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Since the rest of the world seems to have “Linsanity” I thought it wouldn’t hurt to let it infect the TacticalBassin community a bit as well. I had the pleasure of fishing with Josh Fan and Jeremy Lin (The NBA’s newest star for those of you who may have been living under a rock) last fall. I thought the sports fans in the crowd might enjoy a quick clip from that trip. Here is Jeremy catching a nice Clearlake bass on a River2Sea Bubble Walker in the 128 size. There isn’t a lot of knowledge to be gleaned from this video but its still fun to see a guy like Jeremy getting out on the water and relaxing in the off season. Enjoy!

When the fishing is going really well it’s easy to become jaded and forget how good we have it. It’s important to take the time to stop and consider just how blessed we really are. One of the best ways I can think of to get that “reality check” is to watch the reaction of someone who isn’t used to fishing our local bodies of water.
Allow me to introduce Josh Fan. I had the pleasure of fishing with Josh for several days on some of the best fisheries Northern California has to offer. Josh was here during a prime time when wakebait and topwater fishing was at its peak. While we didn’t catch any true “giants” we caught a bunch of quality fish and had a great time on a fishing adventure that neither of us will soon forget. As the trip was drawing to a close Josh took the time to sit down and share some tips that were born out of his experiences in the West.
These tips will help you regardless of where you live but if you’re fishing in the East you really need to hear what Josh is saying. He talks about the fish we were catching on a Lunker Punker and a Wake Jr. but the key is the belief in his voice about the effectiveness of these bigger baits. Josh now has a clear understanding of how powerful true big baits can be, regardless of where in the country you happen to be.

While driving into town this morning I grabbed my water bottle off the seat of the truck and attempted to take a swig. I was caught off guard when nothing came out and it took several seconds for reality to sink in. Something about that solid block of ice staring back at me from inside the bottle got me thinking about how much I missed the warmer weather. It bothered me so much that I soon found myself flipping through old footage of flip flops, shorts, and topwaters.
I know that many of you are in the same situation. For some of you it was cold when you launched the boat last weekend, for others you wish you knew exactly where your boat is under all that snow. Either way, we’re a long way from topwater season.
Instead of tearing up and thinking about how far away the topwater bite is I suggest you get proactive and start preparing your tackle for the coming year. I’ve talked about frogs, spooks, and wakebaits in the past but I’ve never really touched on poppers. I absolutely LOVE fishing a popper on a spinning rod on a quiet morning. Year in and year out the popper comes to my rescue when the topwater bite seems to be falling apart on a tournament day.
My favorite aspect of the popper is its versatility. When the fish are aggressive you can work the bait fast and in the case of the River2Sea Bubble Walkercan even get it to walk-the-dog much the same as a spook. When the fish are moving slow you can turn to a Yellow Magic or a Rico (I’d suggest the “20th Anniversary Absolute” color) and get those critical bites during off peak times. The key to the Rico on a cold morning is to work the bait so softly that it splashes without making the “bloop bloop” sound that poppers are known for. That subtle approach consistantly gets bigger bites for me than the more aggressive retrieves.

Another great aspect of popper fishing is that unlike most other baits, the higher-end poppers come equipped with great components and are ready to fish out of the package.
The only modification I make at all is to change the front hook out for a red one when the fish aren’t fully committing to the bait. I know it sounds silly to a lot of anglers but that really can help your hook up ratio on a slow day.
I know we’re a long ways away from a wide-open topwater bite but I thought it would be nice to take a break from all this cold weather and focus on something a little less draining. I hope your dreams of big bass, small topwaters, and explosive strikes keep you company until warmer weather arrives for good.

Well, its New Years Eve. 2011 is in the rear view mirror and 2012 is barreling toward us. Soon we’ll be fishing the spawn, chasing the summer topwater fish, and targeting fish around schools of bait in the fall. So, what is going to make 2012 different than 2011? What are YOU going to do to improve your odds of a successful fishing season? One of the keys to my success each year is consistant goal setting. Once the goals are laid out I know exactly what I am striving for and can eliminate a lot of “busy” fishing that isn’t goal oriented. Without goals I tend to get side tracked and waste a great deal of my time.

Let’s review last year’s goals and see how I did:

1) Catch a new personal best spotted bass. Its currently 5.0 so I should be able to top that no problem. The trouble is, I want a 6.5 lber. Wish me luck!

2) I’d love another personal best smallmouth. I’m currently in the 6 lb range and I would love a 7 lber, but I will honestly put this one on the back burner if I haven’t caught the spotted bass.

3) I’d like another largemouth over 15 lbs. Its been a very long time, I’ve hooked a few and completely butchered those battles. Its time I get one to the boat and fill some of the “weight range gap” between my biggest and 2nd biggest.

4) Catch a double-digit bass from at least one lake where I have not caught one before. (I’ll have to drive farther but I’ve got a few options in mind.)

5) Help at least one friend catch their first double-digit bass.

Now that you know exactly what my goals were its time for me to face the music. I didn’t have as successful a year as I would have liked. Yes, I caught some double-digit bass ( I got number 50 as a matter of fact) but not from a new lake. I did hook another 15+ lber but I waved goodbye after she buried herself in a weed bed. As I mentioned I might I let the smallmouth goal slip in order to continue pursuing the spotted bass goal. Now, that is the one place that I shined. This was the year of the spotted bass. I started the year with a personal best of 5.0 lbs and I broke it 7 times. I ended the year with a personal best 6.1 (and caught a 6.0 earlier in the same day.) Lastly, I helped two people catch double-digit bass and that was probably my favorite part of the whole year.

Now that you know how I stacked up against my goals you should feel more comfortable discussing yours. I’d love for all the members of the Tactical Bassin community to list your goals for 2012 in a comment at the bottom of this post.

Here is what I am shooting for in 2012:

1) After 3 years its time to stop putting it off and pull my guides license. Email me… we’ll go fishing.

2) Assist 5 anglers in catching their personal best, and have at least one of those be a 10+ lber.

3) Catch a 6.5 lb Spotted bass or larger (7 lbs would be good too)

4) Catch a 10 lber from a new body of water.

What are your goals and why? Whatever they may be, if you apply yourself and keep your eye on the prize you can accomplish them. It doesn’t matter if its a 20 lb largemouth in San Diego or a 3 lb largemouth in Wisconsin. Set your sites and do what it takes to meet your goals. Good luck in 2012!!!!

Tactical Bassin is pleased to welcome another video from Southern California’s own, Adam Hinkle. As many of you know Adam catches big fish from the boat (as seen in his recent jig video) but he’s also a force to be reckoned with walking the banks of San Diego’s famed fisheries. He was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule and lend some incredibly detailed insights that are going to help you catch more fish.
For the locals, he’s offering you specific locations. For the rest of us he’s offering tips on understanding your topographical maps and how to turn that information into fish. Get a note pad, you’re not going to want to forget any of this.

I hope you all realize how powerful this information is. Adam knows what he’s talking about, I’ve seen the numbers. These are the kinds of details that seperate “average” fisherman from the “untouchables” of the sport. This game we call bass fishing doesn’t involve magic. It requires attention to detail, and most importantly it requires time both ON and OFF the water. No matter where you fish you can apply what Adam just taught you and its going to have a significant impact on your fishing.
Adam, thank you for taking the time to share these insights. We look forward to hearing more in the future.

Since all of the recent posts have been dedicated to concepts and techniques I thought it was time to put up a post with some actual fish in it. These fish are a perfect example of what you can do with a swimbait in the fall.
Not only can you catch a lot of fish, but you can catch fish of all sizes. It doesn’t matter what part of the country you’re in, if the bass are actively pursuing baitfish a swimbait can help you put more fish in the boat. Its also important to note that though both of these baits are designed to imitate a trout, there are no trout in this particular late. Again, proving the theory that bass are willing to eat large meals, even if they don’t know exactly what they are.
The fish in this video were caught on a 8″ Huddleston Deluxe Swimbait and a 7″ Triple Trout Swimbait, both are available from Tackle Warehouse at the links provided. The 2nd to last fish in the video was just under 3 lbs so don’t feel like these baits are too big for the bass in your lakes.

It seems that everywhere we turn someone is trying to sell us some new piece of tackle. We’re all jaded enough to drown out the advertisements during the Sunday morning fishing shows but now its in the forums, blogs, and even in the headers above our private emails. That said, its not really the advertisements that get me. If they were handled differently I might not be so put off.
I don’t mind being shown new product or concepts but I hate to be told what I need. I’m part of the generation that wants to be shown why, how, and when things work so that I can make an educated decision about what is right for my style.
I get emails daily asking questions about swimbait rods. I thought that perhaps instead of constantly telling people what they should get I would simply show the differences amongst the rods. What you see in this video are 3 of my all-time favorite swimbait rods. There is a 4th rod but I won’t be answering any questions about that one, not yet anyway. When its ready you’ll be the first to know and then you can decide if its right for you.

Its important to understand that we don’t all have the exact same style. These are the rods that perfectly fit my style. I’m not telling you that the rods you use are wrong, but if you’re losing fish, not feeling bites, or uncomfortable while throwing swimbaits for long hours it may be time to take a look at what I’m talking about.
The 3 rods discussed can all be found on this page at tackle warehouse.

When people first started discussing the topic of “properly” casting baits to avoid injury I didn’t think anything of it. Even when the requests started coming in to get my opinion on the topic I really wasn’t interested. That is, until I woke up one day with a shoulder injury.
No, don’t worry about me. I’ve since recovered and am catching more than my fair share of fish but the whole incident got me thinking. I started looking at how I throw big baits, how other people throw them, and how much of a difference it makes by the end of the day. Just like there is a science to catching big bass, there is a science to keeping your joints functioning year after year.

There may be people who watch this video and think its ridiculous (I would have) and that’s okay. But for those of you with open minds who want to start taking care of yourself, pay attention. HOW you cast is as important as the bait you choose to throw. Feel free to chime in on this one, I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Those that have been following the site for any length of time will recognize this face. To those that are just joining us, allow me to re-introduce Adam Hinkle. Adam has contributed a great deal to this site with his perspective on shore fishing for trophy bass. Though he is deadly walking the banks of Southern California you’re about to see that he isn’t limited to the shore. When the bass go offshore Adam dusts off the boat and follows them out.

In this video he’s targeting fish that are working a deep water break in early october. The fish are moving up the ledge to feed in the afternoon as they bulk up before the cold water months. He manages to put a 6 and 8 lber in the boat on back-to-back casts. Nicely Done!

Here are the baits he used:
Dirty Jigs Finesse Football
Berkley Chigger Craw Trailer

Sometimes its just about having fun. Here is my good friend Sieg Taylor putting the hammer down on some quality Clearlake bass. The fish were feeding on small minnows around the edges of offshore grass lines and the frog bite was on fire. Often times the key to catching frog fish in the open is to “walk the frog” but for whatever reason these fish wanted it popped along quickly making as much commotion as possible. The bites were vicious and the fish kept getting bigger.

Sieg targeted them with a custom rod, 65 lb braided line, and the Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect Frog in “Wild Bullfrog”