Conference wahoo::fishing

    	The technique is for CLEAR water structure fishing.  (Out west here
    we call them BOULDERS!)  The rigging method is NOT conducive to weeds,
    moss, or wood.  (Unless you don't mind losing LOTS of terminal tackle.) 
    It also is not to productive in heavily stained water.  If there are
    large panfish in the area, you will also pick up some of them from time
    to time.  
    	That stated, it is a FANTASTIC technique for shallow water sight
    fishing!!!!!  Just DON'T drop the worm on the fish's head.  Cast past
    and then lightly drop the worm into the area of the fish.  If the water
    is slightly stained, the addition of a worm rattle or bead between the
    hook and slip sinker will add a little sound for attractant.  Try
    different colored beads for attractant ability.  (BUY the beads at an
    ARTS-N-CRAFTS STORE, NOT A BAIT SHOP!!!!!)  I have found that silver
    and red seem to trigger best.  However, It is usually a VERY SHORT
    FIGHT when Mr. Toothy inhales these things!!!!
    	If you are vertical jigging these rigs, ALWAYS USE A BEAD BETWEEN
    THE SINKER AND THE HOOK TO PROTECT THE KNOT!!!!  The bead isn't always
    there for attractant ability or sound production.  The slip sinkers
    bashing against the knot on light line will mean LOSS OF WORM, REAL
    QUICK without the bead.  Make sure that the hole in the bead is large
    enough to slip over the entire knot, BUT NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO SLIP OVER
    THE EYE OF THE HOOK.  Other than that, HAVE FUN!!!!!

    I enjoy finesse fishing.  Even occasionally in tournaments, but when a
    3+lb fish has your ultralight bent in half during a tournament on 6lb 
    test it's enough to make you think twice why your doing what your
    doing.
    
    But as Guido Hibdon (the REAL Mr. Gitzit!) said on this weekend's 
    Bassmasters: you have to worry about getting them to bite before 
    worrying about loosing them.
    
    And these finesse baits sometimes do the trick when nothing else will
    do, so if ya can't hook `em, ya can't weigh `em.
    
    donmac - who loves cacthing smallies on his ultralight 

    Ed, I have been doing more "finesse" fishing ever since I read the
    article in In-Fisherman a few years ago. (if you haven't read the article
    you need to - I could make a copy if you want) I use a lot of small
    worms, grubs and of course gitzit's. I have had my best luck in the summer
    when things just seem S-L-O-W. 
    
    I would say small worms and crank baits have been my least effective
    baits. Gitzit's and small Kalin grubs(3in.), and especially the sassy grub
    are my best baits. Most of my hits have been on the drop after the cast. 
    You really have to watch the line as hits are subtle. 
    
    I plan to try some of those western methods this year. Splitshoting
    etc. The clear water techniques make sense. I don't bother much to read
    about techniques that work in the south. Over time I realized that
    clear water techniques are more suited for the kind of fishing I do. 
    Clear water techniques work for me. That's one of the reasons I stopped
    getting Bassmaster. Most of the articles were devoted to fishing the
    south. (there are many times I wish I were in the south, the fishing
    must be fantastic) I do look for articles in Bassmaster, on the
    newsstand, that show clear water fishing and buy a copy. 
    
    I also think this time of year, cold water, is a good time for finesse 
    fishing. Small baits worked slow is worthy of a try. So far this year I 
    have been skunked with this approach. I won't give up though, because 
    it is a good strategy in my opinion. 
    
    By the way I have caught more fish with this method on smoke or smoke
    in combinition with red and silver fleck than anything else. I do want 
    to try those G2's this year and see if there is any better success. 
    
    One final thing, this method takes lot's of patience. I fish the Nashua
    river 80% of the time. I know spots that hold fish. I use it in those
    situations. I would not use it to find the fish. It is really best to 
    work a typically productive area over and get bucketmouth to come out
    of hiding, for just that split second. 
    
    I get a real kick out of catching fish this way. I know I had to work
    for the fish and use all (which isn't much) of my skills. 
     
    Let me know how you do, I am very interested.
    
    Ed

    
    	YOU KNOW!!!!!!!.....I was talking to Guido the other day and I
    said...Guido......"you have to worry about getting them to bite before
    worrying about loosing them"..........WHAT DO YOU MEAN??!!.....He's 
    using MY LINE on television............gads........I'm not helping
    him anymore.....:-)
    
    Gitzit'   [as in FOR REAL]
    
    

	I've used the 4" hand poured  Western Worms and the Kalins 4" worms. 
They do catch fish. I was fishing one day with a friend (whom will remain 
NAMELESS due to his head swelling up to big) and he was using these things. I 
was using a standard 6" purple worm with a chartuse firetail. I was fishing the 
exact location he was,basically the same way and not getting a thing.
	He offered me one of these 4" worms,and I caught a bass on the second 
cast. The rest of the day we pulled in quite a few fish just using these 4" 
worms,rigged Texas style using a 1/16 oz. worm weight. This was in the middle of 
July on a very hot day. 
	The only problem with these is you get a lot of short fish to hit them. 
I was fishing in a tournament with these and caught close to 15 Bass,but only 2
were legal and the others all in the 11" range. When the Bass aren't biting 
these little worms seem to be the hot set up. But they appeal to smaller Bass
more than bigger ones and the panfish love to nip at these all day. 
	Once the water temp gets above 60 I'll always have one rod rigged up 
with one of these worms. I haven't tried using the slider head yet with them,
this seems to be a popular technique as well as Split shoting,but this year 
I'm going to experiment with both these options. I use these as well as Gitzits 
on open face spinning tackle with 8lb and 6lb test.
 
					Gary
				( Now a firm Believer in Finesse Fishing)

    I have used small worms (4-6") exclusively for the last 6 years.  2 or
    3 years ago I read about splitshotting ( ... hence the nickname) and
    have been relatively successful with it.  One of my favorite spots
    would be a swimming area early in the morning before the swimmers
    arrive.  The bass are there but seem pretty spooky due to total lack of
    cover.  A small worm with a split shot a foot or two up the line
    dragged slowly over the sand has been deadly.  I agree about
    catching smaller fish but I settle for quantity over quality if quality
    means getting skunked.
    
    I met a guy in the hotel lobby saturday who claimed to write
    occasionally for Bassmasters and do an outdoor column for a Nashville
    newspaper.  The subject of finesse fishing came up ... I had proposed
    trying it on my first visit to Dale Hollow ... and he sounded pretty
    encouraging.  He was originally from California and had used those methods
    successfully there and could see some parallels - deep, clear water, 
    heavy pressure at times.
    
    We shall see!
    
    SplitShotSteve