Top 5 Baits To Catch BIG Smallmouth Bass!

Which baits catch the BIGGEST fish? That's what we all really want to know! When it comes to smallmouth (as well as spotted bass and largemouth) there are a handful of baits that really stand out from the rest. We've narrowed it down through countless hours on the water to a few key baits that can be fished in unique ways when you really want to catch a big one. 

During the prespawn you want to cover water quickly. Smallmouth school together, leaving huge parts of the lake virtually barren. The baits we use not only catch big bass, they help you find them quickly. After that the baits begin to fit niches. Swimbaits cover a ton of water, jerkbaits draw a core feed response, and the tube can elicit a strike from the wariest clear water bass. 

Below you'll find links to all the baits, rods, and equipment Matt discussed in the video. We've included his favorite colors, hooks, etc... to really help you dial in your gear. All the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 


A-Rig... 

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

-Hog Farmer Tactical Non-Bladed Flex Rig: https://bit.ly/3vhpSez


Tube Baits... 

-Netbait STH Tube: https://bit.ly/3aU0oeU

Colors- Dark Melon Gold Purple, Juvenile Goby, Ten Point


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

Colors- Green Pumpkin Blue, Green Pumpkin Purple Copper

-Savage Gear 3D Goby Tube: https://bit.ly/33QGXzy

Colors- Brown Purple Copper, Goby, Light Pumpkin


Tube Heads... 

-Blade Runner Inhaler Jighead: https://bit.ly/2NX7nYr

2.5" Tube- 1/8 oz with 1/0

Standard Tubes- 1/8 - 1/4  oz with 2/0


Hair Jigs... 

-Andy's Custom Maribou: https://bit.ly/3uYqDsw

-Outkast Feider Fly: http://bit.ly/2G7TBwj

Sizes: 3/32 - 1/8 oz

Color: Black


Swimbaits... 

Bait- Megabass Dark Sleeper: http://bit.ly/2TyR1GT

Colors- Wakasagi, Donko, Haze

Sizes- 3" 1/2 oz and 3" 3/4 oz


Bait- Keitech Fat Swing Impact (3.8"): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Colors- Smallmouth Magic, Green Pumpkin Fire, Electric Bluegill

Head- Tactical Finesse (3/8 oz): http://bit.ly/2Pqrq3n


Bait- Keitech 4" Easy Shiner: http://bit.ly/2bxJK6H

Colors- Crystal Shad, Dark Sculpin, Electric Bluegill

Head- Dirty Jigs Guppy Head 1/8 oz: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS


Jerkbaits... 

-Megabass Vision 110: http://bit.ly/2j31TKb

Colors- Matte Skeleton Shad, Matte Pro Blue, Matte Shad

-Megabass Vision 110 Jr: http://bit.ly/2OeAFBf

Colors- GP Pro Blue 2, Elegy Bone, Ito Clear Laker


Matt's Hair Jig Combo... 

Rod- Megabass P5 Spinning (Baby Plugging): https://bit.ly/31Pt839

Reel- Shimano Vanford 1000: https://bit.ly/2PDlKlB

Alternate Reel- Shimano Twin Power FD 1000: https://bit.ly/3df3hX5

Line- Sunline 5 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju


Tube Jig Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis NRX+ 872S JWR (Pre-Order Available): https://bit.ly/3y0Ss5m

Reel- Shimano Twin Power 2500 FD: https://bit.ly/3df3hX5

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

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


Keitech/Dark Sleeper Rods... 

High End- Megabass P5 Dark Sleeper: https://bit.ly/30GcHqb

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

Budget- Shimano SLX 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO


Keitech/Dark Sleeper Reels... 

High End- Shimano Aldebaran MGL (HG): http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8

Mid Range- Shimano Curado 70 MGL (HG): https://bit.ly/3jdrMqa

Budget- Shimano SLX 70 MGL (HG): https://bit.ly/3gIUCgJ


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

NEW TacticalBassin Sunglasses and A-Rigs! Spring Gear Review of Rods, Reels, and More!

Its finally here! Our Spring Gear Review! To kick it off we've got our brand new TacticalBassin Sunglasses and Tactical Bassin Flex Rigs! From there, we're looking at a variety of rods, reels, and lures that will help you catch more bass this Spring! 

After 2 long years our sunglasses are finally here! We partnered with Eye Surrender Eyewear and spared no expense on frames, lenses, coatings, finishes, etc... to create the absolute best glasses we possibly could for fishing and daily use. 

Next, we partnered with HogFarmer Baits and created a flexible A-Rig to our exact specifications so you no longer have to modify your rigs to get the most out of them. These rigs are ready to fish, exactly how we set them up when we go fishing. From the 6-Wire configuration, to the Owner Hyperwire Split Rings, every detail matches our personal rigs. 

From there we start talking rods and reels. We're looking at 4 rods from St. Croix, G Loomis, 13 Fishing, and Savage Gear, as well as a light weight reel from 13 Fishing. To round out the video we take a look at big rats, a squarebill crankbait, and two plastic worms. 

All of the gear shown in the video is linked below. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and specifications for each item. We've included favorite colors, sizes, and models where applicable, and organized them in the order they appeared in the video for ease of identification. 


TacticalBassin Products... 

-Eye Surrender TacticalBassin Sunglasses: https://bit.ly/3cLH0kl


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

**Available For PRE-ORDER**


-Hog Farmer TacticalBassin Non-Bladed Flex Rig: https://bit.ly/3vhpSez

**Available For PRE-ORDER**


Rods and Reels... 

-St. Croix Victory Casting Rods: http://bit.ly/3f4tcEb

Favorite Models: 7'3" Medium Heavy, 7'3" Heavy


-13 Fishing Concept C2 Casting Reel: https://bit.ly/2NlzZhg

Favorite Speed: 7.5:1


-Savage Gear Squad Swimbait Rod: https://bit.ly/3tT8bS2

Favorite Model: 8' heavy


-13 Fishing Omen Black Swimbait Rod: http://bit.ly/390GC01

Favorite Model: 8' Heavy


-G Loomis 7'4" Bladed Jig Rod: http://bit.ly/2QurcHi

Favorite Model: 883C BJR (7'4" Medium Heavy)


Hard and Soft Baits... 

-PB Rat 2-Piece Wakebait: http://bit.ly/2OKJZBH

Favorite Colors: Bone Brown, Brown Black


-PB Rat 3-Piece Wakebait: http://bit.ly/3eZJCgZ

Favorite Colors: Bone Brown, Brown Black


-Spro Essential Hunter 65 Squarebill: http://bit.ly/3cSMnOD

Favorite Colors: Black Silver, Nasty Shad, Chart Blue


-Keitech 8" Mad Wag Long Worm: https://bit.ly/3dkFMLl

Favorite Colors: Blue Fleck, Green Pumpkin Pepper, Junebug


-Big Bite Baits 6" Squirrel Tail Worm: http://bit.ly/3c7I9Ui

Favorite Colors: Tilapia, Junebug Red Flake, Easy Money


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

Gear Web.jpg

Late Winter Fishing: A-Rigs On Chickamauga

Come along as we target late Winter largemouth! We've got a variety of baits rigged up and 3 different patterns to run but it doesn't take long for the A-Rig to stand out from the crowd! Watch how small adjustments make all the difference while targeting these Winter Bass. 

If you missed last week's video on how to rig up A-Rigs for Winter bass, you can see it here: A-Rig Modifications Video. In that video we discussed how to modify your rigs to get the most action in cold water. All of those tips were in full force this evening as the bass ate right on the twitches of the rig. It was also interesting to note the fish consistently went for the smaller, softer baits instead of the keitechs we typically throw. 

Matt adapted with the changing conditions, dialed in the rig, and was able to catch a handful of quality fish in this quick evening session on the Tennessee River. The different baits he was fishing, along with the rods and reels are all linked in the description below. All of the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 


Matt's A-Rig... 

Rig- HogFarmer BFL Flex: https://bit.ly/2WtLCVK

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

Baits- 13 Fishing Churro 3.5" (Blue Collar): https://bit.ly/2LLeRA6


Other Flexible A-Rigs... 

-HogFarmer Harvester Flex Rig: https://bit.ly/2x7QPb4

-G Funk Baits Cali Rig: http://bit.ly/2nD76fw

-G Funk Baits Cali Bladed Rig: http://bit.ly/2rZhST7


Blade Bait... 

-Damiki Vault 1/2 oz (Spot Black): http://bit.ly/2rnO7e2


Map Cards... 

Humminbird- Lakemaster Plus: http://bit.ly/2Dk5Erc

Lowrance- Hot Maps Platinum: http://bit.ly/2ZitTiR


Matt's A-Rig Combo... 

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

**The Zodias Rod Can Be Backordered and should arrive soon**

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

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

Leader- Sunline FC-100 Shock Leader 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2O4UElB


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 Apparel?  

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

Rig Thumb web.jpg

Winter Bass Fishing: Simple Tricks To Catch More Fish!

Winter doesn't have to be tough! Today we're on Watts Bar Lake after a storm. Its cold, post-front, and windy, but that won't stop us from catching a pile of fish! Come along for an awesome multi-species day of fish catching as we dial in a pattern by simplifying our approach. 

Many anglers have quit fishing by now in favor of hunting, or just staying indoors. Don't be that guy! There are fish just waiting to be caught and the lake is the most peaceful you've ever seen it. As Winter sets in, bass group together and become very predictable. If you narrow down your offerings to a few key baits, you can have an amazing time on the water! Today is a prime example of that as we caught Largemouth, Smallmouth, Striped Bass, White Bass, Yellow Bass, and Drum, by slowing down with a finesse Underspin and an A-rig. 

Keep it simple, focus on key confidence baits, and you'll have amazing days on the water this time of year. Below are links to the exact baits we used throughout the day (including sizes and colors), along with links to the rods and reels. All of the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

 

Lipless Crankbait...

-Jackall TN-50: http://bit.ly/2lqAwjh

Colors: RT Holo Bluegill, RT Scale Minnow


Underspin... 

-Cool Baits Down Under Spin (1/8 oz): http://bit.ly/2boS7QA

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

Colors: Pro Blue Red Pearl, Electric Shad


A-Rig... 

Rig- G Funk Baits Cali Rig: http://bit.ly/2nD76fw

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

Bait- Keitech Fat Swing Impact 4.3" Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Colors: Pro Blue Red Pearl, Electric Shad


Underspin Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 6'10" Medium Light: http://bit.ly/2osaj3q

Reel- Shimano Ultegra 1000: http://bit.ly/2nfApml

Line- Power Pro 10 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

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


Budget Finesse Underspin Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Intenza 7' Medium Light: http://bit.ly/2s7kaQn

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

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


A-Rig Combo... 

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

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

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

Leader- Sunline FC-100 Shock Leader 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2O4UElB


NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Hat: https://bit.ly/31EYB8W

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

winter fishing web.jpg