Author: Mike Iaconelli

Micro Jigs: The Newest, New Thing

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Micro Jigs: The Newest, New Thing

It’s no secret that as bass fishing at all levels gets more and more popular the bass get harder and harder to catch. In some cases that’s because of cold, clear water. In others it’s because of pressure from boats and the noise they make or it might be because bass become conditioned to popular baits. Regardless of the reason, however, we need to do something different if we expect to be consistently successful. Looking for something different has led me to begin working with John Crews and Missile Baits on a new lure — the micro jig. They’re a […]

Flambeau Boxes Are My Pick for Tackle Storage

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Flambeau Boxes Are My Pick for Tackle Storage

You hear a little something from time to time about tackle storage but the reality is that most of us use what we already have in our boats to store our lures and terminal tackle. The fact that it’s 20 years old doesn’t seem to make much difference to us even though everything else we fish with is new and cutting edge. Using that old stuff is a mistake. Those boxes were mostly made from ordinary plastic. Over time they allowed moisture to seep in and they became brittle with age. They fog, crack and the latches break. There’s no […]

More about Finesse Swimbaits

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More about Finesse Swimbaits

Last time — Part 5 of Fall and Early Winter Baits Choices — we talked about boot tail swimbaits. They’re super important so I devoted a whole blog to them. But then I started thinking that there are other finesse swimbaits that deserve attention. In fact, the whole subject of finesse swimbaits deserves more attention. We’ll start by taking a quick look at the big picture. Finesse swimbaits have been around for years. We just didn’t call them swimbaits. We called them grubs. Look at any of the old grubs — most are still made today — and you’ll see […]

Fall & Early Winter Bait Choices Part 5: Boot Tail Swimbaits

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Fall & Early Winter Bait Choices Part 5: Boot Tail Swimbaits

My final pick for a fall and early winter bait is a boot tail swimbait. They have a unique action to them and a thump from the tail that’s subtle but feels real to a bass. And, if you throw the standard sizes, most of them will pretty well match the hatch. I’ll fish them from now until the water gets hard. The only time I won’t have one on is when the water’s muddy or heavily stained. This is a sight feeding lure. Bass need to be able to see it. Otherwise, they won’t bother to try and find […]

Fall & Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 4: The Triple Willow Spinnerbait

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Fall & Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 4: The Triple Willow Spinnerbait

Sometimes one or two blades isn’t enough on a spinnerbait, especially when they’re turning one behind the other. For those times I worked with Molix to design the Mike Iaconelli Lover Triple Willow spinnerbait. It’s design is unique. It has three arms running from the head of the bait back to three blades that are turning alongside each other, but not eating into each other. The idea is to make something that looks like a small school of baitfish that’s ripe for the taking. It’s not wrong to call it a small umbrella rig or to say that it’s a […]

Fall & Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 3: Spinnerbaits

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Fall & Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 3: Spinnerbaits

The thing about spinnerbaits is that they are versatile. I know that you’ve heard and read things that say they’ve been replaced by other lures. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They’ve caught bass for decades and they’ll be catching them for decades into the future. One of the best things about a spinnerbait is that it can be fished on the fall or horizontal. I’m partial to the horizontal presentation and it works best in the fall and early winter, so I’ll talk about it. Lots of times you’ll see baitfish on top in the early morning before […]

Fall And Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 2: Walking Sticks

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Fall And Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 2: Walking Sticks

Last time we talked about buzzbaits. This time we’ll look at walking sticks. The allure of a simple stick sliding from side to side across the water’s surface is something we humans don’t fully understand. My thinking is that it looks exactly like a baitfish feeding along the surface. Other anglers believe it looks like something — anything — in distress so a bass strikes at it out of instinct. I say simple stick because that’s what I like to fish. In truth, however, you can walk any number of baits if you have the experience. But, we aren’t going […]

Fall/Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 1

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Fall/Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 1

We’ve had a few cold nights here in New Jersey. Fall has arrived. I’m excited about that because it’s one of my favorite times to fish for bass. Big or little, they’re aggressive so you don’t need a tackle box that weighs 40 pounds to catch them.  All you need to do is find the forage and throw any of the five baits I’m going to tell you about over the next month. You can’t put too much importance on what I just said about the forage. There is no time — and I do mean NO time — of […]

Four Knots Will Get It Done

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Four Knots Will Get It Done

You hear a lot about knots in this business. Everyone has their favorites and, if given the chance, they’ll tell you why. Like everyone else I have mine. But, the truth is that if you don’t want to suffer break-offs there are only two things you need to worry about: Start with good line and then tie your knots carefully. I’ve got the line part nailed. I only fish with Berkley lines. As far as I’m concerned they’re the best in the business. Monofilament, fluorocarbon or braid makes no difference. They all have excellent consistency. One spool is just like […]

Fall Bassin’ Calls for a Plastic Minnow-like Jerkbait

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Fall Bassin’ Calls for a Plastic Minnow-like Jerkbait

I fish a plastic minnow-like jerkbait under almost any conditions from now until the water gets real cold, and even then one will get you a few bites. The only time I don’t fish one is when the water’s real cloudy or muddy. They don’t work very well for me under those conditions. Basically, I rig my bait one of two ways. The first is with a 4/0 or 5/0 offset worm hook in the usual manner. If I want the bait to ride high and touch the surface occasionally, I’ll push the hook into the plastic all the way […]