Video: A Deadly Hack for Bass Fishing Heavy Cover

Bass have a way of catching lockjaw when they see the same presentation a bunch of times, especially when there’s 224 anglers doing the same thing. That’s how it was at the recent Bassmaster Open on the James River, and we all saw catch rates wane with traditional techniques.

In my last video I showed how to properly rig a creature bait for flipping and pitching in heavy cover. In this clip, I’ll teach you how to how to use those same basic elements to create an entirely different presentation that may draw more strikes when the fish are being finicky.

It’s called a Bubba Shot rig—basically a really heavy dropshot for flipping into dense cover. I used the same blue creature bait and 1-ounce tungsten bullet weight, but instead of keeping it all inline I put the sinker at the terminal end, pegged to a split ring. I set the creature about 8 or 10 inches above it, nose-hooked with a big wide-gap weedless hook.

This setup allowed me to continue punching, prospecting, and crawling through heavy cover with minimal snags, while creating a completely different presentation. The dropshot leader kept the bait suspended above the thick layer of bottom muck with the appendages flapping in the current. Just make sure you use a heavy rod, reel, and line in order to fish this rig right and get big fig out of that dense cover. Your chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Make sure to check out my appearance on Das Boat Northeast where I fish the famous Lake Champlain for largemouth and bowfin with my buddy Blane Chocklett!

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