http://www.LouisianaSportsman.com April 2015 | Louisiana Sportsman 53
Besting bed fish
When chinquapin move in shallow to
spawn, the ensuing game of tempting and
taunting them to bite can become much
like bed fishing for largemouth bass.
Sometimes fish promptly pounce on nest
intruders; other times, you’ll have to put a
little more time into the ruse.
Unlike the bass work, the menu of bed-
fishing baits appropriate for redear sunfish
is limited. However, an open-minded
approach to common panfish bait affords
multiple options.
Berkley Powebait Power Wigglers are
packaged in segmented strands, similar to
sausage links. Typically, anglers pinch off
a link or two at a time and fish them like
maggots on small hooks.
Next time you find bedding chinquapin,
pinch of a four- to five-link section of
Power Wigglers and fish them as one
worm. Wadding them around a hook point
mimics natural wiggler worms, with the
clear advantage of superior durability.In other words, you won’t have to rebait
after every bite.
When scattered weeds or other bottom
snags persist, Texas rig the string of Power
Wigglers on a long-shank hook. Be sure
to leave a link or two below the hook for
enticing action.
Take this a step further and add a split
shot right above the hook, and you have
a modified shaky head rig. The added
weight also helps with casting on windy
spring days.PAGE 51: A red ear patch identifies the shell-
cracker, aka chinquapin. BELOW RIGHT: A
chinquapin puts up a respectable fight on light
tackle. BELOW: Shellcrackers feed on muscles
and worms, so Berkley Power Wigglers are
perfec.