Shallow Water Finesse Fishing For Summer Bass

The bass are in less than 2 feet of water! How would you catch them? We turned to "junk fishing" to get the bites. A mix of swim jigs, weightless senkos, and a shaky head did the trick. Come along and watch how we break down a new section of Lake Chickamauga, build a pattern, and locate quality fish despite difficult conditions. 

Summer bass fishing overwhelms a lot of anglers. Knowing how and when to adapt is difficult until you understand fish movements. Once you understand that half the fish go to offshore structure while the other half focus on shallow cover you will find their behavior more predictable. When the water gets really hot the fish will focus on shade for relief, even when that shade is ultra shallow. 

Today we intended to fish offshore structure but the wind had other plans. As the waves we picked up we knew the only option was to focus on the ultra shallow bite. Don't let Summer heat or changing conditions keep you off the water. Focus on the basics and you'll find consistent fish in the heat. Below you'll find a breakdown of the exact baits we threw to target these shallow water fish. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Senko... 

Worm- Yamamoto 5" Senko (Watermelon Red Flake): http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Owner Jungle Wide Gap 3/0: http://bit.ly/2sBsR1Z

Shaky Head...

Worm- Netbait T-Mac 6.5" (Bama Bug): http://bit.ly/2jndwj9

Hook- Dirty Jigs 3/16 Canterbury Shaky: http://bit.ly/2aFOs0V

Swim Jig... 

Jig- Dirty Jigs Swim Jig 3/8 oz (Crappie): http://bit.ly/2dIVUMd

Trailer- Keitech 4.3" Fat Swing Impact (Pro Blue Red Pearl): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Topwater... 

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

Matt's Senko Combo... 

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

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

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

Tim's Shaky Head Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis NRX 854C JWR: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq

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

Line- Sunline Flippin FC 18 lb Fluorocarbon: https://bit.ly/3clXxt2

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

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Summer Worm Fishing - Tricks To Catch Bigger Bass

Summer has arrived and its time to throw the plastic worm! So many anglers overlook the dog days of Summer but you can catch more bass in one day in the heat than you can any other day of the year! By understanding how, where, and when to switch to a worm, you'll be setting yourself up for success all Summer long.

When Tim picks up the worm he targets deeper rock. There are plenty of bass to be found in the grass but those fish are often catchable on reaction baits. When you focus on rock, you'll discover a whole new class of fish that often won't eat anything else.

In this video Tim gives some great tips for budget anglers and seasoned pros, alike. Regarding sensitivity - Purchase the most sensitive rod that your budget will allow! Sensitivity is EVERYTHING when fishing a worm. If budget is a concern, two additional tips are to purchase a longer rod so you can visibly see deflection instead of relying solely on sensitivity to detect a bite. Also, spooling up with braided line (and leader) will increase your sensitivity drastically compared to fishing with fluorocarbon.

Below is a breakdown of the baits and gear Tim discussed in the video. We've separated out his favorite worms by style, given color recommendations, and included the rods he recommends from ultra-sensitive to budget-friendly.

Straight Tail Worms...

-NetBait T-Mac: http://bit.ly/2jndwj9

-Zoom Trick Worm: http://bit.ly/2aWkG7E

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

-Zoom Magnum Swamp Crawler: http://bit.ly/2eMxvXR

-Roboworm 7" Straight Tail: http://bit.ly/2asZyH3

-Strike King Fat Baby Finesse: http://bit.ly/2aKei5y

Curly Tail Worms...

-Zoom Dead Ringer: http://bit.ly/2cRrLVR

-Zoom Ol' Monster: http://bit.ly/2adPtjs

-Power Worm 10": http://bit.ly/2cxomPX

-Power Worm 12": http://bit.ly/2Xj2IHm

Hooks/Jigheads...

Shaky- Dirty Jigs Canterbury Shakey: http://bit.ly/2aFOs0V

Ned- Swagger Tackle Flanders Head (2/0): http://bit.ly/2KcIB6M

Texas Rig- Gamakatsu EWG Wide Gap Superline 5/0 Hook: http://bit.ly/2ac92XG

Dropshot- Owner Mosquito Light 1/0: http://bit.ly/2zQVKx3

Favorite Colors...

Stained Water- Junebug, black/blue

Clear Water- Green Pumpkin, Watermelon, Shad

Ultra-Sensitive Shaky Head Combo...

Rod- G Loomis NRX 852C JWR: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq

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

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

Leader- 10 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Budget-Friendly Shaky Head Combo...

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

Reel- Shimano SLX 150 HG: http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk

Line- 20 lb Power Pro: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Leader- 10 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Plastic Worms Underwater - Which Ones Look The Best? Underwater Footage!

We're headed back underwater to look at the most popular worms on the market! We've paired 8 worms up with a shakey head and a medium action rod to see which baits perform the best underwater. If you've wondered which worm you should try or why one works better than another, this video will answer a lot of your questions!

The combination of a shaky head and a plastic worm is deadly through the Summer months. The technique is incredibly versatile with retrieves varying from a slow drag to an aggressive snapping motion. The key to shaky head fishing is finding a worm that the bass are responding to. This video will help you understand the subtle differences in action so the next time you need to fine tune a bite or save a bite that's gone cold, you'll know which worm to turn to.

We love capturing underwater footage despite the inherent difficulties. We hope you enjoyed the footage as much as we did! Below is a breakdown of the tackle and equipment used in the video.

Shaky Head...

Dirty Jigs Scott Canterbury Shakey Head (3/16oz) - http://bit.ly/2aFOs0V

The Worms (With color recommendation)...

Zoom Trick Worm (California 420) - http://bit.ly/2aWkG7E

Daiwa Yamamoto Neko Straight ( Baby Bass) - http://bit.ly/2kH4KuC

Roboworm Fat Straight Tail Worm (MM III) - http://bit.ly/2awYSxM

Strike King KVD Fat Baby Finesse Worm (Moon Juice)- http://bit.ly/2aKei5y

Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm (Violator) - http://bit.ly/2CMB33J

Keitech Easy Shaker Worm (Electric Shad) - http://bit.ly/2R2t8a3

Yamamoto Senko 5" ( Green Pumpkin Blk Flk) - http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

NetBait T-Mac 6.5 (Texas Craw) - http://bit.ly/2jndwj9

Shakey Head Combo...

Shimano Expride A Spinning Rod 7' Medium - http://bit.ly/2osaj3q

Shimano Stradic Ci4+ Spinning Reel - http://bit.ly/2gu84t7

Sunline SX1 Braided Line 12lb - http://bit.ly/2tn8EzQ

Sunline Super FC Sniper Fluorocarbon 8lb - http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

100 Bass Challenge With A Lucky Subscriber!

Huge thanks to Alex Centner for coming all the way from Arizona to shoot this 100 fish challenge with us! It was a grind but we pulled it off! 100 bass plus some bonus crappie and bluegill! 

How many fish have you caught in one day? Catching huge numbers of fish requires focus and commitment but if you take the time to locate actively schooling fish it can be done. By covering water quickly with fast moving baits like the spinnerbait and chatterbait we were able to identify areas that had concentrations of fish. Once the fish were located we were able to slow down with finesse presentations and catch the numbers we were looking for. 

Here's what we used to catch them...

Lucky Craft Silent Squarebill Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2vmq67T
Bling Spinnerbait 3/8 oz Lemonade Twist: http://bit.ly/2diSwqq
Keitech Fat Swing Impact Trailer 4.8": http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v
1/2 oz. Chatterbait: http://bit.ly/2popvj6

ShakyHead 3/16 oz: http://bit.ly/2bTnoLO
Zoom Swamp Crawler: http://bit.ly/2arWoA8

Dropshot Hook 1/0: http://bit.ly/2ahxJOr
Dropshot Weight 1/4 oz: http://bit.ly/2oy7i24
Roboworm 6" Fat MM3: http://bit.ly/2awYSxM
Zoom Trick Worm: http://bit.ly/2aWkG7E

Matt's Spinnerbait Combo...
Rod- G Loomis GLX 853C: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT
Reel- Shimano Chronarch MGL: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB
Line- Sufix 832 Braid 50 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae93Ji
Leader- 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Tim's Worming Setup...
Rod- G Loomis GLX 852C JWR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT
Reel- Shimano Aldebaran 50: http://bit.ly/2fdX1Uy
Line- 20 lb Power Pro MaxCuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ
Leader- 10 lb Sunline Sniper: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju
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