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 […]

Pick the Right Treble Hook

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Pick the Right Treble Hook

I’m asked a lot about how to pick the right style of treble hook. The answer is pretty easy, really. There are three basic styles of treble hooks. There’s the traditional round bend where the hook point is away from the shaft. That’s the first one. Then, there’s the extra wide gap (EWG) style where the hook point is bent back towards the shaft. That’s the second one.  And finally, there’s a hybrid design. I use all three depending upon what’s happening with the fish, and regardless of what type of lure I’m using. The round bend is at its […]

Another Look at Blade Baits

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Another Look at Blade Baits

We’ve talked about blade baits in the past but I think we should take another look at them, especially now that we’re heading into fall. A lot of guys fish blade baits only one way. They throw them out, let them sink to the bottom, rip ‘em up as hard as they can and then let them fall back down on a slack line. You can catch a few that way. There’s no doubt about that, but there are other ways that’ll catch more than a few. I go with three basic techniques when I’m fishing a blade bait. The […]

Smallmouth Bass and Scent

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Smallmouth Bass and Scent

Those of you have been following what I write and preach know that I’m a big believer in scent products. Some anglers think they attract bass. Others think they mask foreign odors. I say that misses the point. What they really do is work. Nowhere is that more true than with smallmouth. All bass use their senses to eat. They feel with their lateral lines, they hear some way, they feel and they can see. They also have a sense of smell and taste. Smallmouth bass seem to be able to smell and taste better than any of the others, […]

Spybaits are the Real Deal

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Spybaits are the Real Deal

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 or no motion other than a smooth glide forward. The props are, or should be, turning slowly to give the […]

Clothes Make the Man

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Clothes Make the Man

There’s an old saying that goes, “Clothes make the man.”  That’s as true in bass fishing as it is in any other part of life, but maybe for different reasons. The first one is safety. In past blogs, we’ve talked about the importance of sunblock and sunscreen. I’m not going to repeat what I said about it other than to say that you should always use it. There are no exceptions. It’s the same with sunglasses. Your eyes matter. Use them. Again, there are no exceptions. The thing is, though, that we don’t think about clothing as a safety issue. […]

My ICAST pick: The Berkley Powerbait Bearded Grass Pig

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My ICAST pick: The Berkley Powerbait Bearded Grass Pig

Every so often something comes along that I would use even if it wasn’t made by a sponsor. That’s the way I feel about the new Berkley Powerbait Bearded Grass Pig Swimbait. It’s a true upgrade to the swimbait class of plastics. The best way to describe it is to say it’s a new design based on the original Grass Pig — a more traditional-type plastic swimbait — that adds a skirt at the front along with a collar that’ll secure everything. The skirt and collar give this design a fuller body and helps create a bigger, more robust profile […]

My ICAST pick: The Rapala RipStop

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My ICAST pick: The Rapala RipStop

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 put a couple of them in your tackle box. They’re 3.5-inches long and weigh 1/4-ounce. The initial offering will be […]

My ICAST pick: The Berkley Maxscent

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My ICAST pick: The Berkley Maxscent

The new things that catch my eye at tackle shows like ICAST and really get my attention aren’t the new colors, sizes or minor modifications to existing baits. Anybody can do that. I’m not saying that those things don’t matter. They do, and they often make an existing product better. But the stuff that’s on the cutting edge of bass fishing is what gets me going. Berkley’s PowerBait Maxscent soft baits are in that category. They’ll be a game-changer. I’m sure of it. You’ll notice I called it a soft bait, not a plastic bait. The reason for that is […]