 FISHING
WITH PROFESSIONAL BASS FISHERMAN TODD ARY
More Clear-Water Tactics
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: What’s another deep, clear-lake tactic
you use at this time of year?
ARY: Late in the afternoon the balls of shad will disperse
into deep water, which causes the bass to follow them.
Many times, you can see small patches of baitfish with
large arches around them on your depth finder. Most
people disregard this kind of show on their depth finders
because they believe the large arches are either saltwater
stripers or hybrid striped bass, especially when they
see this mark in 25 to 30 feet of water, the depth where
you usually find the stripers. Yet, those arches are
not stripers at all. I start off by  using
6-pound-test Mossy Oak Fishing’s Buck Brush Line.
This line has a thick shell around it, allowing for
a bit more memory, and also is more abrasion-resistant.
By using a line that’s smaller in diameter, I
can still get a fast fall, even with a line that may
coil. I use this line on a spinning reel. I tie on either
a No. 1 or a No. 2 red mosquito hook. Many people use
the smaller size of this hook for dropshotting. Next,
I put the hook into a Strike King 3X Finesse Worm from
the flat side just behind the egg sack, which is similar
to how you rig a wacky worm, but not exactly in the
middle of the worm. Instead of having the hook turned
sideways, I point the hook toward the tail of the worm.
I prefer my line to run straight up the belly of the
worm. In the head of the worm, I put either a 1/8- or
a 1/16-ounce insert weight. I actually force the weight
into the nose of the worm. When I drop it into the school
of bait, it falls straight down. I want that worm to
rocket straight to the bottom, instead of spiraling
down like a jighead worm or falling horizontally like
a wacky worm. Now I’m ready to go fishing.
I have the transducer on my graph recorder attached
to the bottom of my trolling motor. With my trolling
motor, I can move out to 25 or 30 feet of water to look
for the small patches of shad with the big fish associated
to them. Once you see the shad and the arches that represent
bass holding close, put your trolling motor in reverse.
Position your boat so that you’re right on top
of the school of shad. Next, drop that 3X Finesse Worm
straight to the bottom.  You
can see the worm falling, if you have a sensitive graph
recorder. Nine times out of 10, you can see the bass
follow that finesse worm down to the bottom. By the
time you have engaged the reel and taken up the slack,
the bass will have already eaten the worm. The reason
this technique is so deadly is that when the 3X Finesse
Worm gets to the bottom, it stands upright on its head.
The tail of the worm sticks straight up, and the head
of the worm is pegged to the bottom due to the lead
weight in the nose. When a bass sees that worm standing
up, it will eat the worm. One of the reasons for using
light line is that it lets the bait fall fast. When
using this technique, you are fishing light bait in
deep water, which produces a faster fall and gets the
bass’ attention. This deadly technique really
works for anglers who are familiar with using a depth
finder in deep, clear water, and they will catch 3-
to 4-pound spotted bass. This is my favorite tactic
to use in the fall.
Here are some rules that I use on lead size. If I’m
fishing in 20 feet or less of water, I use a 3/32-ounce
or a 1/8-ounce lead. If the bass are in 25 to 40 feet
of water, I use a 3/16-ounce screwed-in lead. If the
bass are deeper than 40 feet, I use a 1/4-ounce lead.
One of my favorite leads to use is a Lunker Stick insert
ball weight. The advantage of using this weight is  that
when it hits the bottom, it makes a knocking sound,
which attracts bass to the bait. Because you have the
lead on the bottom and the finesse worm floating, the
bass can hear, see, and eat the bait better. That’s
why the Strike King 3X Finesse Worm is critical to the
success of this tactic.
To learn more, visit www.strikeking.com
and www.mossyoakfishing.com.
TOMORROW: FISHING AQUATIC VEGETATION
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