Fall Swimbait Tricks - Which Swimbaits Catch More Fish?

Swimbait fishing is easy! As soon as you know the subtle tricks you'll start catching fish consistently. Have you tried swimbaits on your home lake without success? Are you the guy thats wondering if your lake even has a swimbait bite? We're here to tell you that EVERY lake has a swimbait bite, it doesn't matter where you fish or how small the "average" fish in the lake tends to be, bass love eating other fish. The issue isn't the bass, the issue is a combination of (lack of) confidence and the wrong (swimbait) tool for the job. Today, Tim is sharing all his confidence baits. He's covering everything from giant glidebaits all the way down to finesse paddle tails. Tim's goal is to explain how to consistently catch bass using a variety of swimbaits throughout the Fall.

Swimbait fishing is all about details. Knowing which baitfish your bass are targeting, what times they prefer to feed, and where their ambush points are, may seem overwhelming at first but don't be intimidated. You'll be amazed that when you start paying attention to the subtle nuances these questions and more will answer themselves during the course of your fishing. As your knowledge increases, you naturally gain confidence and your success will sky rocket.

Preparation is also key when swimbait fishing. Understanding the fish is half the battle but preparing your equipment is equally important. Many anglers go through the time and expense to hook a giant swimbait fish but fail to land it because their gear isn't up to the task. Large swimbaits require more specialized equipment than any other lure in bass fishing.

Below is a breakdown of Tim's favorite baits by style. We've also included a full breakdown of the rods, reels, and equipment he trusts to land those giant bass once they strike.

Small Swimbaits...

-Basstrix 6" Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2aiy7SR

-Megabass Spark Shad: http://bit.ly/2XcLZk4

-Keitech 2.8-4.8 Swing Impact: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

-Rage Swimmer: http://bit.ly/2evZF8j

Small Bait Rigging...

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

Finesse Head- Guppy Head: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS

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

Underspin- (Weedless)- Owner Flashy Swimmer: http://bit.ly/2e8O4Y7

Underspin- Blade Runner 1/2 oz Flash Trix (Anchovy): http://bit.ly/2oocg0a

Line Through- Red One Systems Kit: http://bit.ly/2m2rcmx

Boot Tail Baits...

-Osprey Winged Talon: http://bit.ly/2IBlDTG

(Chartreuse Shad, TW Shad)

-Osprey Tournament Talon 6": http://bit.ly/2bqsLS0

(Chartreuse Shad, Reverse Hitch, TW Shad)

-All American Trash fish 6": http://bit.ly/2xRdCFP

(Hologram Shad, Just Shad, Hitch)

-All American Sunfish: http://bit.ly/2ahBNOT

(Crappie, Female Gill, Pearl White)

-All American Trash Fish 8": http://bit.ly/2hmXtg1

(Chartreuse Shad, Just Shad, KC Ghost)

-Twerk minnow: http://bit.ly/2lEZufe

(Hitch, Gizzard, Reverse Hitch)

Paddletail Swimbait Hooks...

-5/0 Trokar for Trash Gill: http://bit.ly/2iTeTSh

-6/0 Beast for Trash Fish: http://bit.ly/2ancP66

-10/0 Beast for Trash Fish/Twerk: http://bit.ly/2ancP66

WedgeTail Swimbaits...

8" Huddleston ROF 12: http://bit.ly/2azFTon

8" Huddleston ROF 5: http://bit.ly/2UVHiuQ

ABT WagTail 9": http://bit.ly/2lBiT0G

Glide Baits...

-Baitsanity Antidote Glide: http://bit.ly/2ztUk9z

(Trout, Shad)

- River2Sea S-Waver 168: http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

(Light Trout, party crasher)

-Gan Craft Jointed Claw 178: http://bit.ly/2d5l48K

(Hitch, Rainbow, Wakasagi)

-Ima Glide Fluke 178: http://bit.ly/2xrMwo4

(Natural, Gizzard, Bone)

Multi-Joint Hard Swimbaits...

-BBZ Slow Sink 8": http://bit.ly/2cU1x5P

-Bull Shad 7" Slow Sink Gizzard: http://bit.ly/2eJ8gWM

Favorite Swimbait 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 FC100: http://bit.ly/2O4UElB

Budget-Friendly Combo...

Rod- Dobyns Fury 806 (8' Heavy): http://bit.ly/2bGvlVV

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

Line- 25 lb Sunline Assassin Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Early Fall Bass Fishing Buyer's Guide

Swimbaits, jerkbaits, dropshot worms, and so many other awesome products have come to market since ICAST. It looks like this Fall is going to be a lot of fun! Today Matt is showing us a few of the new lures that stand out to him, along with a few items that he's been testing for a while. You know Matt is a tackle junkie so come along and see what he's found.

Every year ICAST (Bass fishing's biggest trade show) brings the promise of fun new gear to check out in the Fall. This year Tim did a review of some of his favorites and now its Matt's turn. The delays are over, products are beginning to hit store shelves, and its time for the fun to begin. We all love showing bass something new, we just want to know that we we aren't wasting valuable time and money on a dud.

Some of today's products are brand new to market and are simply a first look, others we've been using for as much as a year and are just now circling back to confirm our stamp of approval. Below is a breakdown of the gear in the video in order of appearance.

-Big Bite Baits Smallie Smasher: http://bit.ly/2ZpCOCY

-Big Bite Baits Tour Tube: http://bit.ly/32e23VR

-P-Line Bobber Stopper (Green/Black): http://bit.ly/2ZxAYuV

-Baitsanity Antidote Glide Bait: http://bit.ly/2ztUk9z

-Hydra Battery Terminal Multiplier: http://bit.ly/329zhFK

-Duo Realis Alpha 72 Spinbait: http://bit.ly/2UbnUu9

-River2Sea D Walker Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2NwqBmz

-Lucky Craft Pointer 100 H3: http://bit.ly/2PuaFpw

-G Loomis GLX 843 and 844 MBR Rods: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Antidote Hook Upgrades...

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

-Owner ST-56 Treble (Size 1 and 2): http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

Underwater Footage! Dropshot Worm Comparison - Which Would You Choose?

Which plastic worms look the Best? Let's head underwater and find out! We've rigged some of the most popular dropshot worms on a nose hook and put them to the test. How does your favorite worm stack up? Does it move the way you think it does and are you working it the way you should?

Underwater footage gives us a unique look at lure action. Every time we do this style video we discover baits work differently than expected. In this case we discovered that not all plastic worms are created equal. Some of these worms sink quickly while others drift to the bottom. Some works looked best with a subtle shake, others looked best with an aggressive hop.

Learning these nuances will make a huge difference in your daily fishing! As it turns out, we weren't using one of our favorite worms to its fullest potential. We need to begin working it with a more aggressive hop to get the best action. Also, we identified two more worms that are going to get fished a lot more often! What did you learn? Let us know in the comments.

Below is a breakdown of the worms used (In order of appearance) as well as some of our favorite dropshot gear recommendations. The worm colors shown in the video were selected for their high visibility. We will include actual color recommendations for each worm as well.

The Worms...

-Roboworm 6" Straight Tail: http://bit.ly/2asZyH3

Colors: Morning Dawn, Aarons Magic, Prism Shad, Red Crawler, SXE Shad

-Reaction Innovations Flirt 4.95: http://bit.ly/2CMB33J

Colors: Bad Shad Green, Lickity Split, Purple Smoke, Spring Break

-Jackall Cross Tail Shad: http://bit.ly/2Crq8eP

Colors: Baby Bass, BM Shiner, Melon Copper, Oxblood

-Roboworm 4" Sculpin: http://bit.ly/2XMbwoQ

Colors: Baby Bass, Natural Shad, Oxblood Light, Sculpin

-Big Bite Baits Smallie Smasher: http://bit.ly/2ZpCOCY

Colors: Green Pumpkin Purple, Smoke Purple Flake, Green Pumpkin Orange blk purp prl bl

-Strike King Dream Shot: http://bit.ly/2KNXuK9

Colors: Green Pumpkin, Morning Dawn, KVD Magic, Brown Purple

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

Colors: Edge, Green Pumpkin Purple, KVD Magic, Triple Magic

Favorite Dropshot Hooks...

-Trokar Dropshot Hook (Size 2): http://bit.ly/2ahxJOr

-Owner Mosquito Light (Size 2): http://bit.ly/2zQVKx3

-Owner Cover Shot Hook (Size 1): http://bit.ly/2ISr7bR

Favorite Dropshot Weights...

Tungsten- Swagger Tackle Tear Drop 1/4 oz: http://bit.ly/2V2B63h

Lead- QuickDrops Dropshot Weight 1/4 oz: http://bit.ly/2BjFCp3

Favorite Dropshot Combo...

Rod- G Loomis Conquest 902S SJR: http://bit.ly/2BiGUNi

Reel- Shimano Exsence 3000: http://bit.ly/2iMtscV

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 15 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Sunline Sniper 7 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Budget-Friendly Dropshot Combo...

Rod- Shimano SLX 7' Medium Light: http://bit.ly/2AdvIC1

Reel- Nasci 2500: http://bit.ly/2g278cC

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

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

Where Do Bass Go During The Fall Transition? (And How To Catch Them)

Fall is fast approaching and the bass are already on the move. If your fish are starting to disappear and you don't know why, we're here to help! As the nights get cooler the bass fishing changes over night, stumping many anglers. The offshore fish begin to gather and the shallow fish abandon their Summer cover in search of new spots. If you're not ready for what comes next it can leave you scratching your head.

The Fall Transition comes much earlier than most anglers realize. Its not a slow progression, the bass will begin their movements overnight. One day you're on an awesome topwater bite, the next you can't find a fish. When this happens its time to step back and look at what is motivating these fish to move. Whether you're targeting shallow bass or deep, the bass' next movement is motivated by the baitfish's location. As the bait begins to gather, so will the bass.

If your fish are out deep, expect them to begin gathering on the best structures. Expect to find them on corners of ledges with deep water access, long tapering points that break to deep water, and later you can expect them to transition toward the backs of deep coves. Shallow fish will abandon the scattered weeds in favor of thick weed clumps and hard structures. As the seasons progress these fish will begin bunching up along ambush points and pockets.

Below is a breakdown of the gear we recommend using during these conditions. We've separated it into shallow and deep approaches depending on which group of fish you're pursuing.

Shallow Flipping components...

Stopper- 6th Sense Peg X: http://bit.ly/2bHjowk

Weight- Vader Tungsten 1.5 oz: http://bit.ly/2NjDYtV

Hook- Owner Jungle Wide Gap 5/0: http://bit.ly/2sBsR1Z

Bait #1- Jackall Archelon (Green Pumpkin, School Gill): http://bit.ly/2uo4sN5

Bait #2- Strike King Rage Craw (Green Pumpkin, Dirty Craw): http://bit.ly/2uoqsLJ

Shallow Reaction Baits...

Crankbait- River2Sea Biggie Squarebill (Abalone Shad, TS Minnow): http://bit.ly/2ahCzvo

Crankbait- Lucky Craft 1.5 Squarebill (Ghost Minnow, American Shad): http://bit.ly/2BGxKPa

Topwater- River2Sea Rover 128 (Ghost Minnow, Sooner, You Know It): http://bit.ly/2acSVea

Jig For Deep Or Shallow...

Jig- 1/2 oz Pitchin Jig (Go To, Molting Craw): http://bit.ly/2amL3of

Jig Trailer- Sweet Beaver (Green Pumpkin, Tramp Stamp): http://bit.ly/29W3RZW

Deep Water Baits...

Crankbait- Strike King 6XD (Chartreuse Sexy Shad, Delta Red, Pro Blue): http://bit.ly/2ery44M

Crankbait- Strike King 10XD (Chartreuse Sexy Shad, Delta Red): http://bit.ly/2gHT4F0

Hook Upgrades...

6XD - Gamakatsu EWG Size 2: http://bit.ly/2cZrsbY

10XD- Owner ST-36 Size 1/0: http://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

Biggie- Owner ST-36 Size 2: http://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

Preferred All-around Combo...

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

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

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

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

Budget-Friendly All Around Combo...

Rod- Shimano SLX 7'2" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO

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

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