Photo: B.A.S.S.
When the water is warm, finesse fishing may be your best chance at success. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Lester has three standby finesse rigs that get him through all situations from shallow to deep.
Dropshotting
No surprise here, the drop shot is one of the first choices for bass anglers finesse fishing in all seasons. “The great thing about a drop shot is that it works really good when the fish are biting and it also works really good when the fish are not biting very well,” Lester began.
He has two setups for summer finesse fishing and will rig his bait differently depending on the structure he is fishing. “For a clean bottom, I’ll nose hook a straight tail worm like a 6” Roboworm on a Size 1 Mustad Double Wide KVD Drop Shot hook,” he said. “If the bottom is more snaggy or if I am fishing it in brush I’ll Texas-rig it on a size 2/0 Mustad Grip Pin Edge Finesse hook.”
When it comes to locations, there is no wrong place to throw a drop shot, but some stand out for Lester. “I fish it mainly on deep brush piles and ledges during the summer,” he said. “Another good choice is fishing vertically for fish you see on your graph.”
He will also modify his leader length often, paying close attention to depth and modifying his length throughout the day. “I watch the fish on my graph closely and if they are right on the bottom, I’ll use a short leader around four-inches long. If they are suspended more, I may go all the way up to about 20-inches,” Lester stated.
Swimbaits
Generally when people think and talk about swimbaits they are referring to giant baits that are not even close to finesse. The finesse swimbaits Brandon Lester uses are the small two to four-inch versions that he fishes on lightweight tackle.
“I use the Keitech 2.8 and 3.3 swimbaits on light jigheads like the Mustad Elite Shad Head,” he stated. “It’s a darter-style head and comes in a bunch of sizes, but for these little swimbaits, I like a 1/8- or 3/16-oz size.” Lester credits the shape of the jighead and lightweight size for giving the baits a natural fall and retrieve through the water column.
Generally, he will use the finesse swimbait for suspended fish he sees on the graph, but says it is also an excellent choice for schooling bass. “I fish it around bridge pilings when I see fish suspended around them,” he continued. “I look at my graphs to see how deep they are and then count my bait down, so I can be right in front of them and if I find a count that is working, I’ll keep it at that depth.”
A standard cast and retrieve works great for these mini-swimbaits. He will change his bait presentation by keeping his rod tip up, if he wants to keep the swimbait moving closer to the surface when bass are schooling near the top.
Wacky-Rig
When fishing shallow water, the wacky-rig is one of Lester’s top performers in the summer. “I like to throw it around docks and any shade I can find up shallow,” he shared. “It also works really well around bluegill beds which you see all the time during the summer.”
Lester uses a standard offering among wacky-riggers, a 5” Yamamoto Senko. He adds an O-Ring to preserve the bait. “The O-Ring helps so much to keep the bait from ripping up,” he said. “I’ll use that and a size 1/0 Mustad Double Wide KVD Drop Shot hook.”
Rod, Reel and Line
For all three techniques, Lester uses the exact same rod and reel. An MHX 6’9” medium-light action rod and size 30 spinning reel is his go-to. “You really need a rod with a medium-light action, because even with finesse fishing, you are likely to hook into a big one,” he added. “With light line you want your rod to have some give for fighting those big bass.”
He fishes the dropshot and wacky-rig on a braid to fluorocarbon setup with 10-lb Vicious braid and 8-lb Vicious Pro Elite Fluorocarbon. He has tried this with the finesse swimbait, but feels like straight fluoro is the way to go.
“With the drop-shot and wacky-rig, you can let them eat it a little before setting the hook, but that’s not how they usually hit the swimbait and they don’t always take it all in right away,” shared Lester. “You want a little delay in setting the hook and the straight fluorocarbon has a little more stretch and seems to hook them better in my experience.”
Finesse fishing can be your best bet for summer success. Having three setups rigged with a drop shot, finesse swimbait and wacky-rig will cover all of your warm water finesse needs.
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