Walleye Shad Lure for Cool-Water Bass

 

The Bandit Walleye Shad was created primarily for targeting walleye. That’s evident by its name. That said, I’m convinced that this relatively new crankbait has diverse value for a variety of fish species and fishing situations. Most notably, I expect the Walleye Shad to excel as a bass crankbait from late fall through early spring.

The Walleye Shad has all the characteristics of an excellent winter bass crankbait. Flat sides create a narrow profile that make it look like an easy meal, and a very tight wiggle suggests the movements of winter chilled forage.

Another feature that provides huge winter appeal — and one that is uncommon in crankbaits — is that the Walleye Shad was designed to suspend when it’s not in motion. Like with a suspended jerkbait, you can pause it at any point in a retrieve, and it will hold irresistibly in the zone.

Winter chilled bass won’t waste calories chasing, and baitfish naturally hold in place when the water is cold, so the having the capacity to pause a crankbait in key areas provides a huge advantage for winter bass fishing.

The Walleye Shad cones in four sizes, meeting a big range of situations, and a good mix of colors. A handful are the ultra bright colors that walleye trollers favor and that I don’t really see as bass colors. However, about half the colors are natural forage imitations that I’d consider very good options for bass fishing.

I haven’t been in the right setting to prove my Walleye Shad theory yet, but I have little doubt that I’ll do so again and again. Maybe once I’ve tallied that real experience, I’ll post a fresh blog that shares models, colors, locations and presentations that have worked best for me.

Kind of makes me want to go fishing!