Subsurface
Lures- As much as I love the topwater action provided by peacock bass,
I am quick to change to subsurface lures as soon as conditions warrant.
The tremendous physical power with which peacocks strike subsurface lures
makes up for the topwater angler's loss of visual and auditory excitement.
Underwater strikes can be intense enough to make you feel like your arm
is being ripped off and initial runs can be startling in their intensity.
Minnow and Jerk Baits - Redfins, Bombers,
Rapalas and their ilk are the utility lures of peacock bass fishing.
They can be productive just about anywhere and under any conditions.
The Cotton Cordell "Redfin", in silver or gold is a productive floating
minnow imitation. Fished fairly slowly around structure so that it
remains near the surface, it is an effective attractor for fish relating
to cover. Once it reaches open water, it can be fished more rapidly
and jerked deeper with the retrieve. "Bombers" and "Rapalas" provide
variations in size and depth for flexibility and variety. Probably
the most popular of these baits is the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow. It
can be extremely productive.
Crank Baits and Deep Divers - Magnum and
regular size "Rattletraps, deep running Rapalas and crankbaits are effective
when fishing the scalloped crevices of sandy beaches in the crooks of river
bends and the base of rocky river structures. Deep, bluff banks and
ridged points in lagoons lend themselves to effective probing with these
deeper running subsurface lures. Keep several in your tackle bag
to utilize in the right circumstances.
Jigs - Probably the single most effective
subsurface lure (and my favorite) for clear water is a darter style, half
ounce jig tied with contrasting colored bucktail streamers. This jig, however,
is simply not jigged. Because it is fished so rapidly, it not only
never hits the bottom, it rarely drops more than 3 feet below the surface.
The conventional tackle angler uses this jig as though it were a streamer
fly, ripping it rapidly through the water two to three feet at a time.
The relatively light, half ounce weight, allows the fisherman to keep the
jig moving and off the bottom while the ripping motion causes the bucktail
to pulsate with each rip. This lure works best with a light spinner
and braided line. The light rig will allow you to cast it very accurately
in cover and very far in open water. Use it to probe among fallen
timber in lagoons, casting parallel to trunks and branches and retrieving
it quickly, right through where the fish find cover. Cast it over
sand banks and saddles at lagoon mouths and inlets, ripping it rapidly
from deep water to shallow and back again. Probe fast water, rocks
and eddies in the river itself. In all of these applications, peacocks
will readily pound these baits. The faster you retrieve them, the
harder they hit them. They are among the most effective of clear
water lures. To maximize the jigs effectiveness in cloudy or muddy
water, use a rattle jig. If the fish don't know they're there, they
just won't hit them.
I prefer a Kalin's "Ultimate Darter" half ounce jig head. It's equipped
with a big, extra strong, wide gap 4/0 hook for solid hooksets in the peacock's
bony mouth. The long, tabbed shank allows anglers to easily tie their
own bucktail patterns on behind the head. A very effective configuration
(the peacock bass rattle jig), includes a red underbelly, a red, extended
tail and a yellow or white upper portion. Similar patterns using
black below and red, yellow or chartreuse above or yellow below and white,
pink or chartreuse above are also very effective. Click
here for complete
tying instructions.
Spoons - provide an effective tool for a
variety of fishing situations. Unlike the jig, the Johnson's "Silver
Minnow" can be very effective when fished slowly in thick structure.
Its weedless configuration helps to minimize hang-ups on logs and branches,
while its natural action and flash attracts strikes even when falling or
bouncing from stick to stick. Spoons are useful for probing deep
crevices between sand rills on beaches in the rivers and for attracting
cruising fish on shallow flats in the rear and in the mouths of lagoons.
Sizes from 1/4 to 1-1/8 ounce can be used with any tackle combination.
Other effective types include "Daredevles", "Krocodile's", large "Tony
Aceta" spoons and "Pixies" in various colors and patterns (although silver
always works well).
Fun but Ineffective - The moment I suggest
that a lure might be ineffective in a certain situation, I assure myself
of hearing about dozen's of exceptions. Every lure will have its
army of proponents who will swear by its efficacy in any or all circumstances
and who would readily gamble their survival on its ability to catch fish.
I realize that an angler who is confident and comfortable with a lure and
uses it effectively and often, will generally be successful. I grew
up with the Arbogast "Hula Popper" filling just that role for me in a lifetime
of bass fishing. I just plain love that lure. I fished
the heck out of it for most of my life. In spite of that, I have
yet to catch a single peacock on it. And believe me, I've tried!
I've tried big spinnerbaits, bottom bouncing jigs,
creepy crawlers, jitterbugs and flatfish with no luck. Soft plastic
baits don't survive the piranhas long enough for me to find out if they
work. Needlefish, J-Plugs, Pop-R's and Mepp's all fail to produce
with any regularity. Peacock bass fishing, like most types of fishing,
is ultimately a function of numbers and these fish react mostly to noise,
speed and certain types of motion.. The more time a productive lure
spends in productive water, the greater the probability of generating a
strike. Everybody has a favorite lure and should definitely give
it a try. But don't get carried away. Each angler can quickly
determine how much time he or she wants to commit to a particular lure
by the response it gets from its audience, the fish.
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