 “HOW
TO FISH WHEN THE WATER IS UP WITH CLIFF CRAFT”
Worming The Timber
EDITOR'S NOTE: This week we’ll look at fishing
high water with all the floods in the Gulf Coast area
due to Hurricane Katrina and the rain dumped along the
Eastern Seaboard by Hurricane Ophelia. Cliff Craft of
Sugar Hill, Georgia, has been one of the country's leading
anglers for a number of years. A professional fishing
guide on Georgia's Lake Lanier as well as a tackle representative,
Craft travels the country teaching fishing seminars
 and
competing in bass fishing tournaments, and enjoys fishing
high water.
Besides the spinner bait, another bait that has been
very productive for me in flooded timber is the plastic
worm. I like a six or seven inch worm with a 1/8-ounce
slip sinker rigged Texas style. This lure is excellent
when you see a crankbait or a spinner bait spooking
bass. Oftentimes when the water comes up, the bass are
moving into a new environment, and I believe they may
be somewhat nervous. The splash of the spinner bait
or the crankbait may frighten more bass than they call.
Even when you run these two lures into cover, they may
spook nervous bass on high water. I try and feed the
fish a bait that will sneak up on them. A plastic worm
can enter the water without making a ripple and move
through the water and the  cover
without making a sound. Oftentimes this slow-moving
lure can ease up beside a bass without spooking it and
cause it to strike.
One of the best ways to get the worm into the water
when you find nervous bass is to throw the worm up on
the bank and slowly drag it into the water. Once I get
the bait in the water, I swim it on top until it comes
over a log or stump. Then I let the worm fall and work
it back to the boat slowly on the bottom. If the water
I'm fishing has a lot of heavy brush or grass, I will
peg my lead to the head of the worm. Then the lead can't
slide up and down the line. The worm hangs much less
in thick cover when you peg the lead.
 Another
worm tactic that often produces when the water comes
up quickly is swimming a worm on top. If you have a
lot of rain over a very short time, many critters will
be caught stranded and have to swim. Since the bass
know that, they often will feed on a surface-swimming
plastic worm. I still rig my worm Texas style, but I
use no weight. I swim the worm slowly through the cover
and wait on the bass to blow up on it. The color of
worm you use really doesn't matter. I prefer electric
grape because I have confidence in that color. But I'm
sure another color will work equally well.
TOMORROW: TANTALIZING THE BASS
ON TOP, AND FISHING SLOW-RISING COLD WATER
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