Small Lures for Big Mexican Bass

For generations we’ve been told that “big baits equal big bass,” and that’s often true, even on Mexican waters, where you may be within casting distance of more giants than on any other public waters in the world.

With that in mind, what I’m about to tell you defies the textbook and may seem counterintuitive: Sometimes small is better. Now, of course “small” is a relative term. I’m nor referring to Beetle Spins and Size 1 Mepps spinners, but there are many times where something smaller than the standard 10XD or a 10-inch worm will get you more quality bites than the big brother.

Why is this? I think part of it is our conception of what these fish eat. We assume that the ample populations of tilapia are their primary protein-packed prey (say that ten times fast!). That may be the case, more on some lakes than on others, but they’re not the only choice. There are other dining options and sometimes that keys them in on a particular bait profile. I’ve seen times when they’d eat a ¼ ounce or ½ ounce lipless crankbait, but not the next size up, even in the same model and color. I’ve also caught many 6-pound-plus Mexican largemouths that are spitting up pinky-nail-sized baitfish by the dozens. Even though an injured-seeming tilapia swimbait might seem like an easier way for them to get full, they may ignore it in order to gorge on the mini-meals.

Don’t ask why, and definitely don’t go light on your “full-sized” baits -- just be prepared with a handful of smaller options. Remember, these are Florida-strain fish, and when they get “in a mood” you have to deal with it.

Don’t think of it as bringing a knife to a gun fight – think of it as just bringing a smaller, more powerful gun.

Here are four examples:

Five Inch Senko

Six-inch Senkos get more casts than any other size for me on El Salto and Picachos, with the seven-inchers a distant second. Whether I’m Texas rigging, Carolina rigging or (most commonly) pitching a wacky rig, the six-incher seems to be the best overall combination of profile and hookup percentage. Nevertheless, on at least two occasions I’ve seen it where bass of all sizes wouldn’t touch the six or seven, but absolutely annihilated the five. One time I got my ass kicked by my fishing partner, the other time I was the ass-kicker. I always throw at least one bag of five-inchers in watermelon red into my tackle bag for such emergency situations.

Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper

At home, I most frequently use the Skinny Dipper, a paddle tail soft swimbait, on the back of a Chatterbait or swim jig. I use them that way a lot in Mexico, too, but they’ve found a secondary use as a Texas Rig and Carolina Rig bait. With the latter presentation, an 8-inch lizard or 10-inch worm is my go-to, but there are clearly times when this smaller offering gets more and better bites. Again, don’t ask why, just roll with it. Favorite colors are Penetration and Low Blow.

Rio Rico

I love the throw the Whopper Plopper 130 for big bites in Mexico, but truth be told I’ve caught just as many big fish on a Lobina Lures Rio Rico, which is substantially smaller, just 2 7/8” and 7/16 ounce — and don’t remind Hanna of the 12+ she lost when it inhaled her Rico, jumped and sawed her copolymer line on its teeth. This is a lure that’s worth every penny of its twenty-dollar-plus price point. There’s something about the way it bloops that simply makes bass angry. I’m sure there are times that the 2 3/8”, ¼ ounce regular Rico would be even better, but the larger size is just so much easier to cast accurately that I rarely deviate from it.

Swim Jig

When you’re on a quality Chatterbait bite and it suddenly goes south, it doesn’t mean you have to flip, pitch and Senko your way back to health. Instead, fish those same places with a quarter or three-eighths ounce swim jig. Add a trailer like a small craw or a bit-off Skinny Dipper (see above) and you have a compact package that’s less obnoxious than your vibrating jigs, and it also comes through thicker cover more easily. I really like the ones from Brovarney Baits in Wisconsin. Not only do they come in great colors, but even though they look to have a thin wire hook, I’ve never had one bend out in the slightest, even on really big fish winched through and over heavy cover on braid (and long after the skirts are bare).

One final note: Even if you downsize, I still recommend that you use the heaviest line you can without diminishing those smaller lures’ actions. I’ve never fished less than 14 at El Salto, and I prefer not to go below 17, and use braid whenever I can. In fact, I have one friend who fishes everything down there on 50-pound braid and his numbers (and numbers of big fish) are just as good if not better than anyone else’s.