 FISHING
WITH PROFESSIONAL BASS FISHERMAN TODD ARY
Highland Reservoirs
EDITOR’S NOTE: Todd Ary of Moody, Alabama, a
professional bass fisherman, fishes all the FLW and
Everstart tournaments. This week, Ary talks about what
types of lakes he fishes and the tactics he uses to
catch bass in the fall.
QUESTION: When fishing highland reservoirs in the fall,
what tactic do you prefer?
 ARY:
If you’re going to fish a highland reservoir for
a couple of days, locate your prime areas where shad
are located, and then go back to those prime areas at
first light. You’ll notice as you get to the areas,
that you won’t see tight, balled-up schools of
shad, instead they will appear to be more scattered.
Since the bass are roaming to find bait, I use surface
baits to call the bass from their deep-water holes.
However, instead of using traditional top-water lures,
I prefer to fish with a double Strike King Zulu rig.
QUESTION: What is a double Zulu rig?
ARY: I start with 12-pound-test Mossy Oak Fishing Line.
I put on a barrel swivel, but I don’t tie it.
At the end of the line, I tie on a second barrel swivel
and 3 feet of leader. Next, I put a hook on the end
of the leader and take 10 to 12 inches of 12-pound-test
line and tie the leader to the open eye of the swivel.
This way, I have one swivel moving freely up and down
the line. Then, I tie on a second hook, allowing me
to cast two baits at one time without  either
bait getting tangled on the swivel. If the upper fluke
happens to get tangled in the bottom leader, the swivel
that’s further up the line will allow the fluke
to unwrap. Two regular barrel swivels will work on this
rig. However, I prefer a power swivel, which is shorter
and more compact and contain larger rings at either
end. Even though these swivels are a bit more expensive
than a basic barrel swivel, I think they do a much better
job of keeping your lines from getting tangled.
One of the advantages of fishing this rig is that you
have more versatility. The key to this technique is
the Strike King 3X Zulu, which is a buoyant plastic
lure that rides high in the water. You can fish it with
two Zulus; both Zulus will swim high in the water, give
you that walk-the-dog type of action, and appear to
be a school of baitfish on the surface, all actions
that definitely will attract the bass. You can also
put a Zulu on the top hook and a Strike King Z2 on the
bottom hook, which will cause the two Zulus to crisscross
each other. If you want to fish a bit deeper in the
water, put two Z2s on this rig. You will see that by
switching the style of the Zulu, you  can
also change the type of action that this double Zulu
rig produces. If I can’t get the bass to bite
the double Zulu rig, I’ll put a Z2 on the bottom
hook and leave the Zulu on the top hook. The next thing
I do is put the Z2 on the top hook and the Zulu on the
bottom hook. If that doesn’t work, I put Z2s on
both hooks and walk the baits faster. Another advantage
to the Z2 rig is that you can use the same color or
two different colors at one time. The Z2 rig is one
of the most-versatile rigs I know of for fishing near
the surface of the water. This rig helps to pull bass
up to the surface early in the morning while fishing
schooling shad in the fall of the year.
To learn more, visit www.strikeking.com
and www.mossyoakfishing.com.
TOMORROW: MORE CLEAR-WATER
TACTICS
|
