Tips & Techniques
Big Bass Combo: Vibrating Jigs & Live Magic Shads |
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December, 2009
By Tom Redington
Chatterbaits were the fad in bass fishing a few years ago and anglers
across the country desperately scrambled to get them, paying ungodly sums
for them on eBay. After a bit, most anglers moved on to the next hot lure
and the vibrating lure category started fading back to obscurity. In
recent years though, Texas anglers have discovered that vibrating jigs
with Live Magic Shad trailers are remarkable lures for numbers of big
bass. Jeremy Guidry used this combo to win the Falcon Stren Series tourney
with over 110 lbs in 2008. In 2009, Mark Pack used this same combo to
whack the biggest sack of day 2 at the FLW Tour event at
Guntersville—almost 26 lbs. As news of this hot lure continues to spread
across the country, now is the time for you to get in on one of the
hottest big bass baits going.
There are a variety of vibrating jigs on the market. The best one I’ve
found so far is the Phenix Vibrator Jig. It has a long hook that is very
sharp, along with a durable stainless steel blade that has just the right
shape for great action. I normally go with the blue shad color when the
water is clear, while chartreuse and white is better in stained or muddy
water. As for the size, I use 3/8 oz when I’m fishing over shallow grass
or flooded cover, switching to ½ oz for deeper grassbeds. If I’m trying to
fish deeper than about 6’, I’ll go up to the ¾ oz size.
Depending on the situation, I use a 3.5” or a 4.5” Live Magic Shad as the
trailer. Thread it on like you would a grub as a spinnerbait trailer, then
use a drop of super glue to hold the trailer in place. When fishing is
tough, in clear water, or if bass are feeding on small shad, the 3.5” Live
Magic Shad works best. For bigger bass or aggressive fish, the 4.5” size
works better. On trophy lakes like Fork or Falcon, I’ll even upgrade to
the 5.5” Live Magic Shad for a true lunker. As for colors, I keep it
pretty simple. In clearer water and when bass are eating shad, the Magic
Shad, Albino Shad and Blue Herring colors work great. In muddy water and
when bass are eating bluegills, Fire Perch, Chartreuse/Pearl and Bar Fish
often work better.
Throw the vibrating jig/Live Magic Shad combo on a medium heavy or heavy
power rod with a 6:1 or 7:1 reel. I use the Dobyns Rods 734C because this
strong, lightweight 7’3” stick will cover a lot of water and controls big
fish, yet is well balanced so I can fish it all day. Any time I’m fishing
around flooded or submerged grass, I use 30 to 50 lb braid with a 4’
leader of 20 or 25 lb FluoroHybrid Pro line. The braid allows me to
cleanly rip the bait from the grass, while the leader keeps it low vis to
the fish. If I’m fishing in open water, 14 to 20 lb FluoroHybrid Pro’s low
memory allows me launch the bait a mile, while its low stretch allows for
good hook sets at long distances.
Once you have the bait rigged, I fish it very similar to a spinnerbait.
Cast it out and reel it in, trying to run it into or through any available
cover. Once you make contact with grass, stumps, or a dock, let it flutter
for a split second and then continue your retrieve. In deeper water or for
suspended fish, simply count down a ¾ oz lure and you can fish it at any
depth you’d like. The vibrating jigs hang up in wood cover more than a
spinner, but they pop off snags very easily. They really shine in grass,
coming through more easily than rattle baits or crankbaits if you fish
them on braided line. Basically, anywhere that you’d fish a spinnerbait,
rattle bait, or a crankbait, this combo will produce big bass.
If you like catching big bass and lots of them, I’d highly recommend the
vibrating jig/Live Magic Shad combo. Best of all, most of your buddies
still aren’t throwing it, so get it while it’s hot. If I can be of
assistance, please contact me at 214-683-9572 or e-mail me through my
website,
www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com.
Tom Redington is a full time bass guide on Lake Fork & a FLW Tour pro.
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