Lock jaw, marshmallow mouth, tight-lipped, cold front, high sun - when they're not biting, they're not biting…until now.

I can't tell you the number of times I've been on the water and thrown my entire tackle box - read BIG tackle box - at bucket mouths, and nothing pulls them out of the water. On days like that, I may as well have stayed home and played with a sharp stick close to my eye - would have been just as much fun, and probably a little more exciting too.

It was a day just like that. The rain had poured for three days straight, the air temperature that week didn’t top 40 degrees.  The water temp was cold - too cold, not anywhere near the 58 degrees when bass start to move. That day's high sun wasn't going to help matters either. I don't even know why I was out there.  I could see bass moving into the shallows. They knew it was spawn-time; they just weren't ready to act on that instinct - still too cold.

Typical basser, I pulled out a light-lined medium-light action rod rigged for chucking centipedes tied Carolina style. I figured the longer I keep something in front of the fish, the better off I was. Wrong! Cast after cast after cast, not a single fish came a-tappin'. That's energy I could have better spent sharpening the stick to play with close to my eye.  I dove to the depths of the tackle box. Spinnerbaits, stickbaits, lizards, crankbaits - nothing! These fish were not going to bite anything that moved. I couldn't think of a single lure that I could throw that would stay in the fish zone long enough to trigger some sort of reaction strike. I thought about it until it hurt.  Then it finally hit me - deadstick.

A typical deadstick rig consists of a bare hook, 2/0 to 4/0, no weight, and a line that's not so big as to keep the lure on top of the water.  Remember, the lighter the line, the faster a lure will get down deep. I prefer a 12-14lb. fluorocarbon test.  On the bare hook, place a 4-6” worm of some sort.  A watermelon seed colored Yum Dinger is my worm of choice.  As most seasoned bass anglers know, bass get giddy when they see a cigar shaped plastic dancing at their nose.

Once rigged, I'll toss a deadstick just about anywhere I'd throw a jig - around stumps, logs, into milfoil pockets, up in trees, into boat lifts, across docks - you name it, I'll put a deadstick there.  The Texas rigging helps avoid hang-ups, and let’s you fish nasty cover with ease.

Once the lure hits the water, your job is just about done. Let it sink slowly...painfully slow...even slower than that. This is where you want to watch your line. I hold my rod tip at about 10:00...maybe a little higher - 10:40. That leaves a nice little arc in the line from the end of the rod to the top of the water. I watch that arc. If it straightens even for a split second, I know there's a hawg playin' a little game of cat and mouse with me. It's what they do - they play with a deadstick. They make sure they like the feel and taste for awhile before they run off with it. Don't set the hook when you're getting this action. All you get by doing that is a deadstick coming at your forehead at about 60mph. Instead, wait.

Always, and I do mean ALWAYS, keep your line taut. If you allow slack line, you're going to lose your fish. You need to feel just a bit of tension between you and that potential trophy.  If you're doing this right, Mr. Fishy is still there, and he's thinking he's going to get away with a free meal. He doesn't want to share it with his friends, so he's going to run to a little hiding spot to enjoy this snack.

There he goes! The line is taut, the fish is moving. Get 'em! In that 10:00-10:40 position, you're all set to make a quick snap hookset. Rip that rod straight-up and BAM - fish-on!

I've fished this technique in hot, cold, wind, sun, clouds, rain, and every other weather pattern you can think of. It's worked well for me in both clear and stained lakes, spring, summer, or fall. There is just no beating this rig when the fish aren't biting. In fact, it's become one of my go to lures, because the deadstick is just as effective in deep water as it is in shallow.  No matter where they are, no matter how lock-jawed they are, the deadstick will lead you to some of your most lively fishing action. With some practice, this technique will make almost everyday on the water a good day.

Bob Wood