The dog days of summer and daylight savings time are in the books and autumn breezes and cool nights are in full force. Leaves are changing colors and dropping faster than presidential candidates and its fall migration to the shallows for bass and panfish.
I recently had the opportunity to throw the new Grenade crankbait from Megabass. It is just what the doctor ordered for targeting large fish in schools on flats and binging on schools of baitfish, in particular where long casts are needed.
Why you will like it
This is one of the largest and most menacing square bill crankbait I have ever fished. The amount of water it displaces impresses and the pressure waves can draw fish from greater distances. With a consistent retrieve, the Grenade functions as a wake bait and a shallow-running crankbait due to its wide sashay and low center of gravity.
The Megabass Grenade is 4 1/4 inches long and weighs almost 2 ounces. The Grenade either got its name for its size or shape or from the splash it makes when it hits the water. While reviewing this crankbait, I found it also works great pitched or roll-cast over laydown trees and around grass clumps for close combat especially for a bait of its size.
Experiences fishing the Grenade
Water temps continue to drop and bass, in particular, are putting on the feedbag for the long winter ahead. Crappie and bluegill are moving up too. Shad are schooled up and moving to the back of pockets and creeks and fishing can be feast of famine as a result. The best bait selection has to include panfish and shad imitators this time of year.
I always look at the position of the bait in the fish’s mouth when I am bringing them in and when I get them in the boat. On the back hook tells you they came up behind it, front hooks tells they were trying to eat it head first and inside their mouth tells you, you have it dialed in.
Water temps began in the upper 60s only a few short days ago but as the recent cold and rainy days have passed it has dropped the water temps to the upper 50’s and bait schools grew significantly with that drop. What was once small schools of baitfish quickly congregated into giant schools that remind me of icebergs. You can see a ball on top 10-15 feet wide but underneath they can be 30-40 yards. I also noticed that the “mega-schools” of shad had begun to congregate on the lake but nearer to the mouths of creeks and pockets. The lower end of the lake still had shad but the mid-section and upper-sections were so thick it looked like you could walk on them. For the last few weeks fishing has been tough as grandpa’s razor strap and most of the fish I have been catching are scattered and small. The turnover has begun, where warm surface water cools and displaces and disperses with cooler sub strata water levels, and our typical September/October death zone bite was in full bloom.
I have been looking for a bait that called in big bass this time of year for many seasons. The beauty of the Grenade is it can be reeled quickly, diving to 3 feet, or it can be waked near the surface at a slow retrieve. The Grenade has a lower line tie just above the lip and the body contour is sleek. The gills are indented for better water displacement and the bulging 3D eyes look like real fish eyes.
Gear selections
I have been throwing the Grenade on an Anthony Gagliardi Level 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy power rod, teamed on a 13 Fishing Concept A reel because this bait requires a rod with some backbone to control on the cast. But because it casts so far, I changed out the spool to a larger capacity spool on this reel. I have fished it on both Daiwa 50-pound J Braid and Seaguar 17-pound AbrazX depending on water color and cover.
The Megabass Grenade comes in 4 colors and my favorites are Ito Mint and PM Sunshine Gill. It also comes in Tiger Craw and Brown Back Chartreuse. It is available at Tackle Warehouse now and other retailers that carry Megabass crankbaits.
Editor’s Note – One word of caution with this bait: If you live on lakes with big musky, use a leader. They crush this bait.
