Author: Mike Iaconelli

Short Arm Spinnerbaits Are Back

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Short Arm Spinnerbaits Are Back

For a while now I’ve wanted to do something different with a spinnerbait. The challenge is that almost everything that can be done with one has been done. But, then it happened! I thought about making a short arm bait, a kind of comeback from times past, but with a new and modern design. When our research was finished the Molix Lover Short Arm Spinnerbait was born. It’ll debut at ICAST this year and it’ll be available to everyone shortly after that. We all know what a short-arm spinnerbait looks like, right? It’s a spinnerbait with the upper wire connecting […]

A Different Plastic Bait: Gilly

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A Different Plastic Bait: Gilly

We all know that there are hundreds — thousands — of plastic swimbaits available to bass anglers. Some of them are a little better than others but very few of them are really different, fundamentally different. But, this year at ICAST we’re introducing one that really is fundamentally different. It’s the Berkley Powerbait Gilly. I’m calling it a swimbait, but that doesn’t really do it justice. Most swimbaits are made to look like long and slender forage. They have a tail that faces down and up instead of being vertical like a real fish. And, maybe most important of all, […]

The Tokyo Rig, Part 2

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The Tokyo Rig, Part 2

In Part 1 of this series on Tokyo rigs — there’s more than one style, we covered the basics of what they are and how they work. We also covered using one style for flipping and pitching. BUT, there’s more ways to fish this rig, and they’ll all help you catch a ton of fish! So, this time in Part 2 we’ll talk about using another style of Tokyo rig for traditional Texas rigged baits. One of the rigs from VMC comes equipped just like the original except that it is armed with an Ike Approved Heavy Duty Worm Hook […]

The Tokyo Rig, Part 1

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The Tokyo Rig, Part 1

This is the first part of a series on a rig that has revolutionized bass fishing rigs. At one time it was called the leadered punch shot rig. But, now everyone calls it the Tokyo rig.  Here’s the general idea: The line from your reel attaches to a barrel swivel. Attached to the swivel is a welded O-ring. It’s not a split ring. It’s solid. It’s closed. Also attached to the O-ring is the hook. Now, over the next few weeks we’ll talk about what kind of hook we want to use. VMC has four setups with different style hooks […]

Chicken Rig Your Craw

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Chicken Rig Your Craw

Most of you know something about the chicken rig. Traditionally, the chicken rig was a weedless way to Neko rig a straight tail worm. I’m in love with doing that but I’ve expanded the concept to include one of the most effective and natural looking bass baits on the planet — the craw.  We’ll start with the hook. My favorite, by far, is the VMC Finesse Neko hook. The thing I really like about it is that there are two pieces of heavy fluorocarbon line on the top of the shaft of the hook up towards the eye. That keeps […]

My Secret Spring Bass Lure

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My Secret Spring Bass Lure

This is one of the toughest blogs I’ve ever written. The bait I’m about to tell you about has been my money springtime bait for many years. I’ve always kept it a secret. I hate to give it up, but you’re my fans. I want to help you catch more bass this spring. I guarantee you this will do it. It’s good for prespawn, spawning and postspawn bass as well as when you’re fishing behind another boat. You’ll catch bass that you didn’t know were there and bass that won’t bite anything else. And, it’s inexpensive and easy to rig. […]

The Greatest Bass Lure Ever Invented

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The Greatest Bass Lure Ever Invented

What’s the greatest bass lure ever invented? That’s the one question I’m asked most often, and it’s a tough one considering all the lures that are out there. So, in order to answer that question I have to take the following factors into consideration: The lure has to be effective in all four seasons and all those times in between those seasons. The lure has to be effective in any water temperature. The lure has to be effective anywhere it’s fished — reservoirs, lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.The lure has to be effective in any type of water conditions — […]

The Ultimate Cold Water Bait

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The Ultimate Cold Water Bait

This is one technique I never wanted to give up to anyone, but you fellow bass-heads make all of this possible, so it’s only right that I let you in on one of my most effective cold water techniques. That is the Rapala Shallow Shad Rap. It’s the perfect crankbait for cold water conditions. It has a tight wiggle and no rattle. I do, however, modify it a little bit. First off, by cold water I mean anything from the middle 50-degree range on down. And, by little modifications I mean swapping out hooks and adding a split ring or […]

My Bait for Extreme Conditions

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My Bait for Extreme Conditions

Here we go, guys. We all know that spring is almost here. That’s a good thing, but it also presents us with problems — wild weather and extreme conditions. On Monday it might be a picture-perfect day, but on Tuesday it’ll be spitting ice and snow. When that happens I reach for the one bait I know they’ll eat — a hair jig. I’m talking about when all of the standard finesse baits and techniques don’t get you even one bite. The thing is, though, about hair jigs is that no lure made has more small, seemingly insignificant differences to […]