Top Four Baits for December

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Top Four Baits for December

It’s December and I know that a lot of you are already looking forward to Christmas, but don’t overlook the fact that this time of year features some big fish if you know what to use. I’m going to give you four options – two for the north and two for the south, but realistically all four will work wherever you live. The first choice is especially effective up north as temperatures drop into the 50s, the 40s or even the high 30s. That’s when you’re chasing a true winter pattern. The fish are getting deeper, they’re keyed in on […]

Top Four November Baits

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Top Four November Baits

Depending on where you are in the country, November is often the month when bass get off of the heavy fall feed and start moving toward their winter holding areas. It’s getting colder, the days are shorter, and they realize that they need to make a change. It’s a great month for fishing. Up north, they’re truly making the transition and down south they’re enjoying the tail end of the fall feed before moving. Let’s examine my two favorite baits for each of those scenarios. In the north, my number one choice is a tight wobbling crankbait. You’ve heard about […]

Brand New Must-Have Swimbait – The Cull Shad

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Brand New Must-Have Swimbait – The Cull Shad

    Over the past few months, the Berkley Cull Shad soft swimbait has gotten a lot of buzz. Even before it was introduced, a lot of guys at the pro level were experiencing some big catches on it and the cat got out of the bag early. (Pre-order Now Available.) First, the basics. It comes in two sizes. There’s a 6-inch model for when bass are feeding on smaller forage like little shad, herring and juvenile perch. There’s also the Big Mama, an 8-incher for when they’re eating gizzard shad, big shiners, trout, hitch and other larger bait. Both […]

The Importance of Power Poles in Fishing

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The Importance of Power Poles in Fishing

Now that I’ve had Power Poles for two decades, I would never think of having a boat without them. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a full-sized bass boat, a saltwater boat, a jon boat or even a kayak, I need some combination of these shallow water anchors on the back. That’s how important they’ve become. I use my Power Poles constantly throughout the day, starting when I launch and go to park the truck, and then whenever I need to stop or slow down. That could be to retie without losing position, or it could be necessary to help me […]

Top Four Lures for October

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Top Four Lures for October

October is all about fall fishing patterns. As the water starts to cool down, the bait move shallow and the bass follow. Then when they’re done feeding up, they head back to their wintering areas. It’s a big transition, and if you use the right lures you can find and tempt quality fish the whole time. If you’ve read my previous “best baits” columns, you know that I like to pick two for the North, from Virginia up, and two for the South, from the Carolinas down. Don’t let that box you in. All four are good just about anywhere, […]

My Bass Fishing Tournament Kayak Setup

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My Bass Fishing Tournament Kayak Setup

As kayak fishing continues to grow in popularity, the ability to customize your kayak grows in lockstep. There’s not just one way to do it. Depending on what you carry and where you fish, you might have a setup that’s uniquely perfect for you. To give you some ideas, let’s go through how I rig my Hobie PA 14. Let’s start with the battery power. This is no simple craft and it needs lots of juice during the day. Fortunately with a single Pro Guide PGL50 lithium battery, I can take care of all of my power needs. It’s super-light, […]

Top Four September Bass Baits

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Top Four September Bass Baits

I consider September to be the start of fall fishing patterns and behavior. Whether you’re in New York or Florida, California or Ohio, this is the time of year when we start to get the first night or two of colder weather, and the first week or so of temperature drops. Even if it’s just one or two degrees, combined with the fact that the days are shorter, it cues the fish that fall has begun. The changes spur the bass to start moving from where they spent the summer to where they’re going to feed heavily in the fall. […]

How to Fish Small Ponds and Lakes

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How to Fish Small Ponds and Lakes

For today’s episode I’ve wandered down from the shop to the dock to give you all a simple breakdown of how to fish smaller lakes. Whether you fish from the bank, from a canoe, a kayak or a jon boat, this one’s just for you. No matter the size of these smaller lakes, I believe that they’re “the same but different” from larger lakes and reservoirs. The first similarity is that you always want to be fishing around change. The second is that the bass will typically behave predictably with respect to seasonal movements. Whether you’re fishing on Lake Okeechobee […]

Six Retrieves for the Berkley Nessie

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Six Retrieves for the Berkley Nessie

The Berkley Nessie is an incredible bait not just because it fills a void by essentially crating the category of soft glide baits, but also because you can fish it so many different ways. Whether you’re an absolute novice or you’ve been fishing with glide baits for years, I encourage you to experiment with it. You may find new ways that work best on your home waters, but when starting out you’ll want to focus on six basic retrieves. The first is the simplest – just a steady retrieve. All you have to do is make a long cast and […]