Henry Gilbey - The World of Fishing

All Photo Essays

• Africa

  • Gabon - Iguela
  • Mozambique - Benguerra
  • Namibia - shark fishing
  • South Africa - Part 1
  • South Africa yellowfish
  • Uganda - Nile perch
  • Zambia - Tigerfish

• Europe

  • Bass fishing - 1 : Ireland
  • Bass fishing - 2 : Hard lures
  • Bass fishing - 3 : Plastics
  • Ireland - Clare
  • Ireland - Kerry
  • Ireland - south
  • Ireland - south west
  • Norway - coalfish on the fly
  • Norway - cod and coalfish
  • Wild trout - fly fishing

• Rest of the world

  • Bahamas - Inagua
  • Iceland - trout fishing
  • India - Mahseer fishing
  • Mongolia - photography
  • Seychelles - Part 1
  • Seychelles - Part 2
  • Seychelles - Part 3
  • Seychelles - Part 4
  • Seychelles - Part 5

• South and Central America

  • Agentina golden dorado - 1
  • Argentina golden dorado - 2
  • Bolivia pacu
  • Fishing photography - part 1
  • Venezuela - Los Roques

• USA and Canada

  • British Columbia - Part 1
  • British Columbia - Part 2
  • Canada - Gaspe
  • Florida Keys - Part 1
  • Florida Keys - Part 2
  • Montana - Bighorn river

• Fishing Tackle

  • Rigging the MegaBass XLayer
  • Rigging the Xorus Rolling Shad
  • Waders for bass fishing

Bass fishing - rigging the soft plastic MegaBass XLayer

12 June 2009

• 

  A soft plastic lure that is already a proven killer over in France, the MegaBass XLayer is fast catching on here in the UK and Ireland. One of the most effective ways to fish this soft plastic lure is almost like a twitching kind of hard lure – work it back to you with lots of movement. Twitches, slides, stop, reel etc. Then you will see just what an incredible imitation of a sandeel or small baitfish the XLayer is. I must credit various French bass anglers with showing me how this is done properly.

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  This is a 4.5 inch MegaBass XLayer in the deadly AYU colour, together with the Decoy 7g 2/0 SV-67 Bachi jighead that we are going to use to mount it on (you can get them here). This might seem like a very light jighead, but it is designed to work the XLayer properly when you twitch it just below the surface – note the narrow shape of the head on the jig. It can be helpful to line the jighead up with the body of the lure and mark where you will need to bring the hook out, but if you use these exact jigheads then in fact the hook is meant to come out exactly through the second “rib” down on the XLayer – for maximum movement and appeal to the fish.

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  Noting that we are going to rig the lure so that the hook ends up coming out on the narrow side of the Xlayer (and not the flat bottom side), put the hook into the soft lure and begin pushing it through as you would a worm or sandeel.

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  Note how centrally and precisely the hook has gone through the middle of the body, and also that the point is now coming out through or just behind the second “rib”. Most people will know add a drop of superglue to the shaft of the jighead and then slide the XLayer up the rest of the way until it lies flush with the back of the head on the jig. I like using superglue to keep it all in place, especially when fish grab it.

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  All done. Nice and easy, it should take no more than a few seconds to complete once you are used to it. The point behind the hook coming out of the narrow side of the XLayer is so that when you momentarily stop the retrieve, it flutters down enticingly through the water as it sinks – and a little slower because the fat side is on the bottom. The French guys I know will use these lures over exactly the same kind of ground where we would use the really good hard lures like the Tackle House Feed Shallow, Duo Tide Minnows and the Maria Chase BW, plus also around the edges of big areas of weed where small fish and thus bass like to hang around.

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  Big bass seem to love XLayer lures !! By no means am I some sort of “expert” at fishing with these specialist soft plastic lures for bass, but I am learning fast – and I also spend time around bass fishermen who seriously know their stuff.