How to Choose a Bass Bug (40 of 51)

How do you choose a bass bug? Well, you know, there's no real science behind it. A lot of it's whimsy, so it's fun. There are various types of bass bugs. There are sliders, which have a cone head that don't make a lot of noise. And then there are poppers that have a cupped shape in the front [00:00:30] and gurgle and make bubbles and make noise for when the fish are more aggressive. Some of them are weedless. If you're fishing in heavy cover, you want a weedless one. Some of them are not because you're going to miss a few fish with a weed guard. Now, the other option is, do you choose a hard-bodied popper or a soft-bodied, like a deer hair bug? Sometimes the fish will prefer these softer deer hair bugs. These are [00:01:00] easier to see, easier to cast. These hard-bodied, they last forever. These don't always float all day long. But sometimes the fish prefer that softer body, so you never know. You want to try both. You want to have both in your box.
Now, as far as color is concerned, everybody has their favorite colors. You know, I don't have a favorite color. I just start with one color, and if it doesn't seem to be working, I try another one. Whether it matters or not, [00:01:30] I'm not sure. The final thing on choosing bass bugs, surface bugs, is don't go too big. You know, that's a fairly large popper, but, you know, even a big bass will take a little tiny bluegill bug like this, and I think you're better off starting with a smaller popper until you find out how aggressive the fish are. If the fish are really aggressive, [00:02:00] then yeah, maybe you want to use a bigger popper. But, you know, if you want to catch panfish and bass, go with a smaller bug. You'll catch both.