So here is my question to you guys… Has anybody been fishing Norwich harbor for hold-over stripers, and while you’re at it, what is your favorite way to catch the cold water schoolies? My favorite technique for when the stripers are holding the bottom is to throw Arkansas Shiner colored super flukes on white 1/4 ounce jigheads. I will throw the jigs around the pilings of the docks, count to 8 and reel as slow as possible, when the jig stops set the hook, you’ve got a striper!

When the fish are actively feeding on the surface, my bait of choice is a black and purple mambo minnow or bomber long A. Just give it a good zing out there and keep your rod tip up while reeling slowly. Hold on tight, the big boy stripers will really give you a good rip on topwater.

Number 4: Yozuri Banana Boat

I have found that the Yozuri banana boat is one of the best lures to use when fish are active and you are looking to cover alot of water in a little amount of time. The following features and characteristics are what set this bait apart from the rest and make it a must have in any bass angler’s tackle box.

• Castability – The banana boat is very aerodynamic and casts like a bullet. Being able to cast this bait a long way makes it a better choice over a conventional popper or topwater walking bait. Make a nice long cast parallel to structure and start working the bait back and forth and the fish won’t be able to resist striking.
• Unique Action – Like most other floating topwater baits, the banana boat is fished with a “walk the dog” presentation, however the action produced while “walking” the banana boat is very unique and that is what will trigger more hard hitting strikes over a conventional topwater bait.
• Fast Retrieve – Since a banana boat is best used when fishing for active fish feeding on the surface, a fast retrieve becomes a plus for this bait since you can cover alot of water very quickly.  This is helpful in finding fish, as well developing a pattern for the rest of the day.
• Treble Hooks – With 6 treble hooks on a small bait like the banana boat, you will notice a good ratio of strikes to hookups versus a bait that only has a single hook or 3 treble hooks.  The design of the bait also allows for the bait to sit upright in the water in between twitches, which increases the chances of hooking up.

Now that we have seen the positives of this bait, I would like to touch on some of the negatives that come along with the banana boat, and most topwater baits in general.

The first negative is the amount of work expended walking this bait. A constant twitch retrieve is required for maximum action on this bait, and a few hours of this can really be a workout… The good news is that you don’t notice how much your arms hurt when you get a bunch of explosive strikes.

The second negative is that many times after a cast or during the retrieve your line will get caught on the front treble hook, or even on both sets of hooks, which costs valuable time in the strike zone.  Although this happens with the banana boat, it tends to happen more so with other similar topwater baits, and mostly with poppers in my experience.

The third negative has to do seasonality. This bait only produces fish when the conditions are right.  The bass must be actively feeding and willing to chase a bait.  This limits how many fish you can catch on a banana boat, and is ultimately why this bait is near the end of our top 5 list.

The baits come in 7 different colors, including: Blue/Silver, Clown, Gold/Black, Trout, Tennessee Shad, Black/Redhead, Red Head. My personal favorite is the Tennessee Shad.

So the next time the fish are chasing bait, try the Yozuri Banana Boat, you won’t be disappointed!

Up Next is the Wiggle Wart Crankbait Coming Soon

Previous Segments:

Number 1: The Senko

Number 2: The Spinnerbait

Number 3: The Spider Grub

After minimal success we decided to try the docks on the west side of the lake since we hadn’t fished them in quite some time, and it turned out to be a good move. We landed another 10 fish on senkos from under the docks… The fishing wasn’t easy though since the fish were suspended way under the docks and pontoons boats requiring an accurately skipped bait under the docks. The recent rain made this even more difficult since the water levels were up a foot or so from last week.

Most fish that we landed were decent quality in the 2+ lb range and one monster topping out at around 6lbs.

Here’s a few shots of this chunky hog.

That is one fat bass… Especially for the end of summer!

Hopefully this pattern will hold up until the next time I have a few hours to spend on the lake. It has been cold at night lately so I would imagine the fish won’t stay on the docks for too long. If you are fishing this weekend, give the docks a try and you might very well land yourself a trophy! In case you were wondering, this fish was released unharmed to fight another day.

Keep an eye out for more knot videos here on IFishCT.com in the near future…

I threw everything I had in my bag including senkos (wacky rigged and texas rigged), spinnerbaits, topwater, and jigs, but for 2.5 hours of fishing we only landed 5 fish, of which only 1 was a “keeper”.  Total tally was 1 on a wacky rigged senko, 1 on a texas rigged senko, and 3 on a spinnerbait retrieved quickly across the surface. All fish were largemouth bass.

Overall we had fun even though the fish didn’t cooperate, and Sally enjoyed barking at everyone on the lake!

Number 3: The Spider Grub

I have ranked the spider grub number 3 in the list because of its extraordinary fish catching ability, ease of use and broad range of fishing techniques available. The following characteristics are what make the spider grub a great tool to help you land more bass on a consistent basis.

• Castability – The spider grub is a jig based lure meant to be fished along the bottom and is therefore heavier than most artificial baits. The heavier a bait is, the farther you can cast it, allowing you to be far enough from your target structure so you don’t spook the typically skittish cold water bass.
• Versatility – A spider jig can be fished a number of different ways. The most common is a jig and stop retrieve in which you cast towards the structure you want to fish (rocks, submerged stumps, knocked down trees, etc) and let the bait fall to the bottom. Once on the bottom, reel the slack out of your line, and wait a few seconds. Most of the strikes come on the initial drop so be ready to set the hook. If you don’t get a hit on the initial drop give the lure a jig by giving an easy controlled jerk of the rod upward, and reel in the slack, wait a few seconds and repeat. Don’t waste time jigging all the way back to the boat, if a fish doesn’t hit within 10 feet of your target structure, you likely wont get one on that cast, so reel in and recast. Another common retireve is a “swimming” retrieve, in which you keep a steady slow retrieve, keeping the bait swimming horizontal along the bottom. This is most effective when fish are more active, mostly the end of spring and beginning of fall. I have personally found the swim method to produce less fish and most fish I do catch seem to be from drop offs where the horizontal motion becomes vertical. If you had to choose a technique stay with the vertical jigging, it will produce more fish.
• Ease of use – The spider jig is easy to use; simply cast it out, reel in the slack, and give it a jig. The difficult part for beginners is the hookset. My advice is to not react too quickly when throwing a spider jig. Typically a fish will grab the bait and hold onto it, allowing you enough time to reel in your slack and get a solid hookset. With no slack in the line (especially when using braided line), your hook to bite ratio will go up substantially.
• Variety – With more manufacturers jumping on the spider grub band wagon, there is are is an abundent assortment of styles, colors, shapes, and sizes to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cabin Creek Salty Spider Jig

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Chompers Hula Grub (smells like garlic)

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Yamamoto Double Tail Hula Grub

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The Cabin creek salty spider jig is great if you want the jighead included, but they get expensive since bass tear them apart, but they also sell just the “spider jig parts” at online retailers. The other two listed above perform equally well if you use a 1/4 to 3/8 ounce jighead, and are a better value as you get more baits per dollar. If you could only buy 2 colors I would get a black with blue fleck, and a pumpkinseed color. Those two colors will cover 90% of your fishing environments well.

I would have ranked the spider grub higher in the list if it wasn’t for the fact that it is a “seasonal” bait, having most if not all of it’s success in the colder months of the fishing season (here in the Northeast those months are March-May and October-December), when the fish are tight to the bottom and are feeding only if presented with an easy meal. So what are you waiting for, get out and buy some spider grubs for this Fall!

Up Next is the Yozuri Banana Boat CLICK HERE to keep reading…

Previous Segments:

Number 1: The Senko

Number 2: The Spinnerbait