Lee Smith shares techniques that he has learned over three years of Recoil Rigging

Before I tell everyone about what I have learned, I would like to give you some information about myself and the areas I fish.

I have been fishing for bass over 25 years and fishing tournaments for over 20 years. I have fished most states in the South: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and, of course, Mississippi, my home state. The waters I fish are a spread of deep, shallow, rivers, and backwaters, from crystal clear to pure mud.

Despite all this experience, when Rodney Long introduced me to the Recoil Rig, I found out that I knew oh so little about the new techniques of bass fishing. Below is what I have learned in the past three years with this rig.

When introduced to the Recoil Rig, I was an avid jig fisherman who pitched and flipped some of the worst trash in the South and picked up many checks doing it. You couldn’t even talk to me about fishing much of anything else other than the occasional spinner bait or Carolina-rigged huge worm. Rodney finally talked me into trying his new invention, took a lot of his valuable time explaining to me the basics of how to fish the Rig, and even set me up with a couple of rigs to learn with because I lost my first rig fast! Real fast, and I imagine others out there will do the same.

I am breaking this down into water characteristics. Every person using this rig will have to adapt to their area, bait, and water. Here’s what I have learned:

Clear, Grass-Filled Lakes

Less is more! The videos of the Recoil Rig are great to show you the action that can be achieved using this rig. But I have found that in clear water situations, working the Rig fast and with a lot of action turns the bite off. Not to say this will never work, because during peak times this can be the best way to work the bait in any water.

When the bite is tough and you can’t find any “shallow” fish, look for deep weed beds or the ends of points with grass. Make long cast with a heavy weight (1 oz. or more) and the SpecTastic cord doubled. Let the Rig set for a few seconds (I know, this goes against all we learn), and then slowly just give the rod tip a minimal 1- to 2-inch twitch on semi-slack line. If the entry of the bait drew in bass to see what was going on, the minimal twitch will be all that is needed to let it know your bait is alive and an easy, free meal. After that, make small “twitches,” then let the lure sit. The vibrations in the water WILL bring the bass to you!

If you get no takers within fifteen seconds, move on. With a fast upward rake of the rod, move the Rig up to 6 or 7 feet and start over.

In clear water there is no need to work every couple of feet; the bass will find this rig. Generally I use a very light colored minnow-style lure or a straight “trick” worm for this technique. Use your judgment and pick something that resembles bait fish in the area.

Dingy, Mixed Lakes

Don’t be afraid to use this lure in log jams and such. In southern Mississippi, we pitch the Recoil Rig into the worst stuff you have seen and it works great. You need a little change in the normal rigging, in that the leader needs to be 17-pound test or greater. Use 50-pound test braid as a main line.

Deep wood is easily worked with the Rig. Use a short, 1-foot leader and work through the wood, pulling the weight up until it catches, and then working the bait with medium, semi-fast twitches until the weight bounces over and catches on to the next limb or trunk.

Beware! The strikes on this rig in wood are very hard, and you will have to react fast to get your Rig back.

When fishing the grass in dingy water just upgrade the presentation to a more aggressive motion and use brighter minnow lures and dark or sparkly straight-tail worms.

Semi-Muddy Waters

Now you can do the dance with the Recoil Rig that you’ve been itching to do all along. Use the Rig in all areas — shallow, deep, grass, brush, you name it. I really enjoy working the edges of drop-offs and creek banks with this rig. Work it hard and fast, getting the most out of the action with brief pauses between sets. The max rod tip movement during this technique is 4 to 5 inches, but with aggression.

I use bigger lures in this presentation; stick worms up to 8 inches or large plastic “swim baits.” Color is definitely important. Match the hatch as close as you can. Once a bass has found the lure, it must look real to seal the deal.

Muddy Waters

Nothing on the market pulls fish in like the Recoil Rig in muddy water. Nothing!

Double up the SpecTastic cord. Use heavy baits and heavy leaders. Be aggressive with the rod tip. Move the lure regularly up to two feet at a time, and work it through any and every piece of grass and trash you can find.

Keep a finger on your main line while working in muddy water so you can feel the slightest strike. I have found that, except at peak times, in muddy water the strikes are usually light. Be fast on the hook set to keep from losing the Rig. Use dark baits: purple, brown, black, and my favorite, scuppernong.

I have a few tips the make the Recoil Rig effective in special situations. Try these, and you will fall in love with the Rig all over again!

River Ledges

When fishing river ledges from very shallow to very deep with a sharp drop off, triple your cord and use a 2- to 3-oz weight. Work the Rig to the drop off, and then carefully stretch the Rig out to where you believe the weight is still sitting on the edge of the shallows and the lure is over the deep water. Work the lure gently and steady as long as possible, creating an “injured minnow” presentation. When the weights pulls over the edge, feed line for a straight fall, give it one series of motions at the bottom of the drop, then reel in and start over. This is an awesome presentation for bass that are feeding on these shallow ledges along river systems.

Matted Grass and Lily Pads

Punch it! Yep, I said Punch it! Use a heavy leader, braided main line, and a 1-ounce or heavier pencil weight. Double or triple your SpecTastic cord, and Texas Rig the lure onto a heavy wire, off-set hook. Bury the hook point into the lure. Do NOT “Texpose” the lure in this presentation. Hold onto the weight and pitch the Rig as high as you can, with decent distance, and watch the heavy pencil weight punch through the mat or pads. Let it set, and then according to the water clarity work the lure as you desire.

My biggest bass taken on the Recoil Rig was caught next to a 2-foot ditch that wondered through a lily pad patch. It will take you a few tries to get the presentation down with this technique, but mastering this technique will pay off during the hot summer months when the rest of the guys are frogging or pitching jigs.

Stump Flats and the Recoil Rig

My team partner came up with this idea during a tournament on large reservoir here in Mississippi, and we have been using it for two years now with great success.

Use the Rig as a variation of the Carolina Rig. Double the cord up and use a heavy pencil sinker — one that is cylindrical in shape. The shorter, stronger SpecTastic cord works best when pulling a Rig through the stumps. Feed one glass bead on your fishing main line, and then pass the line through the round eye of the line-lock swivel supplied in the pack. Attach the SpecTastic cord and weight to the line-lock swivel. Add two more beads to your fishing line below the line-lock swivel, and tie on a regular barrel swivel with a leader down to the hook for your favorite bait.

It resembles a Carolina Rig, but instead of a barrel weight above your swivel and bead, you have two beads and a line-lock swivel with the SpecTastic cord and your weight hanging down.

As you drag the lure through the area, the SpecTastic cord gives it erratic action. Pause it frequently. During the stops, just twitch the rod tip a few times before the next pull, you will soon find out what we have: there is no better way to work a Carolina Rig.

The Dancing Jig

This is by far my favorite technique to use on flats and clean or rocky points. It’s very easy.

Just add a 3/8-ounce weight attached to the SpecTastic cord and line lock swivel. Feed your fishing line through the round eye of the line-lock swivel and tie it to your favorite jig. Use very light jigs with this technique since you have the extra weight of the Recoil Rig attached.

Work it just as you would the jig, just add a few twitches here and there to keep it moving. At times the dragging weight will hang up for a short period; you can use this to really work the jig in this area. In semi-muddy and muddy water I use a rattle with the jig, but let the Rig alone provide the noise in clear and dingy water applications.

After three years with the Recoil Rig and I continue to learn little “different” techniques that add to my success. Don’t be afraid to experiment with this Rig. Don’t get discouraged if one technique doesn’t work in the water you are fishing. Stick with it, learn, and you will find, as I have, that this is the biggest “Secret Weapon” in your arsenal.

See you on the water!

Lee Smith