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By Pete Rosko
It was the first week in March, in the Florida Panhandle, when I was invited to bank fish for largemouth bass. I was advised by my guides that the very best lure was a six-inch plastic worm for this shallow lake, which had a maximum depth of just four feet. I loved fishing plastic worms in my younger days.
However, these younger days are long gone — and I fish much differently now. My three fishing partners all fished plastic worms and I went with my trusty Sonic BaitFish (SBF) 1/10 oz. When the day came to an end, the SBF caught more fish than all of the plastics. I stopped counting after forty bass, ranging in size between 2- and 4-pounds, plus one almost two-pound bream (bluegill).
There are several distinct advantages to casting a Sonic BaitFish as opposed to a plastic worm. The SBF covers more water for one, but there’s also no swallowed hooks and a greater variety of fish are capable of being caught. Despite its small size, the 1/10 oz. version of the SBF can catch large fish because of its flash and vibration.
These are my time-proven tips to dramatically increase your catch rate when casting a Sonic BaitFish in shallow water from the shoreline, in a boat or to fish near surface in deep water. Once the angler becomes proficient with this shallow water casting technique, no other technique will be so consistently effective, especially in calm, clean water for a great variety of fresh and saltwater species.
The Three-Sequence Casting Technique with the Sonic BaitFish is most effective with casting with the snap attached to the nose of the SBF.
A Sonic BaitFish 1/10 oz. Silver/Blue is a very effective lure for this shallow water technique during bright days as light flashes off its shiny body. Switch to Chartreuse/Glow White on darker days.
Larger Sonic BaitFish are used for longer casts to active near-surface fish over deeper water.
Never attach heavy line, or heavy leader, directly to the SBF. This will reduce the lure’s action. Use the wide-bend duo-lock snap, which comes packaged with the SBF, or use a loop knot instead.
When windy, always try to cast downwind to eliminate a bow in your line for better feel and control of your lure. Strong winds make finesse fishing with small lures very difficult. Calm winds work best to product good results.
As always, thank you for being a subscriber to the Mack Attack Magazine. I hope some of these Sonic BaitFish tips lead to more productive and enjoyable trips when fishing shoreline water.
— Capt. Pete Rosko