My Three Favorite Bass Surface Bugs
There are many times that bass prefer one type action of hard head surface bug over another. I believe this is governed mainly by the depth of the river and the overhead cover.
I really enjoy fishing hard head surface bugs. After the middle of June I use these most of the time. I find that the action of the bug really determines my success. This action is influenced mainly by the shape and size of the bugs body and the shape of its face.
The Shenandoah Sunfish Slider has a tapered pointed nose and a long slim body. This type body helps me create a gentle teasing bug action. One of the sections of the Shenandoah River has a 75 yard long bank where the river is 2 to 3 feet deep as it flows below thick shade of many oak trees. The bass have regular feeding stations here and by imparting a gentle teasing action with a Shenandoah Sunfish Slider you can catch many fish. When I see these shallow shaded areas over cobblestone stream bottoms, I always use the Slider and it seldom lets me down.
The Shenandoah Chugger is the other extreme in both the bug design and use. It has a large fat body with a deeply cut face. This helps me create a great racket on the surface of the river. When you come to a shaded deep undercut bank on the river, use a Shenandoah Chartreuse Chugger. I cast this in close to the river bank and take up the slack with my line-hand because often the strike will come in the first several seconds. If no strike comes right away I impart two firm line-hand strips which are each two feet long. My goal is to create a loud splashing bug-action on the surface of the river. Hopefully prompting the bass to come from his deep feeding station.
The true popper has a flat up-sloping face with a long gently tapered body. The Shenandoah Blue Popper is by far my most effective popper and the most popular one we sell. I have excellent fishing around the aquatic grassbeds which surround the ledges in the middle of the rivers. Two foot long strips every 10 seconds as I fish my popper out 10 feet usually brings solid strike. The shallow pool tails at dusk and dawn over water 2 to 3 feet deep holds many feeding bass in these low light levels. The Shenandoah Blue Poppers are so effective here that I will often see the wake of the bass racing from 10 feet away to take my bug.
Bass surface bug fishing is a great amount of fun in the summer and early fall. Also, it can produce many large bass.