inside Bailey’s Brain
by JoDy oNly
Story & Photos
catchin’ bass with one of the big bait posse
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ou know the story, big swimbaits, bigger bass and the biggest bass catchin’ action ever caught on film - Mike iaconelli, Matt newman, Justin Kerr, dave Holoubek and the Bailey’s - it was the Big Bait Posse. it’s been a couple of years since the video caught swimbaiter’s attention, but the Posse is still chuckin’ their giant baits and reelin’ in giant bass. at this stage, the guys can be found on different fisheries with iaconelli on the east Coast, newman in the southern part of the Golden State, Kerr in the South West, even the Bailey’s -Shaun and Paul now find home water in separate states, but their big bass battles live on, regardless of their locale. WesternBass dropped in for a day on the water with the younger Bailey - Paul, who now makes his home on one of the West’s biggest bass fisher- ies - Clear lake. Free to see the swimbait specialist’s secrets in action and ask any questions that came to mind, Bailey gave us a look into his bass catchin’ brain.
For him it was a bass hunt, for WesternBass a quest for bass knowledge. Here’s how the q&a panned out.
WB: Let’s start with what have you got tied on, right now. BAILEY: i’ve got a d&M chatterbait, a frog, a tsu- naga (by SwimBaits inc.) and a Punker. everything i’m throwin’ is reaction, i’ve got no finesse baits tied on at this time of year and that pretty much will be the case throughout the fall and into the winter.
WB: Since, you’re starting with the chatterbait, tell me everything - what are you going to target, what are you throwin’ it on, what do you do to make it different. BAILEY: it’s fall right now - we’ve had some cooling, the days are still warm, the nights can drop off into the 40’s though, but it still not winter weather, so i’m going to hit the shade pockets. You get a bite in every shade pocket, whether it’s a four a six or a two, you’re going to get a bite in every shade pocket right now - the two pounders miss it a bunch, but they bite. Shade pockets and wooden
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