Terry Pauley is a bass fisherman form Ohio who has successfully fished a great many tournament trails in America. His many years of fishing experience have taught him that most fishing lures are more effective when they touch something during the retrieve.

The bottom, or an object lying directly on the bottom, is the primary target for his favorite fishing method, which he calls the “disoriented lure retrieve.”

Fast-swimming crankbaits, spinnerbaits and buzz baits are far more effective if they strike solid objects along the line of retrieve, he said, because the collision presents the image of a disoriented baitfish, insect, or small animal. Since bass are opportunistic feeders, they will often jump on the lure, even though they may not be actively feeding.

For deep-water conditions, the disoriented effect is accomplished with a lure that can be cranked down deep enough so its lip digs into the bottom, causing it to move erratically on the retrieve. The same idea applies to cranking lures hard into pilings and treetops. But Pauley cautioned anglers to check their lines every 15 or 20 minutes to see if the collisions are causing any damage.

Another method this savvy bass angler has used effectively for many years is to bend the clevis or headplate on a crankbait so that it predictably runs to one side. The lure then becomes an effective bump-and-run attraction that works wonders when retrieved close to sheer rock walls and steep drop-offs.

The idea, Pauley noted, is to line up the boat a few feet out from the wall or directly over an underwater ledge, and cast the lure close enough to the target so the predictable side-running action causes it to bump the rock face or the side of the drop several times during the retrieve.

The side-running action also pays good dividends when fishing in the shade of docks or other lakeside development. Pauley said that the chances of catching a bass are greatly improved when the lure not only reaches an area that others haven’t fished, but strikes the side of a post, piling or other object.

Climbing a spinnerbait up one side of a stump and letting it fall down the other side is yet another trick that causes bass to strike the lure. Pauley uses the same technique in sunken treetops. Yo-yoing a heavy jig-and-pig combo through sunken limbs is his favorite method for fishing post-cold-front days when bass are buried deep and not interested in chasing lures.

This method works best, Pauley explained, when the lure is fished as close as possible to the junction of the limb and main tree trunk, and when the jig is heavy enough to literally bounce off limbs while it is falling, creating not only an erratic action, but a noisy one as well.

A guide’s point of view

For “Big Al” Knight, a longtime bass fishing guide on Dale Hollow and other large reservoirs in the upper South, a technique he calls “jig-‘n’-hop” has worked time after time when bass are found near the bank.

Long a favorite trick of muskie fishermen, this method calls for retrieving any type of lure so that it comes in contact with a partially submerged log at the exact spot where it entered the water. The technique can be deadly when the lure is jigged enough to make it look as if it’s trying to climb out of the water. Knight also said to be on the alert for a strike when the lure is pulled over the top and enters the water on the boat side.

“Bank hopping” is another method the veteran bass guide uses to attract attention to his lure. He casts a floating minnow lure, such as a 4-inch Rapala or similar-sized A.C. Shiner, a few inches up on the bank, then uses his rod tip to hop it onto the surface of the water. The lure is allowed to rest for a few seconds before it is twitched to life with a single snap of the rod tip. This action is repeated one more time before he begins a fast pop-and-stop action back to the boat.

Knight said the method is also productive for night fishermen casting plastic worms to the shallows. Cast a Texas-rigged worm (dark colors work best) a few inches up on the shore. On moonless nights, hop it into the lake, imitating a frog. When the moon is bright, crank it in, imitating a small snake, animal or insect.

Known for catching trophy-sized smallmouths from deep, clear-water impoundments, Knight also uses a method he calls “bump-‘n’-pump” for both daytime and nighttime bassin’.

Short-armed spinnerbaits, jig-and-pig combos, plastic worms and blade baits such as the Silver Buddy (one of the hottest crazes among smallmouth fishermen) are ideal selections for this technique.

For the bump-‘n’-pump, Knight positions his boat off the steep side toward the end of a point, then throws a fast-sinking lure into water about 5 feet deep along shore.

As soon as the lure strikes the surface, he takes the slack out of the line and lets the lure sink to the bottom on a tight line. He hops the lure off bottom about 3 feet and swims it another foot or so before letting it touch bottom again—always on a tightly controlled line (most strikes occur while the lure is falling). On most casts, Knight lets the lure touch bottom at least five times to make sure it is working in the narrow strike window he feels is no more than 12 to 18 inches above the bottom (or the tallest cover in the case of stumps, logs or rock piles).

There is general agreement among experienced bass fishermen that artificial lures are far more effective when they bump, crash or thump something during the retrieve. The trouble is, Knight noted, most anglers are fearful that they will snag their lures with these methods. “Those are the folks who come home empty-handed more often than not,” he added.

This article appeared in Fishing Facts magazine in the summer of 1995.

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