In a previous post for ‘Lure Fishing For Bass’ I described how small ‘popping’ and ‘sliding’ surface lures are designed to be worked fairly quickly across the top of the water in order to mimic scattering baitfish (sandeels and sprat) that are attempting to flee the predators from beneath them. In this article I aim to cover‘when and how’ I utilise, or direct my clients to use, larger (above 120mm) surface lures.

When

Ultimately, any size of surface bass lure that is being ‘worked’ in a way that it is representing a wounded, dying, disoriented, fleeing fish ‘in trouble’ then, depending on a number of factors, you can reasonably expect a bass to show some interest in it - but what kind of factors am I talking about in relation to the 120mm+ lures?

Firstly, I wouldn’t be looking to use a large surface bass lure in very shallow (6”-6ft), clear, calm water with very little tidal influence - in fact, I would consider using such a lure in the exact opposite scenario - deeper (6ft+), murkier, rougher or fast moving seas influenced by both the current and water moving naturally around the rocks in more turbulent conditions.

Look for those days following a bit of an onshore blow, when there are too many weed fragments in the water to fish with sub-surface lures, the water clarity is recovering and the residual swell is washing onto and off the rocks. These are the sort of conditions when I would expect larger bass to be very close inshore, searching for anything that has been scoured out of sand, weed and rock pools - they are hunting for an easy meal...

A recent client of mine holding a 60cm bass that grabbed a large surface lure in turbulent sea conditions very close to the rocks.

Outside of rougher seas, remote, deep water headlands and the mouths of large estuaries where there are large volumes of water continually running, especially around any rocks or islands that may be situated in the vicinity, are places where even if the water is calm (better from a safety aspect anyway) you can pick up a real ‘lunker’ providing the lure is behaving like something that is essentially begging to be put out its misery! This leads me onto ‘how’ to fish the bigger surface lures.

How

The good news is that the larger surface bass lures are arguably easier to cast and use. Indeed, many of the modern patterns will have (the now very common) weight transfer systems incorporated, are heavier and are overall (although not in the case of the ‘popping’ lures) reasonably aerodynamic meaning they can be slung huge distances into a headwind if necessary. Of course, this isn’t the be all and end all when bass lure fishing, and many, many fish will be hooked literally off the rod tip, but overall, the more ground/water you can cover with these lures, the more your chances will increase.

The larger the lure, generally the more tension/resistance it will create on the braid/rod tip - which translates to them being far easier to use in difficult (cross wind) conditions. That said, too much tension will result in these lures ‘folding back’ on themselves and the trebles snagging the leader. But get this balance correct, and whether it’s a large ‘popper’ or a ‘slider’ attached to your line, alongside being incredibly stable in the water (which is important in rough sea conditions) the lure will be spitting, twisting and turning via only the slightest of movements to the rod tip or increase in retrieve speed.

Larger bass will move inshore following a storm therefore, ensure you have the right lures for the job - this brute was caught on a Xorus Patchinko II.

Whichever large surface lure you’re looking to employ, ensure you ‘wind down’ until you can feel the lure through the rod - then with the rod up, to the side or down (more so if you’re well above the water level) with short 6-10” movements of the rod tip in conjunction with a staggered retrieve will see a ‘slider’ zigzag and almost appear to turn on itself while a ‘popper’ will spit and force splashes of water in front of it.

A smaller sized ‘slider’ (the IMA Salt Skimmer) sandwiched between the larger Xorus Patchinko II and one of my all time favourite lures - the Storm Chug Bug.

Wait!

The most significant difference to how you ‘work’ a small surface lure versus a large one is the length of time I will leave the lure ‘for dead’ and, in essence, allowed to drift wherever the water direction, wind, waves, current, backwash or eddy wants to move it - this is when a very high percentage of the bass I have caught on them will smash the lure. Indeed, I went through a period 7-10 years ago where nearly all my 5lb+ bass were caught on a Storm Chug Bug ‘chugged’ sporadically along surf tables (the flat zone of water between waves that have turned and broken over a reef or sand) and then left, whilst maintaining only slight contact with them, to wash with the movement of the waves - go on, give it a go!

Even on a very bright day, if the sea conditions are like those similar to behind this happy client (note the colour of the sea and white water around the rocks) then a big surface lure can be highly effective - this small bass smashed a surface lure half its size!

The larger surface lures I routinely use include:

• XorusPatchinko II
• Heddon Super Spook
• Storm Rattling Chug Bug (26g)
• Savage Gear Surf Walker 155 (Floating and sinking)
• Savage Gear Panic Prey V2 135

Marc Cowling is a successful bass lure fishing guide (shore only) based on the beautiful south Devon coastline.