Let's
Talk Creatures
When
I asked my kids what their favorite creature was, "Stitch"
from Disney's "Lilo and Stitch", was their answer. Jim
Carrey in the "Grinch", was my wife's response. But
if you ask a die hard bass fisherman what their favorite creature
is, I doubt their answer will be that of some Hollywood screenwriters
imagination.
Their reply would be the creature lures. So what kind of sick
imagination did it take to create a lure of such mutant proportions
with numerous appendages? The answer to that is the crafty imagination
of Mr. Edward Chambers, inventor of the Zoom
"Brush Hog", one of the first true creature baits.
The Brush Hog was one of those miracle baits that set afire the
tackle industry, sending other manufacturers scrambling to create
their own versions. Mann's Bait Co., came out with it's "Dragon",
Strike
King has it's "Wild Thing", then there's the popular
handpours like ProWorm's "Pro-Mini Hawg", and one of
my favorites, the
Yamamoto "Kreature".
So how do you determine which one to buy? That can be very confusing,
especially when you see just how many manufacturers have some
type or version of a creature, not to mention the endless color
selection. Hopefully, this article will help you narrow down your
selection and give you some tips to up your odds of landing that
fish of a lifetime.
MY
PREFERENCE
Even after seventeen years of tournament fishing, I still have
to tell myself over and over again, "K.I.S.S.", meaning
"Keep It Simple Stupid"!
So here are the creatures of my choice and why, not in any particular
order, (they all have a purpose in my tackle box): Yamamoto's
Kreature, Pro-Worms Pro-Mini Hawg, and last, but not least,
Reaction
Innovations "Sweet Beaver". I like all these baits
because they are smaller and more compact than the original Brush
Hog. Just don't let the length fool you. All three are bulky enough
to create their own tide as they flow through the water, column
displacing much more water than the "Baby
Brush Hog".
I like the Yamamoto
Kreature because of it's size. It's compact (4" long),
yet bulkier and weighs more than other creatures of this size.
Mostly due to the extreme salt content, the same as a "Senko".
Like a Senko, the fish seem to hold on to it a little longer,
giving us slow pokes a chance to react. It can be fished many
different ways, which I will cover in the Rigging Section, however,
it is not my preference for a Carolina Rig. This is where the
Pro-Worms Pro-Mini Hawg comes in. This bait is much like the Kreature
in size, but it is a handpour, not an injection mold, resulting
in an extremely soft lure. Much lighter than a Kreature, it has
a tendency to float up off the bottom
and glide more when Carolina rigged. Hand pours like the Pro-Worms
Pro-Mini Hawg are much softer than the Kreature, so they have
tendency to tear more easily when fished
through heavy cover or rocks.
Now
for my third, the Sweet
Beaver from Reaction Innovations. This lure is much different
from the Kreature
and Pro-Mini Hawg in that it doesn't have the long curly tails
and numerous appendages. The Beaver is the most compact of the
three, it's much like a zipper worm, but with a beaver-like tail
that can be cut to mimic a crawfish pincher. It also has side
flaps at the rear to create a little extra vibration. This bait
is awesome when the fish are wanting a lure with a smaller profile.
Also, it goes through weeds much better than the Kreature and
Pro-Mini Hawg. I keep my color selection simple with all three.
Remember "K.I.S.S."? I like black w/red flake, black
w/blue flake, cinnamon w/ purple flake, and both watermelon w/
black flake and watermelon w/ red and black flake. I also like
the Waterbug and California 420 colors in the Sweet Beaver line.
RIGGING
AND TACKLE
The rigging options are endless with creature baits. When pitching
and flipping, I like to use a 3/16 oz. Tungsten
weight and glass bead. You will be amazed at the sensitivity
the Tungsten has over the brass and lead weights. Due to the bulkiness
of the baits, I like to use a 4/0
Gamakatsu EWG hook. The extra wide gap allows enough room
to displace the plastic and still leave enough of a gap at the
point to allow for a proper hook set. Unless I am fishing extremely
thick cover, I almost always rig them Tex-Posed with the tip of
the hook barely sticking back into the top of the bait. This increases
your odds of getting a good hook set, as the hook does not have
to penetrate through all that plastic and the fish's mouth.
As I said, the rigging options are endless. You can Texas Rig,
Carolina Rig, Mojo, split-shot, and even use them as a jig trailer.
Believe it or not, they even work great on a drop shot rig. Being
that these are heavier baits, I like to fish them with a little
stouter equipment.
When
pitching and flipping, I prefer to use 15 lb. test line and a
7'
heavy GLX Loomis rod. I use a good abrasion resistant line
like Suffix
Tritanium. This line allows you to work heavy cover without
having to retie every five minutes, or have the fear of breaking
off a good fish. When fishing lakes, depending on the cover, I
will drop down to 10 lb. or 12 lb. fluorocarbon. I still use a
heavy action rod, but drop down to a 6'6
GLX. The fluorocarbon helps you to feel your bait, and bite;
better in deeper water, and it's invisible.
TIPS
AND SECRETS
As I mentioned previously, the different ways you can fish creature
baits are endless. Here are a few tricks I use that help me, and
hopefully, you will find them to be useful too. When talking about
the Yamamoto
Kreature, I am always asked, "Which direction are you
hooking it?" When pitching or flipping to isolated targets
or structure, I rig it with the tail back. This helps the bait
to fall straighter along the object or structure. When fishing
docks or overhanging bushes and brush, I rig it backwards like
an "IKA". This puts the nose of the
Kreature into the water first, causing it to glide away from
you, and under the cover. Much like the theory behind "The
Flying Lure".
And how about top water? Top water? I thought we were talking
about creatures you ask. Try rigging a Pro-Mini Hawg weightless
and swimming it over weed beds, pausing it over openings and pockets.
The super slow descent is sometimes more than old bucket mouth
can take. One more tip, as I mentioned before, I keep my color
selection to a minimum, but don't be afraid to change the wings
or legs with a marker or dip-n-dye to create some unique contrasts.
And don't forget to use a good quality scent like Bass
Wax. When fishing creatures, keep an open mind, and use a
creative imagination like Mr. Chambers.
Tight
Lines and Heavy Limits,
Vince Borges
You
may contact me with any comments or
questions at Vince@fishdelta.com
Pennies
on the dollar for fishing rods, reels, baits, lures, and more?
You be the judge!
