JASPER Engine sponsored professional fisherman Chad Morgenthaler on modifying the Lunker Lure Gillraker. 

In the fall, just as many bass can be found shallow as deep. They relate to different types of structure, but they have the same thing in mind – feed up for the winter months.  Unfortunately, fishing the umbrella rig in and around shallow water structure can create a lot of difficulties and frustration, which has brought about the need for serious bait modification.

In my experience, compact rigs work best with all 5-wires shortened by approximately 2-inches.  I still utilize 1 blade per wire, but I increase to number 3½ willow blades for shallow water rather than number 3 typically used in deeper water. The larger blades allow for additional lift making the bait more effective in this situation. The main objective is to lighten the rig by replacing several components.

To target shallow water bass, I file the head of the Gillraker decreasing the lead as much as possible without compromising the rig’s integrity.  I then add 3 swim baits on 1/8-ounce weighted hooks and 2 Vibratron spinner blades on the top 2-wires.

I also changeup my swim bait combination by using 4.5 inch Keitech Swing Impact FAT for the center wire. For the bottom two wires, I prefer Zoom Swimmin Fluke Jr. The baits are smaller but will still trigger the same bite and the decreased resistance when retrieving the rig, makes it easier to fish.

When fishing shallow with few obstructions, I utilize Lunker Lures 1/8-ounce ball swim bait heads.  This model has a spring molded around the hook shank that allows for secure swim bait placement, which will increase the bite to catch ratio.