Is This The Perfect Weightless Soft Plastic Bait?

I love fishing plastic baits weightless when working many types of shallow cover. It all started many years ago when I used 6″ Boone worms to fish weed-beds, docks, over-hangs and other shallow bass havens.

When Boone stopped producing the worms, my use of weightless plastics slowed or at least it did until Yamamoto Custom Baits created the Senko.

As much as I love fishing the Senko and other knock-offs in shallow cover fishing situations there is always a desire to have greater variety to offer our finny friends, especially the finicky ones.

I have tried other salt-laden or dense baits…

Some with success; others not so much but one style of plastics always seemed an issue when trying to go weightless… tube baits.

Today I came across a video (embedded below) demonstrating a weightless set-up of a heavy, salted tube bait manufactured by Kietech, the 4.5″ Salty Core Tube…

Fishing Deep Crankbaits for Big Bass

Do you struggle when attempting to fish deep crankbaits through offshore structure? I know I do!

Take a moment and watch as bass pro Chris Zaldain as he demos what it takes to hunt and catch big bass from offshore structure on deep crankbaits:

Wow can you believe what he had to do to get that fish in the boat?

Pretty impressive!

What Is a Rocket Shad?

What is the Rocket Shad?

At first glance, a minature spinnerbait that doesn't look like much but in certain situations it is pure bass catching dynamite as bass pro Shaw Grigsby describes in this video...

Very interesting and makes me wonder how it might work when "video game" fishing for suspended bass in vertical cover?

Hmmmm

Selecting the Right Topwater Bait

Given the plethora of topwater baits on the market today, how do you which type to select on any given day?

Noisy?

Quiet?

Prop or not?

Confused?

Take a moment and hear how the folks at Bama Bass decide which topwater to use for the conditions faced when on the water...

Stop Missing Jig Bites

If you are like many novice jig fisherman, you may find yourself setting the hook on many fish that almost instantly spit the jig.

Does this happen to you on more than 10% of your bites?

If so watch and listen to jig fishing aficionado Greg Hackney as he discusses adjustments he made to hook almost every fish that strikes any jig he is fishing...

Busting Bass with Buzzing Frogs

I absolutely love bass fishing with topwaters … 

How about you?  Does it get your adrenaline flowing; get the heart pumping? 

In my book it should 🙂 

As we move through spring and head toward summer, one thing is certain.  Frogs begin to croak and bass begin to key in these long-legged amphibians as a true delicacy! 

Here is a great video from Bama Bass fishing for bass with the Culprit Incredi-Frog.

They are really nailing great bass on top in this one! 

So take a few minutes to sit back, grab a snack and relax to watch some truly “explosive” topwater buzzing frog action!

Makes you want to run out, hit your local tackle shop and head for the lake doesn’t it?

Fish Deep During Summer Heat

For many folks across the country, this summer is starting out just like the winter did… Warmer than normal!

Here in the Midwest, we’re looking a one of our first strings of 90+ temps and it’s only mid-June (I wonder what August will be like!)…

As the air and water temps continue to rise, many bass move offshore to humps, bars and ledges.

Learning how to successfully fish these offshore structures will often mean between a day where you’re catching bass or only a sunburn…

In this next video, Bass Pro Scott Martin shows what it takes to pattern then catch bass on one of these structures… ledges…

So what’s the final take-away…

1) Use your depth finder to locate structures holding bass then mark the area…

2) Start out with a search bait such as a deep diving crankbaits (large spinnerbaits or lipless cranks would work too) to locate the area of active fish…

3) Switch to a larger, slower moving lure (large jig or Texas-rigged worm) and slowly probe the area to upgrade your catch!

Different Topwater Method for Smallmouths

I love catching smallmouths! 

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never reject a chance at catching any bass but to me there’s nothing like hooking into a smallmouth…

One of my favorite ways to catch smallies... any topwater bait!

Most of the time, I rely on floating minnow baits, prop lures, poppers and even small to medium buzzbaits but… 

I recently came across a video demonstrating another topwater method I really hadn’t considered for any bass… 

Fishing unweighted lizards rigged Texas-style and using a slow retrieve to keep the bait right under the surface… 

Give a look-see yourself…

One thing during the video got me thinking… 

Given the number of short strikes, I wonder what would happen if they stopped the bait when the fish was following… hmmmm 

Gonna have to check this method out the next time the conditions are right!

Fishing Marabou Finesse Jigs for Bass

They don't look like much...

The most effective retrieve is typically a do-nothing, slow straight one...

So why is the marabou hair jig so effective on smallmouths and spots?

Take a few minutes, watch and see for yourself...

Pretty amazing but personal experience ... they work!

Fishing for Ice Out Smallmouth Bass

After a long north country winter, cabin fevered smallmouth bass anglers itch for the day the ice leaves and we can hit the water to connect with then ole brown fish.

Armed with our favorite ice-out baits like:

• hair jigs
• suspending crankbaits
• thin, flat-sided crankbaits (like shad raps)
• Small spoons or jigging minnows

we head out to find transition areas between their deep water wintering homes and the shallow feeding flats and spawning bays and probe those areas with our traditional ice-out lure arsenal.

There is one bait and presentation we sometimes overlooked shortly after the ice cover departs... using a yo-yo retrieve with a lipless crankbait. 

It can be a smallie killer under the right conditions as Doug Stange from InFiseherman demos in the following video...

I often use yo-yo retrieves with lipless cranks for ice-out largies with great success, time to try it on smallies as well!

Springtime Soft Jerkbait Tips

Northern bass anglers eagerly wait for ice-out and bright sunny days to start elevating water temperatures in our favorite honey holes. 

Once on the water, the best area to start searching for thawing bass can be the vegetated bays, coves and cuts on the north side of the lake. Combining the maximum sun exposure these areas receive in the spring with the darker bottoms means faster heating and the warmest water in the lake.

Warmer water draws baitfish which in turn draws bass eager to chow down after the sluggish cold water period. 

What's the perfect bait for probing these weedy bass haunts?

A Texas-rigged, fluke-style soft jerkbait is often the right lure for the hunt!

Take a moment and listen to Kyle of Wired2Fish explain his reasons and approach when fishing these weedy cuts for springtime bass...

Hair Jigs and Smallmouth Bass

One of the oldest baits around doesn't look like much but when fished correctly can be a smallmouth killer even under the toughest of conditions...

Take a simple jighead typically ranging in size from 1/16 to 1/4 oz, tie on some animal or synthetic fur, adorn it with a trailer at times and out pops a piece of smallmouth candy, a simple hair jig...

Take a moment and watch the following video from the folks at InFisherman and see what I mean...

Why Bass Love Soft Plastic Baits

So why do bass love soft plastic baits?

Simply because they mimic many types of bass food and afford the bass angler the widest range of versatility when in comes to presentation...

Take a moment and watch this quick video from the folks at In-Fisherman and Game & Fish to see what I mean!