In a world where finesse fishing with jighead minnows seems to dominate every tournament, sometimes it pays to go against the grain and throw giant baits. Major League Fishing is taking this approach right now as bass are wrapping up the spawn. He says going the opposite of finesse can get bites when you need to show the bass something different.
Jumbo Crankbaits
A shallow crankbait like a squarebill is a known commodity during the spring and early summer, and Lee likes to use them but prefers oversized baits. He noted that the trend is there for magnum deep divers, but they are still underutilized in shallower water. This is the time of year when he reaches for the Deps Evoke 3.0 and 4.0 squarebill crankbaits.
"We've seen it with huge deep-diving baits like the Stike King 10XD, but I think the next big thing will be huge shallower-diving crankbaits," he said. "I've seen glimpses of it in big tournaments, but it's still pretty rare, and everyone still throws the same 1.5-size baits most of the time. The fish are used to that size bait because everyone has them and has been fishing them for so long."
The 3.0 is a big one-ounce bait, and the 4.0 size weighs nearly two ounces. "The 3.0 will get down to that 10-foot range and you're looking at 13-feet diving depth with the 4.0," said Lee. "During the late spring and early summer months, you have people right on the bank, and then you have a bunch of guys out deep idling and looking for the deep crank bite or looking at their forward-facing sonar, and a lot of the mid-depth zone get ignored. It just doesn't get as much pressure and these baits work perfectly in that depth range."
They have a standard squarebill action but in a much bigger package, which Lee is a fan of. "You don't have to downsize to get bites when the fish are pressured; think of how a huge glide bait works when the fish have seen everything. It's about showing them something different," he added. "The Evoke baits also have very thin plastic, and most of the inside is air, so they are also very buoyant, almost like a balsa bait. It comes through everything you reel it through."
With the bigger bait size, Lee ups his gear sizes. "I like it on a heavier rod like you would throw a ChatterBait on," he said. Something like a 7-foot, 4-inch medium heavy glass crankbait rod, medium-speed reel, and 15- or 17-pound fluorocarbon. You want your gear to be beefier than your standard cranking setup."
Oversized Topwaters
One of Lee's favorite post-spawn bites is with topwaters, and he's a big fan of plopping-style baits because you can cover so much water. There are several on the market, but the Deps Evoke Zero is his favorite because of the unique sound it produces.
"The post-spawn and the fall are the best times to get on a plopping bait style," he said. "Every bait out there has a little different sound, and guys notice that one will get bit over the other depending on the day. What makes the Evoke Zero different is that it has a very loud metal blade, and it's adjustable, so you can change it to get different sounds."
Lee likes to fish the Evoke Zero in both sizes on a 7-4 or 7-6 heavy rod with medium speed reel and 20 or 25-pound fluorocarbon. "They are heavy baits and you need some heavy gear to throw them effectively," he said. "I'll fish them on braided line around grass, but heavy fluorocarbon is usually just fine. The bait throws a mile, and one thing I like about it is the built-in swivel, so the bait doesn't roll and starts plopping the second you start reeling it."
Generally, Lee is looking for flatter areas when fishing both the Evoke Zero and the magnum squarebills." I look at the map and try to find spawning areas and keep in mind that the fish are not going to be very far from that when they get done spawning," he said. "There will still be fish up there guarding fry or eating bluegill, and these are some of the best places to look. Every lake is a little different in how it lays out and how flat it is, but the flattest areas you can find are usually the best places to start."
Instead of downsizing and going finesse when things get tough, Matt Lee belives that sometimes it pays to go the opposite direction and throw bigger baits. It's an approach that works well during the post-spawn and into the summer months after the bass have seen plenty of baits all spring.
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