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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”

This video is what the entire “Night Fishing 101″ series has been building toward.
For well over a month, I’ve been mulling over what should be covered and how much detail to include. In the end I decided to give you everything. With that in mind there is no way to cover “everything jigs” in a short clip so you’re about to see 18 minutes on how I believe a jig should be fished in the dark.

I’m going to be covering:
-What jig styles to use
-When to fish each jig
-Matching trailers to jigs
-Different retrieves

You’ll probably have to watch this video more than once to glean all the details. Read between the lines and you’ll probably find a few bonus tips as well.
Right away you are going to notice some wind interference with the sound. I apologize for this, but this video was shot as one cut in order to keep the information genuine. If I were to remove the wind segments I would also remove a few extra secrets I hadn’t planned to include. Continue to listen and almost immediately the sound quality will improve.
To me, this video is what TacticalBassin is all about. I want you to hear what I believe to be truth. It is uncut, unrefined and unfiltered. You may not agree with my sentiments and that is perfectly alright. Regardless, I don’t anticipate anyone watching the entire video and walking away without new insights.

Regarding the gear mentioned in the video, you cannot find it all in one place. Tackle warehouse is going to be the best source but even they don’t carry all of the products mentioned. You may find other products that work great for you, these are what you will find on the end of my rods.
Here are the links to the various sources I use for my products:
California Swim Jig
Dirty Jigs Pitchin’ Jig
No-Jack Flippin’ Jig (available soon at tacklewarehouse)
Roboworm EZ Shad
Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
Uncle Josh Phantom Craw
Uncle Josh Maxx Pork Phantom Finesse Craw

A few short years ago the word “Swimbait” was virtually non-existent on the web. Today swimbaits are a hot topic on virtually every bass forum and the interest continues to rise. With all of the information out there its shocking how little has been spoken about fishing soft swimbaits at night. While I may not be the world’s leader on the topic I have seen my share of success and feel that I can shed some light where others have chosen to remain silent.
I intended to keep this video short and give a basic overview of the topic but as is often the case, I got to sharing information and the time went by quickly. The key tip to remember from this segment is that virtually any swimbait will work at night if you can cause the tail to kick at ultra-slow speed. Do not be afraid to modify your baits to achieve this and don’t get stuck on a particular brand.

While most of my largest night fish have come on swimbaits that are 7″ and longer, I have seen some absolute giants caught on smaller 5-6″ baits as well. Do not be afraid to experiment but remember that when all else fails, slow down. If you go slow enough, the bass will come to you.
If you’re in need of a few baits to help you get started with your night fishing adventure I recommend tackle warehouse. Four of the five baits I mentioned are available here: Swimbaits at Tacklewarehouse

Its been 6 weeks since we started this series on night fishing. If you’ve been following the series you now have a grasp on moon phase, topwater, and subsurface reaction baits. Now we’re going to jump into fishing slow-moving baits on the bottom. Watching this video crosses you over the threshold and past the half-way point in the series. The last two will be swimbaits, followed by jigs.
Typically the lag time between videos comes when I know a video will take a great deal of thought and I begin to procrastinate. The video on fishing jigs at night is one of those videos. I knew it was going to take a great deal of time and thought but for once I filmed it ahead of schedule instead of lagging behind. Believe it or not, its already filmed, uploaded, and awaiting its turn. Alright, let’s get back on track.

Slow moving baits, while not glamorous, have a place in every night fisherman’s arsenal. Some nights the fish don’t want to chase after a bait, other nights they don’t want to move, even for a slow moving bait. When you encounter these conditions very few baits on the market can top this top 5 list. The 5 baits being discussed in this video are the creature bait, straight tail worm, curly tail worm, stick bait, and ring worm. Of course its a night video so they’re all plus-size baits in dark colors but you get the point.

If you learn to properly apply these 5 baits you will absolutely catch more and bigger fish at night. I can’t count the number of nights a big senko worked slowly, or a 10″ power worm slightered through the rocks has saved an otherwise tough night.
Most of the baits mentioned are available at your local retailer but some may not be. If that is the case, here is a link to the 7″ senko at tacklewarehouse. You can also find the Spear Worm, Brush Hog, Hag’s Tornado, and Pivot Point Football.

For those of you on the west coast, you probably know that this weekend is the annual Snagproof Open on the Delta. For those of you around the world, the Snagproof Open is a unique 2-day tournament in which anglers weigh in 3-fish limits (instead of the typical 5) and are only allowed to use Snagproof brand products. In other words, its a topwater frog tournament.
Unfortunately I won’t be fishing the event this year. However, I will be there to help where needed so track me down and say hello. Northern California as a whole has had an EPIC frog year thus far and that should translate into some big weights at the tournament.
In the spirit of the event I thought I’d throw in a quick video of a fish from last week. She’s not huge but she absolutely crushed a Bobby’s Perfect frog in Cicada color while walking it in open water. If I had the option to fish the event, there is no question that this is the bait I would be using and would fish it in similar conditions. (Open water between weeds and tullies)

Best of luck to those fishing the event and again, take the time to say hello. I’d love to put faces to names and maybe we can grab the camera and shoot a clip or two for the site. See you there!

Have you ever had one of those nights where you get out on the water, start to fish, and suddenly notice that there is nothing out there? There isn’t a bird, a squirrel, a fish on the surface, nothing. Everything around you just seems dead. Typically, that isn’t the time to be trying to throw a topwater. Obviously the fish haven’t gone to another lake, they just aren’t being active on the surface. That is when its time to try your hand at subsurface reaction baits.
I’ve broken it into 5 baits that I like to use. In no particular order they are the Chatterbait, spinnerbait, deep diving crankbait, small lipless crankbait, and large lipless crankbait. Between these 5 baits I’m able to do just about everything that night fishing can throw at me in terms of high-speed fishing.

I hope you’re able to take these tips and turn them in to big bites on your local fisheries.
What are your top 5 reaction baits? I’m always curious to see what other anglers are using. Of your top 5, which one seems to consistently draw the bigger bites?
For those of you wanting to pick up some of these baits that aren’t available at your local retailers, head over to tacklewarehouse. Here is the link: Matt’s go-to Lipless bait on tacklewarehouse