by Dustin Wilks . . .
When March roles around, the bass instinctively move shallow for their annual spawn in most of the country.
Much of the focus is on “staging fish” at first, these are the ones that have moved to points and structure near spawning areas.
While these points absolutely fit into any springtime game plan, some of the biggest fish have already made their move even shallower.
Starting in the upper 40 degree water temps and through the spawn to 70 degrees or so, one of my most effective techniques is fishing shallow cover with a Culprit Shakin’ Neko Craw.
This is a unique lure meant to fish (as the name states) in Neko fashion. Neko was popularized by Japanese professional anglers, the name itself was taken from a Japanese phrase Neko-sogi, which means to root out. The rig goes way back, but the name only recently caught on in the US. My first encounter with it was in 2000 at Sam Rayburn in Texas when a tournament partner showed me the local technique.
It is basically a way to get a wacky rig lure with a weight inserted on one end. This allows it to be presented a bit faster, potentially deeper, and with different action than a standard wacky rig lure with no weight. Rigged this way, the action looks like something rooting around the bottom. If you unfamiliar with wacky – it just means hooking a soft bait in the middle when rigging it.
Enter the Shakin’ Neko craw. This is the first of its kind – a crawfish lure designed to fish with a nail weight at one end, with the hook to be placed in the middle. Once this hits the bottom and you twitch it, it folds over with a scooting action very similar to a crawfish that kicks its tail when spooked.
This is a finesse technique, and perfect for when bass first move to shallow water and are a bit spooked by their new environment.
What I’m looking for in March is the warm layer of shallow water with cover. When the water first warms in spring, it warms from the top down, so the warmest is always shallow after a cold winter.
Bass love to have some protection, so cover is key.
I target shallow stumps, overhangs, docks, downed trees, lily pads, shallow roots – basically anything that makes the bass feel safe or where they will eventually spawn.
What makes this technique so fun this time of year is it is all visual. You are targeting shallow spots where you think fish should be and quietly presenting the bait without scaring them away. It’s classic target fishing and surprisingly, can be a fast way to fish.
My usual routine is to cast to the target, such as a stump. I allow it to fall straight to the bottom on a slack line, then lightly twitch it a few times and reel it back in and off to another target. Most bites occur on the fall. But if they have already made their beds, it may take more time on the bottom with light twitches to get a bite. Sometimes if they are aggressive, a twitch on the way down fires them up.
If you are on a lake with scattered shallow cover, you can to this on a very fast setting on the trolling motor and cover tons of water.
A mediumaction spinning rod is best with light braid of 10 or 15lb. If you can get away with straight braid and still get bites, that’s the way to go, so you don’t have any connections. If the water is really clear and they are sensitive to the braid, a 2 to 3-foot leader of fluorocarbon line is a must.’
Choose a light rod and reel, so you can make precise casts without wrist fatigue. You’ll be making way more casts than usual since you are only working the bait a few seconds each cast before reeling in.
You’ll need a small, #1 size straight shank hook or even a lightwave drop shot hook. If you have to work the bait for an extended time to get the fish to bite, the lighter the hook the better.
What makes the Shakin’ Neko Craw so special is the profile. It is more worm-like with its long and skinny profile, but with skinny pinchers. This is to speed up the fall with the light weight required for this technique. The crawfish pinchers trigger something in their minds to attack.
The Shakin’ Neko Craw has a spot to secure an O-ring, which is a must-have to not cast off a lot of baits. You’ll need a wacky rig tool if you don’t already have one, and some O-rings. You’ll also need a supply of nail weights in various weights to control the fall.
It’s a little tedious to rig up, but once you see the potential of this bait, it is all worth it. I rig up a whole box in several colors with 15 or 20 of each already rigged so I don’t waste any time on the water rigging.
This is one of the most fun techniques in fishing, and battling them with spinning rods up shallow provides some extra excitement!
Be on the lookout for this bite happening very soon!
