The weather has started to heat up here in the middle of June and for the bass fisherman, he knows that some of the day’s most exciting and often best action occurs at the break of day. There is something about being on the water this time of year while all is quiet with a growing glow in the east as he casts a topwater lure next to the trunk of a cypress or willow.
When the twitch of the lure results in an explosive strike, it just about doesn’t get any better than this. Once the day brightens, the early morning action usually slows and the average bass angler heads home for the air conditioning once old Sol peaks over the cypresses.
For anglers who want to extend their bass fishing experience longer, the search is on for one lure to keep the bites coming, even after daytime temperatures rise. The Wobblehead meets all the characteristics of just such a lure.
This rather non-descript device features a slender curved slab of metal with a single hook onto which is attached a plain straight tail six inch plastic worm. Incidentally, there is no lure easier to retrieve than a Wobblehead; you simply cast it out and bring it back in a rather boring straight retrieve. However, there is nothing boring when a big bass gulps down the bait.
The curved metal body of the Wobblehead gives the lure its name; it wobbles side to side and gives the plastic worm tail an enticing swimming motion which resembles a favorite food for a foraging bass, a small swimming snake.
Remember the last time you saw a snake swimming across the water? That’s the exact image you get when you reel in a Wobblehead.
These lures are especially effective when fished next to moss beds, where bass lurk out of the glare of the scorching sun waiting for something good to eat to pass by. A small snake slowly wagging overhead is often too much to pass up.
Cast out a Wobblehead in the heat this summer next to a patch of weeds and hang on. The results could leave you feeling “cool”.
Bream fishermen can still do their thing with these fighters even in the heat of summer. One of the most productive bream fishing forays I ever experienced was one sweltering day several years ago when Eddie Halbrook took me to Grand Bayou lake near Coushatta where we caught at least 50 big chinquapins fishing cold worms on the bottom on an 8 foot deep flat.
If you’re a crappie fishermen, here’s something you may want to try to improve your summertime catch of tasty slabs.
If you want the best service from your waiter at a favorite restaurant, let it be known that you’re a generous “tipper”. You’re more than likely to find him eager and willing to be at your service. Keep this truth in mind the next time you head for the lake after summertime crappie. If you’re a good “tipper”, the crappie just might be much more cooperative.
Tipping explained means that you add something to your crappie jig to make it more enticing. Some anglers regularly tip their jigs with small shiners while others prefer commercial pea-sized niblets, grass shrimp or wax worms.
Whether it’s bass, chinquapins or crappie, you can still get your string stretched even in the heat of a hot summer day.
Glynn Harris Outdoor column is sponsored by D.C. Pawn in Minden