My Fall Bass Fishing Secret

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 […]

Two Easy Ways to Catch Spring Bass

Two Easy Ways to Catch Spring Bass

When I think about spring bass I think about bass that are in transition. They’re moving from winter areas into shallow, spawning areas and then back out again to where they’ll spend the summer. So, the first thing you need to do is find them. After that you need to catch them. I have two basic ways to do those things. Both involve a Tokyo rig, although in very different ways than what you normally hear about. We’ll find them first. You probably don’t think of a Tokyo rig as a search rig. It’s been touted as a great heavy […]

Modify Your Soft Jerkbait for More Bites

Modify Your Soft Jerkbait for More Bites

I know it’s the middle of December and that means winter in much of the country. Nevertheless, the bass might not know that. They might be in their fall feeding patterns, especially where it stays relatively warm through the winter. And, if they are, one of the best ways to catch them is with a soft jerkbait. Here’s how I modify and rig my soft jerkbaits in the fall for maximum effect… It’s important to start with the right soft jerkbait. For me that is a Berkley Powerbait Jerk Shad. Size is simply a matter of matching the hatch. If […]

The Tokyo Rig, Part 2

The Tokyo Rig, Part 2

In Part 1 of this series on Tokyo rigs — there’s more than one style, we covered the basics of what they are and how they work. We also covered using one style for flipping and pitching. BUT, there’s more ways to fish this rig, and they’ll all help you catch a ton of fish! So, this time in Part 2 we’ll talk about using another style of Tokyo rig for traditional Texas rigged baits. One of the rigs from VMC comes equipped just like the original except that it is armed with an Ike Approved Heavy Duty Worm Hook […]

Old School Baits That Never Go Away

Old School Baits That Never Go Away

I get asked all the time for my recommendation on old school baits that still work today. There are a lot of them around, and I own several of almost every one ever made. Still, I have favorites. In no particular order, here are my top three… The Rapala Original Floating Minnow  I don’t really know how old these things are but I can say they’ve been around forever. I had one as one of the first bass fishing lures I ever owned. It caught fish back then, and it’ll catch them now. They come in a lot of sizes. […]

Soft Plastic Jerkbaits and Fall Bass

Soft Plastic Jerkbaits and Fall Bass

Some things just go together. They make a team. And that’s definitely true for soft plastic jerkbaits and fall bass — largemouth, smallmouth and spots. Now’s the time when bass are moving shallow to take advantage of easy feeding on baitfish. So, when you think about it soft plastic jerkbaits are a natural. They look exactly like the real thing, they’re easy to rig, they’re affordable and they catch fish. I’m going to share a few tips about how to rig them and make them even more effective than when they’re fished in the usual way. I developed these modifications […]

Backwater Buzzbaits

Backwater Buzzbaits

I had another experience fishing the Upper Mississippi River that I want to talk to everyone about. It was late summer when it happened but I think it’ll be pretty much universal as long as there are bass back in really skinny water. There were some places in the backwaters and sloughs that were super shallow — I’m talking less than 2 feet of water — that were holding a good number of keeper bass. The thing was, though, that they were so choked with thin, slimy vegetation and drift that had washed into the water that it was hard […]

London Here I Come

London Here I Come

Ok, so we’re in London, England, this time. This was the first time I’ve ever been there and I have to say that it’s awesome, really cool for a guy from Philadelphia. I’m going to go back in the near future and take Becky with me. There’s no doubt that she’ll like it as much as I do. Let’s talk fishing: Our targets are English Pike, Barbel and European Yellow Perch. You saw most of it on TV last night but I’m guessing you’d like to hear a little more about exactly what we did and how we did it. […]