Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3712 May 25- June 8 | Page 24

24 May 25 - June 8 , 2018 VOL . 37 • ISS . 12

Lizards Baits : Secret Weapons For Big Bass !

Before swimbaits , before computer

designed crankbaits and before high tinsel alloy spinnerbaits bass anglers were

using lizards to tempt big fish . A good number of today ’ s young bass addicts have never had a lizard attached to one of their rods , despite the fact that lizards are just as effective now as they were when they first hit the market decades ago .

As near as I can tell the history of the plastic lizard is sketchy . I haven ’ t been able to find out who first came up with the concept , but that isn ’ t really important . I don ’ t know who invented the Band Aid either , but that ’ s what I go looking for when I cut my finger .

The thing to remember about lizards is that they catch bass in a variety of situations and they often do so when the bass are reluctant to hit other offerings .

Spring is the classic time to reach for a lizard . Since spring is looming right around the corner , let ’ s look at spring applications for these fantastic four legged creature baits .

Now there are a lot of theories about why bass , particularly spring bass hit lizards . The most popular assertion is that bass hate lizards or salamanders because salamanders love to eat bass eggs , thus representing a big threat to spawning fish . I ’ m not so sure .

This belief probably came about when someone dragged a lizard into the bed of a spawning bass and the bass inhaled it . Truth be told in the right situation , you could drag a stick of Juicy Fruit gum impaled on a hook into to a spawner ’ s bed and the bass would hit that too . Not exactly compelling testimony that bass have an instinctive hatred of Juicy Fruit .

I suspect that the appeal of lizards is multifaceted . First they are bulky baits that displace a lot of water . Since they have four wiggly legs plus a wiggly tail they are a bait that creates a lot of movement and vibration , yet is capable of staying the strike zone for an extended period of time .

Think about it , early in the spring , during the prespawn period bass are often

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lethargic due to temperature and weather change , yet they are looking for big meals as they pack on weight for the spawn . A lizard certainly fits the bill of a belly filler that doesn ’ t look particularly hard to catch .

When it comes to bedded fish the same attributes come into play . The bass , while not lethargic are relatively immobile . Here comes this hefty spastic looking water disturbing bait that hangs around and hangs around and the next thing you know , it ’ s fish on !

When the post spawn period rolls around , the bass pull off the beds , move deeper and spread out on structure . These fish need to feed , but are often not inclined to chase . Once again a lizard represents a large easy to capture meal , but in this situation you can fish it faster than you would a conventional worms . This allows you to cover water efficiently , since the bass are spread out you want a bait you can fish fairly fast , but you aren ’ t presenting them with an offering like a crankbait that they would have to expend a lot of energy to capture .

Lizards come in a plethora of sizes and colors , but let ’ s cut to the chase and talk about the models that are most effective . You ’ ll want a SMALL selection of 4 and 6 inch baits . Natural greenish and brownish colors are a must . For situations where the water is clear , toss in a few in a smoke / flake color . My favorite for clear water is a clearish smoke color with blue flakes . For situations when the water is stained , have a bottled of chartreuse bait dye on hand for dying the rear quarter of your lizards .

Being in the same family as the plastic worm , lizards can be rigged in more ways than we could cover in a half dozen articles . In fact , how ever you typically rig your 6 inch plastic worms , is the same way you ’ ll likely want to rig your lizards … generally speaking .

I use two basic approaches . If the water I ’ m fishing is shallow , say 10 feet deep or less , I rig my lizards Texas style on a split shot rig . When working deeper I go with a traditional Carolina rig . When the bass are bedded , I ’ m generally throwing the split shot rig , while during the pre and post spawn periods the Carolina rig get the nod . If you are a Delta angler , you ’ ll probably be pitching and flipping and Texas rigged lizard with a pegged weight .