April 10, 2014
By Ned Kehde
Across the past quarter of a century, Terry Bivins of Lebo, Kansas, has played a significant role in the development of Midwest finesse fishing — especially his uncanny ability to retrieve a jig by hopping and bouncing it across the bottom.
During many of those years, a lot of his jigs have been dressed with several kinds of Bass Assassin Lures soft-plastic baits, and while wielding those baits, he has caught untold numbers of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and other species.
Recently a veteran Midwest finesse angler pointed out that we have failed to feature two of Bass Assassin's newest soft-plastic baits that might catch the fancy of some Midwest finesse anglers and their quarries. Those two baits are part of Bass Assassin's Bang Lures repertoire, and they are the 3 ½-inch Die Dapper and 4 ½-inch Lit'l Tapper.
Here is a brief description of these two new soft-plastic baits and how Midwest finesse anglers can use them:
The Die Dapper is a small swimbait, which Bivins and other Midwest finesse anglers will rig on either a 1/16- or 3/32-ounce jig to allure largemouth bass and smallmouth bass that are abiding in one to eight feet of water. Its head is pointed and adorned with two eyes and two gill-cover slits. Its torso is fat, soft and endowed with a series of subtle ribs. It is tail significantly slimmer than its torso, and it dons a paddle or a boot, which generates substantial amount of undulations and gyrations when it is retrieved with a moderate-to-quick-pace swimming retrieve. And if anglers employ Bivin's classic slow and methodical hop-and-bounce retrieve with the Die Dapper, the tail will quiver and swivel slowly and subtly but alluringly.
It is impregnated with liquid salt and Bang Fish Attractant.
It is available in 13 colors: Crystal Shad, Gold Digger, Green Moon, Grey Ghost, Houdini, Melon Shad, Needlefish, Smokin Shad, Snow Storm, Trickster, Violent Moon, Waterboy and Watermelon/Red Glitter.
Anglers can purchase a package of 10 for $4.75.
The Lit'l Tapper is a finesse rendition of Bang Lures' six-inch Tapout Worm.
The folks at Bass Assassin describe its torso as possessing a lean-baitfish silhouette. The tip section of its tail is bulbous and sphere-shaped. The segment that stretches from the tip to the torso is thin. The configuration of the tail allows it to exhibit what is described as a crafty and enticing action.
It was designed to be affixed to a darter-head jig, shaky-head jig and drop-shot rig, but Midwest finesse anglers will rig it on a Gopher Tackle's 1/32- or 1/16-ounce Mushroom Head Jig with an exposed No. 6 or No. 4 hook. And they will retrieve with it with all six of the basic Midwest finesse retrieves , which anglers can read about at http://www.in-fisherman.com/2014/03/05/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/.
It is available in 15 colors: Black/Blue Tail, Grave Digger. Green Ghost, Green Moon, Green Pumpkin/Red Glitter, Houdini, Hunch Punch, Junebug, Morning Dawn, Okeechobee Craw, Salt & Pepper Silver, Phantom/Chartreuse Tail, Snow Storm, Violet Moon, and Watermelon Candy.
Like the Die Dapper, the Lit'l Tapper is impregnated with liquid salt and Bang Fish Attractant.
A package of 12 can be purchased for $4.75.
