Slick Shiner Tricks

Think there’s no science to dunking a live shiner for largemouth bass? Think again. Bass guide Jim Allen showed us some specialized techniques for weed-filled waters, starting with coating the fishing line with flyline dressing.

Wild shiner with balloon float, a deadly combo for big bass.

“I dip a small cloth into a jar of flyline dressing and coat the fishing line from the hook to some 10 feet of the fishing line back to the reel,” he explained. “This helps the fishing line float, keeping it from sinking to the bottom and tangling with weeds. More importantly, the fishing line slips through the weeds like a greased pig when a big bass takes a bait in heavy cover. If the line were to snag, the fish may feel the resistance and turn the shiner loose.”

Allen employs small balloons when floating large wild shiners next to floating weeds. “I use a small helium balloon and tie it to the fishing line some two feet above the shiner,” instructs Allen. “As the bass runs under the weedbeds, the fishing line will actually slip through the knot of the balloon, so it doesn’t put any undue pressure on the bass. I stopped using a regular cork float many bass fishing seasons ago, because the pegged cork would snag nearby weeds and let the hooked bass know that something is definitely not right with the shiner that she has just eaten.”

Allen uses a 3/0 or 4/0 weedless Eagle Claw livebait hook, barbing the live shiner right through the open mouth and out through one of the nostrils. He also uses 20- or 25-pound fishing line, with a hard finish in green. The hard finish is an advantage when the line contacts fallen trees, stumps and weed. He uses a levelwind casting reel on a stiff, 6-foot casting rod. Drag is tightened all the way down when fishing weedbeds.

Allen also recommends holding the rodtip low to the water when a bass takes a shiner under floating weeds. Wait until the bass swims out all of the slack, then set the hook, again keeping the rodtip low, even while playing the fish. The low rodtip position helps keep the line from tangling in the weeds.

FS