My first introduction to lipless crankbaits, was when I won twenty of them in a raffle on Lake Cayuga in upstate New York.
The following week, I tried in vain to catch fish with this noisy, skinny looking object. What I did catch was wood, weeds and rocks.
Full contact fishing you ask? Could this be a new form of “extreme fishing requiring pads and a crash helmet? In a word, no. However, for many it may be a style of fishing that is very unfamiliar, and in some cases may even seem foolish. The basis of full contact fishing lies in the fact that instead of fishing in and around cover and structure…you fish on it.
One of the biggest lures of bass fishing is the competitive nature of the sport. At any level, it's competing against the fish on an afternoon out, your buddy on a Saturday morning or in the structured setting of a professional tournament, it is competition in a pure form. This fact causes us to occasionally encounter the malady that every competitor, in every sport has to face "The Slump."
Over the years I have read a lot about where to fish and what to use, there are many talented Bass anglers that can give advice about a multitude of subjects. We all owe thanks to fellow anglers, magazines, television shows and various instructional videos.
Time and time again, I have watched fishermen approach the bank moving from one piece of cover to the next. They rarely attempt a cast into the middle or even approach a prime piece of cover, perhaps making a few casts around the outside edge, and occasionally take a fish. They never even make one cast into the very back of the cover.
I'm pretty much willing to bet that nearly every angler reading this article, at one point or another, has heard the cliché "Bigger baits catch bigger fish". But does this hold true in every situation? As a Long Island angler, I seriously doubt it! Time to face facts, bigger isn't always better. So with that in mind, we ask ourselves, what are we left with?
When I saw my first spinnerbait, I found myself asking, "what kind of fish would be stupid enough to strike at a lure like this?" It did not take too long for me to find out! The next day I caught a largemouth bass around 2 pounds and was hooked on the concept. Spinnerbaits come in many forms.
