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<\/a><\/p>\nNo not that kind.\u00a0 Not that it wouldn’t be fun, but I don’t think many fish would get caught.\u00a0 Ever see someone\u00a0set the hook while wearing heels?\u00a0 It’s a disaster.\u00a0\u00a0 I’m talking\u00a0about fishing with a\u00a0Gambler Flappin’ Shad, or as I call it, “The Flapper”.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret that I enjoy catching fish in a variety of ways.\u00a0 Much of my summer is spent chasing smallies on the rivers of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and there is no way I would rather catch them than with a fly rod.\u00a0 On the other end of the smallmouth fishing spectrum for me is fishing with bait.\u00a0 Not to say that I won\u2019t fish with bait, but I have caught enough fish that I personally don\u2019t\u00a0need to catch one that ate a live minnow.\u00a0 When I have a kid or beginner in the boat\u2014different story\u2014I want them to have their rod bent! So, fly fishing is at the top end of the smallie spectrum, bait is at the bottom.\u00a0 But a lot of what I do falls in between.\u00a0 Casting \u201cchunk-and-wind-it-in\u201d baits like spinnerbaits and crankbaits are very consistent producers, and don\u2019t require much thought or effort to fish\u2014pull one out of the box, tie it on, chunk and wind.\u00a0 Try it, you\u2019ll catch lots of fish [especially with a Storm \u201cSub-wart\u201d crankbait, or with one of my top\u00a0secret spinnerbaits, but that\u2019s another story].\u00a0 When it\u2019s really windy, or when the bite is tough, I\u2019ll throw them, but it is definitely not preferred.<\/p>\n One of my favorite non-fly presentations is using soft plastic jerkbaits.\u00a0 Compared to a crankbait, these require a high level of skill, both in rigging and in actual presentation.\u00a0 After posting a couple pictures of big smallies that fell for a \u201cGambler Flappin\u2019 Shad\u201d this summer, I was asked to be more specific about how I rig and fish these baits.\u00a0 It turns out that a disproportionate number of smallies that I catch each year, and a lot the big ones, fall to this presentation.<\/p>\n Now, you can quiz a dozen guys who use these and get a dozen different answers about how to rig them.\u00a0 By all means, experiment to find what works best for you. There are other ways that will work, but you can be sure that what I am going to describe is a proven approach.\u00a0 I am always eager to hear how others rig plastic jerkbaits, I’d love to hear your suggestions.<\/p>\n The first soft plastic jerkbait that went mainstream was the \u201cSluggo\u201d.\u00a0 These showed up in the late 80\u2019s, became popular in the 90\u2019s and spawned an entire new category of soft plastic \u201cShad-style\u201d baits.\u00a0 One of the first that I used to use a lot was the Berkley Jerk Shad.\u00a0 I still use these, as they are probably the most readily available bait of this category.\u00a0 They were an instant hit with the local smallies, and also proved successful on largemouths [I used to skip these under docks a lot, pre-Senko], and salty species like Speckled Trout and Redfish down in Texas.\u00a0 Since those early days I have tried many different designs, and the Gambler Flappin\u2019 Shad is one of my top picks, and always the number one pick when looking for a big fish.<\/p>\n From those early years, some things about my rigging has changed, some things have remained constant.\u00a0 I have always preferred a spinning rod, a med-heavy with a fast action, about seven feet long.\u00a0 I mount a big spinning reel on it, a 4000 size.\u00a0 This is critical for fishing with the relatively heavy mono that I still use.\u00a0 Yeah I know, braided line, blah blah blah, it\u2019s more sensitive blah blah blah, gives a better hook set blahbitty blah effin\u2019 blah.\u00a0 I spool with 12 pound Trilene XT or a line with similar DIAMETER [NOT pound test!] which is .015\u201d\u2014I like the way it casts, I like the way it moves the bait, I have all the strength I need, and if I need to break it off on a snag I don\u2019t risk losing a limb in the process [this comes up regularly on the river].\u00a0 The big reel also picks up line FAST, whether winding down for a hookset, or winding in to make a new cast.<\/p>\n My choice of hooks has fluctuated a bit, I have settled on a wide gap 4\/0.\u00a0 The ones that are currently my favorites I just learned minutes ago are no longer available [figures].\u00a0 They were a VMC model, and I see they make a similar model that I\u2019m sure will work fine, as will similar models from Gammy or Mustad.\u00a0 Originally, I used heavy 5\/0 Owner worm hooks[\u201cirons\u201d I called them], but along the way I realized a lighter hook with a big gap was easier to rig, hooked fish better, and put a smaller hole in both the bait and<\/em> the fish.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter what knot you tie it on with as long as it is a Palomar Knot.<\/p>\n I always rig the bait in the \u201cTex-posed\u201d style, with the hook point run through the bait and lying flat along its back.\u00a0\u00a0 Having the bait hang straight once it is rigged is critical\u2014rig one crooked and it will spin, run to the surface, or only go to one side.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Get it rigged right and the bait will sink nice and horizontal, and come through the water with an erratic ziggity-zig-zag, with its tail flapping enticingly the whole time.\u00a0 I work the bait by starting with the rod roughly pointing at the lure.\u00a0 I sweep the rod tip towards me along the water surface, usually in about 1 foot pulls.\u00a0 You won\u2019t believe how much that tail will \u201cflap\u201d\u2014it almost buzzes!\u00a0 It puts off enough vibration to call fish in, but when they get close, it just screams \u201cEat Me!\u201d as the tail flutters on the drop. \u00a0\u00a0Experiment with different retrieves and cadences, most of the time I\u2019m doing a twitch-twitch-wait\u2026.twitch-twitch-wait\u2026.etc.\u00a0 No surprise, most of the bites will come when you \u201ckill it\u201d on the pause.\u00a0 What the bait does in the water is mostly dependent on how you work it.\u00a0 When you get eaten [you will], reel down on the fish and set the hook hard. There will be days when for unknown reasons you will miss a lot of bites.\u00a0 Days like this make me question many of my beliefs, and I still lay in bed some nights thinking about a tournament I was in where the fish would not stop eating the Flappin\u2019 Shad, and I could not keep them hooked.\u00a0 [Sidebar\u2014turns out I was using a different mono than I usually did, it was thinner and stretched more.\u00a0 Also, the bag of shads I had picked for the day were of a harder consistency than others.\u00a0 Combine stretchy line with plastic baits that wouldn\u2019t compress and well, lesson learned, pay attention to details].\u00a0 But stick to \u00a0\u00a0the plan, heavy spinning rod, 12 lb. mono, 4\/0 hook, Flappin\u2019 Shad rigged straight, and most days you\u2019ll end up well on the right side of plus\/minus.<\/p>\n Some other notes\u2026.<\/p>\n I have tried to tie a fly to emulate the flapping action using \u201cSili Skin\u201d, kind of along the lines of a gummy minnow.\u00a0 These were an epic failure, other more patient and talented tiers may have more success.<\/p>\n Not sure that color matters much, be sure to pick colors you like.\u00a0 I mix it up with dull and bright colors, not sure that it matters much to the fish.\u00a0 Chartreuse is always good, and I’ve been working through a couple bags of copper colored ones lately.\u00a0 \u00a0What does matter is that it is rigged properly!<\/p>\n The Gambler gets a lot of play time with me, another favorite is the Bass Assassin brand \u201cShad Assassin\u201d.\u00a0 This bait is a little smaller, a little more subtle, and is a great choice in clear water.\u00a0 If you’re missing bites on the Flapper, consider dropping down to the Assassin or other smaller bait<\/p>\n Flappin Shads are fair game for pike and muskies too, just rig with some thin knottable wire<\/p>\n I have no affiliation of any kind with Gambler, but here is a link to their website<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.gambler-lures.com\/Flapp_n_Shad_s\/164.htm<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Notice how the hook is buried in this guy’s snoot!<\/strong><\/p>\n