Top Four Baits for August

Top Four Baits for August

Mike Iaconelli No matter where you live across the country, August is likely to be the hottest month of the year. That means it’s prime time for summer patterns, and if you’ve watched any of my previous videos or read past articles, you know that means I tend to go “deeper, thicker or current.” They still have to feed, but they’ll do it in very defined zones. With that in mind, I’m going to give you four lures I rely upon this month. As usual, two of them are key for the North and two for the South, but to […]

Picking the Right Metal for Cold Water Bass

Picking the Right Metal for Cold Water Bass

If you’re a hard core bass angler, you probably don’t stop fishing just because the water is cold, and you know that one of the best wintertime categories of lures is typically referred to as “metal.” That describes them perfectly, because all of them are simply a hunk of metal shaped to resemble a baitfish. They are the deal when the water is cold, and start to become a player when the water is mid-50s or lower. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t have at least one tied on under the right conditions, but it’s also critical to […]

Blade Baits: Tackle and Techniques

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 […]

Blade Baits: The Lure  

Blade Baits: The Lure  

From some time in the late fall through the early prespawn, a blade bait is one of the most effective lures you can throw. There isn’t much to them, just a chunk of metal and a couple of hooks. But don’t let that fool you. They do get the attention of the bass. My first introduction to them was back when I was a kid. We all had a Silver Buddy or two that we fished with, sometimes from shore but sometimes from a small boat. Back in those days we called it metal fishing. A Silver Buddy was a […]

Colors for Cold Clear Water

Colors for Cold Clear Water

Last time we talked about cold muddy water baits and colors. This time we’ll talk about the exact opposite, cold clear water baits and colors. Before we get into that, though, we need to define clear water. In my world it’s water with 10 to 14 inches of visibility. But there’s also ultra-clear water. That’s water with clarity down to 10 feet. The difference between the two is mostly academic. They’re both tough. I deal with both conditions the same way. My colors don’t change regardless of how clear the water is that I’m fishing. I will admit, however, that […]

The Best Fall Lure!

The Best Fall Lure!

The fall season is here. The nights are getting cold, the water temperature is dropping and the water is getting clearer. That all adds up to mean that bait is what bass fishing is all about. With that in mind let’s talk about the best fall bass lure. And yes, there is only one. It’s the great baitfish imitator — the spinnerbait. The way we need to fish our spinnerbait is by burning it. That can be done the best with an ordinary, but heavy, size spinnerbait. The key to this technique is weight and a size that’s not too […]

Tailspinners are for Right Now!

Tailspinners are for Right Now!

Last time we talked about blade baits. This week we’ll talk about a forgotten lure — the tailspinner. Do you remember the Little George from back in the 70s? Well, that style of lure will still catch ‘em in the winter. The difference is that we now have a modernized version made by Molix. It’s called the Trago Spin Tail. There are three things that make this lure the best, in my opinion. The first is that, like the Trago Vib Blade Bait, it has a flat head. This gives it stability on the fall or retrieve and makes it […]

Heavy Metal Blade Baits In The Winter

Heavy Metal Blade Baits In The Winter

OK fish-heads, it’s getting cold and that means water temperatures in the 40s. When that happens I grab my box of metal blade baits before I head out to the water. They give me exactly what’s needed to generate reaction bites from lethargic winter bass — vibration, flash, finish, size and depth control. My favorite is the Molix Trago Vib Blade Bait. It has a flat nose which keeps it level on the fall but with a little bit of wiggle, and it has three line tie holes on its back so it’s really easy to change the action of […]

The Bait Chaser Rig

The Bait Chaser Rig

I’ve got this new rig that’s absolutely going to put more bass in my livewell next year, and it’ll do the same for you. It’s the bait chaser rig. This thing is so simple of an idea and so simple to put together that I can’t believe I wasn’t using it years ago. It makes me wonder what I was thinking, or wasn’t thinking. Basically, it’s a spinner blade on the line in front of your lure. You can make it in two minutes in the boat with things you already have. All you have to do to make it […]

Fishing Blade Baits Shallow

Fishing Blade Baits Shallow

When most of us think about blade baits we think about deep water, and cold water. Recently, however, I fished one shallow in the Upper Chesapeake Bay, and with great success. I do have to admit, though, that the water was cold. We fished with a Molix Trago Vib Blade Bait for several different reasons. For one, it’s well balanced. It’ll hang in a horizontal attitude no matter how it’s fished. Another thing is that you can change its vibration. There are three holes on top. If you attach your line to the front hole you’ll get a light and […]