May 25, 2011
By Game & Fish Staff
Dancing Lizards: Here's a great way to trick out a soft-plastic lizard to catch fussy, heavily pressured bass. First, push an empty .22 bullet cartridge into the nose of the lizard to remove a plug of the plastic. In this hole, insert a 1/16-ounce bullet weight. Then seal the hole by melting the plastic with a lighter or match. A shallow, lengthwise incision is then cut in the belly of the lure. After tying a No. 6 panfish hook to the main line, the hook is run through the lizard's tail, leaving the barb exposed, and then the line is inserted into the incision.
Cast the lure and let it sink to the bottom. The weighted nose stays down; the tail with the hook in it stands straight up. Now, if you shake your line a little, the tail dances, attracting the attention of any smallmouth that's nearby. The lure looks more natural because the weight is hidden in the nose and the hook is small. So wary bass are more likely to strike. Nine times out of ten, the bass will grab the tail of the lure first. With conventionally rigged lizards, you'll miss these short strikers. But with the hook in the tail, you'll connect more times than not.
