John's Journal...


Specific Buzzing Tactics for Successful Bass Fishing with Bassmaster Classic Champion Rick Clunn

Day 2: Fishing the Torque of Buzzbaits and Buzzing Fallen Trees for Bass with Rick Clunn

Editor’s Note: According to Rick Clunn of Ava, Missouri, four-time Bassmaster Classic Champion, “The big 1/4-ounce buzzbait will attract better quality bass than many other lures. I believe the bigger the bait and the more the racket it makes, the larger a bass must be to eat it. Big bass require larger bait fish for a meal than smaller fish do. And, when that buzzbait comes walking across the water, running into structure and acting dazed, a big bass is more likely to inhale it than a small bass will. However, I really don’t care why a lunker largemouth seems to prefer a buzzbait more than small bass do. I just know from experience that it does.”

Click for Larger ViewClick for Larger ViewMost buzzbaits you take out of the package won’t run straight. They will torque either to the right or the left. Many anglers bend the shafts on the buzzbaits to try and make them run straight, but I think this practice is a mistake. I want my baits to torque one way or the other, because then I’m able to fish areas to which I normally may have a hard time casting. If my bait torques to the left, I can throw close into a bank with an overhanging tree. As the bait torques left and comes to the boat, it will run right under the tree and come through a place where I usually can’t throw my bait. The same thing happens with a boat dock. I can throw the bait next to pilings. As the lure comes to the boat, it will torque under the dock, hit a piling and then come out from under the pier. A bait that torques is far superior to a straight-running bait, once you learn how to adjust your cast to fish it. If a bait does run straight, I try to adjust the bait to put the torquing capabilities into it.

Buzzing a Fallen Tree:

When I approach a tree in the water, I mentally begin to dissect the tree before I ever cast to it. The tree is made up of several different structures. There is the heavy stump that is closest to the bank along with the big limbs and small limbs. Then there are big limbs in deep water, big limbs in shallow water, little limbs in shallow water, little limbs in deep water, the upstream side of the tree, the downstream side of the tree and the heart or the center of the tree. These are called “patterns within a pattern.”

Click for Larger ViewClick for Larger ViewYou may determine that bass are in treetops, but to really catch bass in treetops, you have got to know where in the treetops the bass are. Dissect the tree, and fish each part of the top separately. Once you get a strike or catch a bass in a particular spot of that tree, then more than likely you will continue to find bass in other trees in that particular place. Make mental notes as to which area of the tree is most productive. By knowing which pattern within the pattern gets the most strikes, you can fish more treetops with better results by angling primarily in your target zone first. Again, remember to try and allow your buzzbait to hit a limb, a stump or a large branch as you come through the tree. That collision between the bait and the structure sends the vibrations throughout the entire tree that lets the bass know prey is available. I believe that hitting structure actually calls bass to the bait.

To learn more about bass fishing, get John E. Phillips’ Kindle eBooks, “How to Bass Fish Like a Pro,” “How to Win a Bass Tournament” and “Catch the Most and Biggest Bass in Any Lake: 18 Pro Fishermen’s Best Tactics, “Hot Weather Bass Tactics” and “How to Become A Tournament Bass Fisherman” or go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the names of the books, and download them to your Kindle and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.

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About the Author

John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.

Tomorrow: Buzzing Boat Docks for Bass with Bassmaster Classic Champion Rick Clunn


Check back each day this week for more about Specific Buzzing Tactics for Successful Bass Fishing with Bassmaster Classic Champion Rick Clunn"

Day 1: Bassmaster Classic Champion Rick Clunn on Buzzing for Bass Early in the Year
Day 2: Fishing the Torque of Buzzbaits and Buzzing Fallen Trees for Bass with Rick Clunn
Day 3: Buzzing Boat Docks for Bass with Bassmaster Classic Champion with Rick Clunn
Day 4: Buzzbaits Make a Racket in the Grass and on the Rocks That Calls Bass with Rick Clunn
Day 5: Catching Lunker Bass in the Timber with Buzzbaits with Bassmaster Classic Champion Rick Clunn

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Entry 771, Day 2