I suppose any topwater lure could be used, but prop baits seem especially effective. My favorite was always the big Heddon Dowagiac, a model with propellers fore and aft, which was armed with five sets of treble hooks. In fact, this bassing technique once was called "dowjacking," a name that originated from the use of this lure. Other lures I have employed successfully include the Smithwick Devil's Horse, Cordell's Boy Howdy, Luhr-Jensen's Nip-I-Diddee and Heddon's Torpedo.

DOODLESOCKING
In many ways, doodlesocking is like jiggerpoling. You can use the same pole, line and lures, rigged as I have already described. But while jiggerpoling requires finesse to work successfully, doodlesocking does not. In this instance, the lure is worked back and forth very quickly with short repetitive sweeps of the pole. This is hurly-burly stuff, and the objective is to make as much noise as you can with the lure. Doodlesocking is similar to skittering as well, but the lure is on a short line -- no more than 24 inches and usually shorter -- so it can be fished in a circular or figure-eight pattern in small openings. Skittering uses a line typically as long as the pole, and the lure is usually worked on the open surface above weed beds.

It's exciting when a bass gets a bellyful of your doodlesocking plug making bubble trails across its ceiling. The strikes are violent; sometimes a fish hits so hard it throws water in your face. If a bass misses your lure, no problem: Drag the enticement back over the fish and hold tight. Lunkers may hit several times before you hook up.

On one Southern river I often fish, which is loaded with largemouth and spotted bass, local anglers say the best time for doodlesocking is late July, August and September when water levels are low.

"I use a strong, 12-foot fly rod, one that's stout enough to maneuver bass out of heavy cover," said one man I interviewed on the water. "Tie on a spinnerbait or topwater lure, leaving about a foot of line between the rod and the lure. Then you're ready for action." Good lures include the Arbogast Sputterbuzz, the Rebel Buzz'n Frog and Booyah's Pond Magic buzzbait.

Another angler I talked to said that he fishes his rig around drift piles, where logs and debris floated together in rafts along the river's main channel. Wading to these areas or positioning a boat nearby, he then works the lure through the water with quick, back-and forth sweeps of the rod.

"Stick the lure back under those drifts, then jerk it back and forth," he said. "If there's a bass back under there, he'll come out and get it."

Shad or big minnows also can be used for doodlesocking. "Tie on a 3/0 hook instead of the lure," the fisherman said, "add a small sinker to get the bait under the water, then run the hook down through the bait's mouth and out its side. Then doodlesock the bait around drifts with a swimming motion."

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Catching bass using these old-fashioned techniques takes a bit of learning, but don't let that discourage you. Skittering, jiggerpoling and doodlesocking may seem out-of-date for catching today's largemouths, but these tactics are just as relevant and potent now as they were decades ago.