Spybaiting 101: The Art Of Silent Capture

Some people call it “The Art of Silent Capture.” I call it the “The Art of Fishing Very Slow and Catching Big Bass.” What is it? Spybaiting.Spybaiting, in the most simple terms, includes a long cast, a very slow and deliberate retrieve, and a sinking style bait like the Reaction Strike XRM Spybait.

Spybaiting Equipment

The equipment needed for spybaiting is very simple: A medium power spinning rod, 2000 to 2500 series spinning reel, 4 to 8 lb fluorocarbon line, and a spybait that matches the forage in the lake you are fishing.

Spybaiting Seasons

Although this technique is effective all year long, the best time to utilize your spybaiting is in the winter and the summer when fish tend to suspend over structure like humps, ledges, or on the end of a point. It also works when they are schooling in open water and you can target them from a distance by casting across and spybaiting slowly through their school.

Spybaiting Technique

The technique for spybaiting is also very simple, but requires immense concentration and patience. Make a long cast well past your target strike zone, and allow the lure to sink down on a semi slack line so you can detect any bite on the fall. Count the lure down to just above the depth where the fish are suspended. (This requires you to know the sink rate of the lure. You learn this by dropping the lure under the transducer on your fishfinder or dropping it at a known depth to find out how many feet per second it falls.) Then, start reeling very, very slowly in order to keep the lure at that depth. This should be the slowest retrieve of any of your techniques. If you ever think that you are reeling too slow, you probably need to slow down even more. Keep reeling until your rod loads up with the weight of a fish and then set the hook.Spybaiting can be deadly when nothing else is working during the toughest clear water conditions. This technique can be frustrating because of the tedious nature of long casts and slow retrieves, but stick with it and you will end up catching big bass.

This post was guest written by Flukemaster AKA Gene Jensen. Gene's channel offers detailed bass fishing instruction from a great teacher. He wants you to learn how to catch bass.