The hardest thing to do will be to narrow this down to only five baits. I fish for Spotted Bass all year long and these are my best five baits to catch these aggressive rascals. These are the ones that I have the most success with and catch the most fish with. If you are fishing for spotted bass anywhere in the country these (depending on the time of year) should catch you more bass.
Number 1 – Zara Spook
This one will probably be a favorite for most of you guys and gals. Like I said above I am only including baits that I have a lot of success with and catch numbers. Spotted bass love and react to topwater. They are very aggressive and will hit a topwater bait over and over sometimes five times before they get it in their mouth.
On my home lake of Lake Lanier, they feed on blueback herring which looks a lot like a Zara Spook. One of my favorite colors to throw is the one pictured called Lake Fork Shad. As long as your bait has some type of chrome on the belly or white you should be good to go. This tactic is very hot during the early summer months and also in the very beginning of fall.
Tips for Top Water
Change the hooks that come with this bait. They are awful and will bend after one or tow fish. If you have read this blog before you know that I am a big fan of the triple grip hooks. Just look at the size of the hooks on your bait and match them up accordingly.
Walk the dog with this bait. Small twitches with the rod tip as you are steadily reeling will get this bait to walk side to side. This is key when using this bait to get your strikes. Speaking of strikes…when you do get a bite or blow up do not yank or set the hook. You will pull the bait away from them. Just keep twitching until they have the bait. Spotted bass have a smaller mouth and will miss this bait a lot before they get hooked up.
Use braid connected to a monofilament leader. You want to use a line that floats. Braid floats but on clear lakes, you are going to get a lot more bites when you tie on a clear Monofilament leader. I prefer to use the Clear Trilene in the 10lb test. I use a double uni knot to connect the two.
What to Target
If you know where the offshore brush piles are then that will be your best bet. If not look for long points and stay out deep and work your way in closer. You can also target humps as well. Remember during these times of the year 90% of the fish are not on the banks. They are out in the middle of the lake, So have good electronics and maps are a key to your topwater fishing success.
Number 2 – Sebile Swim Bait
This bait you are going to use at the same time as you are using topwater. Spotted bass sometimes don’t want to come out of the water for the topwater. Or if it is super windy the topwater will not be a viable option. You will have to change to something that is subsurface for spotted bass to get them to eat it. The Sebile Magic Swimmer Swimbait is an awesome lure. If you see the swimming action in the water, then it is no secret why this thing gets hammered by big spotted bass.
How to Use the Swimbait
So first and foremost you want to throw this with Fluorocarbon line. You can use braid and tie on a leader or use 100% fluorocarbon. I do feel that I can cast a little further when I have braid on with a leader. You want this bait to sink. I love the Trilene Fluorocarbon and I use 10-12lb test usually.
I love to throw this as a follow-up bait. So let’s say the bass are crushing the topwater but the bite has slowed a little. Fire in your swimbait and you will, sure enough, get hammered again. Sometimes they just get used to something and want something beneath the surface. Or it may not be a great day for topwater. So just fish the same areas with the swimbait. On overcast days I prefer white and on sunny days it seems like they like chrome. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with the white one pictured above.
Number 3 – Hula Grub
This was a hard one!! You guys are in luck because I am going to divulge some top secret stuff here. First of all the hula grub, is a perfect bait to fish all year long. I do not fish it as much during the summer because I am chasing that topwater bite. This is a great bottom bumping bait, dock bait, ditch bait, or something to fish around rock piles. I like to throw this on spinning equipment. I use braid with a fluorocarbon leader. The most important thing is the jig head that I throw it on.
SpotSticker Baits
If you fish for spotted bass especially this bait company has everything you need. I am not an affiliate for them but I love their products. The SpotSticker baits Crawler Head is the perfect pairing for this Hula Grub. I usually buy the green color to match the green pumpkin baits I use.
Cast it out at your target and let it sink to the bottom on a slack line and drag it on the bottom. KISS Keep it Simple for Success!!
Number 4 – Spinner Baits
So we are going to stay with spot sticker baits for a moment. They make a spinnerbait called the Mini-Me. This thing will cast a mile. It is honestly one of the best casting spinnerbaits you will ever throw. The times I like to use this for spotted bass is during the pre-spawn phase and the spawn. I love to get in the back of pockets during this time of year and cast in the grass. Or just fish the rocky banks that lead back to spawning areas.
You can use Monofilament (clear) or Fluorocarbon for these bass. If they are a little deeper than use Fluorocarbon. Use this on a bait caster with a medium action rod. It is good to let them load up before you set the hook.
Number 5 – Drop Shot
Ok, so the drop shot is almost something that I did not want to mention. If you told me that I had to go fishing tomorrow but the only thing they were going to bite was a drop shot rig then I would just stay home. However, spotted bass can be caught in 60 feet of water in the summer and winter. So video game fishing with a drop shot dropped vertically is an excellent way to catch bass.
How to Rig and Work It!!
So I like to rig mine on 100% Trilene Fluorocarbon 8lb test. I tie a palomar knot with an extra long tag end and feed it back through the eye of the hook.
I also like to have a clip on weight at the bottom of the tag end. In the summer I love to nose hook the morning dawn worm pictured here (if you want to buy then click on the picture) and I drop into the fish or the brush pile and just wiggle it ever so slightly.
The key with this is to barely move the worm. It should almost be as if you are shivering with your rod in your hand. When you feel the tap and some weight on the line just pull up. Make sure your drag is loose and you have light line and finesse the fish back to the boat. With spotted bass, I am not casting this bait out. I am simply pulling over the fish or structure and dropping right in front of their face.
If I drop right in front of the fish and do not get a bite I usually downsize to something smaller. I also know fishing may be a little tough that day. Spotted bass are aggressive and are just generally easier to catch. If you put something right infant of them and they do not eat it then it may be a tough day of fishing for you.
Honorable Mention
The jerk bait is another good one. I just feel that this bite doesn’t last quite as long. I do catch a lot of fish on it (and some big ones) but just not as many as the other ones listed. I think everyone knows how to use these. No need to explain!!
Alright, guys here is my list!! Comment below if you think I missed one. Or let me know what your favorite is?? Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Tight Lines!!
