What Makes Fishing Fun for Beginners?

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What Makes Fishing Fun for Beginners?

Whether you’re trying to introduce someone new to fishing or you are a beginner yourself, the key to building a long-lasting love for the sport is to keep it fun. After all, that’s why we’re out there. This is particularly true when you’re trying to get kids involved. Fishing is an opportunity for them to build a lifelong passion through discipline and discovery. I’ve already written about the tackle you need to get kids started. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – just some light rods, bobbers and tube jigs. That bobber makes it a very visual experience which […]

How to Pick a Jig for Year-Round Fishing

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How to Pick a Jig for Year-Round Fishing

I’m really excited about this series of videos and blogs because it gives me a chance to talk about one of the best lures ever created: The skirted jig. It’s a lure that can intimidate a lot of newcomers because it doesn’t necessarily look like anything natural and there are lots of different options on the market. That can be confusing. I can vividly remember when I was 17 or 18 years old and I started hearing about this lure category. I bought a few and had no idea how to fish them. In fact, the first few times I’m […]

The Best Rig to Get Kids Into Fishing

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The Best Rig to Get Kids Into Fishing

Whether you’re getting back into fishing, learning to fish for the first time, or trying to teach kids how to fish, there are simple ways to get the ball rolling. When it comes to kids in particular, your goal should be to keep it fun. That means getting bites – lots of bites. Fortunately, there’s a really simple rig that can make that happen. It’s basically what I used with all four of my kids, and through the Ike Foundation to get many more kids on the right track. In order to really get kids involved, it’s critical that your […]

How to Tie a Non-Leadered Punch Shot (AKA, The Jika Rig)

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How to Tie a Non-Leadered Punch Shot (AKA, The Jika Rig)

One of the coolest soft plastic rigs out there is known as the “Jika” Rig, but what it really consists of is a non-leadered punch shot. They’re the same thing, but no matter what you call it, it falls somewhere in between a traditional Texas Rig and a Tokyo Rig – and there are times when it outshines them both. The great news about this rig is that you can make one at home without any hard-to-find components. In fact, you can build one in the time it takes to read this column. Start with your hook: You need one […]

How to Pack a Tackle Bag

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How to Pack a Tackle Bag

Starting out as an angler can often seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Part of my goal in creating this series is to make the learning process easier for beginners. In order to be efficient on the water, you have to learn to pack a tackle bag. It doesn’t matter if you’ll be fishing off the bank, from a kayak, in a jon boat or in a bigger boat – that bag is your tool box for a day on the water. Keep it simple by remembering that there are three main categories of gear: Terminal […]

The Most Versatile Bait of All Time                

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The Most Versatile Bait of All Time                

All of us love to buy and test new tackle, but in order to maximize your efficiency it’s important to find lures that cover a lot of different situations. What would you say if I told you that there’s one lure that’s more versatile than the rest? No matter what month you’re fishing, what the water clarity might be, or what kind of cover you’re around, I have one lure that I think is more versatile than all the rest. That lure is the soft plastic stickbait. You’ve probably seen them before. It’s just a straight tail worm looking thing. […]

The Best Multi-species Lure of All Time

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The Best Multi-species Lure of All Time

Even at this stage in my career, after fishing for a living for several decades, sometimes I just want to get bites. I don’t care what it is, as long as there’s lots of action. If you’re a beginner, that may be your goal, too – to just have something pull back. Fortunately, you don’t need a lot of different lures to get that done. In fact, there’s one lure I know that catches everything that swims, and I want to tell you what it is, how to rig it and how to fish it. Once you gain confidence in […]

The Best Rig for Spawning Bass

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The Best Rig for Spawning Bass

No matter where in the country you live, at some point during the spring the bass are going to be on the beds. Spawning bass can be really challenging to catch and I know that frustrates some of you, but I’ve got a system and technique that works just about everywhere. It drives them nuts. They’ve got to have it. I’m telling you, if you think that you suck at sight fishing, this is one bait you’ve got to try. There’s already been a lot of chatter about this lure, the soft plastic Berkley Gilly, a dead-on imitation of a […]

The Top Five Mistakes We ALL Make as Anglers

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The Top Five Mistakes We ALL Make as Anglers

This one is going to be short and to the point. There’s no reason to go on and on. All we need to do is list them and then make sure we avoid them. That’s easier to say than do. I know that. I struggle with them myself. Nevertheless, we’ll ALL catch more fish if we keep them in mind and avoid them like the plague. We don’t listen to the fish I know fish can’t talk. But their actions say it all. Every fish—no exceptions—tells us something. It was where it was for a reason or reasons and bit […]

Baits for Big Bass

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Baits for Big Bass

If there’s one question I’m asked over and over it’s this one: “What baits do I recommend for big bass?” Most of the anglers don’t define what they mean by big so I’ll do it. I say that any bass in the 5-pound class or better is big. I know that where and when you’re fishing has a big impact on size but it general that’s a pretty good place to start. A 5-pound bass has some size to it but, at the same time, it’s doable in most waters. After that I group my big bass baits into three […]