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Lack of `attitude
adjustment' is usually one of the primary reasons new shiner anglers
fail in their trophy
bass quest. Dunking shiners is NOT a`run-and-gun' style of fishing, such
as the plastic worm angler
sampling as many weedbeds as he can in the shortest period. With live
bait, we attempt to select the
proper location, position ourselves in the most advantageous manner, and
fish in an unhurried and
methodical manner. Patience can be a virtue.
The ideal location for using
shiners for trophy bass has three very distinct characteristics. First,
as with
any predictably good big bass location, it should be as near to deep
water (or the deepest in the immediate
vicinity) as possible. Second, we must look for the heaviest, healthiest
cover available. Big bass love thick
cover, but the vegetation must also be alive and producing oxygen. This
is required in order to attract the
smaller life-forms of the food chain and, therefore, the larger
creatures upon which the big bass may feed.
And, finally, the location should ideally have a clean, hard bottom.
Sand, clay, gravel and shells are ideal.
In general, bass of all sizes avoid mucky or muddy bottom areas.
The first equipment
difference the shiner angler must note is the requirement for an
adequate holding tank
for the bait. Shiners are extremely fragile and have a very low
tolerance to heat and low oxygen.If you have
an exceptionally good, deep livewell (such as found in most
tournament-type bass boats), it will normally
maintain shiners adequately under constant aeration. A large portable
ice chest, in the 80-100 quart size,
will also work well, with the additional installation of an aerator
pump. One of the best shiner tanks I have
seen was a large plastic garbage can rigged with a large agitator-type
aeration system.
An adequate shiner rod is
roughly equivalent to a `flipping stick'. It is 6 1/2- 7 feet in length,
rated as heavy
action, and has a generously-long handle (for leverage effect).
Sensitivity is of no particular significance, so
expensive graphite is not necessary. Just be sure it is strong!! The
reel is also of minor significance. In shiner
fishing, it simply holds the line and provides a base to wind the line
back onto. The reel should, preferably,
be a level-wind, with a free-spool feature. A `clicker' feature while in
the free-spool mode is nice-to-have, in
the event of a slow swim-off while you are dozing in the warm afternoon
sun. Line is a key item in shiner
fishing, in that it is our one and only link to the trophy bass. As we
have selected and maintained our line,
so will go our fishing successes or failures. A mistake most newcomers
make is not using a heavy enough
line. Believe it or not, the most recommended line weight advocated by
the professional guides we spoke
with was 40 (yes, that's four-zero) pound test. So, forget the
artificial lure fishing factors of limpness and
castability. Concentrate on strength and toughness!
The new braids out there
today are ideal. Don’t use a leader and do tie a heavy knot, such as
the Palomar.
Braids have a very useful property for some applications - they float.
This can be good when fishing in heavily
timbered locations where the line may sink and become tangled/hung just
from trying to retrieve the bait to
the boat. But, as it lays on top of the water, the wind will effect it
easily and cause it to move downwind
quickly. That’s usually O.K., so position your boat directly upwind
from the target are if you use braid. If you
are free-lining the shiner (no weight/bobbers) and letting him swim
freely up under the cover, the floating braid
will always give you an indication of where your bait is. Hook styles
and size are dictated by the size of the
shiner and type cover being fished. In most cases, a 4/0 is the best
choice. If the shiners are less than
6-inches in length, scale down to 3/0 to reduce bait mortality. Since we
normally fish shiners in and around
very heavy vegetation, a weedless hook style is usually selected. And,
finally, the hook must be sharp and
as strong as possible. If you can bend it using a pair of pliers, it is
not strong enough!
Equipment rigging is a
matter of choice among shiner angling disciples. The basic set-up is
generally
made up as follows:
Thread a plastic bead and
then a fairly large balsa wood, cork or plastic foam bobber on the line.
Then add
a plastic bead below the bobber. Each must slide freely up and down the
line. Next, tie the line directly to
the hook, using the strongest knot you know. NO swivels and NO snaps!
The lower bead, as you now note,
is to keep the bobber from hanging on the knot or eye of the hook when
casting it out. Finally, determine the
depth at which you will fish the shiner (or the desired distance from
the shiner to the bobber) and tie a 2-inch
piece of a thick rubber band around the line and above the upper bead at
that point. This will provide a
`stopper' for the sliding bobber and allow you to control the depth.
But, it also makes the rig easy to cast by
placing all the mass (bobber, shiner, hook) at the very end of the line.
Some anglers use a small balloon in
lieu of the bobber, claiming the more pliable balloon slides through and
over the vegetation better. This is
applicable ONLY to areas where there are reeds or other thick
obstructions above the waterline. The balloon
body will give and allow the shine to pull the rig through the grass
just fine. However, a balloon is not ANY
advantage when fishing more open areas and takes up too much time. It
also places weights (mass) at two
different locations on the line (balloon and shiner) and makes casting a
more difficult, rig-tumbling effort. The
balloon, when used, is inflated to approximately the size of baseball
and a knot is tied in the end. Then, the
remaining end is tied to the line (using the end of the balloon stem) at
the depth or distance desired. In this
configuration, the need for the plastic beads is obviously eliminated.
Presentation methods in
shiner fishing must concentrate on getting the shiner in the correct
location, while
not ripping him off the hook or killing him. Shiners are darn expensive
(unless you catch your own--another
story for another day) so we must remember not to really `cast' them
out. It must be more of a gentle,
smooth `toss'. One thing to know about shiner fishing for big bass is
that you can place the boat very close
to the fishing location. The boat, when quietly positioned, coveys no
threat to a big bass. (A 15-pound anchor
heaved haphazardly into his hiding spot is, however, quite another
story, so use common sense.) Always
use two anchors so that the boat position will not alter and cause lines
to cross or get under motors. Giant
bass always strike best when something is screwed up. Normally, the
shiner should be `tossed' as close to
the cover as possible. In most cases, he will immediately dive and swim
UNDER the surface mat. That is
where the bass are and, if one is there, you and the shiner will both
know it immediately. If there is no quick
strike, let the shiner swim in and about the cover for a reasonable
distance. If you have chosen your location
with care, a bass will probably show up within a short time.
`Presentation depth' of a
shiner can be manipulated be adding weights (split shots 8-10 inches
above the
bait) to the line, or simply by the way the shiner is hooked. In most
instances, the shiner is best presented,
stays on the hook and lives longer if hooked 1/2-inch behind and
1/2-inch below the back fin. He will usually
go deep hooked in this manner, but can easily come shallow if need be.
If you want the shiner to stay very
shallow, hook him through both lips, hook point up. If you want him to
swim as deep as possible, hook him
in the lower portion of his body, just behind the anal fin.
Want to catch a trophy bass? Go shiner
fishin'. You won't be sorry!
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