No-Motion Philosophies for Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass

All those mimics of the original Zoom Fluke are naturals for deadsticking. The slow, turning, gliding fall of a soft jerkbait potentially leads more fish to the bait after it nestles into the bottom, giving them a better chance of finding it. The slower a plastic bait falls, the more time bass have to see it drop. Leaving a scent trail can be important when the bottom is cluttered or weedy, too. If the bait isn’t impregnated with scent, I like to add Blue Fox Dr. Juice or Nitro Crave to create an olfactory pointer.

Craw and lizard imitations are favorite standbys, the added surface area generally slowing the drop. Creature baits, with all their added appendages, are good choices for the same reason.

Dead-Rigging

Deadstick tackle is any tackle presenting anything that might trigger a response by sitting still on bottom, nestled onto a clump of weeds or suspending in the middle of the water column (deadsticking with suspending minnowbaits can be phenomenally successful during prespawn for both species, but the bait must be tuned to suspend for long periods of time). Rigging is basically the same for all these options as it would be when fishing baits actively, but the choice of rigging can be critical.

Sometimes less active or spooky bass prefer a wacky-rigged plastic over a Texas-rigged version when the bait is left on bottom for long periods. Sometimes not. And cover often dictates which option is efficient enough to truly succeed. Both methods of rigging have advantages. A wacky rig falls slowly and flaps at both ends on the drop, the vibration and motion serving to alert more bass. But, when fishing around dense weeds, an offset hook buried back into the plastic keeps fishing longer without fouling.

The most overlooked rigging option for shallow deadsticking involves a strike indicator. On windy days, it can be difficult to distinguish between a bite and wind, or waves breaking on the line. When fishing a spot 5 feet deep, put a small clip-on or sliding-fixed bobber on the line 8 feet above the lure, or far enough to allow the lure to stay on bottom without being influenced by up-and-down wave action. A small float also pinpoints where your lure is in relation to a weedline, boulder, log, dock, or any other visible cover.

Deadsticking a jig works wonders with inactive or spooky bass. It also works well in cold water for relatively active bass. When water temperatures drop below 40°F in river systems, I often walk football head-grub combos so slowly on bottom that each retrieve takes 7 to 10 minutes. Much of that time is spent deadsticking the package. Skirted brush-guard jigs tipped with a plastic craw or pork frog sometimes trigger best when left sitting still on bottom for long periods of time during the Cool- and Coldwater Periods of the year. Rattles are a good addition, here, as the jig can be jiggled and rattled in place periodically to help bass locate it in dark water or on dark days.

Actually, almost anything can be presented this way. When bass follow and bump a jig-grub combo without eating it, I often let it fall to bottom and leave it there. Leave a lure out there when running to net fish for somebody in the back of the boat. Smallmouths often pluck jig-plastic combinations off bottom, and have the jig when I pick the rod up again. Letting a jigworm sit on bottom works consistently well with largemouths. Something about a lure that glides to bottom and stays there can arouse curiosity or predatory instincts in all species of bass.

Finding the right spot can be easy or hard, but the technique is always simple. To deadstick a piece of plastic, just cast, allow it to sink to bottom, point the rod tip at the bait, leaving enough slack line so bass can’t feel anything until the bait is completely engulfed, but not so much slack that bites go unnoticed. Let it be. If the location is right, bites will come.