The Video of Cody Meyer's Monster Spotted Bass

Last week the industry was rocked by yet another double-digit spotted bass of World Record Proportions! News of Cody Meyer's bass spread like wildfire. The word is he was out fishing with good friend, JR Wright when a truly massive spotted bass made a mistake and found herself swimming laps in Cody's livewell. 

Based on the feedback we received this past week, anglers seemed to think we would be upset or offended by Cody's awesome catch or that it was somehow an affront to what we're doing at TacticalBassin. The truth is that any monster fish, no matter who catches it, should be celebrated by the entire industry as we learn more about what this incredible species of bass is capable of!

When Tim Little (current IGFA World Record Spotted Bass Holder) got the call from Cody that he'd caught a fish of possible world record proportions and needed help, Tim quickly grabbed his scales and other necessary equipment and hit the road to Bullards Bar. The story is nearly identical to what happened roughly a year earlier when we got the call from Wes Roberson about his 11.00lb Spotted Bass (currently under review as the NEW IGFA All-Tackle World Record Spotted Bass).

When a fish of a lifetime is caught everything else stands still. You do everything in your power to make sure that fish is honored and taken care of. It doesn't matter who made the catch, how far away they caught it, or what the weather might be, you make sure that fish receives the highest treatment and that it gets its best shot at whatever record it may qualify for. That is what trophy bass fishing is truly about. The sport only grows when anglers come together and ensure that these monster fish are honored appropriately. 

Back to Meyer... he is well known for his history of bass fishing tournament victories on spotted bass fisheries, as well as his exploits into trophy spotted bass fishing. It's no surprise that he would catch a monster Spotted Bass, but on this day he caught not only his personal best but one of the world's largest spotted bass at 10.80 pounds! Whether this bass becomes a world record or not, its truly a fish of a lifetime!

Cody reported catching the trophy bass on...

Strike King Ocho
Seaguar 6 lb Tatsu Fluorocarbon
Daiwa Tatula Spinning Rod
Daiwa Exist Spinning Reel

Scale Used: Salter Brecknell
Camera Used: Go Pro Hero4

 

 

How To Pick The Best Spots To Catch Bass

Today Tim is hitting the water for a quick session and is taking us along for the ride. He's on a new lake where he has little experience and his first priority is to locate fish. He works quickly to find active fish and continues to break down the bite from there. 

Many anglers struggle to break water down quickly. Tim brought an arsenal of baits along for the day that helped speed up the process. He was prepared to cover the water column quickly and effectively while exploring likely structures and features. 

Here are the baits and the gear Tim was using for the day:

-Lucky Craft RTO 1.5 Squarebill (Pearl Threadfin)

-S-Waver 168 Swimbait in "Party Crasher"

-Whopper Plopper 130 in "Munky Butt"

-Salter Brecknell Scale

Camera Used: GoPro Hero 4

Matt's Favorite Squarebill Rod (845)
Tim's Favorite Squarebill Rod (704)

Tips For Approaching A New Lake

New Lakes can be intimidating! Where should you start? What should you throw? How many rods should you bring? Tim answers these questions and more...

Its not easy to choose what tackle to bring to a new lake. To simplify Tim employs a top down approach. Any time he approach a new lake he starts with his favorite topwater. This allows him to cover water and look for active fish. If he's not immediately successful he'll drop down the water column and try reaction fishing. If reaction bait fishing fails to catch fish its time to begin slowing down and fishing the bottom. This simple approach lets you break down the entire water column very quickly to locate the most active group of fish. 

While it seems like a lot of baits and options you can literally fit all of these baits into a single box. Combine them with 3-4 rods and you're ready to jump on a boat and hit a new lake without crowding the boater and overstaying your welcome. 

Baits We recommend bringing:

Topwater...
-Rover
-Whopper Plopper
-Rico

Reaction...
-Favorite Squarebill Crankbait
-Favorite Spinnerbait

-Favorite Chatterbait

Huddleston Swimbait Retrieves

Are you trying to catch a big bass on a swimbait this year? These 3 retrieves are all you'll need to make it happen. Swimbait fishing is very simple it just takes a solid foundation and some dedication. 

The 3 retrieves are as follows:

1) Steady Retrieve: Think of the Swimbait as nothing more than a spinnerbait. Simply chuck and wind, mid-column. 

2) Bottom Creeping: As the name suggests this retrieve is all about going slow, and then slowing down some more. 

3) The hop: This retrieve doesn't work often but in a pinch, it catches the giants! It involves burning the reel handle then killing the bait, much like fishing a hair jig. 

Use the following links to the products we're using and support Tacticalbassin at the same time...

-Huddleston 8" Swimbait
-Huddleston 68 Special

Other Swimbaits we highly Recommend...

-JSJ Hitch 6
-Osprey Tournament Talon
-S-Waver Glidebait
-JSJ Siren Glidebait