Wake Bait Bass Fishing Tips with John Cox

Part crankbait and topwater lure, wake baits are fairly weedless when fished correctly. As a result, they’re one of John Cox’s favorite baits for combing expansive grass flats for active bass. Cox explains the basics of fishing wake baits over mixed-grass flats, areas typically targeted with prop baits or flipping and pitching tactics. TACKLE USED • BAIT - Berkley Wakebull 70mm, MF Bluegill: • ROD - Abu Garcia Veritas PLX Casting Rod, 7’6“ MH: • REEL - Abu Garcia REVO SX Gen 4 Casting Reel (Replaces REVO Premier): • LINE - Berkley X9 Braided Line Lo-Vis Green, 40-pound: Designed to be fished with a straight retrieve, Cox uses a faster retrieve in open water and slows down when working wake baits prime targets like isolated grass clumps and wood. The combination of speed, surface disturbance, and sound in rattling varieties imitate fleeing food that, taken to