Old Is New
Anglers Can Look To Last Year For This Year's Hot Lures
KNIGHT
Every year there is a new bait or technique that storms over bass fishing.
Through the years some of those were good ideas that have stood the test of time. Others (remember the baits with lights) are, in retrospect, pretty darn funny. Sometimes history repeats and that appears to be the case this year.
"What I have seen so far is what was hot last year, the Chatterbait and swim baits," said Lake Fork guide Brian Duplechain.
About 2 years old, the Chatterbait has been around long enough to have knockoffs and upgrades. Maybe more important for fishermen is that production has caught up with demand.
Chatterbait, an original brand and the name destined to identify other lures in the same vein, began to hit store shelves in 2006 in a limited number, but with great demand. It marked the first time in years that a bait had created such marked interest that some stores sold them in limited numbers to individual anglers and maintained a waiting list for those left out.
By last year, the demand bubble burst with additional manufacturers coming on line.
Chatterbait-type lures have a bit of an identity crisis. Their construction begins with a jig, skirt and soft plastic trailer, but also includes a vibrating blade that puts it in the spinnerbait category. In fact, fishermen adopted it initially as a spinner substitute, but like a lot of other baits it has evolved into more over time.
"Using a Chatterbait I have caught fish in a foot of water and 30 feet," Duplechain said. "In deeper water, you just crank it through the stacked fish. They have never seen it out there."
The guide said he has had success fishing the lure over grass in 8 to 12 feet of water, and throwing it on the tree lines when bass are staging.
"Just throw it out there and let it fall. They will nail it on the fall," he explained.
While the original Chatterbait seemed to catch fish by surprise, Duplechain said many of the second generations are better. His personal favorite is made by Booyah Baits and comes with a weed guard and a 6/0 hook.
The swim bait is making a return from a year ago, but it is actually a recycled idea more than a decade old. Initially designed as a striper bait in the late 1980s, the first-of-its-kind, A.C. Plug became big bass bait in the early 1990s in California. Its popularity quickly spread across the country, but it wasn't long before the majority of the anglers either got tired of throwing the massive trout-looking lure or paying its hefty price.
Swim baits resurgence began a few years ago, again in California, thanks to downsizing and variety. This second generation of lifelike lures stayed in relative anonymity on the West Coast for a while until word began to slip out among pro anglers who brought them east.
"Swim baits are taking on an identity. There is a variety of them from big and soft to little and hard," Duplechain said. His personal choice is a midsize bait.
"Those are in a class you can fish year-round. On Fork, I will throw swim baits 365 days a year," he said.
Duplechain isn't ready to explain why swim baits are so successful. His best guess is that they are just the opposite of the popular stick baits that really "do nothing" in the water.
"The swim bait is natural looking and has all the movement. It has tail movement and side to side movement like all of our baitfish," he noted.
The smaller sizes and improved terminal tackle help make the current generation of swim baits more functional on an East Texas lake.
"You can rig them and fish them anywhere, in the shallow water, deep water or through the grass and brush. You can rig them where they are virtually weedless. The other thing is nowadays the hook choice is what makes the difference. With the big, wide gaps and the weights on the shaft, you can make them fall forward or backward," Duplechain said.
However, it is still early in the season and to this point Lake Fork has yet to produce a ShareLunker.
When that happens, if the fish is caught on something different, look for a new lure and a new technique to take off. After all, the best lure is always just one catch away.
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