Matt Allen a well known California trophy bass fisherman who has also contributed to The Wired Angler has just launched a new, video-intensive bass fishing blog called Tactical Bassin'. He's got a few videos up already with more to come, including this one showing a bass hitting my JSJ 10" wake bait. The funny thing about this particular video is that I was on the phone with Matt when this bass hit the bait.
Welcome to the blogosphere, Matt.
I have tied my own jigs since I was a kid and have always enjoyed sitting down and refilling my jig box every year. I recently did just that and took a bunch of photos of the process.
Years ago, jig tying was a pretty basic thing. You had your choice between a handful of different heads in various weights and sizes. Now there is a plethora of head designs, skirt colors and materials; different hook set ups, different weed guards – the list is a mile long. There are also a million different jig companies out there, with some standing far above the rest. However, I still prefer to make my own.
Here's my process:
First off you have to sit down and order everything.
There are a two suppliers that I prefer: Stamina, now "Lure parts online", and Netcraft. I have been using both suppliers for years now and both are easy companies to deal with that have a lot of products for tying your own jigs.
I first pick my heads and weights and I recommend you buy in bulk to save money. Think ahead for next year – the investment may cost you a little more up front but when it comes time to replenish your jig box you'll be glad you have more supplies on hand.
At this point you should choose whether or not you are going to buy pre-painted jig heads or custom paint them yourself. If you finish them yourself there are a few options: you can powder coat them, dip them in vinyl or other finish, or spray with a number of different paints. I have switched to painting them with vinyl paint I feel it holds up the best on the lead. Powder coating eventually chips off as the lead dents, where the vinyl is a softer finish and seems to stay on longer as the jig head gets beat up.
Note: Most vinyl finishes are really thick and will need to be thinned to spray out of an airbrush.
Now for the skirt material and colors:
I used to use all rubber, but I switched to round rubber when that came out, and I recently made the switch to silicone skirts. The color selection is endless and I really think color is one of the most important things in a jig. As far as colors go, I have my favorites that I have used for years but I am always trying to match crawdads and forage from lakes whenever I get the opportunity.
Above: Here's a color model from a local lake. Below: As I paint my jig heads I prefer to first coat them in white vinyl paint.
After the heads are all painted it's time to start laying out your colors. I try to use a lot of colors and material on my jig for a full-bodied bait. This is, of course, all personal opinion and the main reason I tie my own jigs to begin with.
I like to lay everything out before starting in batches.
Tying your own jigs can be a fun and rewarding thing, it can also save you hundreds of dollars at the register of your local tackle store. Have fun!
The sad but true story of the angler fish's doomed quest for love (along with many other awesome things, like "How many hungry weasels could your body feed" and "How everything goes to Hell in a zombie apocalypse") HERE on TheOatmeal.com
I came across two blogs recently that are both dedicated to old-school fishing lures.
The Van Buren Boys' Blog is written by the guys in charge of recreating the mid 19th century fishing gear for the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in Kinderhook, New York. The group is made up of historians and craftsmen who are making everything from old-school reels to replicas of Victorian fishing tackle and making horsehair fishing line (the author says he's able to make 30' in 2 hours).
Soldering a replica of an 1852 J.T Buel lure
It's full of photos of their progress and interesting tidbits of lure history. LINK
The blog Fishing for History covers a more broad base (and it's where I saw the link to the Van Buren project blog) about all manner of vintage tackle and antique fishing lures.
He also has some great fishing news link roundups, old ads for lures and fishing accessories, and lots of pictures of weird old lures.
Here's a LINK to his blog
So I just received my Cool foot in the mail last week and stuck it on my trolling motor pedal this weekend.I cant believe how much of a difference this thing makes for comfort and non slippage. I started wanting one this winter when wearing my rain boots, the trolling motor pedal gets really slippery. I was not expecting much out of it this summer considering I am not one to fish barefoot. I was flat out wrong, it has made a big difference in noise,comfort and slippage.Pick one up I think it will be the best $15.00 you have spent on your boat in a while.
Here is a link to Coolfoot website
If you have not seen this baits and tried them yet I highly recommend that you do so. The baits are made by Little Creeper Bait Co. It is called the All American Trash fish,They come in many popular colors and are all hand made right here in Clear Lake Ca. Bennie the owner is currently working on a bunch of new bait designs including some flippin baits,crawdad imitations and a frog. The trash fish is currently available at Monster Fishing Tackle online. These are one of the best 6" class swimbaits I have ever fished.
Skeet Reese among several other Elite series pros have been quietly fishing these baits since the Clear Lake event earlier this year.
Once again My friend Paul Young was out diving and got some cool footage of hand feeding a crawdad to a spotted bass.
Paul Uses the Liquid Image camera mask for all of his underwater footage. These masks are surprisingly inexpensive and capture really nice clear footage. They will soon be coming out with a new HD version as well.
It's the time of year where a lot of us will find ourselves picking up our topwater rods before anything else. The weather in California this year has been less than stable and we all know stable weather can create an epic top water bite.
I have been finding that I can still catch a lot of topwater fish but I have been having to refine and make small adjustments to turn missed fish in to fish in the boat. My first choice is almost always going to be a big swimbait but that is not really what I'm going to be talking about.
Searching
You have to start somewhere: my bait of choice for years has been the Super Spook. Recently I have been fishing the new 5" Lunker Punker a lot with mixed results. This is an amazing over all bait and I have caught a lot of fish on it – I'll come back to this later. The reason I like the walking baits to start is the draw power they have. Even if fish don't commit to these baits they will pull a lot of curious fish up. The reaction I get will either tell me to just stick with or or start refinement, then I will start to experiment with baits that make a different sound.
We all fish loud baits, but how often do you stop to think about what effect different rattle configurations have to do with with fish caught?
Refinement
Going back to earlier when I mentioned the mixed results with the 5" Punker: This has nothing to do with the action of the bait, but the sound it and other baits put out. There are times when a bait like a Super Spook will out perform any other. The reason behind this is the single knocker ball. I refer to these baits as 'one knockers'. I don't know what it is about a summer bite sometimes that bass will not touch anything but a bait with a single knocker. The same applies with bigger bait to an extent as well, however I feel the size of the bait overcomes the sound a lot in this situation. This being said I am referring to baits in the six to seven inch and larger class.
Color
Color for me is really important, and depending on the time of year fish key in on different prey. This time of year through fall baby bass is a good universal color. Matching your local body of waters shad is a must sometimes. It is a good idea to do research on what your favorite lakes shad population look like.
Size
Size can be a huge determiner in how many bites you get when your keying in on feeding fish for example. This usually applies to schooling fish more than the occasional fish you will pick up covering a lot of water.
Popping baits
When fish are just not committing to a walking bait, it may be time to slow down and make a commotion. I love fishing poppers, some of my favorites are the Pop Max by Mega Bass. These are good baits for followers because they are a little more erratic in there stop pop and go motion.
A couple Mega Bass Pop Max Poppers
Buzz Baits
There is nothing more basic and easy to fish than a buzz bait. When fishing around cover and structure they can be hard to beat. I really think fish just can't stand these baits and just hit them to stop the screeching in their ears sometimes. These are great baits to run past structure that feels as if it could be a bass's living room.
Location
Location has to be one of the most important things to me when fishing topwater. Pay close attention to bottom structure, wind, current, cover, heat concentration on the surface, etc. Topwater bites can be very specific- just because they are hitting on top real good in one area of the lake does not mean they will in another.
Pay attention to the detail and see if you can put together a pattern. Are the fish on points over bottom structure change? Are they suspending over under water trees, grass, or stumps? The devil is in the details. Remember fish are coming out of their comfort zone to eat your lure, so you want to position yourself and casts in such a way that fish feel like they have the upper hand.
Don't pigeon hole yourself
We all have our favorite baits and it is awesome when they work the way we want. It is important to keep an open mind and read the strikes you are getting and make refinements. I am certainly guilty of trying to force a bite I want to happen, fishing swimbaits has really made me a lot more stubborn so I have to force myself to adjust at times.
Some "one Knocker single rattle baits" a Super Spook, Spook Jr and a Zenith Z Claw
Throw Topwater All Day
To me, topwater is not just a low light technique. I throw topwater for bass all day long. Keep note at cloud cover and sun exposure each time you get a bite. You will be amazed at how many bites you will get in the blazing mid day sun.
The Pack Rat is now available online at MonsterFishingTackle.com and in the store at Outdoor Pro Shop in Rohnert Park.
The 5" rat comes in 7 colors: black, gunmetal, grey, dark brown, light brown, white, and pink.
A few have already sold, so if you want to be the first to get your hands on these don't wait.
