So a question I get from guys in West Virginia is, “what do I throw?”
In general, it depends a lot on the time of the year. Some baits are just going to outperform other baits at certain times of the year. I wanted to create a list of three baits you can catch fish on year-round in West Virginia and so here are my top three baits for West Virginia fishing.
- Weightless Stickbait
For the most part, I can’t think of too many months throughout the entire year in West Virginia where there isn’t a weightless Senko laying on the front of my deck. In what tournament winnings I have won in West Virginia, a good portion of them could be claimed by a Senko in some way or another.
Depending on how I am fishing it is the way I choose which Senko to throw. If I am throwing it weightless, I don’t think there is a time when I am not throwing a Gary Yamamoto Senko unless I am just out of them. The Gary Yamamoto Senko just falls the best and I have caught more on that brand than any other brand I have thrown. But I will branch out and use the Bass Pro Shops Stick-O in the case I am adding weight to it or putting it on a shaky head.
Rigging: I typically rig my weightless Senko on a 1/0 VMC weedless Neko hook with an O-ring. Spinning gear is a must to be able to make precise casts with it underneath overhanging trees or between tree branches. Depending on the size of fish I am targeting or where I am targeting them is going to be the factor on line sizes.
2. Micro Jig
The Fitzgerald boys are going to hate me for this, but I don’t think this bait is any secret. The micro jig (in particular the Keitech Spin Jig) catches more pressured bass in the state than any other bait out there.
I have seen it first hand just get bites even if they are small ones. In a tournament situation, there are times when you just need a bite and this bait provides those bites when nothing else is happening.
Rigging: I throw the 5/32 ounce Keitech Spin Jig with a 3″ Keitech Swing Impact trailer. Color depends on the watercolor, but typically brown most of the time. Mainly on eight-pound fluorocarbon on a spinning rod but will even drop down to six-pound line if the bite gets tough.
3. Texas Rig
The king daddy of lay down fishing and it is by far the Texas rig. I have seen more money won with the Texas rig or in some cases I have been the one winning money with the Texas rig.
My ideal situation to throw it is when I know I can drag it through laydowns to get bites. Typically in the summertime in West Virginia, it will play pretty heavily just due to the fact that a lot of the fish will still hang around the ends of deep laydowns to feed.
And the Texas rig is so versatile in the sense of you can basically put any soft plastic on it. There has been plenty of times when I have caught more on the worm-style bait over the craw-style bait and vice versa.
Rigging: Depending on the depth I am fishing is the way I choose my weight for it. But in general, I typically use a 5/16 or 1/4 ounce weight with a 3/0 to 5/0 round bend hook. Hook size depends on the size of the bait I will be fishing. Line size is for sure over 15 pound to 20-pound fluorocarbon and I use a medium-heavy rod. Most guys will use a medium rod for this application, but I don’t have as much power behind my hook sets so a medium-heavy will do just fine for me.
