April 21, 2012
By Ned Kehde
On April 4, we posted a blog that trumpeted the effectiveness of Zoom Bait Company's green-pumpkin four-inch Mini Lizard during the largemouth bass' spawning season.
Drew Reese of Rantoul, Kansas, who is one of the forefathers on Midwest finesse fishing, introduced me to the piscatorial powers of the tiny lizard in May of 2011.
In the recent blog, we encouraged Midwest finesse anglers to dress their chartreuse 1/32- and 1/16-ounce Gopher Mushroom Jig Heads with it during the 2012 largemouth bass spawn.
Since then, we have received e-mails from Brian Waldman of Coatesville, Indiana, and Burton Bosley of Sutton, West Virginia. Both are veteran and talented finesse anglers, and both of them wrote that Zoom Bait Company's four-inch Tiny Brush Hog is another soft-plastic lure that finesse anglers should incorporate into their repertoire.
Waldman wrote: " Enjoyed your post about the Mini Lizard. I was wanting to hit the lake this evening, but after searching in vain on my wall of baits for a package of them, I found the closest thing that seemed similar -- a package of Zoom Tiny Brush Hogs in green pumpkin. After spending less than 80 minutes casting from the bank this evening, they accounted for 18 bass and 3 crappie, for a catch rate of 13.5 bass per hour. One of the bass was well into the 4-pound range, though the scales were at home in the boat. I was very impressed with the size/bulk in relation to the 1/16-oz. mushroom jig head, and they certainly didn't overpower the little head by any means. There durability is pretty darn good, and their appearance in the water is pretty alluring. Not sure if you have tried them before, but might be a tempting option to the Hoodaddy and the lizard.
Bosley, who used to fish with Drew Reese of Rantoul, Kansas, and the late Chuck Woods of Kansas City in the 1960s, wrote: " I read with interest about the 4" lizard Drew turned you onto. I like the Tiny Brush Hog for the same reasons. I doubt that it does a better job, but it has been a good bait for me on a small jig. I'm going to try it with the mushroom head and see how it works. I've come to appreciate the mushroom head which your writing introduced me to. I like the way it balances the lures -- a subtle thing with big implications. Chuck would have loved it."
What's more, Steve Desch of Topeka, who spends a lot of time finesse fishing with me, has been a longtime devotee of Zoom's Tiny Brush Hog. Across many springs, he has bewitched an impressive array of largemouth bass by adroitly casting and retrieving this diminutive creature bait at several of the flatland reservoirs in northeastern Kansas during the pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn periods. And this week Desch reminded me again about how potent of a finesse bait the Tiny Brush Hog can be in April and May.
In sum, Bosley, Desch and Waldman have exhibited that the Tiny Brush Hog is a dandy soft-plastic finesse bait. Consequentially, I will add it to my repertoire.
We are eager to receive insights from other finesse anglers about the Mini Lizard and Tiny Brush Hog.
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For more information about Brian Waldman and Burton Bosely see:
http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/03/06/the-puddle-jumper-by-chuck-woods/
http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/02/26/finally-a-photograph-of-the-great-and-late-chuck-woods-has-been-uncovered/
http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/03/09/a-boat-for-the-serious-and-talented-recreational-angler-according-to-brian-weldmen/
http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/02/08/the-art-and-science-of-catching-cold-water-crappie-according-to-brian-waldman/
http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/01/01/a-summary-of-bass-fishing-in-central-indiana-in-2011-from-the-perspective-of-brian-waldman/
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Postscript:
