Cross Country Fishing Trip (22 States) - Update!

We've been on the road for over a month and made it all the way to Alabama! If you've been following along you already know we've stopped at some amazing lakes and caught some beautiful fish! Truth is, we're just getting started and the best is yet to come. We're turning North and there are some huge Largemouth, Smallmouth, and some bonus species ahead!

Our goal for 2019 is to bring TacticalBassin to you. We vowed in January to get on the road and visit as many of you as possible. We haven't taken that goal lightly, fishing in 23 states and 2 countries thus far in 2019. Though we've now arrived home from our cross country trip there are many more videos coming. Keep an eye out for famous fisheries like Lake Chickamauga, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and more!

We also promised to give you the top 10 baits from this trip. Some of these lures are from videos you've already seen, others haven't made an appearance yet. In no particular order, these were the most influential baits of our 2019 cross country trip.

The Top Baits…

-Mattlures Gizzard Shad Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2vM8cKF

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

-Jackall Gantarel Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2adZI3R

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

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

-Azuma Z Boss 22 Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2poLKUC

-Strike King 6XD Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2ery44M

-Megabass Okashira Screw Head: http://bit.ly/2EpluSA

-Roboworm Fat 4" Straight Tail Worm: http://bit.ly/2awYSxM

-River2Sea Bling Spinnerbait: http://bit.ly/2diSwqq

Summer Ledge Fishing - Crankbaits, Underspins, and Hair Jigs

Today we're on Pickwick Lake looking for Summer bass on offshore ledges and breaks. This time of year the bass stack up on the edges around current and can be caught on a variety of power fishing techniques. We found an aggressive school in 20-25 feet of water and had a great time figuring out which baits they would eat.

The fish we located today were in a giant school. They gathered in the confluence if two river arms and were feeding aggressively on shad and other baitfish that came down the current. We used a 3-part method to catch these fish. We started out with a deep crankbait to fire up the school then switched to a hair jig and a heavy underspin to keep the fish's interest once the initial flurry was over.

Ledge fishing is an awesome way to catch a bunch of bass in a hurry. Its also an amazing opportunity to catch BIG bass in the middle of Summer. If your local lake has current in the Summer, you have fish that back out to the outside structures, ledges, and breaks. This fishing style will work on your lake and you might be amazed how big of bass you can catch in the heat of the day.

Below is a breakdown of the baits and equipment we used to catch the fish in today's video. We also included a few color recommendations to make it easier for you to apply the techniques to your local lakes.

The baits...

-6th Sense Cloud 9 C20: http://bit.ly/2BQ4uDs

(Wild Shad, Platinum Citrus, Sexified Chartreuse Shad, Shad Fantasy)

-Strike King 6XD: http://bit.ly/2ery44M

(Sexy Shad, Turtle Shad, Chartreuse Sexy Shad, Sexy Blue Back Herring, Powder Blue)

-Picasso Hair Jig 1 oz: http://bit.ly/2FeJkAb

(Bling Shad, White)

-Blade Runner 1 oz SpinTrix Underspin: http://bit.ly/29UVegz

(Anchovy, Black Shad, Grey Shad, Pearl)

-Keitech 4.8 Fat Swing Impact Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

(Pro Blue Red Pearl, Ghost Rainbow, Electric Shad, Gizzard Shad)

Upgraded Crankbait Hardware...

-Hooks- Gamakatsu EWG Size 2: http://bit.ly/2cZrsbY

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

Crankbait Combo...

Rod- Zodias 7'6" MH Glass: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

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

Line- 15 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Jig Combo...

Rod- Expride 7'7" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Curado 150 DC HG: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- 50 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

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

Electronics...

-Humminbird Solix 15 G2: http://bit.ly/2Hazsej

-Map Card- Lakemaster Plus Digital: http://bit.ly/2Dk5Erc

How To Catch Bass In A Flooded Lake - Oklahoma Edition

We're in Oklahoma to fish but the lakes are flooded! Instead of leaving we headed out on Tenkiller Lake to show you how to break down a lake with unstable water conditions and to hopefully catch a few bass along the way. The day ends with CC catching her new personal best! Come along for a fun day of bass fishing in the MidWest.

We started the day targeting fish offshore. In Summer most lakes have two groups of fish, those that stay shallow after they spawned and those that moved offshore. When lakes begin to rise the shallow fish are most impacted by the rising water. They will typically push up along the new shoreline and can be incredibly difficult to target. By staying offshore and targeting fish on structure (humps, ledges, and long tapering points) we're able to get on a much more consistent pattern without having to bury ourselves in cover.

High rising water is much more difficult in early Spring when bass are moving up in the prespawn. After the spawn its much easier to simply target the off shore bass. Whether the water stays clear or turns to mud, the fish will typically stay positioned the same way they were before the flooding began. Below is a breakdown of the baits and gear that we were using to catch fish on Tenkiller Lake.

Baits...

Jackall Gantarel: http://bit.ly/2adZI3R

Keitech 4.3" Swimbait (Electric Shad): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Keitech 3.8" Swimbait (Crystal Shad): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Heads...

Matt Allen Swimbait Head 3/8 oz: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

Stefan Guppy Head 1/4 oz: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS

Matt's Keitech Combo...

Rod- G Loomis GLX 844C MBR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

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

Line- 15 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Cross Country Trip Begins With Grand Slam!

We're coming to a lake near you! The TacticalBassin crew is hitting the road so keep an eye out the next time you pump gas, head for the launch ramp, or pull up along side a boat on the freeway. Our first stop as we head cross country is Elephant Butte, New Mexico. The trip started off with a bang as Matt landed an unexpected Grand Slam on this amazing fishery!

The bass in Elephant Butte had to survive terrible conditions in recent years. The lake was drawn down to only 3% of capacity at its worst but is now well on its way to filling back up. The fishing has begun to rebound with many big bass being caught this Spring. Matt, CC, and Sierra chose the lake as their first stop as they travel. across the US to find out if the fishing in New Mexico is as good as they'd heard. They weren't disappointed and you won't be either!

Keep an eye out for the TacticalBassin crew in your area. We'll be traveling all through the South, Midwest, and much of the North. We're making as many stops as possible so you just don't know where we will show up next... but word is that Texas and Oklahoma anglers should keep an eye out first.

Below is a breakdown of the baits and gear Matt and CC used on Elephant Butte.

The baits...

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

Finesse Swimbait- Keitech 4" Easy Shiner (Silver Flash Minnow): http://bit.ly/2bxJK6H

Finesse Swimbait Head (1/8 oz): Revenge Darter Hedz: http://bit.ly/2cHMZbm

CC's Glide Bait Rod...

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 893C JWR: http://bit.ly/2R4f2Ud

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

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

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

Matt's Finesse Combo...

Rod- Daiwa Aird-X 7' Medium: http://bit.ly/2P7Z3Vu

Reel- Shimano Sahara 1000: http://bit.ly/2XhhM43

Line- 15 lb Power Pro: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Leader- 8 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Boat Accessories...

Minn Kota 15' Talons: http://bit.ly/2F0QBSP

Minn Kota Tilt Brackets: Source Locally

Humminbird 360 Imaging: http://bit.ly/2K8jPl4

Loc-R-Bar: http://bit.ly/2CMF1NP

Banshee Lock: http://bit.ly/2vt3ilq

Bob's Hydraulic Jack Plate: http://bit.ly/2RtsHc