Let me set the stage for you. It’s mid-summer, the temperatures have been in the low 80’s, its calm and quiet. The sun is just breaking on the eastern sky. The air is so heavy that the smell of your partner’s fresh cup of coffee just hangs in it. The lake’s surface looks like glass.
The first bay you pull into is shallow and the surface mats of milfoil and pads are in thick clumps, so thick that the mud hens are walking on top of them, rather than swimming through them. As you shut down the main motor and things go quiet you can hear the sunfish slurping at the bottom of the pads. It’s time to buzz the slop.
I love fishing top-water presentations for bass, who doesn’t? And when I can fish fast I really like to fish buzz-baits. But fishing a buzzer in the slop is not always practical or efficient. To fish a top-water presentation in the slop usually means you will be throwing spoons, flukes, salad spoons or frogs. All of them are effective and a couple of them can be fished rather quickly if that is what the bite calls for; however none of them make the noise or throws the water the way a buzz-bait will. But I found something that does or I should say I was introduced to something that does.
Over a year ago Darren Jacobson (Northern Factory Account Manager for Strike King Lure Company) introduced me to Strike King’s new Rage Tail line of lures. Darren said that all of the line “moves a lot of water” but “the Rage Shad throws as much water as a buzz-bait.” I thought that was a rather bold statement, but Darren seemed genuinely excited about this bait. I’ve known Darren for a number of years and during that time he has always had something to do with the fishing industry, so I was kind of surprised to see him so animated about this line of baits. I know that Darren spends a lot of time on the water fishing with his son Bryce, chasing smallmouth. It would be safe to say he not only talks-the-talk but walks-the-walk. So I gave them a try.
We have had so much fun fishing these baits this past season (by we I mean my guide clients and tournament partners) that by the end of the season it almost became a game; seeing if there was any type of cover they couldn’t be fished through. But more importantly, they catch fish.
Over the season I found myself fishing the Rage Toad through the really thick stuff more often than the Rage Shad. What I liked about the toad is the design of its belly; it pooches out a little. When fished on a 4/0 or 5/0 Mustad Power Lock Plus hook the belly design and the weight of the hook seem to cause the bait to right itself no matter how it lands in the water.
I think the Rage Shad throws more water than the Rage Toad. The Shad weighs a little less than the Toad and the Shad has a very flat belly. This apparently allows it to plane along the surface more than the Toad. Now I don’t have any scientific information to prove that, but when you buzz the Shad across the surface, water seems to be going every which way. I usually fish the Shad on a 4/0 wide gap super-line hook. The Rage Shad has almost become a replacement for my buzz-baits. I use it just about any place I would throw a buzzer and some places that I wouldn’t even consider tossing a buzz-bait.
Last season we fished the Shad around and under docks, boatlifts and pontoon boats. Yup, you read it right? under docks and pontoons. We discovered that the Shad works pretty good for skipping under docks and pontoons. When rigged on a good quality braided line and using a 3/0 Shaw Grigsby hook without any additional weight, this bait will skip quite well. And since the Shad throws water like a buzz-bait you’re giving dock/pontoon fish something they probably haven’t seen before, as I don’t know too many people who are skipping docks and pontoons with a buzz-bait.
You don’t need any special rods or equipment to fish either of these new baits. What you have in your arsenal now will probably work just fine. I use the same rods and reels that I would normally use for frogs and buzz-baits to fish the Rage Toad and Shad.
Toad equipment:
Since this has become my favorite heavy cover and slop bait I use the same rod and reel combination that I use to fish frogs or spoons in the slop. Which is a 7-foot medium heavy action rod with an extra fast tip. The reel is a low profile model with a 6.3:1 gear ration. For top-water slop fishing I use a braided line and the hook is a Mustad Power Lock Plus hook, model number 91768UB (this hook has the spike on the front to hold plastics and a weight on the hook shaft).
Shad equipment:
I have used the Shad in heavy cover but generally use it in the same areas that I might use a buzz-bait. The rod I use is the same one I use for slop fishing, a 7-foot medium heavy with a extra fast tip. The reel is a low profile model with a 7.0:1gear ration. I like to use a quality monofilament line in the 14 to 17-pound range for fishing the Rage Shad or buzz-baits. Since monofilament line has a slower sink rate than most other types of line, I tend to use it for almost all my top-water fishing. On the Shad I’ve been using a Gamakatsu 4/0 wide-gap superline hook.
Skipping:
Ok, laugh if you must; for skipping I need to use a spinning rod and reel. I just can’t skip with a bait-casting outfit, not just the Shad but anything else. You’ve heard of the professional over-run (back lash, birds nest) well when I try skipping with a bait caster it could be referred to as a professional PhD over-run, so I use a spinning rod/reel to get the job done. The rod is a 6-foot medium heavy action with a fast tip. I use a larger spinning reel than is necessary because I want the wider spool when fishing with a braided line. Again, the hook is a 3/0 Shaw Grigsby High Performance hook (the one that looks like a Kahle hook, but with a wire clip on it to hold plastics in place).
Quick note:
This has nothing to do with slop fishing, but if you’re one of those anglers that really likes to throw swim-jigs then give the Rage Craw a try. When fished as a trailer on the back of a light swim-jig it gives the jig a whole new look and action.
As always stay safe and we hope to see you on the water.
Wayne Ek is a fishing guide, tournament angler and writer living in the Alexandria, Mn. For more information you can contact Wayne at Agape Outdoors, LLC. (agapefishingguides website)By: Wayne Ek
