Professional Guide Rick McFerrin advises that to catch more fish, you need to follow a different path

Let me start out by asking you to do some reflection and then answer a few simple questions. Here’s the reflection part: think for a minute about your two most favorite lakes that you fish for bass. Got them locked in? All right, here comes the questions.

- How many people fish your favorite lakes during an entire year for bass?

- How many total man hours are spent by those fishermen on the water?

- How many casts did these fishermen make totally during that same period of time?

Wow! When you look at it from that standpoint it can be a little staggering.

I don’t know where you live, but I can tell you that here in Tennessee our lakes (large and small) are covered up with bass fishermen 12 months out of the year. Daytime, nighttime, spring, summer, fall and winter. 1000’s of fishermen spending 1000’s of hours, making 1000’s of casts at every bass in the lake. No rock, lay down, ledge, drop, hump, weed bed, channel, boat dock, marina, standing timber, weed bed (I like weed beds), bluff, mud bank, gravel bank, rock point (and the list go’s on ) remains untouched! Big crank baits, small crank baits, big worms, small worms, big spinnerbaits, small spinnerbaits, big buzz baits, small buzz baits, big jerk baits, small jerk baits, big jigs, small jigs, big spoons, small spoons. Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, shaky heads, fast moving baits, slow moving baits. Man I’m getting tired just thinking about it!

Now, if I can get tired just thinking about this I wonder how Mr. Bass feels over the period of a year? How many “Me Too” baits are dragged past the nose of the bass in your lake every year? I can almost hear a couple of 5 lb Smallmouth hanging out on the end of a point saying “Here comes another crawfish colored bait and it looks just like the last 20 that passed by. Who do they think they’re fooling?” Wow! Once again, when you look at it that way it can become even more staggering.

I’m not really babbling, believe me, and my brain isn’t completely waterlogged yet. (Only 80%.) What I’m saying is simple. Bass fishermen that are consistent in catching good fish year in and year out aren’t doing the same thing over and over that everyone else is doing. How many BASSand FLW events are won by a pro that tells everyone in the audience when he’s collecting his $50,000.00 check, “I found a way to change this bait just a little, and did it ever make a big difference.” How many local club tournaments are won consistently by a handful of fishermen who are doing “something just a little different”?

So, back to the title of this article, “Something different can make a big difference.” Sometimes the fisherman comes up with the difference. Other times it’s done for us by bait manufactures. Either way we need to be alert to changes that are going on around us and take advantage of those changes. Let’s take a look at “something different” that is on the market right now that I have already found out can make a big difference in your bass fishing success. Hang in there… this is good stuff!

Secret Weapon Sidearm Spinnerbait

Before we talk specifically about the Secret Weapon Sidearm Spinnerbait I need to cover something else. Articles that I write go out all over the world on a variety of fishing web sites and are published here in Tennessee in several news papers and magazines as well. I said all that to say that some of you are already familiar with Secret Weapon Spinnerbaits, but many may not be. Because of that I need to explain what makes the whole Secret Weapon concept (Quickstrike Spinnerbaits, Buzzrbaits, Sidearm Spinnerbaits) different from other spinnerbaits on the market today. So with that in mind let’s start there.

First of all over the years I have come to appreciate the difference that Secret Weapon brings to the table. They have all the best features of a conventional safety pin style spinnerbaits plus the uniqueness of an in line spinnerbait as well. This combination is achieved by the use of “Free Floating” in line clevis mounted blades that can be fished in a multitude of applications including through trees (which we will talk about in a minute) brush, weeds and heavy cover. This design creates a “Different” sound from other spinnerbaits that fish are so use to hearing. Remember our two 5lb Smallmouth on the point? Well there you go! Something different that makes a big difference.

Another unique difference is the ability to change the blades on a Secret Weapon Spinnerbait in just a matter of seconds. This is achieved because of the quick change blade attachment design. Even a guy with bifocals and a little arthritis in his fingers like me can do it in no time flat. That gives you the ability to change the look of your bait as conditions change without tying on a completely different bait. And when those hawgs take a shot at your bait, the combination of the “Ultra Point” Extra long Mustad hook being aligned perfectly with the line tie and the blades swinging out of the way giving you an increased solid hook-up ratio. I could go on and on about how well they retrieve, with less tendency to roll at high speeds; their excellence as a drop bait, superior craftsmanship and much more. But let’s move on to what took place this past week while on vacation on one of my favorite lakes in Louisiana.

About a month ago I got a telephone call from Joe Haubenreich, President of Secret Weapon Lures, telling me about the new “Sidearm Spinnerbait.” As Joe explained the new bait to me my mind raced ahead to the upcoming trip that my youngest son Daniel and I were going to take on Lake Providence, an oxbow lake in Louisiana. Joe sent me several of the new Sidearm Spinnerbaits, and last week Daniel and I had the opportunity to try them out.

The type of cover that we were fishing was 95% cypress trees like the picture on either side. I have fished this lake since the mid 1980s and have always had success with spinnerbaits and crank baits. Sometimes the bass will hold so tight to the trunk of the trees and knees that the bait has to beat and bang its way through to get a hit. Other times if the fish are aggressive they will roam a few feet off the tree. Well this time was a “stuck like glue” to the tree trip. I threw both the original Secret Weapon Quickstrike Spinnerbait and the new Sidearm Spinnerbait and here is what I found out. I caught fish on both, but the Sidearm produced more strikes overall than the original bait on this trip. I think I have it figured out why.

Since the blades are directly across from one another (side by side) when I would run the bait lets say on the right side of the tree, the blade nearest the tree would make contact and flutter momentarily but the other blade would continue to spin. I believe it was that different turbulence the Sidearm made that provoked the strike. This was one of the slower trips I have had on Providence. But we still caught 62 largemouths in 4 days of fishing with multiple fish over 3 pounds all the way up to 7 pounds on this trip. Made Daniel smile. We talked to several local bass fishermen who found it hard to believe that we were doing as well as we were. Luck? Well, maybe something different made a big difference. I’m sure it was a combination of things. Like lighter line (nothing over 12-lb test) fishing ultra slow and making repeated casts to the same areas. And using techniques and baits that these fish just don’t see on a normal basis.

Joe and Secret Weapon have a real winner on their hands with this new bait. I can’t wait to throw it this week here in Tennessee. I love fishing grass, and can’t wait to see how they will perform on Old Hickory here in Nashville. Just like the original Secret Weapon Spinnerbait the Sidearm uses the same free-floating, interchangeable, in-line spinner blades. And as I have already discussed it creates a different vibration because of the two blades playing off one another. I also noticed that the Sidearm seemed to “stay up” a little high in the water column at a slower speed, which definitely was a plus on this trip. There’s time that you don’t want a bass to get too good of a look at a bait. But then on the other hand when they are a little finicky like this past week having the bait right in their face for that second or two longer was the trick.

Unlike other the original Secret Weapon Quickstrike Spinnerbait, the Sidearm uses a V-frame blade pivot bar (see picture to the left) that attaches to the spinnerbait arm above the black double barrel metal sleeve (picture to the right) The metal sleeve slides down allowing you to attach the V Frame Pivot Arm. At the ends on the Pivot Arm you then attach the spinner blades of your choice. A simple, quick and “different” approach to all “me too” baits.

Another great aspect of this bait is that you can leave the V Bar off the bait and attach a single Secret Weapon spinner blade and have a fantastic short arm spinnerbait. This is ideal for bottom crawling, or let it helicopter around docks, bluffs, pilings and ledges. As on all Secret Weapon Spinnerbaits you can modify them without tools right on the water in seconds. With just a handful of Secret Weapon bodies and a pocketful of blades you can come up with the best combination that is going to work for you that day.

Conclusion

The Secret Weapon Sidearm Spinnerbait is available in three weights. (3/16-oz, 5/16-oz, and 9/16-oz) and in 16 popular patterns for stained or clear water. Joe and his team offers several different packs designed exactly for your needs and budget. You can see all of the great Secret Weapon Products by going to their Website: www.secretweaponlures.com. This product is also available in shops scattered all across the U.S. so check with your local tackle store.

If you are as serious as I am about getting maximum results every time I put my boat in the water, then you understand why I said “Something Different Can Make A Big Difference.”

As the owner of Tennessee Bass Guides and a full time Guide, I’m always looking new and better ways to help my clients catch fish. There is no doubt in my mind that adding the Secret Weapon Sidearm Spinnerbait to my arsenal will help me do just that.

God Bless.

Rick McFerrin
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
Web: Tennessee Bass Guides