Cold Water A-Rigs Tricks For Bass

Today we're adapting the A-Rig to catch deep cold water bass. Come along for a day on the water and see where these cold Winter fish are staging, how we target them, and what we do to the alabama rig to adapt to the colder conditions. Too many anglers focus on the shoreline during the cold months. Until we reach the prespawn, offshore fishing is an important part of Winter success. 

When probing deep water with an A-rig its important to adjust the sink rate of the rig. Changing from 1/8 ounce heads in shallow water to 3/16, 3/8, even 3/4 ounce heads will allow you to fish much, much deeper water with ease. You can take it a step further however if you're really paying attention. 

RETRIEVE SPEED is probably the single most important component to catching bass with A-rigs. With that in mind, you can fish an Alabama rig in 20 feet of water with 1/8 ounce heads as long as you go ultra slow. You can fish that same depth with 3/4 ounce heads and burn the bait along the bottom. Anglers understand the value of adjusting retrieve speed in shallow water but it is often overlooked in the depths. Pay attention to the speed you're getting bit at, adjust the swimbait heads on your rig to lighter or heavier models and you will be far more successful this Late Winter and early Pre Spawn. 

Below you'll find a breakdown of some of the best A-rigs available, an explanation of the two head styles we use, along with the gear we were using in the video to throw these rigs in deeper water. 

Lighter Wire A-Rigs... 

-Flash Mob Jr: http://bit.ly/2bgDGNu

-Yum Ultralight Rig: http://bit.ly/2cq4pJQ

-Hogfarmer Baits BFL Hitchhiker: http://bit.ly/36EcEuR

-G Funk Baits Cali Rig Bladed: http://bit.ly/2rZhST7

Swimbait Heads... 

-Matt Allen Swimbait Heads: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

-TacticalBassin Finesse Swimbait Heads: http://bit.ly/2Pqrq3n

Matt Allen heads have a heavier hook for big fish and stout gear. TacticalBassin finesse heads feature a lighter wire hook that is excellent for Winter fish, smallmouth, spotted bass, or mid-sized largemouth. 

Equipment Upgrades To Dial In Your A-Rig... 

-Owner Hyperwire Split Rings (Size 4): http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

-Owner CPS Springs (Medium): http://bit.ly/2b2YgDf

-Keitech 4.8 Swimbait (Main Baits): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

-Reaction Innovations Little Dipper (non-hook baits): http://bit.ly/2brnU5I

Favorite Keitech colors for A-rigs: Pro Blue Red Pearl, TW Pro Blue, Electric Shad

Favorite Little Dipper colors: Bad Shad Green, Purple Smoke

Matt's A-Rig Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Curado 7'6" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2gUWTft

Reel- Shimano Curado 200K HG: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 65 lb: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Sunline FC-100 System 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2O4UElB

Tim's A-Rig Combo... 

Rod- Megabass Orochi XX Braillist: http://bit.ly/2OSVNwH

Reel- Shimano Curado 200K HG: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 65 lb: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Sunline FC-100 System 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2O4UElB

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

Side Imaging Tricks To Actually See Fish!

Is your depth finder too confusing? Not with Tim's help! He'll teach you everything you need to know so your unit reads with picture-like clarity. His quick tricks for adjusting your side imaging units will clear everything up and provide a picture with real detail so you can find fish and structure more easily. 

The tricks to side imaging are a combination of sensitivity, contrast, and frequency. Many anglers fail to understand the importance of changing frequencies in different environments. Tim goes in depth about the differences between the 455khz, 800khz, and Mhz (Mega) Frequencies and what each can do for your overall image quality. Regardless of the brand unit you're using, switching between 455 and 800 kHz will completely change your picture. 

For anglers looking for a starting point, Tim recommends setting both your sensitivity and contrast to 50%. This is an excellent starting point on virtually any unit. From there you can begin following his advice and making adjustments to get the most out of your unit. Below is a breakdown of the unit Tim uses as well as some of the other great options on the market at different price points. 

Tim's Electronics... 

-Humminbird Solix 15 Chirp/Mega/SI/GPS: http://bit.ly/2Hazsej

-Humminbird Solix 12 Chirp/Mega/SI/GPS: http://bit.ly/2AE2YDB

-Humminbird Waterproof Ethernet Switch Port: http://bit.ly/2zTArsD

-Ethernet Cable (2) 20 ft: http://bit.ly/2Df42jh

Smaller/Budget-friendly units...

-Humminbird Helix 7 G3: http://bit.ly/2SoFl8a

-Humminbird Helix 5 G2 (Awesome unit for the price): http://bit.ly/2fsOu1I

-Lowrance Hook 2 9 series: http://bit.ly/2kBj3l8

Our favorite Equipment For Mounting these units...

-BalzOut Mount: http://bit.ly/2HnxLtu

-Kong Electronics Mount: http://bit.ly/2MohNwS

-Kong Wave Tamer Mount: http://bit.ly/2wsJVbA

Crankbait Tricks For Winter and Early Spring Bass Fishing!

You've been going to slow! High Speed Burner Reels in Winter? Really? Oh that's just the beginning... Come along for a day on the water with Matt and Tim as they burn crankbaits and draw reaction strikes from bass in 46 degree water. The guys hold nothing back as they teach how to trigger a feeding frenzy with the Tactical DD Crankbait. 

Winter was always considered a slow fishing period. Many anglers Winterize their boats and give up completely. Unbeknownst to the masses some of the best fishing of the entire year exists in the dead of Winter. By experimenting with a new style of fishing we've been able to consistently trigger reaction bites from the coldest of bass under the harshest of conditions. They key is a combination of speed, sound, and action. 

In November of 2019 we released the Tactical DD Crankbait with River2Sea. This crank is designed for these exact cold water conditions. It sold out immediately and has been nearly impossible to find ever since. Today the crankbaits are back in stock so we headed out on the water to teach you exactly how to use them. Don't settle for one bass here or one bass there, its time to trigger a feeding frenzy in cold water!

Below is a breakdown of the baits, colors, equipment, and upgrades we use to maximize our time on the water with the crankbait. 

Our Crankbait... 

-River2Sea Tactical DD 75 Crankbait: http://bit.ly/37dclbX

Today's Colors: Mirrored Minnow, DD Minnow

Other Great Cold Water Crankbaits... 

-Spro RK Crawler 55: http://bit.ly/2NFPA5t

-Megabass Deep Six: http://bit.ly/2A3clKP

-Megabass Deep X 300: http://bit.ly/2sSQHpt

-6th Sense Curve 55: http://bit.ly/37hZ1TD

Favorite Colors by Bait... 

Tactical: Mirrored Minnow, DD Minnow, Glass Minnow, Ghost Minnow

Deep X 300: Stealth Craw, Sexy Ayu, Megabass Sexy Shad

Deep Six: MB Gizzard, Shadow Craw, Ito Wakasagi

RkCrawler: Missouri Craw, Phantom Brown, Red Crawfish

Curve 55: Craw Bomb, Ghost Missouri Craw, Red Claw

Hook And Component Upgrades...

Split Rings- Owner Hyperwire Size 3: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Hooks- Owner ST-56 Size 4: http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

(These hooks are smaller than "stock" but work extremely well)

Braid Rod/Reel Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 845 CBR: http://bit.ly/2og0BmK

Reel- Shimano Bantam MGL XG: http://bit.ly/2H44yjG

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 12 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Fluorocarbon Rod/Reel Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 906 CBR: http://bit.ly/2og0BmK

Reel- Shimano Chronarch MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Budget-Friendly Rod/Reel Combo... 

Rod- St Croix Bass X 7'2" MH Moderate: http://bit.ly/2r0xWAs

Reel- Shimano SLX HG: http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk

Line- Sunline Assassin 12 lb: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

Bass Attacking Big Swimbaits!! Epic Underwater Footage!!

Watch underwater as big bass ambush swimbaits and glide baits! Its amazing how aggressive these fish get when a big meal swims by. With Spring fast approaching Matt shares a few tricks about how big bass behave that will help you catch the fish of a lifetime during the prespawn. If you haven't added a swimbait to your arsenal, you're about to get an underwater view of what you've been missing!

New swimbait fishermen are full of misconceptions. The most dangerous to your success is an assumption that big bass will hit a swimbait really hard. While this MIGHT happen, it is far more likely that the bite will be a subtle but clear "tick". If you're waiting for a bone-jarring strike you will miss the biggest bites of your life. Pay close attention to this underwater footage and you'll notice that the biggest fish seem to calculate their strikes while smaller fish lash out aggressively. 

Its also important to note that bass are far more likely to completely engulf soft baits while hardballs almost always end up on the outside of the fish's mouth. With this in mind, its extremely important to control hard bait fish as their aggressive head shakes are very likely to rip the hooks out during the fight. You have time to make a few more changes to your gear as well as to your mindset before Spring arrives. Take the steps to prepare and this will be the year you catch a giant bass!

Below is a breakdown of the baits in the video as well as some of our most consistent swimbaits for big, prespawn fish. We also included links to our favorite swimbait equipment along with some "budget" options. 

Favorite Spring Hard Baits... 

-S Waver 200 and 168 (Light Trout): http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

-Baitsanity Explorer Glide (Trout, Shad): http://bit.ly/33bQyxY

-Storm Arashi Glide (Bluegill, Oikawa Mesu): http://bit.ly/2nHdrL1

-Jackall Gantarel (HL Bluegill, RT Spawn Gill): http://bit.ly/2adZI3R

Favorite Spring Soft Baits... 

-Savage Gear Pulse Tail Trout (Trout, Hitch): http://bit.ly/399bx97

-Huddleston 8" (Trout, Hitch): http://bit.ly/2UVHiuQ

-Little Creeper 8" Trash Fish (Shad, Hitch): http://bit.ly/2hmXtg1

-Osprey Tournament Talon 6" (Chart Shad, Bluegill): http://bit.ly/2bqsLS0

Hook/Split Ring Upgrades... 

-Owner Hyperwire Split Rings (Size 5 and 6): http://bit.ly/2aTH3f1

-Owner ST-36 Trebles (1X strength, sizes 1/0 and 2/0): http://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

-Owner ST-56 Trebles (3X Strength, Size 2 and 1/0): http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

Favorite Rod/Reel Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 966: http://bit.ly/2x9kxuS

Reel- Shimano Tranx 300 HG: http://bit.ly/2kYsvRw

Line- 80 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 35 lb Sunline FC-100: http://bit.ly/2O4UElB

Budget Rod/Reel Combo... 

Rod- Dobyns Fury 806H: http://bit.ly/2bGvlVV

Reel- Shimano Cardiff 300: http://bit.ly/2cvhtMO

Line- 80 lb Power Pro Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 30 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G