Underwater Footage of Spawning Bass and Sight Fishing Tips

Bass fishing during the spawn can be amazing! For anglers that understand bed fishing, its one of the most exciting times of the year! If you struggle, it can be very frustrating. Apply these tips about bass behavior and you'll see more success this Spawn!

Matt and Tim take you right down into the bed with spawning bass with this underwater bass fishing footage and give you a quick glimpse into the world of the spawn. Expect a lot more of this footage in the coming months!

Gear Shown In This Video... 

Dirty Jigs California Swim Jig (Crappie): http://bit.ly/2auXfmx
Dirty Jigs Pitchin' Jig (Molting Craw): http://bit.ly/2amL3of
Sweet Beaver Trailer: http://bit.ly/29W3RZW
Strike King Half Shell: http://bit.ly/2iR9awm
Mattlures Bluegill: http://bit.ly/2aAuAz5
Little Creeper Bluegill: http://bit.ly/2ahBNOT
Keitech 4.8 (Sight Flash Color): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

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We know that its early for a sight fishing video in most of the country. Here on Clearlake we aren't even in the prespawn and many of you  are still iced in but in other parts of the country the spawn is in full swing and anglers are already sight fishing. 

We hope you can use these tips to catch more fish this Spring!

Sight Fishing: Beyond the Basics

This week Tim breaks down some of the keys behind being a consistent sight fisherman. This isn't what color jig to throw, or how to make a fish mad. Its the fine details of boat positioning, fish behavior, clothing, even which lenses see deeper in which water colors (These Eye Surrenders are what we wear and it will save you some $$$, you don't need overpriced optics).

This is a video you need to watch and understand if you do any sight fishing throughout the year. Sight fishing, especially for spawning bass, is an art form. Many anglers, both tournament and trophy, complain about guys who sight fish but most of this comes from their own insecurities or lack of understanding (Yes, there are a few purists in the mix but they're the rare ones). You don't have to have the best eye sight or the most time on the water to be the best sight fisherman. Sure it helps, but understanding bass behavior is much more important.

If you can learn how the bass moves both on and off the bed, what sort of predators its dealing with, and most importantly, when its really interested and when its just darting around, you'll be so much more successful! Again, sight fishing is an art. If you want to be great at it, its going to take some practice. There is a short window during the year to hone your skills so don't waste time. Learn the skills and apply them right away. Good luck out there!

Top 5 Baits for Bed Fishing

Love it or hate it, bed fishing is a great way to catch the biggest bass of the year. If you live in warmer parts of the country you're probably already seeing the beginning of the spawn. We sat down with the camera this week to bring you the Top 5 Baits that will help you fool those feisty spawning bass.

The key to sight fishing is to treat every bed as a new opportunity to start fresh. The bait that caught the last fish might not work on the next. Each fish has its own preferences so don't be afraid to rotate through your arsenal of rods until you've found the bait that works best.

My top 5 choices:

1) Jig w/ Craw Trailer: 3/8 to 1/2 oz Dirty Jigs Pitchin' Jig coupled with a beaver-style or double tail grub trailer. This profile allows me to present a large bait but still have a compact enough profile that the fish can easily engulf it.

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2) Swim Jig: 3/8 to 1/2 oz California Swim Jig in Alabama Bream or Tactical Shad coupled with a matching keitech or Sizmic Shad. With a swim jig I can hop or swim the jig, depending on the mood of the fish.

3)Bluegill Imitator: My two favorite bluegill imitators are the Mattlures Bluegill (boot or flat tail) and the Basstrix in "perch" color. The mattlures gives me that large swimbait profile whereas the basstrix is a very finesse, slow presentation that can really irritate those hard to catch bass.

4) 3.5" Tube: The tube is a deadly bait on all bass but its especially deadly with spots and smallmouth. I find a 3.5" to be best but you can drop down to a 2.5 if the fish are picking the bait up by the tails.

5) The Senko: Who can argue with the senko? 5" or 6" is your choice but if you use a bright color (white or chartreuse) and a natural color (green pumpkin or watermelon) you'll find a bait that the fish are willing to eat.

Please remember that bed fishing is a great time to catch the fish of a lifetime but its also a critical time during a bass' life cycle. Treat the fish with care and always return them to the bed quickly so they can successfully finish the spawning process.

Spawning Bass

If you live in the Southern states its nearly too late to discuss spawning bass but for those of you in the rest of the country, its time to talk. Many anglers consider targeting spawning bass to be taboo. A select few have realized the true potential and consistently catch monster bass each spring. Love it or hate it, sight fishing for spawning bass cannot be ignored.
With as many anglers as frequent this site, I’m sure to upset a few. If you are one of those anglers, I’m sorry if we don’t see eye to eye. To those who want to learn and explore the opportunites that this style of fishing presents, I hope you enjoy the next few weeks.

Here is a taste of what is to come. This particular fish was caught on the new Mattlures U2 Gill. I got really excited when I saw this bait for the first time. I caught a few fish on the original mattlures bluegill but had always wanted a smaller size. Matt created a winner when this one hit the market.
As always, support your local tackle shop. However, if you do not have access to a shop that stocks Matt’s baits, here is a link to the baits at tacklewarehouse. They have first rate service and ship free on orders over $50. Mattlures Bluegill at tacklewarehouse