Sound Advice from the Pros

Clear spring skies and mild weather greeted Sieg Taylor as he left the marina on the fourth and final day of the 2005 FLW EverStart Tournament on his home waters of Clear Lake, California. On day one, he nearly shattered the one-day FLW record with a California limit of four bass that tipped the scales at 30 pounds, 5 ounces, a catch that had him comfortably in the lead that morning.

After lowering his trolling motor, he fired a cast along the rock break he’d been fishing and let the Lucky Craft LV-500 sink. As the bait hit bottom, he ripped it up and let it fall back. Following the pattern he’d found on the previous days, he methodically worked the 3/4-ounce lipless bait back to the boat, watching the line each time the lure sank.

About halfway back, he ripped the bait and let it sink—only this time the lure didn’t fall. Taylor instinctively set the hook and was pinned to another 8-pound-plus Clear Lake largemouth, helping him win the event with 16 bass that weighed an astonishing 94 pounds 11 ounces.

Vibration baits, also known as lipless cranks, or traps, hold a special place in the hearts of serious tournament fishermen as well as weekend warriors, thanks to their ease of use, versatility, and penchant for catching big bass. Here, three experts divulge their secrets and give tips on how to improve your catch with these versatile lures.

Tackle

“Tackle selection is extremely important when throwing lipless baits like the Cordell Spot,” veteran Texas pro Zell Rowland says. “You want a rod that isn’t too sensitive—so you don’t pull the bait from the fish’s mouth before it eats it—and you need a blank that will load properly without tearing the hooks out or bending them.”

For 1/4-ounce models, Rowland uses an American Rodsmith Zell Rowland series topwater rod. “It’s the only graphite rod I use to fish Spots but it has the right action. For 1/2- to 3/4-ouncers, I use an American Rodsmith David Fritts series crankbait rod. This rod is fiberglass and very good at keeping bass hooked.”

Rowland couples all of his rods with Quantum PT600 high-speed reels. “I like to use the same reel on all my rods,” he says. “I find that I don’t get as many backlashes with that system and I also know how the reel acts, no matter what rod I pick up.”

Alabama guide Troy Jens also feels rod and reel selection is paramount when fishing vibration baits. “Down here on Guntersville, we fish large grass flats and make extremely long casts,” he says. “You need a rod with enough backbone to set hooks at long range and a reel that permits the long casts. I use a 61⁄2- to 7-foot medium-action Shakespeare Catera rod with a Pflueger Trion reel. These rods have the backbone to rip baits out of the grass and handle big fish, and this reel has a 6.3:1 gear ratio, which helps when you want to burn the bait or when you’ve hung grass on the hook and want to get your lure back fast.”

Line also is important in rigging right for lipless baits. “I use different line sizes to adjust the lure’s running depth,” Rowland reports. “For shallow conditions, I typically spool 20- to 25-pound-test Silver Thread AN40, but I’ll drop to 14-pound if I’m fishing water down to 20 feet.”

For his ripping technique, Sieg Taylor always uses Maxima 20-pound Fluorocarbon. “The way I rip a bait, the line must be strong and shock-resistant. Maxima fluorocarbon is sensitive, has a thinner diameter, and it sinks better. I need a line with these properties, because I fish lipless baits deeper than most guys.”