| Power fishing has become popular in the last 10 years in bass fishing. Throwing big baits, putting the trolling motor on high and down the bank they go. Ask me back then if I would ever throw a 1/2oz spinnerbait I would say yes if I were muskie fishing. But in today’s bass fishing throwing a 1/2oz spinnerbait is now the norm, but what is really an eye opener is the boom of today’s finesse fishing for bass. Let’s take a step back and see how was bass fishing back 10 years ago, the days before today’s way of power fishing? Well I have a clue for you finesse bass fishing is nothing new it has been in bass circles for years. To tell you the truth I have been fishing the northern version of a shaky head for more than 30 years now its call a mushroom jig and a 4” worm or better known as a jig worm. With that being said welcome to the lighter side of bassin.
If you have been following the touring bass pros the last few years on both the BASS and the FLW tours you are seeing more pro bass fishermen standing in the front of their bass rigs fishing with spinning rods instead of a baitcaster and winning tournaments along the way. No longer are finesse techniques thought of as a sissy way to take bass they are now considered ways to win tournaments in all types of fishing conditions, so along the years has finesse fishing changed? Basic equipment wise no; but what has taken off are the baits that today’s tackle companies are making to help bring finesse fishing to the forefront.
Finesse fishing generally centers around a spinning set up. As a rule 7ft medium action rod teamed with a matching reel spooled with either 6lb to 8lb line. Some are using traditional mono while many others are leaning towards the newer fluorocarbon lines. Experience over the years show that 6lb line will get more bites than 8lb line and using fluorocarbon will help this cause even more but one draw back the stiffness of the fluorocarbon line may cause some other problems. Which line works best; experiment and form your own decision what best fits your style of fishing. If you are looking to push the finesse boundaries a little take a 7ft medium action baitcaster, teamed with a matching reel and spool this with a 10lb line. This will push the envelope but will still qualify for the lighter side of bassin.
 A lot of attention has been drawn to the new craze of light bassin with the shaky head and a worm. What first bust onto the scene as a jig head that had an extended shank hook to be able to rig the worm back over the hook point to make the bait weedless, can be done with many of the jigs that you use day in and day out.
For a modified shaky head jig I use an Outkast Money Jig and a Hitchhikers Trailer. Take the Hitchhike and hook the holder to the eyelet of the Money Jig and twist the worm onto the Hitchhiker. Once you have the worm in place put the hook point into the worm and you are all set. You have a modified Money Jig that goes through the weeds better and will catch more bass in the long run. When rigging plastics on the jig you are not just limited to the use of a plastic worm you can use lizards, grubs, tubes and any other plastic bait that you may want to present. The reason I use a Money Jig instead of a regular ball jig is the Money Jig will stand up on the flat spot built into the jig holding the tail of your presentation up off of the bottom making it look like it is swimming nose down.
Tubes are another great finesse bait to present when the bite gets tough. Many bass fishermen are fast finding that tubes are not just used for catching spawning bass anymore. Tubes catch bass all season long all you have to do is give them a chance. Rig a Money Jig inside the tube for an open hook presentation that can be fished in areas with little cover. For areas that have cover and bass use a Titleshot jig made by FinTech tackle. The Titleshot Jig is one of the best tube jigs on the market allowing you to get your bait into areas that you would think twice before throwing into, but you will soon find out fast this is where the big bass live.
In today’s finesse bassin you have to be willing to put baits into areas that you have not tried before with this type of equipment. Yes; you would not think twice about power fishing these areas but with the fishing pressure today’s bass lakes are getting you have to stay ahead of the curve to get bass over the side of your boat and into the livewell when it counts. If you are not willing to take a chance you will not be the one holding the check at the end of the day. I bet you will break some bass off but I think you will be surprised at what you can get out of the cover with a little finesse.
Make some memories please remember to practice CPR (Catch, Photo and Release). The future of fishing is in your hands. For more timely bass fishing tips and tactics please log onto www.fishinginsider.com
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