“Fishing in the West with Tony Giallombardo”

Part 4: Split the Tail to Catch More Bass

Editor’s Note: Tony Giallombardo of Tempe, Arizona, a competitive bass fisherman since 1995, fishes the American Bass Anglers (ABA) tournament circuit, the U.S. Angler’s Choice bass-tournament circuit and the AllStar bass-tournament circuit. This week, Giallombardo will tell us how and where to fish at this time of year in the West when temperatures are still hot.

Question: Tony, what type of jig trailer do you use when you fish the jig?

Giallombardo: I like using the Mister Twister Split Double Tail Grub as a jig trailer. Because I generally use this trailer on a very-light jig, I cut off about 1/2-inch of the head of the trailer and then hook it onto a 1/4-ounce Strike King Bitsy Bug jig. I’ll fish this jig and trailer on spinning tackle with braided line and a fluorocarbon leader. I use a nail knot to attach the fluorocarbon to the braided line and then put about 6 feet of fluorocarbon leader on the end of the braided line. I want the fluorocarbon leader to be about the length of my rod.

I’m using 10-pound-test fluorocarbon line for the leader and about 40-pound-test braided line. The diameter of the 40-pound-test braided line is about equal to the diameter of 6- or 8-pound-test monofilament line. The braided line prevents line twists, the fluorocarbon line gives me a line the fish can’t see, and tying my jigs onto the fluorocarbon line is easier than tying them to the braided line.