Paddletail Swimbaits for Late Fall/Early Winter Bass

Despite the season, if you take a simple jig head, add a 4" paddletail swimbait, you create one of the most productive, easiest to fish bass lures around: the paddletail swimbit. 

Even in the late fall and early winter, paddletail swimbaits mimic many different types of bait fish; a favorite forage of the smallmouth bass as they feed up before settling into their winter haunts.

Rigging and presentation of paddletails is very straight forward as pro fishing guide Tony Roach details in this video produced by the folks at W2F. Enjoy!

My choice regarding gear used for fishing paddletail swimbaits (live links):

Rod: Daiwa Tatula XT Spinning Rod (7' M)

Reel: Daiwa Revros LT 3000 Spin Reel

Line: 10 lb P-Line Floroclear

Paddletail Swimbait: Storm Lago Shad (4")

Jig Head: VMC Hybrid Swimbait Jig Head (5/16 oz)

Soft Stickbaits as Chatterbait Trailers?

Most bass anglers use some style of soft plastic lure as a chatterbait trailer including fluke-style baits, split-tail spinnerbait trailers, twin tail grubs, blade style minnow baits, and in some cases even paddletail swimbaits.

Some folks, like bass pro Matt Stefan, believe that trailers with few moving appendages work best since they do not interfere with the chatterbait's natural side-to-side, erratic hunting action that helps trigger strikes.

But does it make sense to use a soft stickbait, one of the most subtle action soft plastic baits on the market, as a chatterbait trailer?

Matt sure thinks so and describes why in the following video on his preferences when selecting a chatterbait trailer...

Interesting points though I still believe a small, thin-profile paddletail like the Swim Senko or Yum Swim'n Dinger work well with limited impact to the chatterbait's hunting action.

Small Crankbaits Can Trigger Big Fall Bass Strikes

No bass angler questions the effectiveness of crankbaits to cover water and trigger fall bass into striking. If you look at the rods rigged on the decks of fall anglers, you're likely to find a variety of squarebill, flat-sided and sometimes even deep running crankbaits among the mix.

But there's one type/style of crankbaits many bass anglers leave out of their fall arsenal; the micro to small sized baits that offer many different advantages over traditional crankbaits especially in highly pressured situations.

Take a moment and listen as Bassmaster Elite Series pro John Crews spills the beans on his approach when fishing small crankbaits for big fall bass...

And by the way, John Crews isn't the only fan of ultra small crankbaits. 

Bass fishing OG Rick Clunn has been a propenent of micro-sized crankbaits dating back several decades including in some of his early career tournament success!

Fishing Natural Ponds Using Jerkbaits In Late Fall

After fishing Cape Cod's natural ponds for a number of years and I can attest; fishing with jerkbaits from early spring through late fall (as well as a lot of other baits) can be phenomenal.

In this video, two avid Cape bass anglers seem to have more of a pickerel than bass bite happening even though they were targeting late fall bass. Looks like they're on a Cape pond I am very fond of (Santuit Pond in Mashpee) which can be great anytime of year.

Skipping Tubes

Like many bass anglers, I love fishing shallow anytime I can successfully catch the bass living there. Since most shallow water bass are cover oriented, bass anglers often target bass hanging around docks, laydowns, anchored boats and overhanging brush. 

Whenever the available cover creates a canopy (docks, overhanging brush, pontoon boats, etc.) bass hide beneath, the ability to skip a bait back under that canopy is key to consistently catching bass living there. 

Though there are a number of baits and rigging methods that can be skipped under overhanging cover, a simple 3" to 4" tube is a great skipping bait that many bass living in those areas seldom see.

Where to Catch Big Bass in Winter

Bass anglers living south of the winter "iced-in" region of the north country have the opportunity to continue their pursuit of open water bass throughout the winter's cold water period. 

Novice winter open water bass chasers focus on deep water areas since many bass gravitate to basin holding areas during the winter months. Knowledgable bass anglers understand that many times, bass including some big bass temporarily migrate to shallow flats during the winter months to feed.

Take a moment and listen as bass pro Mark Menendez describes one of his favorite times to fish for bass, the winter's cold water period...

Cranking Super Shallow Cover

If you love fishing shallow cover like me and many other bass anglers, you might be interested in a new crankbait developed by the folks at Strike King.

Though most of us probe shallow cover with baits like jigs, Texas-rigged soft plastics, spinnerbaits and hollow-bellied frogs, we often shy away from throwing baits adorning treble hooks due to the "snag factor".

According to SK pro Kevin VanDam, the company's Hybrid Hunter Shallow JR is designed to run erratically in a depth range of 0' to <2' and is still amazingly snag resistant. A perfect combination of features making it an ideal treble-adorned bait for working shallow cover.

Take a moment and watch as KVD demonstrates how effective the Hybrid Hunter Shallow JR is when fishing super shallow cover in muddy water conditions...

How Would You Approach This Fishing Situation?

I’m one of those people who not only loves to bass fish but is also thinking about it when I am not…

Anytime I pass a water body or see an image of one, I instantly start to think about the types of bass-holding cover and how I would go about fishing it…

I also like to prompt other land-locked anglers into analyzing potential fishing opportunities by sharing images of different cover situations by posting images of “fishy spots” via my Twitter feed.

Recently I posted the following image of a pad-field, dock and shoreline brush in fairly shallow water ( < 5 feet) with the question…

What would you be throwing?

Several of my Twitter followers decided to chime in and here’s a look at the baits and presentations they suggested…

Ryan @clark300… swimbait on the edges and in thinner veg, Koppers Livetarget frog on the rest.

chance weaver @GHdreamweaver… flip a horny toad or a Spro frog with about 30 pound braid

Belmonte Bassin @BelmonteBassin… I’d flip a rage tail hawg with a slither jig weight and skirt

thomas jordan @bigmumbles52… I would throw a frog with thirty pound braid

Caden August @Caden_16… top water

Alvin Hatley @rebalal98… pic.twitter.com/lqKkz0XbEY (image of soft-body popping frog) & but in a brite pink, yellow, or orange pic.twitter.com/WlEjesOFPA (wacky rigged stick bait)

Mr Cricket @mund… without a doubt a Spro frog…

bryan stuart @BASHEM1… a buzz frog in the edge and Texas rigged plastic or jig in the heavy stuff

Mike @gtrmke… frogs!!!

Mark Easterling @lapbass … Big topwaters into openings and along edges!

Fish Catchmore @Catch_more_fish… KVD hollow body frog, white belly.

Tyler Crawford @NotoriousMTC… Stanley ribbit, spinnerbait, or a rage tail eeliminator

Looks like the most popular bait named was some type of frog with jigs coming in second…

Given the dominance of pads in the image I guess that’s not surprise 

How would I approach the area you ask?

• Wacky & Texas-rigged weightless stick bait (casting edges, openings and skipping)
• Chatterbait w/ swimbait trailer (casting edges, openings and pitching)
• Texas-rigged tube (casting edges, openings and pitching)
• Buzzbait (casting edges and openings)
• Shallow running crankbait (casting edges and openings)

Each to their own I guess 

Are Plopping-Style Topwaters Just Summertime Baits?

Ever since the introduction of River2Sea's Whopper Plopper, the popularity of plopping style topwaters skyrocketed. 

Though nothing is more exciting than a bass exploding on a topwater, the action of plopping topwaters draws some of the most eruptive blow-ups many anglers experience elevating the thrill to new heights!

One issue many anglers have with this type of topwater is the misbelief that they are only effective during the warmest months of the year. 

Truth be told, if the bass are up in the shallows searching for something to eat, plopping topwaters like the WP or Berkley Choppo can still trigger some fantastic topwater action throughout the year.

Take a moment and listen as MLF pro Gary Klein describes how he fishes the Choppo for year-round bass catching success:

Looking to add a few plopping or prop baits to your topwater arsenal?

Check out the variety offered by the folks at Omnia Fishing by clicking on the following link:

Great Plopping & Prop Bait Selection

Is This Cape Cod’s Hidden Bass Fishing Secret?

There is a place on the sandy plains of Cape Cod that many local bass angler’s try and keep secret.  It isn’t one of those nearly pristine kettle ponds with crystal clear water harboring nice mixed populations of largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Actually, it is quite the opposite; an older constructed pond, dammed many years ago by local cranberry growers as a water supply for the numerous bogs surrounding its shores.

Add in the relatively shallow water depth (greatest depth is ~ 9 feet), very fertile water (both with respect to nutrient content and baitfish) and dense beds of pond lilies, pondweed and coontail, Mashpee’s Santuit Pond is definitely atypical compared to most other lakes and ponds on Cape Cod.

So what makes Santuit Pond so special?

An absolutely fantastic population of largemouth bass, not just in numbers (which are great) but more importantly in size.  Santuit Pond is one of the many freshwater systems throughout the Cape connected by a stream (Santuit River) to the ocean (Vineyard Sound actually) a few miles to the south.

The significance of the ocean-pond connection relates to the fact that the river serves as a migration path for alewives (an anadromous fish) where they access their freshwater breeding grounds (the pond).  This provides an abundant food source for Santuit’s bass through the Summer and into the early Fall when the herring/alewives abandon their summertime home for the ocean.

Float n Fly System for Lethargic Bass

There are certain days and times of the year when bass and other gamefish move away from structure and cover to suspend mid-depth in the water column especially when the water is very cold, very hot or when the lake is highly pressured.

Over the decades, savvy anglers have developed a presentation system that harkens us back to the early days of fishing when we were kids using a float and bait to lure fish into biting; the float n fly system. 

At first glance the basic setup appears fairly straightforward but in reality there are a number of nuances that come into play to fish the system successfully.

Take a moment and watch as the guys from Tactical Bassin' explain their modifications to the float n fly system making it simpler than many early appraoches to the technique...

Best Bass Baits When Fishing Dirty Water

During each fishing season, bass anglers encounter bass relating to shallow cover when the water is dark and heavily stained. 

The question is what baits do you rig up to draw strikes from bass under these conditions?

Take a few moments and listen as MLF bass pro Cliff Crochet talks about his favorite baits when trying to trick bass holding in shallow, dirty water...

Two additional topwater baits I would add to Cliff's favorites are a buzzbait and a plopper-style topwater such as the Whopper Plopper (#110) or similar sized Berkley Choppo. 

I always love the shot at a great topwater strike no matter what the water color...

Tips for Fishing in the Wind

Like many bass anglers, I used to go out of my way to avoid fishing windy areas especially when floating in "human powered" crafts. 

One of the best decisions I ever made was taking the time and learning how to fish in the wind plus use it to my advantage. Using the right baits and learning how bass position around wind-blown cover has yielded many fantastic days of catching ever since.

There are some key tips that will help maximize success when fishing in the wind as explained by bass guru Kevin VanDam (KVD) in the following video from King of Bass TV...

Just like KVD, spinnerbaits are definitely one of my go to baits when fishing in the wind as are chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits and even blade baits. Proper boat position and bait presentation to wind blown cover is key!

Four Blade Bait Retrieves for Year Road Success

When most bass anglers see a blade bait, a few things usually spring into their mind:

• Winter or cold water fishing
• Deep water fishing
• Vertical fishing structure or schools of fish

Savvy anglers, however know the blade bait is far more versatile and when the proper retrieve is used, it can be used to successfully through out the year to increase your catching success.

Take a few minutes and watch as Bassmaster Elite pro Mike "Ike" Iaconelli discusses in this video from the folks at Bass Angler Magazine:

Are All Blade Baits the Same?

What do you get when you take a this sheet of metal cut into the shape of a baitfish, add hooks, color and tabs of lead for weight? 

The simplest cold water baits on the market, a blade bait!

One of the first blade baits introduced to the market is the Heddon Sonar (circa 1959) followed a couple of decades later by the Silver Buddy; both still in production and highly popular today. Since that time many tackle manufacturers have introduced their own version of the blade back by tweaking the components and design to add their own twist to the bait.

Even though the various baits have different shapes, hooks, tie-eye and weight placement on the thin metal body, do they all act or vibrate the same way in the water?

Absolutely not as the folks from Omnia fishing explain in this short video on their favorite blade baits for cold water bassin'

Check out the variety of blade baits available from Omnia fishing by clicking on the following link to start your blade bait collection:

Blade Baits @ Omnia Fishing

Be Smart, Be Safe, Practice Ice Safety

It’s that time of year again and many of our northern friends will be venturing out on the solid surface of their favorite waters for a little winter fishing.

Even though there may be safe ice in the middle of winter in many places, there are certain times and conditions where thin ice may persist and danger awaits…

Take a moment and check out the following video created by the safety folks in MN and distributed via the AnglingBuzz YouTube channel!

You may be glad you did!

Here’s another helpful graphic from the folks at MN DNR showing ice thickness conditions for certain modes of travel…

Take care out there and enjoy every moment you safely spend on the ice pursuing your favorite gamefish 

Picking the Right Reel Gear Ratio

Given the numerous companies manufacturing fishing reels, it's confusing enough for a new angler trying to buy a baitcasting reel. 

Add in the variety of gear ratios for many models, it's almost overwhelming and knowing which gear ratio works best with each presentation is a big factor in fish catching success!

Take a moment and watch as MLF bass pro Stephen Browning provides key insight in how different gear ratios impact retrieves and how to select the best gear ratios for the baits you intend to fish with the reel you're purchasing...

Looking for a new baitcasting reel?

Check out the great selection of baitcasters available at Omnia Fishing by clicking on the following link:

Baitcasting Reels @ Omnia Fishing

Bump Board Ready for Many CPR Tournaments

Anyone planning on fishing small boat tournaments is likely to learn most use “Catch, Photo, Release” a.k.a. CPR as the preferred fish registration method. Bass tournament events based on CPR takes fish conservation to the next level since the bass is quickly released to the water with far less stress than traditional live release events.

As I learned more about CPR events and noticed many target small boat anglers, I decided to get re-involved with CPR bass tournaments this season. The more I looked at different tournament trails, the more I learned a specific type of measuring board was often required; Hagen’s Hawg Trough.

It’s easy to understand why the Hawg Trough was selected but there are two deficiencies in the original design that needs to be addressed before use in most events. These two deficiencies are remedied in an enhanced Hawg Trough model offered by one online vendor as described in this short video:

Yes, anyone can make the adjustments with a couple of simple tweaks but why bother when a “ready to go” enhanced Hawg Trough is available from the folks at Fishing Online?

Until next time…

Tight lines and many gunwale crossings