Tag: fluorocarbon

Forgotten Finesse Technique That Will Catch You More Fish

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Forgotten Finesse Technique That Will Catch You More Fish

The Mojo rig isn’t one that gets the spotlight it deserves anymore—the Mojo rig, also known as the PD rig or split shot rig. Now, if you’re an angler who’s been around a while, these terms might ring a bell, but for many of you tuning in, you might be scratching your heads wondering, “What on earth is a Mojo rig?” Well, let me break it down for you. The Mojo rig is essentially a finesse version of the Carolina rig, perfect for scenarios where the traditional Carolina rig setup feels too heavy-handed. Picture this: you’re out on the water, […]

Top Five Baits for Winter Finesse Fishing

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<strong>Top Five Baits for Winter Finesse Fishing</strong>

In my last column, I outlined five of my favorite power fishing lures for winter bass. There are times when power fishing is the deal and you can use baitcasting gear to force the bass to react. However, as the weather gets frigid, and water temperatures drop into the 40s or even the upper 30s, bass often become tight-lipped and lethargic. When that happens a spinning rod and light line can really change your day. Here are five of my favorite finesse options for those conditions. This first one probably isn’t much of a surprise if you’ve followed me over […]

My Fall Bass Fishing Secret

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My Fall Bass Fishing Secret

One of the coolest ways to catch bass is with an Alabama Rig, also known as the “A Rig.” If you’re a fan of it like I am, you already know why it’s so good. The term that I often use is that it mesmerizes them. It really does. Out of the water, that contraption looks bulky and complicated, but in the water, it comes alive. It’s one of the best baits ever made to mimic a school of baitfish. The one downfall of the traditional Alabama Rig is the limited number of places where you can fish it. With […]

The Beginner’s Guide to Rod Selection

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The Beginner’s Guide to Rod Selection

If you’re a guide or an experienced tournament fisherman, you might have five, 10, 20 or even 30 fishing rods already. But what about those of you who are just getting started? Maybe you’re a kid or someone who just wants to make a few casts in a neighborhood pond. Or perhaps you’re on a limited budget. You don’t need to have that many, but you do need to make sure that whatever you get is versatile. Before I dive into adult options, let me discuss rods for kids. This is really easy. For younger children, get a spinning or […]

Blade Baits: Tackle and Techniques

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Blade Baits: Tackle and Techniques

Last time we reviewed blade baits by looking at the lure in detail. Now we’re going to talk about what tackle to use and how to fish them. For starters let’s review the holes and clips on the back of the lure. It doesn’t make much difference whether you use a clip, a split ring or a swivel on a blade bait. They’ll all work. I like clips and snaps because you can change holes on the fly easy. Split rings are a little harder to take off and put back where you want them, especially with cold fingers. The […]

Try Spoons for a Hot Winter Bite!

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Try Spoons for a Hot Winter Bite!

Here we go: This is the last of my three-part series on heavy metal baits for wintertime fishing. It’s going to cover the venerable spoon. It’s a lure that’s been around for hundreds of years but it still catches bass. We’re not talking about just any spoon, though. It’s winter. The water is cold. I’m talking specifically about a flutter spoon. It’s the perfect imitation of a big dying baitfish. The one I like the best — it’s elongated, cupped and for the most part already tricked out — is the Molix Mike Iaconelli Lover Spoon. It comes in a […]

Ike Targets New York City

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Ike Targets New York City

OK, so hopefully everyone had a chance to watch the first episode of FISH MY CITY WITH MIKE IACONELLI on NAT GEO WILD last night. If you had as much fun watching it as I did making it, you had a ball. Here’s the thing about shows like that–they are real. We don’t fake film footage and we don’t cover over our mistakes or our struggles. We show it all, good and not-so-good. You get to experience fishing just the way it was at the time. The one about New York City fishing was especially fun for me. I grew […]

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 […]

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 […]

Snap A Tube Jig This Year

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Snap A Tube Jig This Year

When anglers think about fishing a tube they usually think about dragging one along the bottom while looking for smallies or, in some situations, flipping and pitching them into heavy cover for largemouth holding tight. But when I think about fishing a tube — at least some of the time — I think about snapping it. It’s a super efficient technique when you want to target deep bass that have seen every crankbait and every jig that’s ever been made. Snapping isn’t a hard thing to do. Just cast it out with a fairly long cast, let it fall to […]