Merry Christmas!

Hopefully everyone had a Great Christmas!  I hope the jolly fat man (Santa, not me) brought you all the fishing rods and tackle you have been dreaming of!
He was very kind to me, despite my status of "naughty" and left a nice shiny ultra-light rod and reel, as well as some very nice lures!
Fish4Bass wishes for all visitors and followers to have an awesome New Year also!  My resolution is simple...FISH MORE!!!

This is a great time for lipless crankbaits.  They can be cast near any underwater structure and catch bass hanging out waiting for a meal.  Watch for extended warmer stretches of weather, even a couple degrees can bring bass into shallower water to feed.  Cast these baits around cover, let it float down then retrieve it slowly.  This is very effective on bass that are sluggish this time of year.
There are many different quality lures that fit the bill perfectly, Rat-L-Trap, Strike King Red Eye Shad are a couple I really like.

Winter Shakey Fishin'

During the cold winter months, a great bass catching method is the shakey head jig.  These can be rigged with any soft plastic style of bait.

Tubes and creature baits such as the Yamamoto "Flappin' Hog" are awesome rigged this way.  However, when the water is very cold, bass sometimes prefer a smaller worm style bait.  I would strongly suggest this combination if you decide to take a winter fishing trip.

These are worked very slowly, usually with some lightweight spinning gear with 6 or 8 pound test fishing line.

If you can locate some good deep underwater structure or a steep transition from shallow to deep water, these are great places to use a shakey head.  Just cast to these areas, let the jig sink to the bottom and sit for up to 30 seconds.  You can then lightly twitch the rig and retrieve it slowly along the bottom.  This method takes patience, but can really payoff in your livewell!

Freakin' Out!

 Well I finally couldn't take it anymore, I just HAD to go fishing!  So last week I headed out to a small pond near home where I could fish from the bank, since I still can't do much with my right shoulder while recovering from surgery.
The conditions were not perfect, with a cloudless "bluebird" sky.  The weather had warmed up a bit so I figured the bass would be somewhat active.
I fished for about three hours, and felt pretty good since I had to cast lefty and I am actually right handed.  This skill might end up serving me well in the future.
I only caught two bass, but was pleased because both were pretty decent in size.  The bass on the right was 2 pounds and the one on the left was just under 2 pounds.  The 2 pounder was caught on a chatterbait frog and the other with a 4" swimbait.  Overall I was very happy just to get out and stretch a line!

Trophy Time!

Now is a great time of year to land some monster bass! Watching my local weather forecast, I saw that starting Monday there is some warmer weather coming in. This may mean that some big bass will be moving into the shallow, warmer water to feed and fatten up before returning to the deeper water.

This is a great time to go fishing and possibly get yourself a trophy bass!

I really like to throw spinnerbaits and shallow diving crankbaits in the shallows right now. The change in water temps can make bass really chase bait and can be a whole lot of fun. Some great baits are Boo Yah spinnerbaits and crankbaits. A lipless crankbait like Rat-L-Traps and Strike King Red Eye Shad are super baits for early winter lunkers! Don't let a little cold weather stop you, get out there and catch one for me!

Lure Retriever

Here's a great tip for a money saving lure retriever.

We have all had annoying hang-ups or snags. One great idea is to take a paper clip and feed it through the eye of a large 2 or 3 ounce sinker. When you get snagged up, just slip the paper clip around your fishing line and let it go.

Keep your rod tip up and the line tight, the sinker will slide down the line and whack the lure. If this doesn't work the snag loose, just shake your rod tip and the sinker swinging around should knock the snag free.

I just love any tips and tricks that can save a few bucks, and hopefully this one will help my readers!

Lame Duck!

It looks like my fishing season is over after having major shoulder surgery. My doc and therapist seem to think it will be spring before I will be getting much use out of my shoulder, and I'm already in fishing withdrawals!

I guess my blog entries will be limited to reviews and commentaries on favorite gear and the new goodies as they come out. Hopefully if I can really buckle down and rehab successfully, I can hit the water in the early spring. For all you able bodied anglers out there, I am SO freakin' jealous!

More summer bassin'

A trip to a nearby small pond turned up several nice largemouth bass including this one. I was fishing alone so I laid it on my tacklebox for this picture. This one was caught with a BooYah Pond Magic series spinnerbait in chartreuse color. These are very affective lures in smaller bodies of water or where there is a lot of fishing pressure. Many times in heavily fished waters the best baits are smaller spinnerbaits or crankbaits.

On this particular outing, I had some good success with this spinnerbait and also a small 1/8 ounce jighead with a 3" Powerbait grub in white. These are also a great go to lure in ponds and rivers. I don't think I have ever been skunked when fishing with small white grubs, they always seem to catch fish, whether it's bass, crappie, bream, they are great to have with you.

Great Fishing Boat

Classic Accessories Kenai Pontoon Boat

On a recent fishing trip I saw several of these inflatable pontoon boats and they are awesome. They are very versatile as they can be used in rocky rivers or in still water and perform well in either place. They are very easy to paddle and can get into tight spots and shallow water. For someone searching for an affordable and nice little fishing machine I would highly recommend one of these little babies!

New River Smallies!

Last weekend I took a fishing trip to the New River in Virginia. It was a great weekend with awesome weather and some decent fishing. We caught quite a few smallmouth bass and my brother-in-law caught a nice walleye.

My most effective bait was a white Chatterbait with a white grubworm trailer. The flash and vibration of this bait worked really well and I caught a nice 2 pounder and a couple of pound and a half smallies on this bait.

We also had some luck with leadhead jigs rigged with white grubs as well as Carolina rigged lizards. Overall it was a great trip and I would tell anyone who has never been to the New River to visit. It's a great place to canoe, kayak, fish and camp and is one of the prettiest places you'll ever see.

More Topwater Action!

Here's a nice bass I caught in West Virginia a while back on a topwater lure. I was casting off of the dock early in the morning when she exploded out of the water and engulfed my lure! It was a great fight and you can see my broken rod in the picture.

This is a great time of the year to fish for bass with topwater lures. I love the thrill of watching big bass blast these lures from below. Topwater poppers, frogs and buzzbaits are great and you need to keep some with you at all times.

Anytime the water is still, especially near dusk and dawn, these are some of my go-to baits.

Summer Bassin'

Another successful trip to a local pond yields some nice largemouth bass. This one was caught on a Strike King Red Eye Shad in the "Sexy Shad" color. What a freakin' bait! This bad boy catches bass, plain and simple! It has great action in the water and the rattles call bass in from far and wide. If you don't have one yet, all I have to say is-What Are You Waiting For?

This is a must have bait, you can get them anywhere, and in a shameless plug I encourage you to click on the Bass Pro Shops banner on this blog and get yours, NOW! You will not be disappointed!

River Bass

I had the chance to get out and do a little fishing yesterday. A short stop at the Yadkin River near Winston-Salem, NC yielded this nice little guy. He may have been small (almost 2 lbs) but he fought like a 4 pounder! I caught this one with a chartreuse Strike King Pond Magic spinnerbait. These are great little baits, I chose it since it's nearly snag proof and flashes great in the water. I had the best luck under a bridge in the shadows. Overall a great time and tons of fun fighting these stout river bass!

Lipless Crankbaits Rock!

June is also a great time for using lipless crankbaits. Baits like the Rat-L-Trap, Strike King Red Eye Shad and Lucky Craft Real Vib will really drive bass into a frenzy!

They are great for quickly searching unknown waters for where the bass are hiding. They are great for this because you can just cast and crank 'em fast, burn them through the water. They will run thru grass, bounce off logs and rocks and really attract bass with the strong flash and vibration that these baits generate.

Many anglers use these in a similar fashion as a spinnerbait when in search mode, and they can be fished at different depths a lot like spinnerbaits. Be sure to give these awesome lures a try right now, I like these as well as spinnerbaits and jigs as great early summer baits.

Keep Buzzin'

This is a great time of year for buzz baits. In my last post I showed the BooYah Bi-You bait which is a killer bass bait. However, being as big as it is, it will probably only be useful for the larger bass. If you are looking to catch more bass then I would suggest using a buzz bait with a single blade, and use the dual blades when you want to land a monster! Either way, these are fun baits and bass will attack them from below which is an exciting way to catch fish in my opinion.

Get a Buzz!

Booyah Bi-You Buzz Buzzbaits Running side by side like twin outboards, Booyah Bi-You Buzz features counter-rotating blades that create unparalleled stability for this buzzbait that finds the surface quickly and stays in position. The Bi-You's adjustable counter rotating-blades can be fixed to rotate freely or can be squeezed together to create a clacker style buzzbait. The triangle-shaped head sports hand-painted scales and eyes for lifelike realism, and a 55-strand Bio-flex silicone skirt adds a final flashy touch. Equipped with the Leverage patented flexible hook system and an XCalibur Tx3 hook.

More Tips...

Many of us "small time" anglers don't have the resources for big bass boats and fancy electronic gear to get us to the best spots. There are many ways to find quality bass even without some of those cool toys.

There are many smaller depth finders that will enable the average angler to locate deeper water for those cold water deep bass. Even with no gear, there are many things that we can look for to find those elusive lunker bass.

A great place to start is always a dock or pier, since bass don't have eyelids, they need to seek out shady spots. Any natural cover under overhanging bushes and trees is a great place to cast. Laydown logs and trees, stumps, lilly pads, grass or even drain pipes are great places for bass to seek shelter. A well placed cast with a spinnerbait or crankbait will draw out bass looking for an easy meal. So don't let a lack of money stop you, just go out there and have fun.

Bass Getting Aggressive!

Now is the time of year when the water is getting warm and the bass are getting more active and aggressive. These bass are looking for a meal and now is a fun time to go fishing for these bass.

It's a great time to tie a crankbait on your line and get these hungry largemouth and smallmouth bass to come out for dinner!

There are many great lures out there like the SPRO BBZ1 shad, Strike King Sexy Swimmer, Strike King Red Eye Shad and just about any other hard crankbait out there will work. These baits are fun to fish and the bass will absolutely crush them!

These baits come in many colors and depth ranges. I really enjoy the challenge of finding out which works best. A shallow diver or lipless crankbait is a great place to start casting into likely bass haunts. Just hang on because these spring bass will attack these baits!

Rooster Tails Work!

Went fishing at a small pond this weekend. I tried numerous baits from spinnerbaits to crankbaits, and the best thing turned out to be the lowly rooster tail lure.

This is a lure that has been around forever and just plain catches fish. They are cheap to buy and easy to use, that's a great lure in my mind! We caught brim, crappie and several decent size largemouth bass using a black rooster tail.

When nothing else seems to work, these old stand-by baits will get it done. You might not catch any ten pound lunkers on them, but you will catch a lot of every kind of fish in the place you're fishing. This is a great choice for kids because of their success rate and the constant casting and reeling keeps them occupied. Be sure to keep a few in your tacklebox.

Swimbaits Win Again!

Skeet Reese dominated the Bassmaster Series event on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, winning by nearly 15 pounds!

He was fishing with the hottest style of baits to hit the scene in a long time, the realistic and fun swimbait. These baits are very versatile and have become a "go to" bait for many anglers.

There are many swimbaits available on the market today such as the Spro BBZ1 Shad, the Strike King Sexy Swimmer and Yum Money Minnow. All of these and many others are extremely important to have in your tackle arsenal.

The larger sizes of swimbaits (6" and up) are a must if you are going after monster size largemouth bass. All of them are great and the soft plastic style are great because they can be rigged to be weedless and fished in heavy cover where the lunkers like to hide. Be sure to get yourself a few of these great baits and try them out. You'll be glad you did, and the bass will fear you!

Explosive Topwater Action!

Spring is a great time for bass fishing, the water is warming and the bass are becoming more active. Early in the morning and toward dusk are great times to break out the topwater baits. There are many great frog baits such as Snag Proof Bobby's Perfect Frog, Bigfoot Frog and Mann's Super Frog.

These baits are great bass catchers and are Fun! Cast them into weeds, around stumps and under overhanging trees and bushes. Bass love to eat frogs and will make ferocious, explosive strikes that are exciting to watch. This is my favorite method for the pure adrenaline of watching big bass crush these baits. It's a lot of fun for kids too!

Baitcaster Tips

If you don't use a baitcaster reel, I strongly suggest you get one and learn to use it. With their faster retrieve rates, they are the best bass reels out there. While surfing Youtube I came across this great video with super tips on setting up and using a baitcaster. Once you learn to use one properly, I am sure you'll love it.

Bass Pro Shops Tourney Special Baitcast Rod and Reel Combos Bass Pro Shops Tourney Special Baitcast Reel: Our Tourney Special Baitcast Reel has some of the same high-performance features the pros use, but this one lets you enjoy them without breaking the bank! Features include our Recurve handle and star drag that are swept in for a lighter feel, a 10-position externally adjustable magnetic brake system for virtually backlash-free casting, and an eye-catching bright red finish! Lightweight graphite frame with a machined-aluminum spool, 5-bearing system including Powerlock? instant anti-reverse. Convenient thumb bar spool release. Reel model: TSP10HB. Drag power: 12 lbs. Weight: 7.8 oz. Line capacity: 12 lbs./120 yds. Line Recovery: 28" per handle turn. Gear ratio: 6.3:1. Bass Pro Shops Tourney Special IM-7 Graphite Rods For out-and-out handling and sensitivity, our Tourney Special rod is hard to beat! Every model is fitted with a high-grade, 41 million modulus multilayer IM-7 graphite blank for outstanding strength with minimum weight?plus aluminum oxide guide inserts to provide enhanced line flow in either direction. Both casting and trigger models feature exclusive low-profile exposed-blank reel seats for maximum feel and ergonomic Casting models have seven guides while trigger models have eight. Other features include PowerHump? cork handles, durable Pro-Guard? epoxy finish, and a multi-purpose hook keeper. Action: M = Medium MH = Medium Heavy H = Heavy Line recovery in inches per handle turn.

Tube Baits Nail 'Em!

One of the hottest and most versatile bass fishing baits is the tube. These baits can be rigged numerous ways and fished numerous ways. There are also a ton of great tubes out there such as the Strike King Coffe Tube, Yum Doozee Tube and Chompers Ultra Tube.

All of these baits catch bass big time. I personally like to Texas rig them for a weedless presentation or on a weedless leadhead jig. They can be slowly crawled along the bottom, hopped, jerked, or about any other retrieve method. The bass just can't resist the killer baits. Bass Pro Shops has a great selection of tube baits, be sure to have plenty of styles and colors for every situation.

Bass Love Crawfish!

In the spring as the water warms, crawfish become more active and plentiful. And bass crush 'em! There are many baits out there that mimic crawfish and are great for catching largemouth bass and smallmouth bass.
The Rebel Crawfish crankbait, Yum Wooly Hawg Craw, Booyah Pro Boo Bug and many others are great baits at this time of year.
When you fish these baits you need to imitate the actions of crawfish on the lake bottom. They move in slow jerky manner, they raise their pinchers and dart away backwards to escape from danger. So work the baits along the bottom in a stop and go retrieve, twitch the bait and occasionally give it a little jerk and those bass will come to the dinner bell!

Rebel Crawfish? Extremely effective for over 20 years, the Rebel Crawfish offers a lifelike profile and produces a distinct, pulsating action that mimics a favorite meal for many river dwelling species - a juicy crawfish on the run. Durable finish, quality components and fish-catching attitude ensures you'll have a blast fishing the Rebel Crawfish for years.

April Hot Baits!

April is a great time to go bass fishing. This is the time of year when the bass are in the spawn or pre-spawn and are becoming active as the water warms. This can make for some great fishing conditions. A bait such as the Rapala X-Rap is a great bait around points, dropoffs and docks. Vary your retrieve speed to find out which works best. A crank and pause retrieve sometimes works well.

Another great bait for early spring bass is a football jig with a soft plastic trailer. These work great anywhere the is cover, such as around laydown trees in the water or stumps. These are great snag-free baits to use around these submerged obstacles to find big bass that are attracted to the natural cover. Once again you can vary your retrieve to find what will entice the bass to bite. Slowly dragging the jig along the bottom, twitching the jig or hopping it around submerged cover will really drive these spawning bass crazy!

Killer Lure Kit

I recently came across this great kit full of high quality crankbaits, jigs and spinnerbaits. This kit would be a great addition to the avid angler as well as beginners since it has such a wide variety of baits. There are baits for any situation and depth that you might need.

These are all Strike King lures hand picked by Bassmaster Classic winner Kevin VanDam to be the ultimate bass anglers kit. Click on the image to get more in depth information.

Jiggin' For Bass

Booyah Boo Jig The jig that shouts "Eat me!" to any bass in proximity. Flat bottom with 18? rise, noisy double-barreled magnum rattle, slinky 50-strand Bio-Flex silicone skirt, Mustad? Ultra Point? black nickel hook.

The jig is always a great bass catcher. I like it at this time of year because it has a big profile when paired with a soft plastic trailer like a Strike King "rage tail" chunk trailer. Big females eating extra for the spring spawn love the big baits.

They work great twitched or hopped along the bottom near cover. Another great bass fishing trick is to hop them along places where the lake bottom drops off, where the bass can easily get to either shallower or deeper water fast.

When jig fishing for bass use lighter colors like chartreuse and white in stained water, and darker colors like black and blue when in clearer water. Once you hook up to a pig bass with a jig, you will be hooked too.

Lipless Crankbaits

The hottest bait at the Bassmaster Classic this year was the lipless crankbait. The majority of bass caught were bagged using this versatile bait. This lure can be fished at any speed and can be fished at a variety of depths for whatever presentation turns the bite on.
These baits have a tight wiggle action that isn't quite as aggressive as other crankbaits, this is perfect for fish this time of year especially since the bass are moving a little slower and getting ready for the spring spawn and may be a little skittish. These bait usually have ball bearings inside that rattle and along with the vibration really rings the dinner bell for hungry lunkers.
All of the baits I mention can be found at Bass Pro Shop, you can click on the banner at the top of this blog and do a search on the BPS site.

KVD Wins Number Three!

Kevin VanDam won his third Bassmaster Classic title on Sunday, becoming only the second angler with 3 titles (Rick Clunn has 4 titles). KVD was his usual self, dominating the entire tournament, with his wide-open fishing style.
I was very surprised by the large sacks of fish at each days weigh ins. The cold conditions we've had here in the south led myself and others to expect tough conditions. However there was some warming and the water temps rose enough to produce some great fishing and made for a great Classic this year.
KVD cements his position as the greatest pro angler in history every time he hits the water. He is a great role model and spokesman for our sport and always handles himself with a ton of class.

Time for the Bassmaster Classic!

It's time once again for the granddaddy of fishing tournaments and I can't wait. I have to admit that I love watching fishing shows and tournaments.

This years classic will take place on Lake Lay near Birmingham Alabama from February 19-21. I have been trying to come up with some predictions, it's tough with such a great field of bass anglers. Of course Kevin VanDam is always a great pick to win anytime he's on the water and defending champ Skeet Reese will be a top contender.

There are some awesome bassers that could make a run at the title, like Alabama native Boyd Duckett and Shaw Grigsby. All of these guys are great bass anglers and all of the articles and interviews I have seen with them they seem like real good folks as well. I think any of them would be a great champ and spokesman for this great sport we all love.

Well, all that being said, it's time for my pick. I'm going with last years runner-up Michael Iaconelli. Last year Ike nearly pulled it off and I think this year he will win his second Bassmaster Classic title. You just have to love this guy's passion and intensity.

World Record Bass

This new world record bass was recently caught in Lake Biwa in Japan by 32 year old angler Manabu Kurita. The bass weighed in at 22 lbs 5 oz which beat the old record by 1 ounce. Officially it is considered a tie because officials state the rule that a fish must weigh 2 ounces more than the previous record in order to take over the title.

No matter how you look at it, it's an amazing fish. I believe that the report I saw said he used a live bluegill for this lunker. He also uses many huge 7" swimbaits for some of the other big bass he specializes in catching. I think I may have to upsize some of my own tackle and target some big boys for myself this year. Kurita reportedly also fishes with extra large softbaits such as 10" wacky rigged worms when targeting big bass.

Winter Deep Spinnerbaits

I have recently been researching ideas for effective winter bass fishing and came across using spinnerbaits fished deep. I have to admit I had not really considered this, as I usually use jigs or deep diving crankbaits this time of year.

The idea is to choose a heavy (3/4 or 1 ounce) spinnerbait with Colorado blades to sink down to the deep water that bass prefer when it is very cold. The Colorado blades are the larger, rounded blades and put off more vibration, that will help bass find the bait easier. I would also suggest using brightly colored baits in white and chartreuse to further enable lunker bass to see your bait. This can be a great addition to your arsenal of winter bass fishing.

Fishing Science

Just when I thought the Laser Lure was the utmost in scientific advances, along comes the Biopulse Lure. Being a poor working man I haven't gotten one yet, but I'm savin' my pennies.

This lure sounds amazing with a scent dispensing system, sound generator and LED system that are all supposed to attract bass by appealing to all of their senses.

There are always new fishing lures and tackle coming out, but I have to admit this one really sounds like cutting edge fishing technology and I can't wait to tie one on my line. If anybody out there has experience with this or any other lure, please feel free to leave comments about how they worked for you.

Cold Weather Fishing

If you are a hearty soul, now is a great time to catch some really big bass. You will have to have patience and the right equipment to go after bass at this time of year.
I would suggest that you use a depth finder, even a cheap one will do, because most bass will be in the deepest water of your favorite fishing hole. You will need to have an idea where these spots are and a depth finder is a must have. Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas have a large selection and like I said, even a cheapie will let you identify deep water.
Once you have an idea where to fish for those deep water largemouth bass and smallmouth bass you can use a deepdiving crankbait to probe these areas. I also like to fish with a jig and trailer bait in cold water. The jig should be fished slowly since the bass are more lethargic in colder months and the bait they normally feed on is also moving more slowly now. This will provide a more natural bait presentation.