Big Swimbaits and Topwater For Spring Bass | Texas Bass Fishing

The guys are back in Texas chasing PreSpawn bass with a swimbait, an A-rig, and a variety of topwater. Come along as they build a pattern and adapt to changing conditions throughout the day. Watch how they fish with confidence and get bites, even on big swimbaits, without knowing anything about the lake. 

So many anglers get caught up in the mindset that certain baits (swimbaits, frogs, jigs, etc...) don't work on their lake. The reality is that bass behave very similarly and with few exceptions, eat the same baits throughout the country. We travel constantly and have seen over and over again that we can quickly catch fish on baits like a Gantarel or a frog, in lakes where others hesitate to even try these lures. 

The key to consistent fishing success anywhere in this country is building patterns. Focus on the conditions, how bass should behave during the season you're in, and take the extra time to intentionally fish likely locations based on those variables. You'll be amazed how many more bass you'll begin to catch!

As we continue to travel we're constantly refining our equipment. Life on the road requires specialized rods and an array of tackle. In the beginning our boats could hardly float from the masses of tackle we'd bring on trips. Anymore, we find key baits that work everywhere and we're able to narrow down our selections.

Below you'll find links to the baits we were using on this trip, some of our gear, and some travel-specific equipment that makes your life easier whether you're going cross country or to a lake down the road. All of the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

A-Rigs... 

Rig- Hog Farmer TacticalBassin Bladed Flex: https://bit.ly/38xd1es

Heads- Matt Allen Swimbait Heads (1/8 oz): http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

Baits- Keitech 4.8" Fat Swing Impact (Pro Blue Red Pearl): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Swimbait... 

-G-Ratt Sneaky Pete: http://bit.ly/2RYCPFe

Favorite Colors: Hitch, Gizzard Shad

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

Favorite Colors: RT Spawn Gill, RT Ghost Gill

Topwater...

-ScumFrog Launch Frog (Bluegill): https://bit.ly/3rOYQIF

-River2Sea Whopper Plopper 90 (Phantom Shad): http://bit.ly/2bsPbQV

-Evergreen Shower Blows 105 (Skeleton Chartreuse): http://bit.ly/2zIkqUH

Lure Retriever...

-Frabill 15' Pole Retriever: http://bit.ly/2TLTJc6

Travel Rods... 

High End (Our Favorite)- Megabass Triza Casting Rods: https://bit.ly/2Glg3au

Mid Range- St. Croix Triumph Casting Rods: https://bit.ly/3urbTSn

Budget Swimbait- Okuma Nomad Xpress: http://bit.ly/2p4zr3g

Tim's A-Rig Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7'5" Heavy: https://bit.ly/3aeQbYW

Reel- 13 Fishing A2 (7.5:1): https://bit.ly/36XlOVs

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

Tim's Topwater Combo... 

Rod- Megabass Destroyer P5 Z-Crank: https://bit.ly/30GcHqb

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

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

Want TacticalBassin Gear?  

We have a variety of apparel items and custom lure designs available! Everything from hats, to hoodies, to crankbaits! Its all available direct through Tackle Warehouse with fast shipping. See it here... 

TacticalBassin Apparel and Lure Designs: http://bit.ly/38YpPIz

4 Hours In Texas, Catches A 10 LB Bass!! Tim's INSANE Day On The Water!

Tim caught a Texas giant! He's driving cross-country with his friend Wes and bad weather ahead forces them to stop in a small Texas town for the night. They decide to hit a nearby lake for a half day before getting back on the road and chaos ensued! They caught 45 bass, had over 34 lbs for the best 5, with a 10.28 lb kicker! Come along for this whirlwind half-day adventure!

The bass had baitfish cornered in a cove, Tim and Wes took full advantage, using a variety of shad-imitating baits to draw reaction strikes. Most of the fish, including the 10 lber came on a brand-new rig that we've been designing with Hog Farmer. Its a 6-wire A-Rig built to our exact specifications so the days of endless A-Rig modifications can finally be over. The HogFarmer TacticalBassin Flex Rig is available for pre-order here: https://bit.ly/38xd1es and should be shipping in 2-3 weeks. 

These fish were in a full pre-spawn feeding frenzy! After all the cold that hit Texas, the bass needed to bulk back up before heading into Spring. They were using bushes and trees as ambush points to attack the shad and the guys were able to capitalize on the behavior. They only had a few hours to fish before getting back on the road but they made the best of it and will never forget this awesome day of Texas Bass Fishing! 

All of the baits they used, the exact colors, as well as their gear, are linked in the description below. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of the items. 

A-Rig (Available For Pre-Order)... 

-HogFarmer TacticalBassin 6 Wire Bladed Rig: http://bit.ly/38xd1es

-HogFarmer TacticalBassin 6-Wire Rig: http://bit.ly/3vhpSez

A-Rig Components... 

Head- Matt Allen Swimbait Head 1/8 oz: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

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

Color: Pro Blue Red Pearl

Jerkbait... 

-Megabass Vision 110 Jr. +1: https://bit.ly/2LnK389

Color: Matte Shad

Weedless Swimbait... 

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

Color: Pro Blue Red Pearl

Hook- Owner Weighted Beast 4/0: http://bit.ly/2ancP66

Tim's A-Rig Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'6" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

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

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

Leader- Sunline FC100 20 lb Shock Leader: http://bit.ly/2O4UElB

Tim's Jerkbait Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL​

Reel- Shimano Aldebaran MGL 50 HG: http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8​

Line- Sunline Sniper 12 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju​

Budget A-Rig Combo... 

Rod- Shimano SLX 7'5" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO​

Reel- Shimano SLX XT (HG): http://bit.ly/2BRTYL8​

Line- Power Pro 65 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b​

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

Want TacticalBassin Gear?  

We have a variety of apparel items and custom lure designs available! Everything from hats, to hoodies, to crankbaits! Its all available direct through Tackle Warehouse with fast shipping. See it here... 

TacticalBassin Apparel and Lure Designs: http://bit.ly/38YpPIz

Insane Crankbait Bite! Fishing Lake Fork, Texas!

We're in East Texas and the big bass are biting! Our 3rd stop on this bass fishing adventure is Lake Fork! It only takes a few minutes to discover the shad are spawning on shallow points and the bass are ambushing the baitfish. We put our electronics to work and located a big school with BIG fish in the mix. Out came the crankbaits and the pattern unfolded from there.

May is an awesome time to fish large bodies of water. If there is deep water access you'll almost always find bass in all 3 stages of the spawn. In this case we found a secondary point leading out to main lake structure that had a large school of fish. Some of the bass were heading in to spawn, others were already done and headed back out, but all of them were making a stop to ambush Threadfin and Gizzard Shad as they spawned along the wind blown point.

We've explained in recent videos that the shad spawn is an amazing time to catch big fish that are aggressively feeding in shallow water. Today we put that video to work and caught them on squarebill crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and paddle tail swimbaits. Below is a breakdown of the gear we used to catch these fish.

The baits...

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

(Gizzard Shad, Abalone Shad, Horizon Shad all have the necessary flash)

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

(I Know It, Abalone Shad)

-4.8" Keitech Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

-Owner Flashy Swimmer 5/0 Hook: http://bit.ly/2e8O4Y7

Upgraded Treble Hooks...

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

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

Matt's Crankbait Combo...

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

Reel- Shimano Bantam MGL XG: http://bit.ly/2H44yjG

Line- 20 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

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

CC's Crankbait Combo...

Rod- Dobyns Champion 805CB: http://bit.ly/29OVD4V

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

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

Electronics...

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

Humminbird Solix 12: http://bit.ly/2AE2YDB

Giant Texas Bass! Fishing Lake Alan Henry

Our first day in TEXAS and the GIANT Largemouth have already come out of the wood work! The day started like any other as we searched for fish on a brand new fishery. We knew we only had a few hours so we went from broke with swimbaits and topwater. After making some quick adaptions we found a point that was loaded with monster bass. Come along to see how it played out!

When we approach a new fishery the first step is to set goals. Are you looking to catch as many fish as possible? Do you want to catch a big fish? Are you looking for more than one species? Once you've set goals the day will define itself. In this case we only had a few hours so we knew we were looking for a big bite to kick off our Texas road trip. CC started with a glide bait hoping to call a big fish up out of deep water and Matt began probing the shallows with a topwater. When the bass proved to be small they started making quick moves to other parts of the lake but continued probing outside structures hoping the big, post spawn females would be stacking up, and that's exactly what they found.

The baits and tackle used in the video are broken down below.

Lures...

-Mattlures Hammertail Shad: http://bit.ly/2vM8cKF

Stinger Hook- Owner ST-56 Size 1: http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

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

Upgraded Hooks- Owner ST-56 Size 2: http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

-River2Sea Bully Wa 2 Frog: http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

-Yamamoto Senko 7" Green Pumpkin: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Owner Jungle Gap 6/0: http://bit.ly/2sBsR1Z

-Rover Topwater: http://bit.ly/2acSVea

(128 Funky Tiger)

Swimbait Combo...

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 966: http://bit.ly/2x9kxuS

Reel- Shimano Tranx 300 HG: http://bit.ly/2kYsvRw

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 80 lb: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Sunline FC100 Shock Leader 35 lb: http://bit.ly/2O4UElB

Frog Combo...

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

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

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