Fall To Winter Transition - New State, New Lake, Big Bass

Today we're fishing an area of the country most bass fishermen have never visited. The area known as the PNW (Pacific North West) is a region completely neglected by the bass fishing community. With few major tournaments and an abundance of water, the quality of fish in this region has gone largely unnoticed. Come along for a day on the water as we explore Couer D'Alene Lake.

The smallmouth in this region are short and fat, much like the smallmouth of the Great Lakes. The waters are crystal clear but the difference is a food source called Kokanee. Much like the big bass in California, the jumbo smallmouth of the NorthWest gorge on Kokanee Salmon. With that said, a Smallmouth is a Smallmouth, no matter where it is located. As you might expect, these bass are aggressive feeders and love to fight!

Matt and Jessie used a handful of techniques to target bass but the most successful method was the lipless crankbait. The guys found scattered bass on ledges in 25-40 feet of water that would readily attack a lipless crankbait fished slowly along bottom.

Matt flew in and wasn't able to bring his typical gear with him. He came armed with 4 reels and a small box of tackle. He paired his equipment with some of Jessie's rods and hit the water for a day to break down a lake, experiment with new tackle, and catch some big smallmouth bass. Below is a breakdown of the gear used.

The Baits...

Lipless- Lucky Craft LV-500: http://bit.ly/2aAUUbd

Swimbait- S-Waver 168: http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Jerkbait- Megabass Vision 110 +1: http://bit.ly/2iGYOCX

Jig- 1/2 oz Pitchin' Jig: http://bit.ly/2amL3of

Matt's 4 reels...

Aldebaran MGL: http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8

Chronarch MGL: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Curado 200K: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Tranx 300: http://bit.ly/2kYsvRw

Lipless Combo...

Rod- Duckett Terex 7' Medium: http://bit.ly/2yMdIyX

Reel- Chronarch MGL 7:1 Ratio: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- 50 lb MaxCuatro Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

S-Waver Combo...

Rod- Phenix 7'6" Heavy Recon Elite: http://bit.ly/2qhziq6

Reel- Curado 200 K 7:1 Ratio: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- 65 lb MaxCuatro Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 20 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

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Best Gear For Fishing A New Lake

How Do you pack for a lake you've never been to? What gear are you going to need? How much tackle should you carry? How much is too much? Do you need anything special? Today Tim answers all these questions by taking you along for a tour of the gear he packed for his trip to Michigan.

Preparing for "anything" that a new lake can throw your way is very challenging. If you specifically select baits that have multiple uses it is much easier to be prepared for varying conditions. From clean water to murky, from a topwater bite to ledge fishing, you can get away with less tackle than you might expect.

Below is a break down of all the gear Tim took to Michigan to chase Smallmouth on lakes he'd never seen before. They're broken into Finesse/Spinning Gear and Reaction/Casting Gear.

Finesse...

Dropshot #1- Strike King Half Shell: http://bit.ly/2iR9awm

Dropshot #2- Strike King Dream Shot: http://bit.ly/2aAoUoR

Dropshot #3- Roboworm 6" Worm: http://bit.ly/2asZyH3

Ned Rig- Z Man TRD: http://bit.ly/2hs4RtR

Ned Rig Head- Z Man LockZ HD: http://bit.ly/2kIgRYK

Neko Rig- Kut Tail Worm: http://bit.ly/2iXlzPu

Neko Rig- Tungsten Nail Weight: http://bit.ly/2iGNSFW

Finesse Tube: Dry Creek 3.5" Tube: http://bit.ly/2cJwI6r

Swimbait- Keitech 2.8": http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Swimbait- 1/8 oz Guppy Head: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS

Spy Bait - Duo Realis Spinbait 80: http://bit.ly/2uziBeM

Hair Jig- Feider Fly: http://bit.ly/2G7TBwj

Yamamoto 5" Senko: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Crankbait/Spoon...

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

Lucky Craft LV-500 Lipless: http://bit.ly/2aAUUbd

Jackall TN-70 Lipless: http://bit.ly/2lqAwjh

Damiki Vault Blade: http://bit.ly/2rnO7e2

River2Sea Biggie Squarebill: http://bit.ly/2ahCzvo

Norman Deep Little N: http://bit.ly/2acSLUd

Blade Runner 1 3/4 oz Spoon: http://bit.ly/2aKVLlG

Swimbaits...

Swimbait- Keitech 4.3 Fat: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Swimbait- 6" Trash Fish: http://bit.ly/2xRdCFP

Swimbait- S Waver 168: http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Topwater...

Bubble Popper: http://bit.ly/2yxP2ZQ

Rio Rico: http://bit.ly/2RGNx4x

Reaction Innovations Vixen: http://bit.ly/2rp11nr

River2Sea Rover: http://bit.ly/2acSVea

River2Sea Bubble Walker: http://bit.ly/2e0PZOY

Whopper Plopper: http://bit.ly/2bsPbQV

Evergreen Shower Blows: http://bit.ly/2zIkqUH

Rod/Reel Combos...

Drop Shot - NRX 822 DSR - http://bit.ly/2dX9zjv

Hair Jig / Spybait - Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS Spin Rod 7'6" ML - http://bit.ly/2QHupT9

All purpose spinning - NRX 852S JWR - http://bit.ly/2dX9zjv

Deep Crank Setup

IMX Pro Crank Rod 7'6" Med Hvy 906 CBR - http://bit.ly/2FQj6CZ

Shimano Chronarch 150 MGL - http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

15lb Seaguar AbrazX Fluorocarbon Line - http://bit.ly/2aaBBDX

Swimbait Setup

G. Loomis GLX Casting Rod 7'5" Heavy 894C JWR - http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Shimano Metanium - http://bit.ly/2ezIBfB

Glide Bait Setup

G. Loomis GLX Casting Rod 7'5" Heavy 894C JWR - http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

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

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Giant Midwest Bass Eat Swimbaits Too!

Tim traveled 2500 miles to throw swimbaits and topwater for BIG bass in the Midwest and it worked! The big Michigan Smallmouth fell victim to the the swimbait just like their cousins out West. Time after time we're reminded that a bass is a bass, no matter where they swim.

We get asked over and over again if our techniques will work in a particular state or on a particular lake. Anglers constantly overlook the simple truth that all bass are inherently the same. They live in different environments but their feeding activity, movements, behavior, etc... are all identical.

Swimbaits work from coast to coast. Topwater, finesse, reaction, etc... will catch bass EVERYWHERE when the conditions are right. In today's video Tim gives a detailed step-by-step look at a day on the water in Northern Michigan as he breaks down the lake, locates the giant bass, and uses a handful of key baits to consistently put them in the boat.

Below is a breakdown of the gear he used to accomplish this feat:

Baits...

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

Reaction Innovations Vixen (Bone): http://bit.ly/2rp11nr

Matt Allen Swimbait Head: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

Keitech 4.3 Fat Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Strike King Dream Shot: http://bit.ly/2aAoUoR

Vixen Modifications...

Split Ring- Owner Hyperwire #3: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Front Hooks- Owner ST-36 Size 4: http://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

Rear Treble- Owner Feather Treble Size 4: http://bit.ly/2dJH8V6

Sunglasses For Clear Water/Cloudy Skies (Copper Lenses): http://bit.ly/2glE3eN

Trolling Motor- Minn Kota Ulterra: http://bit.ly/2PoYlTd

S Waver Combo...

Rod- G Loomis GLX 894C JWR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Reel- Metanium MGL: http://bit.ly/2ezIBfB

Line- Sunline XPlasma 50 lb: http://bit.ly/2OR5i2j

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Vixen Combo...

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

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

Line- Sufix 832 50 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae93Ji

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 15 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

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Ned Rig Fishing For Big Bass

Finesse fishing doesn't always equal big bass but the Ned Rig is special. When the bite gets tough and you're faced with changing conditions it is a great way to upsize your catch! On this day we started with swimbaits and crankbaits but ended up getting all the big ones on light tackle. 

The ned rig is a great option when conditions aren't ideal. We were using two different versions of the bait to catch our fish. Tim was using the Roboworm offering while Matt was using the traditional Z-Man TRD. 

The tackle...

Tim's Worm- Roboworm Ned Worm (Desert Craw): http://bit.ly/2j9F0Xy
Matt's Worm- Z MAN Finesse TRD (Green Pumpkin): http://bit.ly/2hs4RtR

Tim's Head- Owner Block Head: http://bit.ly/2qL0A8n
Matt's Head- Z Man Ned HD: http://bit.ly/2kIgRYK

Swimbait Head- Matt Allen: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN
Swimbait- Keitech 4.8: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Tim's Combo...
Rod- G Loomis NRX 6'10" Mag Med: http://bit.ly/2dX9zjv
Reel- Daiwa Certate: http://bit.ly/2hjRZXg
Line- Sunline SX1 Braided Line 12 lb: http://bit.ly/2tn8EzQ
Leader- Sunline Sniper 8 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Matt's Setup...
Rod- Shimano Expride 6'8" Medium: http://bit.ly/2osaj3q
Reel- Shimano Stradic CI4+ 1000 series: http://bit.ly/2gu84t7
Line- 10 lb PowerPro Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b
Leader- 6 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9
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Need Apparel? Tacticalbassin Gear is in stock! Get your hats, Hoodies,  and sunshirts by emailing Tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com