Bass Attacking Big Swimbaits!! Epic Underwater Footage!!

Watch underwater as big bass ambush swimbaits and glide baits! Its amazing how aggressive these fish get when a big meal swims by. With Spring fast approaching Matt shares a few tricks about how big bass behave that will help you catch the fish of a lifetime during the prespawn. If you haven't added a swimbait to your arsenal, you're about to get an underwater view of what you've been missing!

New swimbait fishermen are full of misconceptions. The most dangerous to your success is an assumption that big bass will hit a swimbait really hard. While this MIGHT happen, it is far more likely that the bite will be a subtle but clear "tick". If you're waiting for a bone-jarring strike you will miss the biggest bites of your life. Pay close attention to this underwater footage and you'll notice that the biggest fish seem to calculate their strikes while smaller fish lash out aggressively. 

Its also important to note that bass are far more likely to completely engulf soft baits while hardballs almost always end up on the outside of the fish's mouth. With this in mind, its extremely important to control hard bait fish as their aggressive head shakes are very likely to rip the hooks out during the fight. You have time to make a few more changes to your gear as well as to your mindset before Spring arrives. Take the steps to prepare and this will be the year you catch a giant bass!

Below is a breakdown of the baits in the video as well as some of our most consistent swimbaits for big, prespawn fish. We also included links to our favorite swimbait equipment along with some "budget" options. 

Favorite Spring Hard Baits... 

-S Waver 200 and 168 (Light Trout): http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

-Baitsanity Explorer Glide (Trout, Shad): http://bit.ly/33bQyxY

-Storm Arashi Glide (Bluegill, Oikawa Mesu): http://bit.ly/2nHdrL1

-Jackall Gantarel (HL Bluegill, RT Spawn Gill): http://bit.ly/2adZI3R

Favorite Spring Soft Baits... 

-Savage Gear Pulse Tail Trout (Trout, Hitch): http://bit.ly/399bx97

-Huddleston 8" (Trout, Hitch): http://bit.ly/2UVHiuQ

-Little Creeper 8" Trash Fish (Shad, Hitch): http://bit.ly/2hmXtg1

-Osprey Tournament Talon 6" (Chart Shad, Bluegill): http://bit.ly/2bqsLS0

Hook/Split Ring Upgrades... 

-Owner Hyperwire Split Rings (Size 5 and 6): http://bit.ly/2aTH3f1

-Owner ST-36 Trebles (1X strength, sizes 1/0 and 2/0): http://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

-Owner ST-56 Trebles (3X Strength, Size 2 and 1/0): http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

Favorite Rod/Reel 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 FC-100: http://bit.ly/2O4UElB

Budget Rod/Reel 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

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

Try This Trick For Early Spring Bass

When the water temperature reaches 50 degrees its time to reach for red! Red crankbait, red spinnerbait, chatterbait... as long as its red! There are a lot of theories on why it works but all that really matters is that the fish love to eat it.

Early spring brings a lot of challenges. Between the unstable weather and water color you have enough to worry about without trying to figure out lure color. If you're looking for a reaction bite, start with red or orange. If the water is leaning toward the clear side, the ghost reds will be best and if its leaning to the muddy side, the day glow oranges are the best bet. The only exception is the orange-accented chartreuse/white spinnerbait. That bait almost defies logic but its wise to keep one close at hand in the early Spring.

Below is a break down of the baits by style, model, and color. They're in no particular order though we tended to list our favorites first.

Squarebill/Shallow Crankbaits...

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

This squarebill is mid-sized, has a deep knocking sound and is a proven fish catcher. Comes with size 2 trebles. Recommended colors- Cold Blooded, Delta Craw

-Spro Little John: http://bit.ly/2dDfuqt

This bait features an extremely tight action. It excels as a fast-burning shallow cover bait. Comes stock with small hooks that should be replaced with appropriate size 4's. Recommended colors- Blood Craw, Western Craw

-Luhr Jensen Speed Trap: http://bit.ly/2fyC098

This bait features a mid-wobble and high-pitched sound. It excels around grass and other cover where it can be ripped or banged along. Size 4 trebles. Recommended color- Crystal Crawdad, Orange Crawfish

-Strike King 4.0: http://bit.ly/2dzeCUk

This is an oversized squarebill. Perfect for banging through shallow cover and targeting larger fish. Upgrade to stronger size 1 trebles. Recommended colors- Chili Craw, Delta Red.

Mid and Deep Diving Crankbaits...

-Strike King 3XD: http://bit.ly/2oSMj8s

This miniaturized "XD" bait is everything you'd expect. hard pulling, great rattle, and excellent cover deflection in a small package. Recommend upgrading to size 4 short shank trebles. Recommended Colors- Chili Craw, Delta Red

-Spro RockCrawler: http://bit.ly/2NFPA5t

This crank is a hard pulling bait in a smaller package. Think "finesse cranking" but be prepared for big bites! Great hooks but replace with size 4 short shanks when the time comes. Recommended colors- Red Bug, Red Crawfish.

-Lucky Craft Classical Leader: http://bit.ly/2zKkhlV

This tight running bait is great at deflecting and fast movements. Comes equipped with thin size 6 trebles that should be upgraded. Recommended Colors- Craw

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

This tight action crankbait shines in the early spring. When you need to reach deeper but maintain a refined look, this is the bait. Size 2 hooks can be upgraded to stronger options. Recommended colors- Fire Craw, Stealth Craw.

Lipless Crankbaits...

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

This bait has a tight action, loud rattle, and fast sink rate. Upgrade stock hooks with size 4's. Recommended Colors- Aurora Craw, Spring Craw, Wakin.

-Cotton Cordell Super Spot: http://bit.ly/2y3K210

This high-pitched, slow sinking bait excels around grass. Upgraded size 4 hooks are a must! Recommended colors- Rayburn Red, Royal Red.

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

This is a very refined bait with great action, sound, and profile. Upgrading hooks to size 4 is wise. Recommended colors- Crawfish, RT Escape Craw.

-Red Eye Shad: http://bit.ly/2fqX1RT

This is a great all-around/ Do-everything bait. Rip grass, burn open water, or slow roll deep. Size 4 hooks for 1/2 oz or size 2 hooks for 3/4 oz. Recommended Colors- Royal Red, Delta Red.

Spinnerbaits...

-River2Sea 1/2 oz Bling Spinnerbait: http://bit.ly/2diSwqq

The Bling is a light wire spinnerbait great for covering water. Recommended colors- Cold Blooded.

-Revenge Double Willow: http://bit.ly/2bwYnaP

Another amazing spinnerbait. Great hook, great components, very refined. Recommended colors- Habanero, Orange Crush.

-Blade Runner Double Willow: http://bit.ly/2ShreWf

This bait is designed with heavy components for big fish. Recommended colors- Delta Craw

-Bling w/ Colorado and Indiana Blades: http://bit.ly/2t5jecE

This is the bait with a small orange Colorado blade. Give it a try and you might be surprised! Recommended colors: Lemonade Twist.

Chatterbaits...

-Evergreen JackHammer: http://bit.ly/2popvj6

The most refined chatterbait on the market! Perfect balance and excellent start up speed. Recommended colors- Hite's Hot Craw

-Picasso Tungsten Shock Blade: http://bit.ly/2Tt2tne

This shock blade has been a deadly bait for years. The addition of the tungsten offering takes it to a different level in a smaller package. Recommended colors- Dark Red Craw RT.

Crankbait Hooks/Split Ring Upgrades...

-Direct Replacement- Gamakatsu EWG: http://bit.ly/2DCOlmV

-Short Shank Replacement- Owner ST-35: http://bit.ly/2g8uCMj

-Strong Replacement- Owner ST-56: http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

-Owner Hyperwire Split Rings Size 3: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Spring Fishing Road Trip! Big Bass In The Desert?!

Texas Rigs, Jigs, Swimbaits, and a bunch of BIG Bass!! At the start of the year we vowed to take TacticalBassin on the road. Here is the first road trip! There will be more so stick with us, cross your fingers, and you might just find TacticalBassin fishing at your local lake this year! 

On this trip we found both prespawn and spawning bass including muddy water largemouth and crystal clear water smallmouth. Who knew the desert could be so diverse?! If you've never fished in the SouthWest be sure to add Arizona to your bucket list! 

Here were our top baits from this trip. Keep in mind we had to adapt between power fishing and true finesse fishing depending on the body of water we were on that day. 

Top 5 Power Fishing Baits... 
1) 3/4 oz Flippin Jig (Go To Color): http://bit.ly/2aUtZsG
2) Man Bear Pig (Hematoma Color): http://bit.ly/2s51oIV
3) 3XD Crankbait (Delta Red Color): http://bit.ly/2oSMj8s
4) Jackall Rerange Jerkbait (RT Hollow Minnow): http://bit.ly/2ge0qED
5) Mattlures Bluegill Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2aAuAz5

Top 5 Finesse Fishing Baits...
1) G-Fix Spinbait 80 SpyBait: http://bit.ly/2uziBeM
2) Lucky Craft Flash Pointer 100 (Ghost Minnow): http://bit.ly/2aHz588
3) Fat Baby Finesse Worm (Dropshot and Shaky Head): http://bit.ly/2aKei5y
4) Keitech Little Spider (Watermelon Pepper): http://bit.ly/2HJ8kyj
5) Z Man TRD Ned Worm: http://bit.ly/2hs4RtR

Matt's Favorite Combo From This Trip... 
Rod- Expride 7'2" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL
Reel- Curado 200K 8:1 ratio: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh
Line- 65 lb Power Pro MaxCuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ
Leader- 18 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Tim's Favorite Spinning Combo From This Trip (EXPENSIVE)...
Rod- G Loomis Conquest Spinning 902S SJR: http://bit.ly/2BiGUNi
Reel- Shimano Exsence 3000: http://bit.ly/2iMtscV
Line- Power Pro 10 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b
Leader- Sunline 6 lb Sniper Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Where do you want to see us fish next? If you've got a lake in your area you think we should check out let us know about it in the comments! 
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