Using Rooster Tails to Catch Bass
Keith Lusher 09.04.24
With tons of new fishing lures hitting the market these days, fishermen are finding themselves with more and more options to choose from to help them catch more bass.
However, there’s a timeless lure that gets overlooked that’s been proven to catch bass with consistency – the Rooster Tail!
If you’re not using Rooster Tails for bass, you’re missing out on a hidden bass fishing gem!
Despite the fact that the lure is predominantly used for freshwater trout fishing, Rooster Tails are also productive when fishing for bass. My proof comes from using these lures on many successful fishing trips since I was a young boy.
I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was one of my best fishing trips and I owe it all to the Worden’s Original Rooster Tail.
I was fishing the Red River in Northwest, LA, when I came upon some water coming out of a small creek. I noticed several largemouth bass exploding on the water’s surface. The fish were chasing baitfish about 10 feet away from the shoreline.
I gently lowered my trolling motor and snuck up to the action. When I was within casting distance, I excitedly grabbed my spinning setup that had a Yakima Bait Wordens Rooster Tail tied on. The body of the lure was yellow and it had small black spots on it. I used the lure so much that a considerable amount of paint was missing.
I wanted to try and keep the bait in the strike zone so I cast it out and reeled it in quickly in order to keep it in the upper water column. On the very first cast I set the hook on a largemouth bass. But it didn’t stop there! The action was so fast that I was able to catch 4 more bass within 10 minutes! I caught a total of 25 bass that morning with most of them weighing between 1-2 pounds. The heaviest weighed 4.7 pounds.
The highlight of the day came when I was battling one of the bass. As the fish neared the boat, I looked down into the water to see a separate bass swim up and try to snatch the Rooster Tail out of the hooked bass’ mouth.
Well, somehow, someway, the bass snagged itself with the free set of treble hooks and I now had 2 bass on the line. I nervously grabbed the net and was able to net both fish!
It’s a great memory that I’ll always have and it’s what keeps me using Rooster Tail’s as much as I can when bass fishing.
Since that trip, I’ve purchased over 20 different types of Rooster Tails made by companies like Blue Fox, Goture, and Panther Martin, and have even customized the spinner on my Rooster Tail’s by using different feather dressings and adding larger spinners in order to slow down the presentation.
In fact, one compartment of my tackle bag is reserved for Rooster Tails and other similar in-line spinners.
I understand that Rooster Tail’s fall into the category of trout lures, but I’ll argue that these baits can rival even the best bass baits on the market. The variety of colors, sizes, spinners, and feathers make these lures great for targeting largemouth and smallmouth bass in any type of water.
