I’ve been catching bass on a drop shot rig for years, and until a couple of years ago I always rigged it the same way. I tied a fluorocarbon leader to a braid main line and tied the hook somewhere down the leader. Then, I nose hooked my bait, or maybe hooded it in the middle, and went fishing. It worked. I caught my share but I was dissatisfied with my hooking percentage. I just felt like I could do […]
From now until winter, buzzbaits will prove to be some of the most effective lures you can throw. They are good in a wide variety of cover situations, or when there’s no cover at all, and they’re easy to fish. This is the way I see it… My preference in buzzbaits is the Molix Lover Buzz and the Lover Buzz SS. They’re a little different from any of the others that are around. Instead of having a sharp bend down […]
This time we’re going to talk about an old technique that’s not used much anymore outside of Florida. It’s pretty basic, all you do is wind a Texas rigged worm through the water instead of letting it sit, quiver, hop or drag along the bottom. I used this technique when I won the 2003 Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta. It was one of three that were critical to my success. The place to start when you want to make […]
I’ve talked before about how some lures and techniques travel around the world. Spybaits are a perfect example of how that happens. They started in Japan, moved on to the West Coast and are now starting to get popular in the Midwest. Spybaits are simple enough, really. They have a cylindrical body with a prop on each end. The idea is to let the lure fall to where the bass are holding and then gently bring it back with little […]
Sometimes a concept comes to reality and that reality creates something special. That’s what happened when we designed the new Rapala RipStop. Probably the best way to describe it is to say it’s a finesse jerkbait with a special tail that makes a world of difference in how it performs and in what the bass sees when it’s in the water. It’s new so it won’t be available for a few weeks but when it is I’d strongly suggest you […]
When anglers think about fishing a tube they usually think about dragging one along the bottom while looking for smallies or, in some situations, flipping and pitching them into heavy cover for largemouth holding tight. But when I think about fishing a tube — at least some of the time — I think about snapping it. It’s a super efficient technique when you want to target deep bass that have seen every crankbait and every jig that’s ever been made. […]
It’s the postspawn all around the country and with that comes a topwater bite. The thing is, though, sometimes a noisy, splashy topwater plug runs them off rather than fills the livewell. When that happens I go subtle. That means I reach for a Berkley HAVOC Subwoofer. It’s a unique bait in that it has a short (4 inches), fat body with a classic cut tail that’ll move a lot of water when you crank it fast. And, you can […]