A 1-2 Punch

Mike Iaconelli's 2003 Bass Master Classic Championship should be enough to remind bass anglers of the importance of follow up baits when bass swirl but miss our reaction lures.  Iaconelli used lures manufactured by Mann's Bait Company, one a swimming worm  was fished relatively fast to trigger reaction strikes while the other bait, a plastic stick bait was used to follow up on missed strikes.  Perhaps never was this technique so perfectly illustrated as that last 3 pound bass that Iaconelli caught with time running out, which allowed him to capture the most prestigious title in all of professional fishing.

Top water presentations and other baits that work the upper reaches of the water column require bass that are in an aggressive mode.  It can be hit or miss with the frustrated angler left to scratch his head and wonder what happened.  In about 80% of the cases, when a bass boils or attacks your lure, you can throw  a new bait back at the place where the boil occurred and catch the fish.  The idea behind the follow up method is that for a bass to swirl or boil on your bait, it must have been fired up about something.  The other thing to consider is that the bass' attitude won't shut off in a second.  There will still be a period where that fish will bite something a little more subtle than the bait it originally attacked.  Here is the key, have the follow up ready.  Every second that passes between when the bass boiled on your lure to the time you actually get a follow up cast on that fish, is crucial.  The longer you wait, the more that fish calms down, until it becomes inactive again.

Mike Iaconelli's classic win is a classic reminder to take advantage of every break you get.  A missed fish is a lost opportunity to many anglers, however with a 1-2 punch, Mr. Bass just showed you his cards, and gave himself away.