Pro Tips Weekly: Shinichi Fukae

Stealthy approach will get biggest bass

Catching a big spawning bass in a tournament can boost your weight very much, but some fishermen are not careful when they approach an area in a lake where a big bass might be.

I am quiet and patient when I reach a place where there might be spawning beds. I move around slowly and try to keep the sun somewhere at my back. This helps me to see better, but I am careful not to let my shadow get in front of me and maybe frighten the fish. I wear SWANS sunglasses. I have six different lenses that I use, depending on how much sunlight there is and the color of the water. It is better not to use your trolling motor or your GPS in shallow water. Use a pole to move around. When I find a bass that I want to catch and the wind is blowing, I use Power-Poles to hold me in place.

Sometimes you can tell whether you can catch a bass by how it reacts when you get near it. If it swims away, it might not be ready to bite that day. If it stays on its bed, it might bite. I use a green-pumpkin or white Yamamoto Senko with no weight. I fish it with a Gamakatsu EWG Monster hook, 5/0 or 6/0, and rig it Texas style. I try to cast beyond the fish if it is possible – back to its tail. If the bass turns around and looks at the bait, that is a good sign. I let the Senko fall and let it stay in place. Then I move it a little. If the bass doesn’t take it after a while, I might cast again so that the Senko falls in a different place, or I go looking for another bass. Then maybe I go back and try again. Bass have their own times to do things.

— Cheez-It pro Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas