by Pros4- 1Source's Dave Landahl,
Brett "The Hitman" Hite has a track record of winning and cashing big checks as a pro. As he was in the process of finishing preparations for the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series season, Hite took a little time to share his three favorite fishing techniques to use as a pro and cash the checks that have earned him millions of dollars.
Bladed jigs.
"I'm known as a bladed jig guy," said Hite. "I have a lot of confidence fishing that bait and have had a lot of success when using it. So many of the places we fish during the season allow for the bladed jig to be used. Shallower cover and
weeds are ideal for using it.
"I use the Evergreen Jackhammer in either the 3/8 or 1/2-ounce size. I generally use green pumpkin as my color or some variation of it. I prefer using a Yamamoto Zako as a trailer. The Zako is a 4-inch swimbait and it's perfect with bladed jigs."
Hite uses 20-pound FC Sniper Sunline fluorocarbon line exclusively for his bladed jig fishing.
"That FC Sniper fluorocarbon is my line when it comes to bladed jigs," said Hite. "Every bass I've caught and weighed in at a tournament using a bladed jig has been caught with that line. That's over a million dollars of fish."
Drop-shotting.
"I started drop-shotting many years ago out west," said Hite. "I started having success with the technique alongside guys like Aaron Martens and Kota Kiryama.
"What I love about drop-shotting is that it is so versatile. You can use light line and small baits to fish the rig deep and vertical, but you can also use heavier line and fish it shallow as well. We started using a variation of drop-shotting we called "flip-shotting" when fishing places like the California Delta or any place along grasslines. Heck, it's great for fishing for bass on beds.
"Drop-shotting is the only technique I know of that is productive from 6-inches of water to 100-foot depths."
Yamamoto Senko.
"I do not practice with a Senko," said Hite. "I use it as a follow up bait when I'm fishing with a bladed jig.
"If I've worked a grassy area that I know has fish, and I've caught several on the bladed jig, but the bite has quieted down, that's when I pick up the Senko.
"I fish it with Texas-rigged weightless, or if I need to get deeper into grass, I'll use a 1/8-ounce weight."
A few words about color choices are in order from B. Hite.
"I stick with green pumpkin most of the time with these three techniques," said Hite. "Green pumpkin can be adjusted to fit almost every natural looking bait in the water you are fishing.
"You can add colors like watermelon and red or black and blue as well, but green pumpkin or some combo with it is what I use almost everywhere I fish."
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