07-11-2004, 09:07 PM
Gary Roach: Cabbage patch tips for bass
Gary Roach, Special to the Star Tribune
June 30, 2004
I'm fortunate that I live in the Brainerd area, where a lot of lakes are milfoil free. I still get to drag the bass I catch out of lily pads, coontail, and cabbage.
One of the wonderful things about cabbage-patch bass is that they always are cocked and ready to crush a spinnerbait. It's just a tremendous amount of fun to chase big bass in this type of vegetation.
I target the spots where the cabbage is the heaviest. Picture a rabbit weaving through a briar patch. That's how a spinnerbait snakes around in the cabbage. You just cast the lure, count it down a few feet, and reel slowly. The design of the spinnerbait makes it nearly snag free.
I have discovered that by adding a three-inch scented grub or a six-inch scented plastic worm to the hook as a trailer behind the rubber skirt on the spinnerbait, I catch more fish.
I incorporate two styles of spinnerbaits into my approach when chasing cabbage-patch bass. When the weather has been stable and the fish are biting I use a 3/8-ounce lure with an Indiana-style main blade.
The Indiana-style blade is long and slender and you can really work this bait without a lot of drag. This makes it easy on the arms. The lure also has that sleek look as it screams through the tops of the cabbage, kind of like a shiner minnow hightailing it away from danger. Whenever conditions allow you to get aggressive in your presentation with a spinnerbait, use a 3/8 ounce lure with Indiana blades.
When a cold front slows the bite I switch to a single-bladed bait with a Colorado-style blade. This round blade allows for a slower approach. You can also stop reeling and as the spinnerbait is dropping, the blade will helicopter above the body of the lure, often triggering a bite.
One of the great things about chasing bass up north where the milfoil hasn't taken hold yet is they still hit a spinnerbait with reckless abandon as it's run through the cabbage.
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Gary Roach, Special to the Star Tribune
June 30, 2004
I'm fortunate that I live in the Brainerd area, where a lot of lakes are milfoil free. I still get to drag the bass I catch out of lily pads, coontail, and cabbage.
One of the wonderful things about cabbage-patch bass is that they always are cocked and ready to crush a spinnerbait. It's just a tremendous amount of fun to chase big bass in this type of vegetation.
I target the spots where the cabbage is the heaviest. Picture a rabbit weaving through a briar patch. That's how a spinnerbait snakes around in the cabbage. You just cast the lure, count it down a few feet, and reel slowly. The design of the spinnerbait makes it nearly snag free.
I have discovered that by adding a three-inch scented grub or a six-inch scented plastic worm to the hook as a trailer behind the rubber skirt on the spinnerbait, I catch more fish.
I incorporate two styles of spinnerbaits into my approach when chasing cabbage-patch bass. When the weather has been stable and the fish are biting I use a 3/8-ounce lure with an Indiana-style main blade.
The Indiana-style blade is long and slender and you can really work this bait without a lot of drag. This makes it easy on the arms. The lure also has that sleek look as it screams through the tops of the cabbage, kind of like a shiner minnow hightailing it away from danger. Whenever conditions allow you to get aggressive in your presentation with a spinnerbait, use a 3/8 ounce lure with Indiana blades.
When a cold front slows the bite I switch to a single-bladed bait with a Colorado-style blade. This round blade allows for a slower approach. You can also stop reeling and as the spinnerbait is dropping, the blade will helicopter above the body of the lure, often triggering a bite.
One of the great things about chasing bass up north where the milfoil hasn't taken hold yet is they still hit a spinnerbait with reckless abandon as it's run through the cabbage.
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