Dead Sticking Soft Plastics for February Bass

Posted On February 01, 2012

  A deadly tactic many anglers turn to in February for lazy lethargic prespawn bass is knows as dead sticking. Soft plastics are great for this technique, and the salt impregnated, scented soft plastics have proven to be even more deadly when fished with this technique. Whether you use quality prepared or enhanced baits or if you spice up your own, dead sticking is a late winter must try.      


 Manufactures have supplied countless colors and styles of soft plastic worms over the years and many anglers have used the dead stick technique with out knowing there was a name for this style of worm fishing. A wacky rigged worm is a good choice for dead sticking in deep open water. And when dead sticking in heavy cover, a Texas rigged worm is a productive method as well.  Other than worms, other styles of soft plastics such as curly tail grub are also great for fishing this technique. Creature baits such as crawfish, lizards, flukes and even tubes also catch many cold water bass when dead stick fishing.      


 Scented baits or adding attractants or scent is also a great way to appeal to the bass’ other senses that seems to work very well in the mixing cold water of February. Some anglers swear by salt and scent for dead sticking bait to be successful. The use of a quality gel attractant can help the scent stay on the bait longer. Spray attractants tend to wash away rather quickly as the bait falls to the bottom.    The entire premise of dead sticking is simply just that, allowing the bait to play dead. After casting your bait and it flutters to the bottom, allow it to sit in one spot. The mimicking of dying bait falling and laying on the bottom is a natural occurrence in late winter, and it also arouses the curiosity of bass. Often the buoyancy of salted soft plastics and a small current is enough action to immolate a struggling dying creature, and this motion will also entice a bass to strike. If you are not getting any reaction from the bass, try giving the bait an occasional twitch with the rod tip or lift the rod tip and allow the bait to lift and then fall back to the same spot will also bring a lunker in for a closer look..    

 Dead Sticking is a very old method for winter bass fishing, but with new technologies in scent and improvements and innovations in soft plastic bait the technique has survived for generations and continues to gain popularity among anglers. Give dead sticking a try this February and see if you can land the fish of a lifetime. Many large bass are caught during this month as they emerge from winter haunts and begin to feed up for the prespawn.    

Happy Fishing!

Baits used in the post:

http://www.powerteamlures.com/

http://www.juicedupbaits.com/

http://www.attackpakfishing.com/

Latest Blog Posts

Panfish on the Wild Side

   Tennessee Wild Side Guide Joey Monteleone shared some of the highlights of his weekend of fishing and filming an upcoming segment of Tennessee Wild Side. The upcoming program will feature a piece dedicated to Panfish, and Joey is the perfect teacher for all things fishing. Here in this post, Joey will share more fishing tips with us in his own

Drop Shot Devastation Made Simple

 A bass fishing technique that was imported Japan several years ago to become a popular technique used by anglers all over North America is known as the deadly drop shot. Light line on a spinning reel is the beginning to a great finesse technique. The drop shot rig is simply a sinker at the end of the line with a small hook tied with a palomar knot 12 - 24 inches above the weight, rigged

Keepin' it real - Bass Fishing Tip of the Day

   Artificial lures are supposed to imitate a baitfish and other forage. They need to look like an easy meal to a Bass or at least resemble competition from a smaller predator. A realistic presentation mimicking these traits is what gets the bass to strike. A good tips is to watch the bait fish while you’re on the water and learn from ol’ mom nature.  

Don’t Cut Corners When Fishing Docks

     Post Spawn Bass can be difficult to catch on some days. Water temperature and weather conditions as well as brightness of the sun dictated by the time of day have a great influence on the feeding habits of bass.  When fishing docks for post spawn bass, don’t cut corners. I learned this when reading an interview with Kevin VanDam. A quote about the topic

The Advantage of Square Bill Crankbaits

   In this post we will take a look at the advantages of the square bill crankbaits that are designed to cast it toward lay downs and logs and other wooden cover. These crankbaits are great for post spawn bass fishing. The bait will produce bass from lakes or river systems when they are holding to wooden cover. One cast and you will realize how effective these baits are as the

About

Mark Bilbrey
Mark Bilbrey
Crossville, TN
Joined July 6, 2010

Growing up on Dale Hollow Lake, in Tennessee, fishing with his family in the shadow of legendary bass angler, the late Billy Westmorland, gave young Mark Bilbrey a solid foundation in the sport of fishing. Mark became an Eagle Scout through conservation projects on Dale Hollow lake and other area parks. He received a skipper certification through the USCG at the age of eighteen navigating and fishing Dale Hollow Lake. Now, after many years as a businessman, Bilbrey has completed professional fishing guide training at Foley/Belsaw in preparation for a future in the industry. A registered Master Angler in Tennessee, and an Ambassador to the World Fishing Network he shares his tips, techniques and stories in hopes to help teach new anglers how to locate and catch fish. His articles have been featured on the web sites of the North American Fishing Club, Monticello Big Bass, and Catfishing Journals. Mark was recently on ESPN Radio's "Set the Hook!" with Pat Rose talking about, what else? Fishing!. Bilbrey holds memberships in several fishing organizations including B.A.S.S., NAFC, and FLW. His passion for sport fishing has been recognized in a promotional video on the World Fishing Network and he was recently selected as "Ambassador of the Year" by WFN. He credits his passion for fishing to his wife Donna and his childhood fishing with his father, Billy Bilbrey, his three older brothers and to his cousin Jack Huddelston, owner of Dale Hollows, Horse Creek Dock.

Socialize with WFN

Follow WFN to keep up to date on the latest news, updates, promotions and more!
Facebook Twitter
YouTube Google+

User Stats

WFN Bonus Points
10260pts
Total Points
pts