Author: Mike Iaconelli

Speed Worming

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Speed Worming

There’s a regional technique out there — in the South mostly — that’s been around for a while. It’s called speed worming, and it’s super effective. Basically it’s about speed, splash and a little noise with some subtlety. I can’t think of any reason why it won’t work everywhere. So, here goes… Start with a paddle tail worm with a somewhat thick body. The Berkley Havoc Subwoofer is exactly that. I designed it for speed so it’ll run true no matter what, and the pre-cut tail will really kick up a fuss. Even better, it does all of this in […]

How To Pick The Right Jig

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How To Pick The Right Jig

A jig is not a jig. They are not all created equal. Specific jigs work best under specific conditions. I sort my jigs into three categories, and then I think about size. Rocky bottom applications When I’m fishing a jig in rock I want one that has a wide head. As you look at it the head should stretch out left and right from the center point. A football head is an excellent example of what I’m talking about. The idea is to keep it from hanging up or wedging in the rocks. That ruins your cast, wastes time and […]

Importance of Line Conditioner

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Importance of Line Conditioner

You don’t hear much about line conditioner these days, except in passing. I think that’s a shortcoming in the bass fishing media because line conditioner is one of those things that can make a big difference in your fishing. Or should I say catching? In my world it has four primary uses. Spooling line I always use line conditioner — my brand is Reelsnot — when I put new line on a reel. I soak a cloth in it and then run the line through the cloth as I spool it on my reel. Casting or spinning makes no difference. […]

Why Fluorocarbon is My Go-To Line

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Why Fluorocarbon is My Go-To Line

I use Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line about 70 percent of the time. I only use monofilament with some top water lures — those that need a floating line to perform properly — and braid for a handful of especially heavy, tough situations. Here’s why: It has less stretch than monofilament. That gives me a better and more secure hookset.  I don’t have to worry about the give in the line taking the penetrating power out of my hookset. And, the lack of stretch allows me to feel everything that’s going on under the surface. If I pick up a tiny […]

A Bass is a Bass, is a Bass

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A Bass is a Bass, is a Bass

My Italy trip was fantastic. It’s a really neat country. On one level it’s very different from the United States. Everywhere you go there are lots of old ruins and marble, some of them thousands of years old. I live near the historical city of Philadelphia. We have lots of old stuff that has great significance to our country, but there’s nothing that old. On another level, however, it’s just like the United States. Of course, I’m referring to bass fishing. Fish Italy for a few days and you’ll realize that a bass is a bass regardless of where they […]

Catch everything that swims

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Catch everything that swims

 This time, we’re going to talk about how to catch everything that swims, everything that’ll eat a minnow anyway. As you can see in the film one of the best ways to do that is to fish with an ultralight jerkbait. We fished with Rapala’s smallest size Husky Jerk and X-Rap. Either one of them will do a good job when the forage is small, conditions are tough or when both of those things combine to create a challenge for any angler regardless of his or her skill level. The small forage situation pretty much speaks for itself. A lot […]

Let’s get kids fishing!

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Let’s get kids fishing!

Everybody talks about getting kids interested in fishing. Talk is good, but action is better. I’m a firm believer that the only way fishing will survive and grow is through the next generation. Getting adults out on the water won’t help a thing 50 years from now. Assuming you want to get kids out there fishing I’m going to respectfully suggest you do a couple of things. Here they are… Start with a cheap bobber and a No. 10 hook. Tie the hook a little ways under the bobber and you’re good to go. From there all you need is […]

Woody’s Hole and Shaky Heads

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Woody’s Hole and Shaky Heads

Woody’s Hole is a place on the Delaware River where the bass go when the weather turns cold. It’s affected by the tide and it has a lot of current running through it. We named it Woody’s Hole because a guy named Woody found it, not because it’s full of wood or anything like that. We fished it in late fall. The fish were starting to move in but they weren’t stacked up yet. Our trip is a great lesson in how to catch fish with finesse presentations in heavy current. We fished shaky heads because you get two presentations […]

City bass are still bass, continued…

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City bass are still bass, continued…

After we finished filming for the first episode of fishing in Central Park we changed ponds. We went to one named Harlem Meer.  It’s a little bit different in that it has almost no cover. We only had a couple of hours of daylight left so we went right to work.  You can always catch a few small water bass with a Shaky Head and a worm. As always, I used a small (3/16-ounce) Swinging Rugby Head made by VMC and attached a Havoc Bottom Hopper flat sided worm to it — green pumpkin. Apparently always doesn’t include the times […]

City Bass are Still Bass

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City Bass are Still Bass

It never fails. Break out the cameras and a cold front will blow through. That’s one of the few guarantees in life. Naturally, that’s what happened when I fished with Joe Sancho in Central Park in New York. The bite started off really slow. Then it got tough. Nothing we were throwing seemed to interest them. But, we had a show to film so we needed to do something. That something turned out to be soaking a jig. Here’s the deal: bass are bass regardless of where they live. The ponds in Central Park have some cover just like waters […]