Spider Grubs-A Bait For All Seasons
Steven Vonbrandt
Delaware and Maryland Ponds, Lakes, and Rivers are receiving more
and more pressure as each year goes by, not just from weekend
anglers, but tournament fishing as well. If you apply some new
tactics with these spider grubs, you can be more productive in
your recreational and tournament fishing alike.
Surprisingly, this deadly soft plastic bait is not a staple in
everyone's tackle box, but in many other states, it is a long
time favorite lure when the going gets tough. Several companies
make spider grubs, but I prefer the ones made by "Gary Yamamoto
Custom Baits" the best. The grubs come in a variety of colors and
sizes, from two to five inches long. They are absolutely deadly
on spring largemouth and smallmouth bass alike. Most anglers like
to use them on jig heads, and this is an extremely effective
method, but I also like to rig them Texas style. The grub
resembles a darting crawfish depending on how you fish it. It is
the most effective in clear water, but also produces bass in
stained and muddy water. The lure is compact like a jig and pig,
as versatile as a worm, can be fished vertically or horizontally,
fast or slow. You can pitch it, flip it, swim it, hop it, or drag
it on the bottom. Here are some of the ways I like to fish it in
Delaware and Maryland waters, and elsewhere throughout the
country, that really produce bass.
Search Tool
When searching for bass, you want to try to cover the water
quickly. The spider grub is a great search tool when you're
looking for bass that are feeding on crawfish around scattered
weeds and rocks on shallow flats like the Susquehanna, or similar
shallow areas. You can fish it faster than a jig, cover the water
quickly, and trigger more reaction strikes, The earth tone colors
are easy to match with the forage and blend in well with the
surroundings. This is critical in clear water, when the bass rely
more on sight. Sometimes I like to fish it fast, with an erratic,
jerkbait type motion. The lure is always moving, but on or near
the bottom.
When I fish the open flats with scattered grass, I rig it on a
light jighead, or if the cover is thicker, I rig it Texas style.
I found that I land more fish If the hook is exposed, and if it
becomes hooked on weeds occasionally, I jerk it free, sometimes
causing a reaction strike. I like to use 1/8 ounce or 1/4 ounce
jigheads, depending on the depth of the water, wind, currents, or
how hard it is to keep on the bottom. I also prefer to fish them
on a 6 1/2 to 7 foot spinning rod with a medium action soft tip,
in graphite. Using six to eight pound test P-Line. Sometimes you
can go to ten pound line, depending on the cover. The light line
gives the bait more action, and is less likely to hang up in the
weeds. I have used these successfully on the grass flats in the
Potomac River and on the Susquehanna flats. Working it the right
way takes some practice. You want the lure to scoot along in
short bursts, on or near the bottom, without making excessive
hops. Don't pull it too hard, or you will lose contact with the
bottom. Keep the rod low to the water, and on the side of the
boat so the wind doesn't bow the line and ruin the action of the
bait.
Keep contact with the bait at all times, because many of the
strikes will feel mushy or heavy like it is on grass, but most of
the time when I set the hook, it is a bass. If it is just weeds,
it pulls free and sometimes triggers a strike.
Different Techniques
Swimming the Grub
Sometimes I swim the grub like a jerk bait. Once in a tournament
the bass were ignoring the jerkbait, so I switched to the spider
grub, and fished it erratically over the weeds, stopping it
occasionally. This triggered the strikes that I needed to win.
Fifteen pounds of bass slammed the spider grub while ignoring the
other jerkbaits and crankbaits that were being worked in the same
area.
Dragging the Grub
Sometimes when I am fishing on a long, sandy, gravel point, I use
a stand up jighead and just pull it slowly on the bottom. I work
it very slow, and maintain contact with the bottom all the time.
Also, I Carolina-Rig the bait, and when I feel it hit rocks or
heavy cover, I start shaking the line, and this causes strikes to
occur much of the time. This has been working real well in lakes
in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but I have
used it with success all over the country.
Suspended Fish
Frequently after a cold-front moves through, bass will suspend
over some structure. When this occurs, You can rig it Texas
style, on a very light weight, or with no weight at all, and let
it float down to the bottom. When conditions are tough, this
works wonders at times by keeping the bait in front of the fish
longer. I have even tried drop-shotting this bait with success.
They are more prone to strike the bait with this method, over a
bait that moves quickly by them. When you are searching for fish,
and the going gets tough, this is the bait to try. I like to use
a good spinning rod, such as G.Loomis or St.Croix, and a good
reel like a Shimano or Daiwa. Sensitivity is very important, and
a combination such as this improves your chances of catching them
when they strike. This technique has worked well in clear lakes
all over the Midwest, and in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New
Jersey. I caught a lot of nice bass using these methods at Table
Rock Lake, in Missouri also. Whether it is spring, summer, fall,
or winter, this is a bait for all seasons.
Steve writes for numerous publications and is a professional bass
guide, author, bass fishing tournament anglers, radio host and
video producer, as well as owning and running a very successful
tackle store.
http://www.delawaretackle.com
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