Foreword: This is one in a series of tips forthcoming in the summer of 2022. These helpful suggestions are borne out of thousands of hours of on-the-water experience in pursuing white bass and hybrid striped bass in Texas using the in-line spinners in the MAL Lure family. With tens of thousands of the MAL Lures now in use (and most of those in Texas!) I want to help give current and future MAL Lure users their best shot at catching fish by sharing what I've discovered 'the hard way' in hopes of reducing your own learning curve. These tips are in no particular order.

TIP #4: Use the sawtooth method while casting horizontally to white bass in 4-40 feet of water.





CAPTION: This is an illustration of the sawtooth method. Please, no snarky comments on my lack of artistic ability; I am a left-brained engineer LOL!


How to do the sawtooth retrieve - The sawtooth method, so named for the sawtooth-like path the lure travels when retrieved correctly, involves reeling the MAL Lure back to the boat horizontally after making a long cast and allowing the lure to sink to the bottom. The lift-dropping action resembles a saw-tooth pattern. This tactic can be used from a Spot-Lock position, or casting downwind while drifting.

The sawtooth method can be employed any time you see fish on side-imaging out to the port or starboard side of your boat. The sawtooth method is best done from a standstill, as when the boat's trolling motor is on Spot Lock.

To execute the sawtooth method, after casting, leave the spinning reel's bail open so the lure sinks quickly and straight down. Failure to do this will cause your line to act as a drag on the lure’s descent and make it fall more slowly. Additionally, instead of falling straight down, the lure will swing, like a pendulum, back toward you.

Once the lure settles on the bottom, close the bail by hand (this will prevent problematic loops from forming in braided line, especially when fishing in a cross-wind). Next, turn the handle to take up any slack and, once the line is taut, reel 7-9 cranks, thus bringing the bait off the bottom at an upward angle, headed back toward the boat. A single, quick handle turn (or at most two turns) is helpful in getting the blade starting to spin. Once the blade begins to spin, the bend in your rod tip will increase and you will feel greater resistance, so there will be no mistaking that this has happened successfully.

Once those 7-9 handle cranks are done, manually open the bail again, allowing the lure to return to the bottom. Repeat the cranking and bail opening process until the lure is nearly vertical beneath the boat.
Strikes will come as the lure rises off the bottom. If you note that most of your strikes are occurring on or near your last handle turn in your series of 7 to 9 turns, consider adding an extra crank or two to your retrieve to give fish just a little more space and time to swim after and overtake your lure.




CAPTION: The two heaviest versions of the MAL Lure – the MAL Dense (on left with colored body) and the MAL Heavy (on right) – are specifically designed for executing the sawtooth technique in as much as 40 feet of water or more. The MAL Dense has a lead body and weighs ~25 grams, which is about 19% heavier than the MAL Heavy, which has a brass body and runs ~21 grams. Both are identical in their dimensions. The lighter MAL Original is best suited to water under 15 feet deep.



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If you have tips of your own, feel free to respond to this post, or send a private message. I will give credit where credit is due!

You're a pretty good artist buddy!

I had a few weeks the fish wanted a small blade bait for some reason. A few days ago I went out and they were not too interested in the blade bait but sure loved the heavy MAL lure worked exactly as you described above. Thanks for producing such a dynamite of a bait! Hybrids loved them too : )

Killed the whites on hubbard with this method and the MAL heavy last weekend!