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Bassmaster Elite Series pro David Fritts holds the empty flat box he will fill with an assortment of killer lures for beginning bass anglers. His goal is to fill it with lures that will catch bass throughout the seasons.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Fritts reaches into the middle locker of his bass boat and fetches a box filled with crankbaits. This is no surprise, as Fritts is a certified crankbait guru.
Photo: Mark Hicks
The first lure Fritts plucks from the box is a No. 5 Berkley Bad Shad, which dives 5-7 feet deep.
“This is a great bait for early spring,” Fritts said. “It’s an elongated bait that you can fish in places where you’d fish a jerkbait. I pull it with my rod and wind in the slack while it sits there. Bass will come a long way to get it.”
Photo: Mark Hicks
Into the box goes the Bad Shad.
Photo: Mark Hicks
The next bait Fritts fetches is the Berkley War Pig, a lipless rattler that comes in 1/4- and 1/2-ounce sizes.
“The War Pig is another bait I like in early spring,” Fritts said. “I’ll cast it to any shallow cover. My favorite way to fish it is to bump it into stumps.”
Photo: Mark Hicks
The War Pig joins the Bad Shad in the box.
Photo: Mark Hicks
The Berkley Juke Jerkbait is the next lure Fritts chooses for the box.
“It’s a herring bait,” Fritts said.
“This is a versatile bait. You can twitch it like a jerkbait or wind it slow and fish it like a wakebait.”
Photo: Mark Hicks
The Berkley Juke earns a long slot in the tacklebox.
Photo: Mark Hicks
A No. 7 Berkley Bad Shad in the black gold color is Fritts’ next choice for the box. He does especially well with this crankbait when bass gang up in staging areas prior to moving shallow to spawn.
“It dives 6-8 feet and will catch them all through spring,” Fitts said.
Photo: Mark Hicks
The No. 7 Bad Shad joins the other lures in the box.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Fritts digs out another tacklebox, which holds, surprise, more of his beloved crankbaits.
Photo: Mark Hicks
This time the crankbait is a Berkley Dredger 10.5, which dives 10-12 feet deep.
“I like to fish this bait immediately after the bass spawn before they go deep,” Fritts said.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Into the box goes the Dredger 10.5.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Fritts selects another Dredger for the box, the deep diving 20.5 model.
“This one is for summertime ledge and point fishing,” Fritts said.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Another long slot in the tacklebox is needed to make space for the long-billed Dredger 20.5.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Out of the rod locker comes Fritts’ topwater box.
Photo: Mark Hicks
When bass school offshore, Fritts picks them off with a noisy, surface-thrashing, long-casting Berkley Cane Walker. This pencil popper does especially well in autumn.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Fritts pulls another tacklebox out of his boat locker that is stuffed with hard baits.
Photo: Mark Hicks
From this box he pulls out a Berkley Pitbull square bill crankbait. It excels for cranking cover shallow cover.
Photo: Mark Hicks
The Pitbull earns a spot next to the Cane Walker in the tacklebox.
Photo: Mark Hicks
For late fall and winter fishing, Fritts recommends a Berkley Digger crankbait, which comes in six sizes that cover depths from 3 to 15 feet.
“The Diggers are good all year and especially in the fall,” Fritts said. “They have a wide action that pushes a lot of water. They’re fantastic on aggressive fish.”
Photo: Mark Hicks
The Digger joins the other lures in the box.
Photo: Mark Hicks
A 1 1/2-ounce Hopkins Shorty jigging spoon is Fritts’ next choice for the box.
“It crushes big fish in the winter and the summer,” Fritts said. “I fish it vertical and I’ll also throw it out and jig it back over the bottom 20 to 30 feet deep.”
Photo: Mark Hicks
The Hopkins Shorty claims a corner slot in the box.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Berkley’s Dredger 14.5 in the brown craw color comes next. He claimed that it runs at a good depth for fishing in the winter when bass move up on bluff walls to feed.
Photo: Mark Hicks
This Dredger is a tight fit in one of the slots in the box.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Another bait Fritts recommends for winter fishing is the Digger 14.5. It dives to about the same depth as the Dredger 14.5 but has a wider wobble.
Photo: Mark Hicks
The Digger 14.5 is added to the box.
Photo: Mark Hicks
Berkley’s Powerbait General stick worm is the only soft plastic bait that Fritts chooses for the beginner’s tacklebox.
“You can catch fish with this bait anytime,” Fritts said. “I fish it weightless wacky style, as a Neko rig and lots of other ways.”
Photo: Mark Hicks
The Berkley Powerbait General completes Fitts’ beginner’s tacklebox.
Photo: Mark Hicks
