Next up in the 2024 Bass Recap is the lowdown on the lures that fooled the fish. Read on for Part I as I work through the list of lures from least bass caught to most.
Jigs – 2 bass vs. 1 bass in 2023
Strike King Rattlin’ Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) or Googan Gridiron Jig (rotten pumpkin) with plastic craw trailer
Top Bass: 2-4 Lake Storey – October 11
Comments: My first jig bas of the year came on March 17 (Hennepin Canal) and the second on October 11 (Lake Storey). Overall, landing two bass on jigs was productive considering I only made a couple dozen casts with the lures all year. Both of my catches were on offshore wood cover that had failed to give up a bite on the faster offerings of a chatterbait or spinnerbait. In these instances, I opted to slow down with a jig as a backup presentation and it was a winner. Perhaps there is a lesson there and I should slow down more often.
Popper – 3 bass vs. 0 bass in 2023
Zell Rowland Pop-R (purple shad)
Top Bass: None at 12” or better
Comments: All my popper bass came from a pair of remote Knox County public strip pits on September 7. The lure was a Rebel Pop-R “signature series” model from the mid-nineties endorsed by longtime bass pro and Pop-R aficionado, Zell Rowland. I had been loading up on little bass with a Senko or small swimbait and wanted to see if I could get anything larger to commit to a topwater offering. Nope on “anything larger”,, but it was fun to break out the Pop-R for old times’ sake and verify that it can still fool some bass.
Crankbaits – 19 bass vs. 28 bass in 2023
Rapala Shad Rap (blue), Bomber Flat A (baby bass)
Top Bass: 1-13 Lake Storey – October 10
Top 5 Weight: 6-10 (1-13,1-11,1-1,1-1,1-0)
Comments: The last several years have seen a significant decrease in my crankbait numbers. While they are still quite effective, I just don’t throw them as much as I did in years past. Much of the reason relates to “discovering” the Hennepin Canal in June 2021. The shallow, weedy water of much of The Canal set up better for other presentations such as spinnerbaits, topwater, and chatterbaits, so I rely on them much more heavily. Still, it seems odd that I did not land at least one bass on either a Mann’s Baby 1- or a Strike King Squarebill in 2024 as they have been effective on The Canal and proven winners at Lake Storey as well as several strip pits.
Grubs – 34 bass vs. 23 bass in 2023
Lunker Hunt Finesse 3” Swimbait (perfect pumpkin or smokin’ shad)
Top Bass: 1-6 Knox County public strip pit – March 30
Top 5 Weight: 5-14 (1-6,1-3,1-2,1-2,1-1)
Comments: After quality 2023 catches boosted my confidence in what I generically refer to as a Ned Rig presentation, big bites were absent in 2024. Grubs did produce plenty of bass last year (and some bonus large crappies), but I am wondering if my 2023 Top 5 Grub Weight of 14-15 was an anomaly. However, I still have faith and expect the Ned Rig will remain a viable option on my early season strip mine hikes as it sets up well for fooling fish in those cool, clear waters.
Swimbaits – 45 bass vs. 2 bass in 2023
Keitech Swing Impact (electric blue/chartreuse), Strike King Rage Swimmer (sexy shad or pro blue/red pearl)
Top Bass: 1-9 Knox County public strip pit – September 8
Top 5 Weight: 7-3 (1-9,1-9,1-6,1-6,1-5)
Comments: I made a choice to commit to giving swimbaits a fair shake in 2024. Prior to last year, my “career” swimbait catch total sat at ten bass. So, adding forty-five catches marked a significant jump in production and reflected my commitment. Was it worth it? Yes, as I added forty-five bass on a presentation that I have neglected for years despite ringing endorsements across the bass fishing community. Also yes, as I am a stubborn angler and rarely step away from confidence lures unless the bite gets really ugly. In the case of swimbaits, I put down other lures that likely would have produced in the weather and water conditions in favor of experimentation. On the greedy side, I wish the presentation would have produced bigger bites.
Propbait – 52 bass vs. 46 bass in 2023
Whopper Plopper 110 (bone)
Top Bass: 3-0 Hennepin Canal – June 29
Top 5 Weight: 13-7 (3-0,2-15,2-9,2-8,2-7)
Comments: I was a late convert to the Whopper Plopper as I didn’t dedicate much time to tossing the lure with only fifteen catches from 2017-2021. However, in the last three years, I have landed one hundred fifteen bass on the lure, including my best yearly total last year with fifty-two bass. Many “in the know” anglers on the internet view the Whopper Plopper as a lure past its heyday or even a gimmick ala the old fishing adage that “it is designed to catch more fishermen that fish.” To each their own as I have found the obnoxious lure to be productive and fun to fish, especially in the shallow waters of The Canal.
Solid success on this first batch of lures but the real heavy hitters are yet to come. Stay tuned for Part II. Talk to you later. Troy