Product Review: PowerTeam Lures Bass Attack Pack

Now that the water is warming up and everyone is dusting off their kayaks, it’s time to start restocking your arsenal of freshwater soft plastics.  Since there are thousands of different shapes, sizes, and colors to choose from, deciding on what you are going to buy can be tough.  However, if you are looking for a good quality soft plastics kit to get you started this season look no further than the PowerTeam Lures Bass Attack Pack. 

I bought this kit and decided to put it to the test against winter and prespawn bass under numerous weather conditions and on several different lakes to see it this kit would pass the test, and let me tell you, it did and with flying colors!

OVERVIEW: 

The Bass Attack Pack comes in two different color options: lighter blues/browns and darker browns/greens/junebug colors.  I chose the darker kit based on the water color I normally fish. The kit includes each of the following:  6” Gators, 7” Ticklers, 5” Sick Sticks, 3.5” Food Chain Tubes, and 3.5” Craw D’oeuvres.  It also includes terminal tackle like: Pea Heads, Tick Shakes, FCT Tube Heads, and 2/0 EWG Hooks.  Hog Tonic capsules are also included in the kit. 

6” Gator

The Gator is a lizard style soft plastic.  These baits can be killer during the spring time while the bass are spawning.  A lizard looks like a salamander which is a natural predator and bass won’t hesitate to attack one near a bed.  I have had success pitching a Gator on to a bed, but my most successful method has been a Carolina rigged gator.  For those who don’t know what a Carolina rig is, it is normally a ½-1oz. egg sinker that is above a swivel. On the other end of a swivel is 2-4feet of 10lbs fluorocarbon leader.  Slowly dragging a Carolina rig with a gator near a spawning flat will drive the big females crazy. 

18" Bass on the Gator 

7” Tickler

The 7” Tickler is the perfect worm for shakey head fishing.  This bait rigged on one of the Tick Shake heads is hard to beat when the fishing gets tough.  On days after a wicked cold front has moved through, this may be the only bait that catches fish.  I like working this bait over long main lake and secondary points, as well as on ledges.  The key to using this bait effectively on slow days is to work the bait extra slow.  Most of the time I won’t even move the bait once it hits the bottom, I will only shake it.  Even the most finicky bass will be tempted to eat this worm and don’t let the size fool you; I have caught bass from 10in to 20in on this bait.

An early prespawn bass couldn't resist a 7" Tickler 

5” Sick Stick

This bait is by far my favorite out of the kit. The 5” Sick Stick is a soft stick bait style plastic that will catch bass any time of year under any conditions.  I have fished it in so many different ways and have caught fish every way I have tried.  If I had to pick one way to fish this though it would be weightless on one of the EWG hooks that comes with the kit. This rig will catch bass of all sizes, all year.  The retrieve is simple; just throw it out and let the bait sink, then use a jerk, jerk, pause cadence to bring it back in.  Vary the length of the pauses, depending on the water temperature.  The colder the water the longer I pause.

One of many bass caught on a Sick Stick

3.5” Food Chain Tubes

The Food Chain Tube is an excellent bait for bedding bass in the lakes around Tidewater VA.  I will rig the Tube with the FCT Tube heads that are included in the kit.  I use this bait when sight fishing for Largemouth’s guarding beds.  I will pitch the tube directly on top of the bed and let it sit there until it gets the fish’s attention.  Once the fish locks on to it hop it a few times.  This should drive the fish crazy and make it eat the bait. With the hook being exposed, it helps with hook ups too.

 Spawning Bass can't pass up a Tube!

3.5” Craw D’oeuvres

The Craw D’oeuvres are the most versatile bait in the kit.  You can Texas rig them, Carolina Rig them, jig it, use it on a shakey head, or use it as a jig trailer.  I have caught fish using each of these methods, but using this bait rigged on a Tick Shake has produced the most fish.  During the late winter, and early spring, this produced some of my larger bass fish.  Slowly hopping this bait along the bottom mimicking  a crawfish produced the most action. 

Big Winter time Pig on a Craw D

Add Ons:

Even though the Bass Attack Pack is ready to fish now, I have added a few pieces of terminal tackle to fully equip it.  Some of these things are: Bobber stoppers for Texas rigging, some bigger worm hooks, and a few bullet head weights in assorted sizes. 

The PowerTeam Lures Bass Attack Pack is an awesome kit that is good for beginner and experienced fisherman alike.  You can pick up a kit at Appomattox River Company and on their website. 

Spring is here and its time to go out and catch yourself a HAWG!!!

Cranking and pitching into Spring

Fun Size crankbait fish

The winter curse has finally lifted here in Southeast Virginia and the water is warming up! After a week of warm spring temperatures I was excited to get out on one of my favorite lakes for some prespawn largemouths.  I rigged my Cuda 14 up and hit the water.  I planned on throwing swimbaits and crankbaits around stumps and submerged brushpiles.  The first hour was slow with only a few hits, but I went up a large creek off the main lake and found the fish.  My first fish nailed a swimbait that I bounced off a stump.  I kept running my swimbait and crankbait near stumps and picking up small fish. 

This fish crushed a swimbait near a stump

The bite was never heavy, but it also never stopped.  I caught most of my fish on the crankbait, with a few of my larger fish on the swimbait.  I also picked up a few pickerel on my crankbait as well. 

Hooked Up

The next day I went back out to the same lake.  The temperature had dropped about 10 degrees and there was a stiff north wind.  The rising barometric pressure made the crankbait bite tough, so I switched to pitching heavy cover. I caught 5 fish on laydowns and submerged trees in around 6 feet of water.

 This takes a lot of time and patients on days like today. I would work one laydown for about 10-15min to find fish. I also had to experiment with several colors and baits until I found the right combination.  A PowerTeam Lures 3.5” Craw D’oeuvre in green pumpkin red flake was the hot bait.  I would cover the bait with PowerTeam Lures Hog Tonic to give the bait that extra edge on the fish.  These fish were in the tightest, thickest part of the cover, and took a stiff rod to get them out.  I even pulled a pickerel out of a huge laydown. 

Spring is here, and it’s time to get out and catch some big pigs!  

Windy Weekend

The forecast for this weekend looked nice with the exception of one thing, the wind.  The forecast called for winds of at least 15kts with stronger gusts and I knew I wouldn’t be able to fish the larger lakes I have been fishing.  Plan B was to downsize to a small pond protected by wind.  I rigged up the SUPerFISHal for some bass fishing.  Since it is a small pond I was pretty sure the fish would be in a few specific locations.  One of these spots was a large laydown tree.  I ran a crankbait through the outside limbs and it was smashed by a nice 19.5in bass.

 After I released it I pitched a jig with a PowerTeam Lures Craw D’oeuvre trailer.  I hopped my jig once and then it was picked up by a 18in bass.  I kept pitching my jig and working my crankbait by some more cover and picked up a few more nice largemouths up to 20in. 

  My Dad was using a jerkbait and live bait and also picked up a few bass.  As the day went on we each caught our fair share of bass and pickerel and were going to call it a day. 

  My Dad pitched his last live bait near some cover and it was almost immediately nailed by a good fish.  After a short fight he landed a big pickerel.  He placed it on the board and it measured 24.75in, a Virginia Trophy Citation.  After snapping a few pictures, we watched it swim off and we called it a day.

The next day was forecasted to be a little colder with steady winds out of the north.  I loaded up my Cuda 14 and targeted catfish.  This time of year catfish invade the marshes and creeks of the lower James River, and it makes for easy and fun fishing.  I timed the tides so wouldn’t have to paddle against them and I paddled into a large creek and set up my baits.  After only 15minutes, I already had several small cats in the boat.

  The bite continued most of the day.  The action was so hot, at times I had double and even triple headers with 15in-22in catfish.  I fished until I ran out of bait and the current was too strong.  A short easy paddle back to the truck with a stringer full of good eating catfish ended the day.   

Slowing Down

As a weekend fisherman, I can’t count on perfect conditions every time I go fishing.  This weekend I faced post cold front conditions and muddy water from a lot of rain the previous day.  At least the weather called for some warmer conditions, so I loaded up my Cuda 14 and went to one of the local lakes near my house.  The bright blue sky and warmer air temperatures made for a nice day, but the fishing was slow.  I started the day flipping heavy cover in 9-12 feet of water with a small finesse jig.  I missed a few fish but couldn’t get any solid hookups.  I eventually worked my way into a small, deep creek, and I switched to a jerkbait.  After a few cast I connected with a decent largemouth.  It was suspended in 15 feet of water.

  I thoroughly fished the creek but couldn't get another bite.   I moved to another shallower creek, where my Dad connects with a nice fish. After a short fight he lands a chunky bass.  That fish hit a square bill crankbait in a craw pattern.  I hoped a change would increase the action so I decided to make a move and head way up lake to find some warmer water.  I started fishing a large stump field.  I picked up a small pickerel with my jerkbait, and missed a few more fish on my jig.  My Dad was working his jerkbait in a small pocket when it was blasted by a nice largemouth.

  After a quick fight he landed it and I took a few pictures.  This one was fatter and a bit longer than his first.  The fish kept me guessing the rest of the trip and I couldn’t get another bite. 

The next day I went to a smaller, shallower lake hoping for a better bite.  I fished my normal spots without a bite.  I switched to slow rolling a spinnerbait and fished it down drop offs and near spawning flats.  I managed to pick up 2 small bass and a pickerel.

  The fishing was slow but the weather made for another nice day on the water.  When you are fishing the action can’t always be great, but slow days are what make you realize how special a great day is.

Surprise Citation on the SUP!

Today’s forecast showed light winds and 65 degree temperature, so I loaded up my SUP and went to one of my favorite lakes in Suffolk.  My plan was to catch perch, crappie, and some smaller bass on my ultra light rig.  It was spooled with 4lbs test line and a small live bait rig.  I pulled up to my first brush pile and pitched my live bait as close as I could to it.  Almost immediately my bobber went down.  I set the hook and after a short fight I landed a small bass.

Nice pickerel on my ultra light 

  The action continued and I caught several more bass and some pickerel on my ultra light.  I move to another spot looking for perch in a little deeper water.  On my first cast my live bait was slammed by a good fish.  It made a few good head shakes and pulled a lot of drag.  Once I played the fish closer to the SUP I saw that it was a NICE bass.  The first time I got it close to the SUP, it launched into a tail walk and I got my first good look at the hawg.  With only 4 lb test and a perch hook I lightened the drag and hoped for the best.  The fish made a long run dumping half my spool, but luckily it headed to the middle of the lake, away from the structure.  I kept fighting the fish and eventually lipped the beast onto the SUP.

  I quickly put the bass on my hawg trough and measured it at 22in, just enough for a VA trophy citation.  I was stoked that I had landed such a nice fish on my ultra light.  After a few quick pictures I released her and got back to fishing.  

Decent bass on a crankbait

Once I realized the perch bite wasn’t going to turn on I switched over to throwing swimbaits and crankbaits for bass.  The bite came in flurries, where I would catch 3 or 4 fish quickly and then have no bites for a while.

15in bass on a slow rolled swimbait

  I ended the day with over 20 bass and pickerel as well as a few perch.  Most of my bass came on swimbaits and live bait, while the pickerel liked crankbaits and jerkbaits.  All of the fish were suspended near brush piles, and laydowns in 4-8 feet of water. 

Trying Something New...

Trying Something New…

                

After a week of warm temperatures I was excited to get back out for some largemouth bass action.  Since Saturday was shaping up to be 65 degrees with a light wind, I decided to fish a new large lake instead of going to one of my old favorites.  I launched my Cuda 14 mid-morning, and set off for my first spot.  With the weather warming, I was hoping to find some bass starting to move into a pre-spawn pattern so I targeted secondary points and ledges leading to spawning flats.  I picked up a few small males on a crankbait as well as on a suspending jerkbait. 

  After a few hours I figured it was still too early for the big girls to start their pre-spawn pattern so I switched to fishing deep water.  I started working bluff points and steep banks with a deep diving crankbait.  I picked up a few decent fish this way and saw a few other boats pick up a few as well.  As the temperatures increased, so did the action.  When I started working deep, the fish were suspended in about 20 feet of water. Once the surface water temps rose to about 50 degrees on the fish moved to about 10 feet.  I then switched back to my jerkbait and caught a few more fish. 

Breaking down a new body of water can seem intimidating, especially for a kayaker.  A kayak doesn't have the option of “running and gunning” from one end of the lake to the other.  We have to decide where we want to work and fish it thoroughly.  For finding my spots this time of year, I first looked for the parts of the lake with the most northern exposure.  Then I looked for main lake points, secondary points, and steep drop-offs.  These are the places I target.  Electronics play a crucial role when breaking down a lake like this.  If you don’t have a depth finder, then look for topo maps of the lake.  These are amazing tools when trying to locate ledges and points.  Another good thing to do when you hit a new lake is to watch the locals.  If they are flipping jigs into cover then you might want to try doing the same thing.  The last tip I have is to hit the internet.  Look for recent reports from the lake, blogs and websites to see what’s biting and what baits are working.

With spring coming, the fishing is likely to improve. So, give these tips a try and catch some big bucketmouths! 

     Once we were off the lake, we headed to the Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association (TKAA) monthly meeting.  The meeting was held at Wild River Outfitter in Virginia Beach, and the topic was SAFETY, including "Rules of the Road", PFD's, cold water survival, float plans and communications.  Some of the speakers included the United States Coast Guard, VA Marine Police and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  They did a great job and answered a lot of questions.  Next months meeting will feature a Kayak Fishing 101, which will be a great help if you are new to the sport.  Go to TKAA's website for more details.  

Chilly Bass on the SUP

Since the forecast showed light winds and slightly warmer temperatures, I decided to load up the SUPerFISHal and head to the Suffolk Lakes.  I launched in the early afternoon with the water temp reading 39.5 degrees.  My Dad joined me in his Cuda 14.  When I arrived at the first hole that I wanted to target I pitched my live bait near some structure and it was instantly nailed by a feisty pickerel.

  As soon as I released it, my Dad picked up a small bass.  The action continued throughout the day with bass and pickerel hitting almost everything I threw.  Most of the bass were in the 14in-15in range with a few up to 20in.

  The most productive baits were suspending jerkbaits, crankbaits, PowerTeam Lures 3.5” Craw D’oeuvre fished on a football jig and live bait. 

  I even got out my ultralight and caught some bass and crappie on a small spinnerbait.  The crappie were schooled up over a submerged brush pile in only about 4 feet of water.

 Most of the fish were suspended over offshore structure and near thick cover. Overall, we caught around 25 bass and pickerel.  It was a great day and with the water still warming the fishing will only get better.