Best Baits for Douglas Lake

Ott DeFoe told us that the best fish are equally likely to come from just about any part of the lake during the upcoming Big Bass Tour on Douglas, but we followed up with Tennessee pro Casey Majni to find out exactly which baits he’d use throughout the water column.

• Any of the “walker” topwater baits from Berkley – the Cane Walker, the Drift Walker or the J-Walker – should be primed for topwater action. “It’s an all day deal,” he said. “It’s usually best in the morning but put it in your hand and go with it. You may not get many bites, but they’ll be the ones you want.”
• For fish still out deep, he’d keep one of the new Powerbait Football Jigs ready, probably in green pumpkin, brown or peanut butter and jelly.
• To cover water, he’d go with two options. The first would be the Slobberknocker vibrating jig. “That thing is pretty dirty,” Majni opined. The second would be the Warpig, which he’d fling around shallow flat windblown pockets. Colors? Anything that imitates a shad. “It’s not really a specific color, but chrome and blue is very good.”
• Finally, he’d borrow an option from the springtime playbook, the Berkley Stunna jerkbait. “As it cools off, lakes like Douglas cool down faster than our other reservoirs, especially if we’ve had some rain. I keep the Stunna tied on all year long, and it really shines right now.”

Finally, because he expects the weights to be so tightly packed on the leaderboard, Majni advised observers they can expect to see some smallmouth earning solid checks. He’s fished some recent night tournaments and quality bronzebacks seem to show up now more than ever. Keep them on your radar and in your thoughts as you prepare for the tournament.