Fall Bassin' with Big Bladed Chatterbaits

When it comes to chatterbaits, I have always been a little late joining the party (like it was almost a decade after it hit the market before I fished one!). So I guess it's no surprise it took me almost a year to finally buy a couple of ZMan Big Blade Chatterbaits this past summer.

Since I often use a 3/8 oz for much of my chatterbait fishing, I purchased the smallest size available, the 1/2 oz in green pumpkin candy and black n blue candy; two staple color patterns for all my blade baits as well as jigs. Shortly after receiving the order, I rigged one up to try at one of my favorite bank fishing ponds. 

After a few casts with my new Zman Big Blade Chatterbait I noticed a couple of key features almost instantly: 1) the vibration is much more intense then other chatterbaits I use and 2) though the bait weighs 1/2 oz it rides high in the water column even on a medium speed retrieve. I quickly thought of several conditions where this bait should shine particularly through the spring and early summer.

As I was scanning YouTube today, I came across a cool video from the folks at W2F regarding an application for the big blade I hadn't considered; fishing it around receding vegetation patches in the early to mid fall. 

Going Old School with a Split Shot Rig

A little innovation with one of the oldest bait rigging methods can he highly effective for catching bass under a variety of conditions. Most of us likely started fishing with bait like nightcrawlers by simply tying on a hook, adding a split shot weight a short way up the line then rigging the worm when fishing for anything that bit!

By simply changing the hook style, the split shot rig can be adapted to a wide variety of soft plastic baits sush as the "trick" style worm in the following rigging video from the folks at Big Bite Baits:

I first started fishing soft plastics (a Creme 6" Scoundrel in "Live" color) using a straight shank, light wire worm hook in the spring for bass moving into the shallows as they prepped to spawn. 

In later years I've used a similar approach with lizard and hellgrammite baits or changed out the hook for a Gamakatsu split shot hook and nose hooking 4" and 5" grubs with great success!

Your own split shot rig adaptations are just aquick experiment away...

If interested, links to Big Bite Baits, the Creme Scoundrel, Gamakatsu Split Shot hook and grubs are provided in the description above!

What Is a Chicken Rig?

It's amazing how a little intuition can help develop new rigging techniques for soft plastic baits!

Here's a newer soft plastic rigging method with a name that definitely grabs your attention :)

Check oit this short video tutorial on the "chicken rig"

Tips for Fishing Bluff Banks

None of us like the thought of winterizing the boat or hanging up the rods, so a few hearty souls will jump at the chance for a little winter bass fishing.  One drawback, however, fishing for bass in the winter can often be a hit or miss affair, especially for the weekend bass angler.

So in my case, I am always open to a few winter specific bass fishing tips (for those brrrry trips). One of the best winter bass fishing tips I came across long ago is how fishing bluffs this time of year can provide a number of distinct advantages to help catch bass.

As winter approaches, many bass retreat from the shallower bays and creek and head out to the main lake areas where conditions are often more stable (a definite environmental condition bass seek during winter).  They also display a tendency to stage in areas where there is ready access to deep water (stable conditions) and their movements to shallower depths tends to be more vertical than horizontal.

What structural feature present in many lakes and reservoirs that fits the bill almost perfectly? …

Optimizing Drop Shot Leader Length

For more than a decade, the drop shot has been one of the most consistent producing techniques for many species of fish especially bass.

One factor many new drop shot anglers struggle with is choosing the best leader length between the hook and weight for increased success when using the drop shot. 

Fortunately one of the best drop shot anglers on the Bass Pro Tour, Josh Bertrand decided to offer his advice for setting the best leader length when fishing a drop shot. Take a moment and watch this short video to see what I mean...