Howell’s Recoil Rig Tips

Bassmaster Elite Series angler Randy Howell’s weapon of choice is the Recoil Rig. Howell used this rig in the past to upgrade his drop shot presentation, and he’s discovered a number of new ways to employ it.

• Jump Shot — retrieve baits like you are Carolina-rigging, pausing to work the lure by each piece of cover. The Recoil Rig increases the soft plastic’s action a few inches off the bottom as it dances in place.
• Slap Shot — pitch the weight onto a dock, shore, or floating milfoil mats, put a little tension in the line, and slap the lure on the surface to make it look like a struggling critter. An 8-pound Guntersville largemouth exploding on this presentation convinced him that this approach works.
• Brushpiles and timber — On the Red River, one tactic that paid off for Howell was pitching a soft plastic on a Recoil Rig next to a tree stump or lay-down that was likely to hold fish. He was able to work the lure for three, four, even five minutes in one spot without moving it away from the fish’s ambush zone.  This is an improved version of the Flip Shot rig recently discussed in FLW Outdoors Magazine. 

Here’s a tip you can use: As spring creeps northward, bass are heading to the beds. The Recoil Rig with a creature bait or lizard, shaken hard right over the bed, then letting it drop into it, catches fish quicker than anything else out there.

Learn more Recoil Rig information and techniques on Secret Weapon’s Website.