Tag: Missile Jig

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 […]

Top Five Power Fishing Lures for Early Winter Fishing

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<strong>Top Five Power Fishing Lures for Early Winter Fishing</strong>

For a lot of us around the country, it’s early winter right now. The leaves are off the trees, the mornings are cold, and water temperatures are down. That typically means that fish have left their fall patterns. They’re headed to or in their wintering holes, but they’re still feeding. That often means you can still catch them with power fishing techniques. I have five lures that fit the bill The first, without a doubt, is a suspending jerkbait like the Rapala Shadow Rap. I can’t think of a better bait for this time of year. It emulates a struggling […]

How to Pick the Right Size and Color Jig

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How to Pick the Right Size and Color Jig

In a recent column I described the five categories of jigs that you need to be an effective bass angler, so now I’m going to build on that and refine my descriptions – because if you have the right jig but the wrong size or the wrong color, you won’t be as effective as possible. Let’s go from the smallest to the biggest, which means the first one is the micro jig, those super-small, itsy-bitsy tiny offerings that came from the Japanese market. I use them in anything from a 1/16 to a 3/16-ounce size. Why pick it? Well, forage […]

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 […]

Hard Cover vs. Soft Cover

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Hard Cover vs. Soft Cover

This is really a continuation of my thoughts about fishing the moment. It’s about where the fish are on any given day or any given hour, and how to find them. In most waters that we fish, there’s hard cover and soft cover. Hard cover is stuff like docks, laydowns, rock, and concrete. In the video I want you to watch along with this blog — you can view it here — the bass were on laydowns. Soft cover is stuff like weeds and other kinds of vegetation. I fished that off and on but the bass weren’t relating to […]

The New Missile Mini Swim

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The New Missile Mini Swim

Hey everyone out there, ICAST is underway. One of the new products we’re introducing is the new Missile Mini Swim. It’s the real deal, different from all the other swim jigs out there. We’ll start off by talking a little about size. Most swim jigs are big, with a big profile. The Mini Swim is just the opposite. That idea came from our Mini Flip. It’s a smaller flipping and pitching jig and it’s made all the difference in the world when we need something smaller and less intrusive. The Mini Swim will do the same thing for swim jigs. […]

The Greatest Bass Lure Ever Invented

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The Greatest Bass Lure Ever Invented

What’s the greatest bass lure ever invented? That’s the one question I’m asked most often, and it’s a tough one considering all the lures that are out there. So, in order to answer that question I have to take the following factors into consideration: The lure has to be effective in all four seasons and all those times in between those seasons. The lure has to be effective in any water temperature. The lure has to be effective anywhere it’s fished — reservoirs, lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.The lure has to be effective in any type of water conditions — […]

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 […]