Winter Swimbait Fishing Is Easy! (I'll Prove It)

Its not hard! Anyone can catch the biggest bass of their life on a swimbait! Anglers fall into the trap that swimbaits are a magic bait that require some secret knowledge to produce and its just not true. If you head to the lake with quality baits and put in time, the bites will come. Winter bass are easy to predict, they love to group up, and they don't want to travel; this is the perfect scenario for big bait fishing for trophy bass.

Understanding where these bass are positioned is the key. We recently did a video explaining exactly where these fish are heading (see it here: http://bit.ly/2XOY2WR) then followed it up with a swimbait buyer's guide to show you the best baits for the job (See it here: http://bit.ly/35DIGqI) With that information all that is left to do is go fishing. The biggest mistake you can make during the Winter months is to fish quickly with a big swimbait. Slow down, then slow down some more, and just creep that swimbait along the bottom.

The bites typically feel like a distinct "tick". They will not be overly aggressive but they will clearly be a bite. When you feel the tick, set the hook hard and fast. Once the fish is hooked grind them to the boat as quickly as possible, never slowing down or letting up. Its really that easy! You can do this! We're rooting for you this Winter and when it pays off, come back and let us know about the big bass you caught.

Matt's Exact Setup...

Bait-Huddleston 8" Trout ROF 12 (Hold Over): http://bit.ly/2azFTon

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

Other Great Winter Soft Swimbaits...

-Huddleston 8" Trout ROF 5 Top Hook: http://bit.ly/2UVHiuQ

-Huddleston 68 Special 6" Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2dj5apG

-Little Creeper 8" Trash Fish: http://bit.ly/2hmXtg1

-Scottsboro Tackle 6" Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2Oy7CKH

Budget Swimbait 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

Flipping and Frogging Big Bass In The Heat!

Its 106 Degrees today!!! Its HOT but the bass are biting if you know where to look! The frogging, flipping, and punching bite is going strong! Come along for a day on the water with Matt as he patterns bass on a hot Summer day and explains why he's making changes along the way.

A lot of anglers are afraid to fish in the Summer heat. If you're willing to get out there and know where to look it can be incredible shallow water fishing. Understanding shadows and bass behavior makes all the difference! Matt started off his day on Clearlake with a plan to frog and flip. He began with 3 rods on deck; a frog rod, a flipping stick with a 1 oz tungsten weight, and a flipping stick with a 3/4 oz jig.

The bass started biting on the first cast and Matt never pulled out another rod. As the day progressed he dialed in the pattern and fine tuned his color choices to get more bites. The combination of frogging the edges of cover and flipping deep in the thick patches is a 2-pronged approach that can be applied on any fishery that has heavy cover. Below is a breakdown of the gear Matt was using throughout the day.

The baits...

1) Frog- River2Sea Bully Wa 2 size 65 (Little Allen Color): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

2) Flippin' Jig- No Jack Size 3/4 oz (Hematoma and Molting Craw): http://bit.ly/2fx8YBI

Jig Trailer #1- Reaction Innovations Kinky Beaver (Low Blow): http://bit.ly/2XQ1kJ1

Jig Trailer #2- Strike King Rage Craw (Junebug): http://bit.ly/2uoqsLJ

3) Punch Weight- 1 oz Trash Bomb Tungsten: http://bit.ly/2bHj2pB

Punch Hook- Owner Jungle Wide Gap Hook Size 4/0: http://bit.ly/2sBsR1Z

Bobber Stop- Peg X Stopper: http://bit.ly/2bHjowk

Creature- RI Kinky Beaver (Green Pumpkin, Magic Craw Swirl): http://bit.ly/2XQ1kJ1

Frog Combo...

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'3" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

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

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

Flipping Combos...

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'11" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Metanium DC HG: http://bit.ly/2qrSZvs

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

Sun Gear...

Sun Mask- Aftco Salido: http://bit.ly/2vgSsh4

Sun Shirt- Aftco Barracuda Sunshirt: http://bit.ly/2KaUg3m

Summer Bass Fishing: Senko And Frog Fishing Tricks

Wacky rig vs. Texas rig; which Senko will the bass prefer tonight? Surprise! The wind kicked up and the senko fishing is tough. Matt turns to a new hollow frog he's never used before to quickly load the boat. Summer fishing is all about adapting to conditions and choosing the right bait for the job, come along as Matt makes the best of a Summer evening on Clear Lake.

Matt hit the water with a simple plan. He rigged three rods and planned for a fun evening of senko fishing. While idling out he quickly realized conditions had changed and big waves were waiting to great him on the main lake. It took some adapting but his three baits all proved successful once he located a calmer area with fish holding along grass and shadow lines.

Below is a breakdown of the gear used in today's video. Matt included the baits with color recommendations, some bonus rigging options, as well as his gear.

5" Wacky Senko Setup...

Bait- 5" Yamamoto Senko (Green Pumpkin Red Flake): http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap 1/0: http://bit.ly/2aKGmHM

Rod- G Loomis GLX 843 MBR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

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

Line- 30 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

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

6" Senko Texas Senko Setup...

Bait- Yamamoto 6" Senko (Green Pump/Watermelon Laminate: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Gamakatsu 4/0 Superline EWG: http://bit.ly/2ac92XG

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

Reel- Metanium DC: http://bit.ly/2qrSZvs

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

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

Frog Setup...

Bait- Jackall Kaera Frog (Glitter Hasu, Glitter Bluegill): http://bit.ly/2Fz6SA3

Rod- Expride 7'3" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

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

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

-Weighted Wacky Hook- Wack A Sack: http://bit.ly/2oFduEq

Early Summer Whopper Plopper Fishing From The Kayak

Come along as Tim heads out on Clearlake for an evening of topwater fishing. Tim is fishing out of an all-new kayak and he brought 3 rigs along for the adventure. He has a Whopper Plopper, a frog, and a Punch Rig. Its a short trip before the sun goes down but that's prime time for the evening topwater bite!

The topwater bite in June can be truly incredible. The fish's metabolisms are the highest they've been in months, the water temperatures are warm but not exceedingly hot, and the baitfish are typically still shallow. Its a recipe for topwater mayhem! We chose the kayaks for this quick adventure because we can move stealthily through the shallow cover and catch fish that often spook when the bass boat trolling motor is chopping through heavy grass.

Tim's kayak of choice tonight was the new Topwater 120 PDL. This boat is known for its sturdy platform and ample storage, two things that are very important to Tim. Tim ran into Matt on his Predator PDL, giving them a great chance to compare the boats side by side. If you're in the market for a new kayak, boat boats are excellent choices!

Below is a breakdown of the baits and gear the guys were using in the video.

Baits...

- Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (Delicious): http://bit.ly/29W3RZW

-Tungsten Weight 1 oz: http://bit.ly/2bo4NZf

-Peg X Stoppers: http://bit.ly/2bHjowk

-Bully Wa 2 Frog (Ghost): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

-Whopper Plopper 110 (Monkey Butt): http://bit.ly/2bsPbQV

Tim's Kayak- Old Town Topwater 120 PDL: http://bit.ly/2KGiYf5

Matt's Kayak- Old Town Predator PDL: http://bit.ly/2WyVQka

Tim's Whopper Plopper Combo...

Rod- Zodias 7'2" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Curado 70 HG: http://bit.ly/2apmDJt

Line- 40 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Tim's Punching Combo...

Rod- Expride 7'11" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Tranx 200 A: http://bit.ly/2Tv0yCy

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