On The Flipside

If you’re like me, bass are your favorite target, but you appreciate the value of other fish. Sometimes relaxing and soaking a bottom rig for catfish is a day well spent, and crappie and bluegill are some of the best table fare that swims.  Due to tungsten’s high density, tungsten weights provide extra heft with more stealth. Their smaller size also helps them come through cover better—and more stealth with fewer snags catches more fish of any species. Here are a few ideas for using your tungsten next time you aren’t taking a bass trip. Panfish Bluegill and crappie are...

Now is the time of year where bass in every part of the country are in some phase of the spawn—whether they’re in deep holding areas waiting for the water to hit the magic 50-degree marker, fanning beds, guarding fry, or preparing to feed heavily after they leave their spawning areas. All stages of the spawn are prime time for soft plastic presentations. Here’s a breakdown of what baits and presentations best fit each phase. Postspawn The postspawn period is the prefect time to go weightless. Bass retreat to the safety of the nearest cover or structure after spawning, and...

My bass fishing mentor, my dad, has told me repeatedly that the most important tool in a fisherman’s arsenal is his confidence.  After having fished several tournaments, it became painfully obvious that my father is correct.  There is not a single aspect of bass fishing that can make or break an angler to the degree in which self-assuredness can. This week on the blog, we’re going to discuss confidence and how it can affect your fishing for the better and for the worse.  We’ve all been there.  A day out on the water, and we can’t figure out how to...

Pitching and flipping a soft plastic lure on a Texas rig or a jig are great techniques for catching largemouth bass.  Though many anglers are already familiar with this process, there is always room for improvement, so this week we will be giving our tips on how to improve your pitching and flipping game.  Tackle Selection  These techniques usually rely on having a decent baitcasting reel, but the rest of your gear is going to depend on several factors.  If you are pitching and flipping into heavy vegetation and cover, you'll likely want a heavier tungsten weight, stronger line such...

Summer months are arguably the toughest time of the year for bass fishing.  As we head into the dog days of summer, we're going to talk about some of our favorite lures and techniques for putting bass in the boat during this hot and difficult time.  BIG Worm on a Texas Rig. Throwing a 10" or longer worm can feel crazy.  Pulling a lure of that size out of the package for the first time almost seems comical, but they absolutely catch hawgs during the summer.  There are a few reasons that this technique works.   For one thing, they...