Learning New Tricks with Mike Baker

July 11, 2024

Learning New Tricks with Mike Baker

Phillip Gentry

 

When you’re a pro angler, others often get the impression that you know everything about fishing. While that is far from the truth, the mark of a good angler is a willingness to continue learning, no matter how often you go fishing. Such is the case with B’n’M pro-staffer Mike Baker from Columbia, Missouri.

Baker is an accomplished tournament angler for both crappie and catfish but his biggest claim to fame may be his YouTube fishing channel that’s viewed by thousands of subscribers. Recently, Baker decided to branch out and expand his fish catching knowledge on one of his favorite bodies of water, Truman Lake.

Truman Lake is well known for it’s crappie, bass, and catfishing. Truman is also home to a thriving population of human-engineered fish, a striped bass/white bass hybrid locally known as wipers. The Missouri Department of Conservation makes regular stockings of hybrid bass, which grow rapidly and are known for their hard fighting when hooked.

Cast netting live bait is the best way to acquire the 4 – 5-inch gizzard shad that Truman Lake hybrids prefer.

“I’ll be the first to admit that I know very little about how to catch these fish,” said Baker, “but that’s why I’m excited to learn. Hybrid fishing is very different than any other fishing I do.”

First up on Baker’s quest to learn was to talk to some local guides and get a feel for how to catch them. Hybrids will readily hit both artificial and live baits, but with summer in full swing and water temperatures on the rise, Baker elects to go with a down rod approach, vertically fishing for hybrids using whole live bait.

“Down rod fishing for hybrids is sorta similar to tight lining for crappie,” said Baker, “except with beefier rods, line, tackle and larger baits. Truman’s main forage fish is gizzard shad, and a 4 – 5-inch gizzard shad is the bait of choice for most of the local guides.”

Since the sale of gizzard shad is prohibited on the lake, Baker collects bait the old-fashioned way, with a hand-thrown cast net. He said today’s electronics, particularly forward-facing sonar, makes it much easier to both locate bait and catch it, even watching the net after its thrown descend over the school of baitfish.

Unlike storebought minnows, gizzard shad require some special care and will only keep a day or so and only if kept in a well-maintained, aerated bait tank with rounded holding area.

“The bait will run in a corner and get what’s called red nose,” said Baker. “I also keep the water cold so it will hold more oxygen and treat it with commercial bait saver and rock salt to keep the fish healthy.”

A specially designed bait holding tank is needed to keep gizzard shad alive and healthy.

Once on the water with a good supply of bait, Baker targets structure out in the lake while looking for hybrid sized fish arches on his sonar. During the summer, a strong thermocline will set up on Truman so he knows to look in that cooler, oxygen richen middle layer. He said mid-lake humps are a well-known hang-out for hybrids to wait for passing schools of bait to ambush.

He didn’t have to look far to find the right fishing rod. His choice is the new B’n’M Bomber rod, a 7 ½ foot casting rod made of an S-glass/composite for strength and sensitivity. The rod was also designed to honor the Air Force and sports a blue and white color scheme. It’s a perfect rod for striper, hybrid, and catfishing.

Baker said when he marks some fish on his graph, he’ll get over the top of them and deploy several rods set in rod holders, dropping the bait to the depth of the fish. He then bumps the boat around in short, slow spurts using his electric trolling motor while keeping an eye on each rod tip.

“The rig is a Carolina rig with 20-pound mono main line to a swivel and then a 24 – 36-inch length of 12 – 17-pound fluorocarbon lead and a 2/0- 3/0 circle hook. Inline above the swivel is a 1 – 2-ounce egg sinker to hold the bait down and keep the line more or less vertical in the water.

“I went out about a month ago on one of my first attempts and caught a couple of decent fish,” he said. “There’s a lot of attention to detail as well as finding the right water. Hybrids prefer clearer water so they can see the bait from a distance.”

The Missouri Department of Conservation regularly stocks hybrid striped/white bass, which have created quite a following among local anglers.

Baker said he’s enjoying the journey to add a new fish to his repertoire and even posted a short YouTube video on his channel of one of his early attempts.

“Once I get these fish figured out, you can expect to see a lot more hybrid fishing videos,” said Baker. “My channel is all about teaching others how to fish, so as soon as I know, you’ll know too.”

No matter where fishing takes you, B’n’M has been there. Check out our catalog of fishing rods and tackle at bnmpoles.com

 

 

 

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