bigger bass, where the potential to catch a largemouth over 10 pounds, or a smallmouth over 7 pounds, exists, I’ll use the larger 75-, 90-, and 120-gram sizes to weed out the smaller fish.
Retrieve and Presentation
The OG stickbait may be unique in its lure class because it does actually walk the dog very well. I’ve found that hitting the lure with sharp twitches of the rod tip, followed simultaneously with slack, allows the stickbait to turn aggressively side-to-side. I can get this lure to exhibit a lot of horizontal movement without coming forward as much as other lures.
This makes it deadly for targeting isolated cover where there’s a high likelihood of encountering a big bass. You can also bomb this balsa missile a long way and fish it fast to cover water and locate aggressive bass. This is one of my favorite applications for this lure: I use it to find easy fish and get larger fish to show themselves as I explore new bodies of water.
The high realism of the color collaborations is key for my presentations, as I often incorporate long pauses into my cadence. I get a lot of bites when the stickbait sits still on the surface as fish rise from the depths to inspect it. Blueback herring and alewife fisheries, in particular, have populations of deep, pelagic, roaming bass in open water. I’ll fish lake structures adjacent to this deep water with the OG and probe for this topwater bite for largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass. Stripers love this bait too, so hold on if they’re present.
Experiment with your retrieves. I’m not just talking about the pace of your zig-zag, walk-the-dog motion. Try sweeping the bait aggressively like the GT fishermen do. You’ll see the lure grab water and throw a unique bubble trail and commotion. This is an action, movement, and sound that these fish haven’t been conditioned to yet.
It will appeal to both the curiosity of these predators and entice them to come in to investigate. You all know how to trigger a following fish using forward-facing sonar. You can employ similar movements and tactics with these topwater baits to do the same, except instead of staring at your screen, you can watch one of nature’s mightiest predators consume your little stickbait with your own eyes!
One tip to always remember: Don’t swing on bites. You’re probably going to fire up a wolf pack of marauding bass. Your first bite might come from the most eager fish in the school, which are often the smaller bass. Thankfully, they’ll miss, so if you keep working your lure, you can get the bigger bass in the school to strike and hook the ones you want.
Simply keep working the stickbait until one of the bass successfully takes it by the hooks, and you can feel pressure through your reel handle. Let the fish load up and simply increase your winding speed until you come tight.
Necessary Tackle
I prefer to fish these lures on Defiant Smooth Casting Braid. It has a much thinner diameter than other braided lines of the same strength rating. Most importantly, it’s quiet and smooth. That’s a nice feature when you’re making bomb casts and fishing hard and fast. It also has neutral buoyancy, and that makes it easier to work topwater baits. For the smaller 20- through 40-gram sizes, I like a 55- to 23.6-pound leader. The 60- through 120-gram sizes get 80-pound Defiant Smooth Casting braid to a 35-pound leader.
I attach 12 to 15 inches of Defiant SHOCK LEADER Fluorocarbon to that braid with either an Alberto or FG knot. I like a short leader for a couple of reasons: I hate winding knots through my guides, and I’ve found longer lengths offer no benefit, so I save money on line. The 100% fluorocarbon material is abrasion-resistant, virtually invisible underwater, and most importantly, stiff. I want a stiff leader so it doesn’t foul my lure when I’m working it like a madman. People often ask if the fluoro causes the bait to sink — with such a short leader, it doesn’t affect my presentation in a negative way.
I like fast reels for this lure because there are times I’m working it very aggressively and fast. A 7:1 to 8:1 gear ratio is great, especially for the 20-, 30-, and 40-gram sizes. A 200-size reel is ideal for this lure range, but once I jump up to the 60-gram and larger sizes, I like a 300-size for extra line capacity, line pickup, and bigger drags and gearing to handle large bass.
My rods are a little longer, since I like to cover water with the stickbait. A 7’6” to 7’11” moderate- to soft-taper rod works great. Your crankbait rod would probably do the trick. You want to pick rods for these lures where the lure weight is in the middle of the rated range listed on the rods for an ideal fit.
If you’re looking to have the most fun possible bass fishing, take a page from the saltwater anglers targeting reef species like Giant Trevally for inspiration. This tactic has proven particularly effective on highly pressured bodies of water, like Lake Lanier in Georgia and Candlewood Lake in Connecticut. Start with the smaller 20- or 30-gram size, build your experience and confidence, then step up your lure size to target bigger and bigger bass.
Have a mind of your own, experiment with what is or isn’t possible, and utilize this unconventional lure for big bass, wherever in the country you are fishing. I’ve had success on our west coast fisheries like Lake Casitas and Perris, as well as the Northeast, like Oneida and the Finger Lakes. The lakes in between, like those in Texas and the Midwest, eat this thing too. Tie one on and let it fly! Have fun out there!
