Flipping, pitching and punching are all great ways to catch bass throughout the fall. You can catch these fish throwing a plethora of different flipping baits, however one I never leave the house without is the Berkley MaxScent Creature Hawg. This bait was designed to be fished around thick cover using heavy tackle. The Berkley Maxscent Creature Hawg catches bass thanks to a few unique features.
CREATURE HAWG ATTRIBUTES
This bait is 4 inches and features a ribbed body in a streamlined profile. These ribs are designed to increase scent release, move water, and conceal your hook point. This is ideal when fishing around heavy cover with lots of snags. The Creature Hawg also features Berkley’s wildly renowned MaxScent formula.
This patented scent formula has made big waves with fisherman due to its fish attracting solubility. MaxScent is known to attract fish from greater distance and cause fish to hold the bait longer. This can lead to a lot more bites in a days time, especially when fishing around smallmouth.
FISHING THE CREATURE HAWG
Smallmouth have a tendency to be very scent oriented, so this is often my go to bait when fishing bodies of water these fish reside in. One of my favorite places to flip this bait is on the Tennessee River, or any other body of water that has a healthy population of both largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Throughout the fall, bluff walls can be a great location to catch bass feeding up before the winter months. The Tennessee River system is lined with this type of structure, and is often one of my favorite places to use the Berkley MaxScent Creature Hawg. The current in these river systems is often strongest against bluff walls or other types of channel swing banks. This causes fish to position right against the wall in order to catch bait being pushed by the current. Flipping a Creature Hawg against these walls can be a great way to catch some quality bass this time of year.
Fishing a Creature Hawg around clumps of grass is another great way to catch bass throughout the fall months. Bass often position themselves around this cover in search of baitfish using this cover for concealment and feeding. Bass will often hide in the thickest part of the grass, only coming out to feed on unsuspecting baitfish. Flipping the Berkley Creature Hawg around these mats is a great option due to its streamline profile and fish-attracting scent.
THE PERFECT CREATURE HAWG SETUP
Fishing this bait around thick cover is a great way to catch fish, however in order to do this successfully you need the right setup. I like throwing this bait on a heavy rod with a high gear ratio reel. A heavier power rod allows for increased strength and control when winching fish to the boat. I also like a longer length rod in order to get more leverage over fish around heavy cover. My go to rod for flipping the Berkley Creature Hawg is a Dobyns Champion XP 7-foot 3-inch Heavy casting rod.
For a reel, I like a decent sized spool with a high gear ratio. The larger spool allows for heavier gauge line when fishing around thick cover. The faster gear ratio also allows you to quickly catch up with fish after a hook set, while simultaneously increasing your overall casting efficiency over the course of the day. My go to reel for flipping the Berkley Creature Hawg is the Shimano Curado MGL 150 in the 8:1 gear ratio.
The Berkley MaxScent Creature Hawg is a great choice for a wide variety of fall flipping scenarios. While this bait is great around bluff walls or grass, it can be fished around other types of cover. If you are looking for a proven flipping bait with impregnated scent, the Berkley MaxScent Creature Hawg will always be a fantastic choice.
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