Are You Using the Best Jighead?

Darter, Football, Shakey, ball head... it almost sounds like bass fishing has its own language. With all of the options on the market, which jig head styles should you be using? Tim explains the difference between the four most common head styles and what each one should be used for. 

Just because you've been told to use a head for a particular application doesn't mean that's its only, or even its "best" application. We hope these insights into each head style help you increase your finesse fishing game this Fall!

Different head styles:

View fullsize

Screwlock Style Shakey Head
Traditional Style Shakey Head

Gamakatsu Ball Head

Football Head W/ Weedguard
Football Head Plain Style

Darthead Painted
Darthead Unpainted

All of these heads are meant to be combined with a plastic trailer to create the desired effect. We recommend starting with one of the following baits if you do not currently have a favorite...

-Yamamoto Hula Grub
-Roboworm 6" Fat Worm
-Reaction Innovations Smallie Beaver

Best Fishing Rods for New Anglers

Its crazy how many brands, lengths, and types of rods are on the market! Tim helps make sense of it all by recommending the 3 rods that you need as a new angler. Forget all the hype and marketing, these will get you through 99% of the techniques we use in bass fishing. 

As a beginning fisherman you want to purchase the best equipment you can within your budget. These are fishing rods you're going to use for a very long time. However, you do not want to exceed your budget so we recommend spending more on the fishing rod than the fishing reel. With that in mind we aren't recommending any high end reels with this video. 

Tim's Recommended Rods Based on Your Budget...

7' Medium Spinning Rod:

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Dobyns Fury
High $$$- G Loomis NRX

7' Medium Baitcasting Rod:

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Shimano Clarus
High $$$- Dobyns Champ Extreme

7'-7'2" Medium Heavy Baitcasting Rod: 

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Dobyns Fury
High $$$- Shimano Zodias

View fullsize

Reel Recommendations for each...

Spinning Low $$$- Shimano Nexave 2500
Spinning Mid $$$- Shimano Saros 2500

Baitcasting Low $$$- Shimano Caius
Baitcasting Mid $$$- Shimano Citica 7:1

As a new bass fisherman your first purchase should always be a spinning rod. With a spinning rod you're able to master a variety of bass fishing techniques like dropshot, senko fishing, worms, tubes, small topwater lures, and even a few reaction fishing techniques. 

Once you've got a feel for these techniques your next purchase should be a 7' medium baitcaster. This rod will allow you to branch into a few more techniques like rigging a senko texas style, fishing a jig, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, crankbaits, etc. 

These two fishing rods are going to help you progress your bass fishing more than any other purchase but when you're ready, add in a 7'-7'2" medium heavy baitcasting rod. This rod will let you get into heavier bass jigs, texas rigs, large topwaters, small swimbaits and paddletails, and a handful of other techniques. 

We know that getting into bass fishing and trying to purchase tackle and equipment can be very overwhelming. We hope these quick tips will help you make educated decisions while purchasing your first fishing pole. Good luck on your fishing adventure

Best Baits to Throw During the Fall Transition

The Summer to Fall transition can be a really difficult time for anglers to locate bass. Their Summer patterns are fading and the Fall patterns haven't yet come on strong. However, while the bulk of anglers are struggling there are a handful that are capitalizing and turning the Fall into one of the most productive times of year to catch big bass. 

In this video Matt breaks down the best baits for Fall bass fishing. This video started out as a "Top 5" video but instead Matt pulled out his actual Fall transition baits box and shows you every bait in it. 

Below are the baits and colors shown...

-S-Waver 168 Swimbait in "Light Trout" color

-Whopper Plopper 130 in "Bluegill" or "Loon"
-Bully Wa 2 Frog in "Dirty White", Yellow/Black, or "Little Allen" (Little John)

LV-500 Lipless Crankbait (Ghost Minnow, Chartreuse Shad, American Shad)

-Lucky Craft RTO 4.0 Squarebill (Chartreuse Shad)
-Biggie Smalls Squarebill in T1000 or TS Minnow
-Jackall Aska 70 Squarebill in "Super Shad"

View fullsize

-Staysee 90 Jerkbait (Ghost Minnow)
-Pointer 100 DD Jerkbait (Chartreuse Shad)
-Pointer 100 Jerkbait (Gun Metal Shad)

-Bling Spinnerbait 3/8 oz (Abalone Shad)

-3/8 oz Pitchin' Jig (Go To or Norcal Craw)
-3/4 oz Flippin' Jig (Molting Craw)
Sweat Beaver Trailer (Green Pumpkin Red Flake)

Matt Allen Swimbait Head
Blade Runner Spintrix
4.8 or 4.3 Keitech Fat Swing Impact

With this selection of baits you're able to cover every bass fishing scenario that fall fishing can throw your way. Whether the fish are up shallow in docks and timber or out in the scattered grass and tullies, you'll have lures to reach and trigger the bass into biting. 

Use the glidebait, swimbaits, and reaction baits to locate schooling fish but once you've found them slow down with the squarebill crankbait, jig, and lipless crankbait to capitalize on the schooling bass and catch as many as possible. Don't be afraid to camp out on a school of bass and attempt to catch every fish in the group, this is one of the best ways to get a BIG bass to bite. 

Paddle Tails Swimbaits for Big Fall Bites!

Its that time of year again! Its time to pull out the paddletails and hollow bellies in search of big bass! The bite is just beginning and will continue to improve over the coming months. 

Whether you prefer a Basstrix or a Keitech, a swimbait head or an underspin, its prime time to pull out your confidence bait and begin loading the boat! 

In this video Matt and Tim show how to rig swimbaits and paddle tails a variety of different ways. They even show how to make your own underspin with a swimbait head or weedless swimbait hook! 

View fullsize

If you're planning to creep the bait through heavy cover we recommend using the Beast Hook. If you're fishing around docks, wood, or other isolated cover the Matt Allen Swimbait Head is the way to go! If there are large schools of baitfish present you should either use the Spintrix Head or the Matt Allen head with the added belly blade.  

Hook options and baits shown in this video are as follows... 

-Matt Allen Swimbait Head
-Owner Beast Hook
-BladeRunner Spintrix Underspin
-Small Spinner Blades

-Keitech Fat Swing Impact

-Basstrix Hollow Belly Swimbait

We hope you find these tips useful this Fall as the bass begin corralling the baitfish and feeding heavily before Winter arrives.