| If you haven't gotten any Lucky Craft
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| | of year to fish these baits is in the
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| crankbaits yet, you may have missed the
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| | late summer to fall time when bass are
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| boat, (literally!). This is the hottest
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| | following shad into the backs of
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| bait on the market besides the Sweet
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| | creeks."During the late spring and early
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| Beaver which will be in the Delaware
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| | summer the 2.5 and 3.5 are my preferred
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| Tackle store soon, (I just spoke to Andre
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| | sizes," Clunn says. "In the fall, when
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| Moore), and they are moving and
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| | shad are the main bass forage, I'll start
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| backorders are down to 3-4 weeks now, and
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| | with the 2.5, but if bass want a smaller
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| will soon be up to date. Anyway, back to
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| | profile, I'll drop down to the
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| the Lucky Craft crankbaits. Are they
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| | 1.5."Clunn's Cranking CredibilityRick
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| expensive? Yes!! Are they worth it??
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| | Clunn knows crankbaits. Whether it was
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| YES!!! I climbed a tree to get one when
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| | his astounding 1990 Bassmaster Classic
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| it was the last one left in a particular
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| | win on the James River with a cedar
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| color. One of our Pro Staff threw himself
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| | "coffin-bill" diver, or his 2000 FLW Tour
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| into the water from his boat to get one
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| | Wal-Mart Open victory on Beaver Lake with
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| back, it is that good!You can go right in
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| | a shallow square-billed wobbler, or his
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| behind any number of anglers competing at
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| | impressive 2001 BASS Megabucks victory on
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| any level and catch bass right behind
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| | an ultra-deep diving plug - Clunn has
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| them on these baits. You don't have to
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| | fashioned a legendary bass fishing career
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| listen to me though, listen to Rick Clunn
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| | out of his knowledge of diving baits.Of
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| and a thousand others who know how
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| | course, he is best known for his four
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| effective this bait is!Clunn's Fishing
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| | Bassmaster Classic wins, three of which
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| DreamsIn 2001, Rick Clunn completed his
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| | came on crankbaits. In addition, he has
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| quest for the BASS "Triple Crown" by
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| | won 10 other BASS events and 3 FLW
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| winning Megabucks. Though he had won four
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| | events. Of those 13 victories, 8 were
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| Bassmasters Classics and an Angler of the
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| | achieved with crankbaits.Essentially,
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| Year title earlier in his career, it was
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| | Clunn has turned crankbaits into a
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| the Megabucks title that eluded him the
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| | science. He has spent hundreds of hours
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| longest."I had been so close to winning
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| | analyzing crankbait actions in an effort
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| Megabucks on two other occasions," Clunn
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| | to identify their strike provoking
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| recalls. "So when I won Megabucks at
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| | qualities. He coined the term
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| Douglas Lake in 2001, it was certainly a
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| | "deflection" to describe the way a
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| satisfying win."Now that Clunn has won
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| | crankbait should "bounce" off a piece of
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| nearly every major title in competitive
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| | cover to trigger a strike.Lucky Craft
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| bass fishing, what's left for him to
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| | Lures tapped Clunn's rich crankbait
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| accomplish?For Clunn, the eternal dream
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| | knowledge when they set out to design the
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| of bass fishing is not about filling his
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| | ultimate square-billed shallow
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| shelves with trophies; his bass fishing
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| | diver."Wood crankbaits have always been
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| dream is fueled by the quest to, "touch
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| | heralded for having the best deflection
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| perfection.""Certainly winning is a part
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| | properties," Clunn says. "However, wood
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| of the fishing dream," Clunn says. "But
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| | baits are fragile; they have trouble
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| it's not the whole dream. Winning and
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| | standing up to the abuse a tournament
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| touching perfection are two different
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| | angler can dole out during a rigorous day
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| things."Clunn defines touching perfection
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| | of cranking stumps or rock. So I helped
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| as a period during the fishing day when
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| | Lucky Craft design a bait that combines
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| the universe becomes timeless and he is
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| | the durability of plastic with the
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| fishing every moment with such absolute
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| | intense deflection of wood."These
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| perfection that doubt, judgment and
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| | buoyant, fat-bodied shallow runners
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| expectation no longer exist."Everything
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| | feature a unique square bill that gives a
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| becomes effortless because all negativity
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| | more radical deflection for a plastic
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| ceases to exists," he explains. "All
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| | bait."Many of the bills on traditional
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| negative things are purged and
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| | square-lipped baits are thick and it
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| transformed into positive things. The
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| | hinders their ability to dive and reach a
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| wind becomes a positive because it pushes
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| | critical vibration," Clunn says. "I
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| you to the next fish. Getting hung up
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| | worked with Lucky Craft in designing a
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| becomes a positive because it leads you
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| | bill for the Lucky Craft that is much
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| to a different casting angle that
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| | thinner so it cuts the water better for
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| produces a fish. Your mind, body and soul
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| | consistent tracking and enhanced
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| become one and everything works in
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| | deflection."How to Fish the Lucky Craft
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| harmony - it's truly a special
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| | SeriesWhen Rick Clunn fishes his Lucky
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| place."However, touching perfection is
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| | Craft Series crankbaits, he does it with
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| rare, even for Clunn."Sometimes it lasts
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| | attitude. The four-time Bassmaster
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| for 15 minutes; sometimes it lasts for an
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| | Classic Champion designed these
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| hour," he reveals. "Only once have I
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| | fat-bodied, square-billed lures to boldly
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| touched perfection for a full day, and it
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| | crash through cover and provoke strikes -
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| was amazing."The desire to touch
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| | and that's exactly how he fishes
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| perfection more frequently and for longer
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| | them."The crankbait is a 'target' bait,"
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| periods of time is what keeps Clunn
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| | Clunn explains. "By that I mean it's
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| casting."As humans we want to touch
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| | designed to make contact with specific
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| perfection in something - mine just
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| | objects or targets, usually shallow,
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| happens to be in fishing," he says. "To
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| | visible pieces of cover like stumps,
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| touch perfection on the water for any
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| | laydowns, pilings or rocks."They will run
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| length of time is my eternal fishing
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| | to a depth of 4 feet, but Clunn uses his
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| dream; to touch perfection for an entire
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| | rod to manipulate the lure's depth as it
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| tournament and win is my ultimate fishing
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| | approaches a target."I use the rod to
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| dream."Seasonal Patterns for the Lucky
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| | control the angle and depth of the bait
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| Craft Crankbait SeriesFour-time
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| | to make sure I contact the 'sweet spot'
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| Bassmaster Classic Champion Rick Clunn
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| | on the target," he reveals.On one cast,
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| designed Lucky Craft's crankbaits to be
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| | Clunn may crank the bait with his rod tip
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| fished any time bass are shallow."The
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| | down low in order to hit the base of a
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| seasonal applications of the crankbait
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| | stump in 4 feet of water. On the next
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| vary depending on the kind of fishery you
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| | cast he might raise the rod tip up to get
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| are dealing with," Clunn says. "For
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| | the bait to crawl over top of the
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| instance, you can use the RC almost
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| | stump.Since he is often cranking around
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| anytime of the year on water bodies like
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| | hard cover, Clunn uses line in the 14- to
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| river systems where fish live shallow
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| | 20- pound test class.His rod length
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| most of the time. However, on deep clear
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| | preference is 7 feet, but he warns that
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| impoundments, where fish go deep during
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| | rod action is more important than rod
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| the winters and summers, the bait has
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| | length.When it comes to hooking fish,
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| less of a seasonal range."No matter what
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| | Clunn likens this style of shallow
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| kind of fishery he is on, Clunn has found
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| | cranking to flipping or pitching where
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| these plugs to be most effective during
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| | the rod must have enough power to turn
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| two periods: late spring and fall. Also,
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| | the bait in the fish's mouth so the hooks
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| he lets the season have some bearing on
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| | can penetrate."When choosing equipment to
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| the size he will throw."The 2.5 and 3.5
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| | fish the crankbaits, pay the close
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| are good for imitating pesky bream,"
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| | attention to your rod action," Clunn
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| Clunn explains. "My favorite time to fish
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| | advises. "Shallow cranking calls for a
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| these bigger lures is the late spring,
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| | very stout rod - a true heavy action rod,
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| from the post-spawn through early summer.
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| | not a medium-heavy. These are big-bodied
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| That's when the bigger female bass have
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| | baits that are attacked by big fish in
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| spawned out, but they're still up shallow
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| | thick cover, and a softer rod simply does
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| eating bream that are picking eggs off
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| | not provide enough power to hook the fish
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| bass beds."Clunn's second favorite time
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| | and move it out away from the cover.
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