Bill Lowen won’t be one of the anglers looking for clear water and bass on spawning beds this week. And his preferred method – going up a river and fishing “in the dirt” – is paying off for him this morning. Lowen had the unofficial lead, according to BASSTrakk, of 13 pounds, 6 ounces at 10 a.m.
“You’ve got to make a decision,” Lowen said. “You’re either going to bed fish or fish like I like to fish.”
Lowen detailed his swim jig method for success on “Bassmaster LIVE.” He’s using a 1/4-ounce swim jig with a Strike King Rage Craw trailer in a black-and-blue color pattern in the dirtiest water he can find.
“I’m fishing it really, really slow, fluttering it around cover,” he said.
A key for Lowen is 30-pound braided line. Anything heavier takes some of the movement out of the bait, he said. And Lowen never, ever fishes a swim jig on fluorocarbon line, no matter how clear the water is.