BY MIKE STEVENS
LAKEPORT— After his detailed breakdown of tactics for Shasta Lake in the days leading up to the WON Lake Shasta Open, Todd Kline was back for a similar overview of some of his key baits and techniques for Clear Lake which plays host to the next WON BASS event that goes down April 9-11. Kline has spent a lot of days on the water up there, and he does his research as most pro’s do before hitting Clear Lake, and for this overview, he narrowed it down to some of the the rods he’s going to have on deck.
The full-length video version of Kline’s presentation can be found above and at WONews.com.
“I’m probably going to have 15 setups tied up with a wide range of baits, and I have seven of them here that have been staples for me and other guys in the past,” said Kline.
The Staple
“No matter where you go heading into a spawn, the six-inch Yamamoto Senko,” he said. “I’ve got it on my Okuma Tournament Concept Series flippin’ stick, and I’m going to range between 15- and 20-pound line depending on how deep I’m flipping into the structure. That’s going to be weightless, but sometimes I will utilize a light bullet weight, it just depends on depth and circumstances.”
Match the Hitch…and shad
“Next is something I want to cover some water with, and this is going to emulate a shad or small hitch: a chatterbait with a Yamamoto Zako on the back,” said Kline. “This is going to be in the 15-pound range as far as the fluorocarbon that I’m throwing, and it’s a great way to cover water weather you get up and throw it through the isolated tules, or on some of those extensive flats with isolated grass.”
It ain’t Clear Lake without…
“…a big swimbait. This glidebait is the Tiny Klash from DRT and I have it on an (Okuma) EVX punching rod,” said Kline. “It’s probably a little heavy for this particular bait, but it’s a rod I use for my bigger baits from big Huddlestons to a Deps 250, and on this one I have 20- o 25-pound fluoro, depending on if I’m going to those bigger baits. It’s a great bait to try and locate those bigger fish that are chasing the hitch.”
Scope-a-Dope
“Another one that’s going to emulate the shad and the bigger hitch is going to be your minnow,” said Kline. “It’s played a role in the last couple months for tournaments, and they’re going to start transitioning off that (hitch) because it’s been more of a focal point on shad, but they’re still going to be eating that, so I’m going to have at least one tied on”
In the video, Kline used a six-inch Deps Sakamata as an example but indicated he could go all the way up to an 8-inch to emulate hitch or down to a smaller minnow such as a Yamamoto Scope Shad.
Standard and bubba finesse
“The tried and true drop-shot. The Margarita Mutilator has maybe cashed the most checks at Clear Lake, as crazy as that sounds,” said Kline. “It’s just an absolute staple up there and great no matter where you’re fishing it whether you’re around the rocks, the docks, the grass, etc., big fish like this bait up there.”
Kline has it rigged on an Okuma spinning rod and said that particular rig will be “for more of the outside stuff, but if I’m flipping into the pockets and tules, I’m going to “bubba shot” on one of my baitcasters.”
Underspin for the win
“I used a Coolbaits (underspin) for years up there, and some of the locals would think I was crazy for using such a small bait up there,” said Kline. “Paul Bailey is a hammer up there, and he throws it a lot. It’s great in all areas, but I like to throw it out there around some of that volcanic rock in the south end as well as some of the sneaky, isolated stuff you can find in the north end. Just slow roll it over that stuff.”
A-Rig
“Last but not least is the A-Rig,” said Kline. “Another great bait that catches big fish and allows you to cover water. I’ll use the new A-rig from Coolbaits, but when I want a bigger version, I’m going to throw the Bailey rig that Paul makes up there. It’s great everywhere, but he built it for Clear Lake, so I’ll probably have two A-rigs on the deck.”
To view Kline’s entire video presentation, visit WONews.com.
