Part 1 - Jigs and Swimbaits
Late winter and into the early spring is one of the best chances to hook into your biggest bass of the year or even land a new personal best. The fish are fat, hungry and generally more accessible than other times of the year. Noted tournament angler and rod designer Gary Dobyns is like the rest of us and loves getting out this time of year. Two of his go-to techniques are jigs and swimbaits.
A Time For Big Fish
“From the middle of January until about the middle of March is always a great time for big fish,” began Dobyns. “The really big fish spend a lot of time out suspended. They come up shallow to get ready to spawn and it’s the easiest time of year to catch them.
Jig Fishing
Dobyns didn’t hesitate when he started by saying jigs are one his number one baits this time of year.
“You can fish them shallow and all the way down to 50- to 60-feet,” he said.
He’s a fan of hand-tied rubber jigs like the ones he now makes; the Dobyns Football Jigs come in sizes from ¼-ounce to one ounce and in a host of colors.
“Brown and Purple is always our best seller, and that’s because it works everywhere,” he shared.
He pairs it with a Yamamoto Double Tail or Zoom Speed Craw and fishes a lot of ½- to ¾-ounce jigs but does like the full one-ounce if the circumstances are right.
“The one-ounce is hard to fish if it is rocky, but I I’ve won some tournaments fishing one-ounce jigs in very deep water,” said Dobyns.
Since the size of the jig changes line sizes and also gear requirements, he makes a host of jig rods.
“When I am fishing a jig, I want at least a four power, and a five power for the heavier jigs,” he said. “I also want something with a fast-action that also loads fast. This helps me get a solid hookset in deep water.”
Dobyns makes 7’, 7’3”, 7’4”, and 7’5” rods in both the four and five powers in several different series, but the best selling are the 744 and 745 in the Champion Series, followed by those same models in the Champion Extreme lineup.
“We make one in our new Xtasy Series that is a 754, and that is my new favorite, but a $500 plus dollar rod is not for everyone, and I know that,” said Dobyns. “For some techniques where you need to feel light bites or if you are fishing very deep water, a more sensitive rod can make a huge difference.”
Swimbaits
Swimbaits come in many different sizes and depending on who you ask; swimbait fishing can mean two completely different things.
“It is such a broad category,” said Dobyns. “Some people might consider a 2.8” Keitech with 8-pound-test on a spinning rod to be swimbait fishing. I use these and catch tons of fish on them, but for me, swimbait fishing is using a 6” or bigger bait and choosing the right rod for the type of swimbait you are fishing is essential. It comes down to having the right load for casting and the right action for hookups and landing big fish.
While some anglers may feel intimidated by the thought of using a big Osprey, Huddleston or glide bait, Dobyns says to think of it like a crankbait.
“Like a crankbait, you want long casts with your swimbait to keep that bait in the strike zone longer,” he said. “Another thing is that once you hook one, you want to crank that fish in as quickly as you can and get them to the net. The longer you have a big fish hooked the better chance you have at losing them.” The heavy swimbait works against you when the fish gets to head shake and fight. They shake the hooks lose with the weight of these baits.
Dobyns Rods makes many different swimbait specific rods, and it all comes down to how heavy the bait is.
“You want something that will allow you to get a long cast and something that won’t wear you out because it is so heavy,” said Dobyns. “All of our swimbait rods are a fast action, but a little on the slower side. We sell a ton of the 795 and 806 in the Fury Series and make a big 867 in the Champion Series that is rated for 4- to 16-ounce baits.”
There are plenty of ways to catch a big fish early in the year but is hard to beat a jig or swimbait. Gary Dobyns says they are among the best baits for a new personal best but his lure choices for this period run the gamut from Ned Rigs to giant swimbaits. In part two, he breaks down finesse and reaction baits that excel when the water is cold.
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