I write today from the snow-covered Land of Lincoln. (Yes… already… ugh…) This year, I was able to avoid getting stranded in the ‘ol jon boat – this is largely because of your generosity! (Thank you very much!)
I bought a new battery with your donations at the very beginning of the season after a lengthy conversation in the Bass Resource Forum. The battery that I was using… was rated at 50 Amp Hours… and I drained it more than once.
Let’s do some simple maths:
A Minn Kota Endura with 30 pounds of thrust will pull 30 amps at top speed. Theoretically, a 50 AH battery should provide power for (50 AH / 30 Amps = 1.67 Hours) 1 hour 40 minutes. Now, there are considerations when it comes to battery selection, such as battery type (flooded lead acid, AGM or Absorbed Glass-Mat, and Lithium Iron Phosphate or LiFePO4). These differ primarily in terms of cost, battery life, and power output. I decided to go with something that would provide good, level output for a full day on the water. This Mighty Max Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery powered my trips.
This new battery is rated at 200 AH, which easily gave me over 6 hours and 40 Minutes of run time (200 AH / 30 Amps = 6.67 Hours). It’s big. A pain to move, as it doesn’t live in the boat, but the peace of mind is worth it. The DNR stopped me more than once by the ramp this year, and each time he said “oh hey, I remember you, you’re the guy with that huge battery.“
He thinks I’m nuts.
He’s not wrong…
I also picked up a small battery to run my graph separately. Some people worry about interference when running a trolling motor and depth finder on the same battery – and sure, that can be an issue, but it’s not a big concern for me. I do want to isolate my power consumption, however. This Mighty Max Battery is small. It’s less than $40, sealed lead acid, and just 15 AH – but it easily powers my Striker 9sv all day.
I charge both with a Noco Genius 10 Battery Charger & Maintainer. This is extremely important for taking proper care of the larger, $550 Mighty Max. I’ve ruined a few older batteries by leaving them sit idle for too long…
Finally – this little Minn Kota Endura pushed my butt around all year, into all sorts of close quarter situations – which is one of the main advantages of fishing out of a small, flat bottom boat. I was able to get where nobody else done got!
We caught hundreds of fish out of the jon boat this year. Mapped new lakes and canals, and next year I have some killer locations lined up for fishing from spring through fall!
Jon boat largemouth…
… and smallmouth.
It was a great year.
I was able to do more, and catch more, because my tools were improved.
Next year?
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Well, next year this battery will be dedicated to the latest upgrade – a Minn Kota Powerdrive.
Why? Because the Powerdrive will allow me to set paths and run ’em both forwards and back via GPS, and I can work my active presentations as the trolling motor pulls me about. This will result in more casts, and more fish – I guarantee it – and when you fish alone like I do… you need to look for every opportunity to make your trips more efficient.
The more casts you can make, the more fish you’ll boat.
This will become even more apparent over time, and it’s a good reason to INVEST in quality gear, and DISCARD the fluff. The more you minimize the crap, the more focused you will become. The more crap you discard, the better your pool of fishing equipment will be.
So thank you again, my friends. It is because of your generosity that I have been able to upgrade my humble rig. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the support, the feedback, the emails, the camaraderie – all of it. So many donations had messages attached to them that said some variation of:
“Be careful, and get back out there!!”
Noted, and will do.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Please note: my wife did not secretly write this article… truthfully, she doesn’t really say anything about my fishing expenditures… because she benefits from them as well (see The Ultimate Minocqua Fishing Guide for proof).
She also knows that I love here – but I wouldn’t listen. She knew who I was before she married me. I knew who she was as well.
As it should be.
That said… we are still a team, and it would be irresponsible for me to just spend money willy-nilly. However, I did do something kinda goofy over the weekend… after making small monthly investments for well over a year now… I was finally able to… put a $1,600 trolling motor on a $200 fishing boat.
And no… it’s not paid in full… I’m still financing the balance over the next 12 months… so hopefully it doesn’t break before then! 😀
(Allow me to take a moment to say a big THANK YOU too all readers that make monthly contributions to The Minimalist Fisherman. You help to fuel this endeavor, and are so appreciated!)
The reason for the upgrade? Well… the Powerdrive has a feature that allows you to record a path as you travel it, then later, run that same path automatically. Hands free. Forward and backwards. As someone who fishes little lakes by himself with very limited time (*cough* 4 kids 2 jobs 1 happy wife *cough*) this will help me cover more water with my active presentations. I will be able to create paths based on the best looking structure I find while mapping the bottom with my Garmin Striker Vivid 9sv – another crucially important tool that helps me review the bottom after I get back from a trip, and learn more about a body of water, faster.
These tools cost a fair amount of money.
So how much is TOO MUCH when it comes to buying fishing equipment?
I’m reminded about a conversation I was having with Brother Ron D. As you may recall, Brother Ron D had some valuable insight on Fishing With Light Line that we discussed in an earlier post.
That was a great discussion – and we recently had another regarding the immense explosion in popularity, but substantial cost of Japanese plastic fishing baits. Specifically, Spinnuts, DoLive Beavers, Yamatanukis and the now infamous Cover Scat.
That conversation ties in perfectly with the discussion about my $1,600 trolling motor for the $200 jon boat… it’s all related… and it went a little something like this…
From Brother Ron D –
AJ, I am having a difficult time processing what has happened over the last few days. It has, somewhat, been a revelation. It has changed my perception of what a bait is…and how fish see them. I’m still trying to come to terms with this. Let me explain.
There was a bait I refused to buy. For a couple years now. I thought it was STUPID, expensive, not durable and also… STUPID. But a couple of things happened.
First, I discovered the Hayabusa Spin Muscle Hook I sent you. Truly exceptional in all regards. So that led me down the road of looking at some JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) baits, particularly those designed with the Free Rig or Jika in mind….a couple of my rigging mainstays.
I found a bait for this purpose. And the design is quite exceptional which leads to unique and outstanding action. This bait is called the OSP Dolive Beaver. It’s a craw style bait but the claws were created with the same science behind the movement of a dolphins tail. What it does is amazing. On the drop with the free rig, the claws flap in an incredible manner. But once the weight hits the bottom, the bait “stalls”, goes horizontal and floats down like a Senko. See this link:
DoLive Beaver in Action
As expected, this catches fish on the Free Rig!! First cast. Then second. You get the idea. I LOVE this bait. I HATE the cost and I HATE the durability. This seems to be the case for all JDM baits.
Which leads me to my current bait.
Given the success of the Beaver, I thought I’d try the STUPID bait I’d been avoiding. What bait, you ask? The Cover Scat… a.k.a. The Poop Bait. So I dutifully ordered a few colors of this obscenely expensive bait ($16 for 8 here). I got the smallest version, 2.5″ and rigged with a 2/0 hook.
As you know, both you and I have had a grinding year. Yes, the fish are here. But it’s a grind. My best outing this year (from shore at my test area) is 8. GRIND. So I throw this ridiculous, stupid, expensive, bait. A fish smashes it. And again. And again and again. Sometimes even before it hits bottom. And after only 2 hours, 15 fish. All decent. As expected, these are fragile. I went through 3-4 of these baits. On the flip side, the attention to detail is superb and the hook point guard on the top is genius! Texas rigged, the drop in the water is a shimmy (of sorts) like a wacky. But truly weedless. It casts a mile (heavier than 1/4oz with hook) and is dead simple to fish. Cast, allow bait to sink to bottom, twitch, twitch (or pop, pop) allow to sink again. Repeat. And it flat out catches fish!! On the twitch or pop, the bait spirals around erratically. It’s unique.
Personally, I see no reason to use a Senko or Wacky again, really. Sure they work. But better than this Poop?
Not for me.
And herein lies the issues in my brain. What is a fishing lure? What do fish see? Looking at this with our eyes it looks like S***! But to the fish, it was irresistible! They are fragile… sometimes as little as 2 fish had the bait tore up. And at roughly $2 per bait, that is no joke! This is why I love Z-Man man stuff… they last forever. But do you trade budget for fish catching? And do you start fishing more odd JDM baits that you’d normally ignore because they look stupid?
This is what’s banging around my head today. I think I may be at some crossroads or something… any insight?
-Ron D.
AJ’s Response –
Hey Brother Ron D… see, these are the emails I really enjoy. It’s a conundrum.
I checked out the DoLive – I had to watch that video on a loop for like 10 minutes straight. No joke. That thing looks bonkers in the water. The variation in that video makes me wonder what other baits behave like underwater on that Free Rig you mentioned. Just the variation in drop speed once that sinker hits the bottom could be a trigger. It probably is. You probably know this.
(I have yet to try a Free Rig, but fun fact, I’m taking your Spin Muscle Hooks + The Dredge out again tomorrow for round 3! Also fishing a light jig on 4lb test again – confidence going up in both.)
So we have that. And a doo-doo. You are throwing the doo-doo.
I have seen that thing but I’ll be honest I wrote it off. I suppose I might pay some money for some plastic doo-doo. Can’t believe I just said that… but yes, it has been a grind and fish be fish. Lol.
So the cost. I hear you. I went through a similar, less expensive situation this year – here was where I landed…
For a long time, I fished stickbaits wacky-style. Nothing revolutionary. Caught fish. Gained confidence – and then I started fishing these pits. They’re so clear. Massive visibility and spooky fish. A far cry from the mucky sludge I relearned to fish for largemouth bass in around here. The sludge where you can use straight braid and oversized hooks. Polar opposite. So I down-sized. Ok. Logical. Spinning gear, straight fluoro… I needed to be even sneakier. So, I downsized my hooks. A lot. Started using light wire wacky hooks. Small ones. No weed guard at all, because that just adds something extra. Unnatural. It started to work, but then I noticed I was losing a lot of fish. Way more than I was used to on wacky rigs, even the ones with thick weed guards. The little tiny wacky hooks weren’t getting a good bite on the fish, and they were popping free all the time. Hmmm… so I started to use o-rings. Always avoided them in the past – again, it’s just something extra on the bait. But I tried them – and not because I wanted to save plastics (their main selling point) but because I wanted the maximum amount of my tiny hook exposed. A little o-ring takes up much less space on the hook than a chunk of the plastic itself. But here was the issue – the hook in the single o-ring sat parallel to the stickbait. If you think about it, pulling that stickbait from the center would make a backwards “C” shape as the bait was yanked inside the mouth of the fish – straight up and down behind the tiny hook I was trying to bury. That is a surprising amount of plastic above and below the hook point itself.
“It’s fine, I’ll just keep using 1 o-ring for now – it’s just not worth it. They ain’t cheap.“
Next trip (this last spring) I set into something solid. BIG. I was in the kayak. I couldn’t see her, she was out from shore a bit – straight down, maybe 12 or 15 feet. Subtle strike, then when I set she doubled my spinning rod over. The drag screamed! It was a BIG fish.
*doink*
My stupid little hook popped right out of her mouth. I wasn’t horsing her. Wasn’t yanking all crazy – just lost her.
So why am I telling you this?
Because my hang up was what – a 10 or 20 cent piece of plastic? MAX? But in my mind, I was trying not to “waste anything,” and it cost me a big girl.
So my point is this – these days – if something works, I use it until it doesn’t. I don’t spend frivolously, but I do spend for quality. Case & point – I trust Invizx fluoro, especially in the smaller diameters. Tried it on a whim one time and noticed it snapped way less than Berkley Vanish or whatever else I was using back then. I just paid $28 for 200 yards of 6 lb test to spool up a new reel for a rod I’m building. That is a lot… but… I’ll feel better using it. How many times have we been on the water and said “I’d pay $100 for a goshdang bite right about now!!”
So… buy the poo. Embrace the poo. Throw the poo. Like a monkey.
Every time we go out we’re competing against nature, other anglers, our limited time – so if these baits can tip the scales in your favor and help you hit double digits – go for it man.
… and yes… I now use 2 o-rings per stickbait, overlapped, rig my tiny hook perpendicular instead of parallel to the plastic – and my hookup percentage has massively improved.
Too bad I lost that big girl but… I guess at least I saved $0.10…
-_-
Have a great night & keep me posted!
So… what do you think?
How much is “too much” money? The Poo is not cheap, but it helps Ron catch more fish. My Trolling Motor is not cheap, but it will allow me to make more casts when I am fishing by myself – and I guarantee that will translate to more fish in the boat.
So I guess as far as the cost “being worth it” goes… it’s all relative to the situation… right?
Hmmm… let me know what you think.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Get Articles & Videos First
Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
The days are shorter. The nights are colder. The daydreams are beginning to intensify.
There is a picture frame that lives on our counter. One of the best investments I’ve ever made. It cycles through photos from trips we’ve taken, constantly reminding the kids about their victories. It makes them want to fish and spend more time with family. It keeps the memories fresh, and they love to tell the story of “that fish I caught” and “that place we went” when different images pop up. It keeps them excited…
… truth be told… it has the same effect on me and my wife…
A simple digital picture frame cycles through memories, victories, and keeps “the good stuff” fresh and top-of-mind! Ours currently has 1,500 pics and that number increases every time we fish.
We’re so excited in fact, that I’m in the market for a new boat. Need something simple, minimalist, something that can run shallow and slam into rocks. We’ll be fishing The White River in Arkansas by next November, after all… for trout, yes, but also walleye and smallmouth bass. Lord knows, my wife is an amazing fishing partner, but she is NOT a fan of my 3.5 foot wide jon boat! It’s as wobbly as ‘ol Uncle Butch after his 9th whisky sour. I need to get something wider. More stable. As that search continues, end-of-season cleaning ensues.
Yesterday I came across my Wisconsin Bass Base Box. The presentations in this box accounted for many, many bass this year, including the 5 biggest smallmouth from our annual trip up north. Who caught #1 you ask? …
My wife and her MONSTER Minocqua smallmouth bass. (Told ya she was a great fishing partner.)
This bruiser came out of just 7 feet of water. In July. Often, when largemouth are not the dominant species in a lake, you’ll find smallmouth spread out to many different depths – including the warmer, shallower areas that are rich with forage, weeds, and wood cover. We assume that smallmouth prefer crayfish and deep, rocky, cold water, but sometimes they use deeper areas because they have to.
It takes longer to digest a crayfish than it takes to digest a baitfish.
So, in Wisconsin lakes where largemouth are present but not especially dominant, make sure to explore the weedy, warmer areas as well as the deep rocky humps – and everything in between – until you find what the smallmouth, walleye, crappie, pike, panfish & muskie prefer.
These baits will help you target bass throughout the entire water column effectively.
Let’s get into it.
What is a Wisconsin Bass Base Box?
A Base Box is a single Plano container, loaded with presentations that you have confidence in for a specific kind of fishing. This container is something that you can pick up with zero notice – it’s always ready to go. So when Billy Bob calls and says “BROTHER, LET’S FISH!”, you simply grab the correct Base Box along with the Terminal Tackle Base Box (which is always on hand no matter what), load the backpack and head out.
Fishing from the bank? Just take that backpack. Fishing from your friend’s boat? Just take that backpack. Fishing from your own boat? Just take that backpack!
My Wisconsin Bass Base Box is focused on targeting smallmouth bass in clear Wisconsin lakes (high visibility) with rocks, weeds, and woody cover.
Over the past 20+ years of fishing in Wisconsin, we’ve boiled it all down the the following presentations. Presentations that I absolutely need to have with me to fish with 100% confidence. This is very different from my Clear Water Base Box, and my Muck Bass Base Box… which we will cover in another article…
These items are all that remain after years of reduction. Minimizing. In the past, I’d take a complete bait store with me! These days? I take this box, a few bags of plastics, and some terminal tackle… and we all catch more fish.
The River2Sea Rover 98 was a surprise hit this year, with a walking Live Target Yearling Baitball coming into play when I wanted a slightly smaller profile.
Topwater is fun, and in clear Wisconsin lakes, fishing a topwater in 8 foot of water or less – especially over thick weeds – can be intense. It’s also a great way to cover water. Big pike and the occasional muskie are not afraid to hammer your topwater offerings as well, and that kind of pandemonium is a blast – I don’t care who you are!
I like to start out with a moving bait featuring a natural pattern. Something medium-sized that walks, like the River2Sea Rover 98. I’ll rig this up on a baitcaster, braid, and a 20 Pound Monofilament Leader. This does two things – it floats better than fluorocarbon, and yes – it is slightly less visible than straight braid – but more importantly, that mono is less likely to get twisted up on your guides in-between casts.
Straight braid can be a pain at times, especially if it’s windy.
Minocqua Must-Have Bait #2: Popping Topwaters
Having a few popping topwaters on hand will allow you to do two things:
First, they give you the option to present a smaller profile with distinct pauses, and at times this will coax bites better than a walking bait. (Experiment with a dressed rear treble. If you have follows but no takers, swap it out for a plain treble or try to change the color of your popper.)
Second, they give you one of the tools to make a Pop ‘n Drop. A Pop ‘n Drop is a popper with the rear treble removed, exchanged for a fluorocarbon dropper line, wacky hook and a trailing stickbait that sinks slowly, coming to a rest anywhere from 1 to 3 feet below the popper. This helps you put something irresistible in front of those fish that follow, but just won’t bite.
AJ Hauser with a healthy Manitowish smallmouth bass that could not resist the Pop ‘n Drop.
The popper gets their attention – the stickbait seals the deal.
Clear Wisconsin lakes are known to have expansive weed beds. In some places, they can stretch for miles and miles, and while you can jig fish them to target clearly defined transitions, pockets or other submerged cover (and you should), this makes covering a lot of water difficult.
If you’re searching for bass, consider running a wakebait right over the top of these weeds. You might be surprised at what lunges out!
The StrikePro Hunchback is a great wakebait that runs less than a foot, but they are expensive and harder and harder to find. Luck-E-Strike Cajun Wakebaits are a cheap alternative. A Rebel Teeny Wake-R is a lot of fun to throw on light line for numbers if the wind is calm, and a Mann’s Baby 1-Minus has been a staple in my arsenal for a while now – plus, it brings rattles to the table. I mark the running depth on most of my lures with a Sharpie.
Minocqua Must-Have Bait #4: Jerkbaits
Two years ago, I decided it was time to learn – yes, I said LEARN – to use jerkbaits. I’m glad that I dedicated time to the technique, because jerkbaits are fun, and they work.
I take a few with me when I fish Minocqua and the Manitowish Chain ‘O Lakes. They are great for covering water, especially around sandy flats with sparse weed clumps, stumps and logs. However, they are not the best option for the thick weed beds mentioned above.
I’ve had days where they were lights out – and days where they were ignored outright.
Take a few & test ’em.
My jerkbait collection includes a few Rapala RipStops that run shallow and stop on a dime, along with several Husky Jerks in different sizes. Huskies have been a staple for serious anglers for many years now – and as I’ve learned – it’s for good reason. I round out my collection with a few discontinued baits, which I will use until I lose ’em…
Minocqua Must-Have Bait #5: Lipless Crankbaits
Pike will destroy a lipless. I love to throw them when the water is a bit cooler and the big fish are active. We usually visit Minocqua during “the dog days” though… so pike fishing is hit or miss.
When I’m fishing areas with toothy critters, I’ll usually add a fluorocarbon leader to my line. Seaguar AbraizX is a great choice, and I prefer it over Seaguar Red Label. Neither are as tough as a steel leader, but it gives you a great chance of avoiding a bite-off while remaining invisible to the more finicky fish.
Smallmouth bass are not to be underestimated, as they will demolish a lipless crankbait as well – when they’re active. A great way to catch ’em is by throwing a lipless crankbait over the tops of the weed beds – then ripping your bait free when it gets hung up. My wife landed this beauty just minutes before a big storm rolled in using this technique. (You should have heard her warcry ring out across the empty lake as the bass came aboard and thunder rolled – it was truly epic!)
Nice smallmouth bass on one of my Dad’s Rattlin’ Rapalas. The (Discontinued) Bomber Ratl RRR A
We like Rattlin’ Rapalas, Rat-L-Traps, and I also throw Bomber Ratl RRR As that my buddy, Brother Ron, sent in a care package not that long ago. All three are great options.
Finally, swim jigs round out our bulky bait repertoire. The added weight, weed guard and skirt on a swim jig allow you to control the depth of your swimbaits while remaining very weedless and adding girth.
You can retrieve these bulked-up baits right through the cabbage and grass to get the attention of any number of species – they go where the trebled jerkbaits dare not tread!
Some of my favorite swim jigs can be seen here – just remember: opt for natural colors most of the time in the clear Wisconsin water.
Minocqua Must-Have Bait #7: Hair Jigs
Now that we’ve covered our moving baits, it’s time to sloooooow down a bit… hair jigs have increased in popularity over the last several years. Bass fisherman (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted) stayed tight-lipped about them for quite some time, but anglers like Kevin VanDam were seen using them in major tournaments, and us “normies” started to get wise…
I keep several on hand in different colors (usually natural or black with a highlight color for attraction) sized from 1/16 to 3/8 ounce.
Now, you can fish these a few different ways… some anglers like to fish them as-is, working them up and down and drifting them out from shallow to deep water with a simple pendulum motion.
This can work – but I prefer to tip mine with live bait…
Leeches.
One of my best bass from an especially slow morning came on a light hair jig tipped with a leech. We were sitting in about 30 feet of water casting towards the entrance of the lake which had a steep rocky drop-off. This bass followed my jig all the way to the boat and hit when it was 5 feet away – wild!
The hair adds bulk, motion (especially the marabou) and slows the rate of fall. If you use a black jig with a leech the color matches well, and the motion and taste of the leech can help to create a surprisingly effective package.
A 3/8 ounce VMC BKJ Bucktail Jig will help you get down to those deeper fish, faster. This means more casts, and more chances to get bit.
Minocqua Must-Have Bait #8: NedlockZ & BulletZ
While fishing the Manitowish Chain ‘O Lakes this year, I spent quite a bit of time fine-tuning The Snakebite Rig. Even though this rig was originally developed for fishing the heavy muck here in Illinois – a few modifications allowed me to slither it through thick weedy areas that dropped into deeper water.
Tip ’em with plastics, leeches, crawlers, minnows – you name it. One of my favorite techniques for “bonus fish” involves setting up an extra pole with a slip-bobber rig. I’ll set this in a rod holder and allow it to leisurely drift behind the boat with a leech on one of these Lindy Live Bait Jigs while I’m simultaneously fishing a more active presentation. The weight of the jig removes the need for split-shot.
It’s like having an extra set of hands, and even when I’m retying I always have a bait in the water. If the panfish are a problem, I’ll swap the leech out for a small plastic and drift that instead.
“Bonus Fish” on a drifting leech.
Minocqua Must-Have Bait #10: Mushroomhead Jigs
Mushroomhead jigs have been around for a long time. They pair perfectly with plastics, allowing you to keep a low profile with minimal negative cues. I keep an assortment on hand from 1/16 to 1/4 ounce in both weedless and extra-weedy varieties. (Notice that weedless and standard jigs live in the same compartment in the Wisconsin Bass Base Box, so they take up less space.)
The Northland Tackle Deep-Vee Jigs are a bit of a hybrid, and more importantly, they are extremely effective. The tend to stand up, they have a light wire hook with a longer shank, and they also have an angled head with large, realistic eyes.
That light wire hook makes for easy penetration in the mouth of a fish, so it’s a great option for younger anglers and old pros alike.
This jig, paired with a small plastic, was responsible for the biggest bass of the trip. Sure they’re pricey, but DO NOT sleep on this jig!
A 1/8 ounce Northland Tackle Deep-Vee Jig helped my wife land this MONSTER smallmouth bass. You can see the jig hanging from her rod on the left in this picture.
The Bait Rigs Slo-Poke Jig is a must-have item for fishing live bait in the weeds. The inline eye increases hookups and reduces snags. The center-balanced weight has a slower, more horizontal fall than a ball head jig, which falls vertically. The hook shank is strong and compact.
It’s very likely that this jig will be the one you keep tied on the entire trip…
Walk into any Wisconsin bait shop, and they’ll have a tray with Slo-Pokes in many weights & sizes. Grab an assortment, both with and without the weed guard.
You’ll thank me.
The Bait Rigs Slo-Poke Jig is unique, and a consistent favorite of both walleye and bass anglers – for good reason.
I like to stick with 1/16 to 1/8 ounce jigs, and I can usually get away with fishing without a weed guard. Black and orange are great colors, and everything you see in the image above is in my tackle box. I prefer to tip with leeches, and Dad likes crawlers.
My first 17″ smallmouth bass this year came off of a flat with sparse weedy cover near stumps and logs on a Bait Rigs Slo-Poke Jig tipped with a leech. Jig was 1/16 ounce, line weight was 8 pound fluoro – a bit oversized, and the water depth was about 10 feet. My wife with a 16″ smallmouth bass that came off of a weedy hump in 20′ of water. Leech on a Slo-Poke. Badda-bing badda-boom. Dad landed this 19″ smallmouth bass on an orange Slo-Poke Jig tipped with a leech in about 12 feet of water…… and last year this 4-pounder smoked the exact same rig tipped with a crawler instead of a leech. Experiment!
Slo-Poke Jig & Live Leech Fishing
Minocqua Must-Have Bait #13: Terminal Tackle
A small assortment of Must-Have Terminal Tackle includes the following:
It looks like a grab bag, but there is a method to the madness: steel leaders, o-rings, slip bobbers, split-rings, nail weights, bullet weights, beads and bobber stops allow you to make a wide variety of rigs.
With these components you can make Neko Rigs, Dropshot Rigs, Trailing Slip-Bobber Rigs, Texas Rigs and Carolina Rigs – provided you also have the following hooks…
Minocqua Must-Have Bait #14: Weedless Wacky Hooks
Wacky hooks with and without a weed guard are a must. They can be used for wacky rigs of course, but they also work on dropshot rigs. The dropshot was something new I played with this year for fishing weedy humps all the way down to depths of 25 feet.
(Check out Dad’s All-Star Scoop on this one right as the hook popped free!)
Testing the Dropshot on Wisconsin Bass
I caught a few, but next year I’ll be dedicating more time to the dropshot and adding in some Hayabusa Spin Muscle Dropshot Hooks. These have worked surprisingly well here in Illinois in my deep, clear pits. Make sure to toss a few Eagle Claw Offset Octopus Hooks (size 2) in here as well, for your trailing bobber rigs when you switch from leeches to 3″ plastics.
A collection of VMC, Berkley and Trokar wacky hooks.
I typically take what I use here in Illinois where a heavy weed guard is required: Berkley Fusion19 Weedless Wacky Hooks have a thick fluorocarbon weed guard. VMC Weedless Wacky Hooks are even more rigid and come with a very stiff wire weed guard.
However, this year I realized that both of these were too heavy. The Trokar Weedless Wacky Hooks gave us better hookups, due to their light wire and softer fiber weed guard, and still came through the cabbage effortlessly. By the end of the trip we were using these exclusively, because they also allowed us to lighten up our line – a huge advantage in clear Wisconsin water.
My wife with a stocky 18″ smallmouth that slammed a Neko Rig with a 4″ Dinger on a Trokar Weedless Wacky Hook. Neko Rigs are great because they will catch all sorts of gamefish, like this quality largemouth bass.
My main “worm hooks” include a simple variety of Mustad and Trokar offerings.
Stick to 2/0 or smaller if you’re targeting smallmouth bass in clear Wisconsin water. Maybe grab a few 3/0 hooks if you like to use bulkier plastics: tubes or creatures for example… I’ve had some luck on these baits, but not enough that I plan to put away the leeches or smaller plastics… well, most of the time…
Nice fat Wisconsin smallmouth on a Z-Man EZ Tube in the middle of the day.
OH! Before I forget…
What plastics catch bass in Minocqua?
We talked about all of the tackle and hard baits, but what else will we need aside from live bait? There are a lot of plastics that will work… but here are the ones I’ll be taking next year, after testing many, many, many different baits:
Z-Man TRDs: Great for Ned Rigs around sparse cover.
Z-Man Hula Sticks: Great on Snakebite Rigs & Deep-Vee jigs in and around thicker cover.
3″ Yum Dingers: Great for trailing bobbers when you’re out of leeches.
Any color will work as long as it’s green pumpkin.
😉
99% of the time I’m fishing natural colors. Green pumpkins, natural baitfish colors, some white and gray and maybe a touch of purple or red flake. A few ElaZtechs in coppertreuse for overcast days. Don’t overcomplicate this – and try to mimic the local forage.
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Notice the back has a killer design. Dang! That’s SWEET! And as you work it over the muck and the pads… the bass are going to see… the white belly (if anything)…
That’s not bad, but it’s something to be mindful of when you are selecting your topwater. And sure, bass that see the frog at an angle might notice part of the top. If it rolls (not ideal) on the retrieve, they might be able to catch a glimpse… but for the most part if you go with a bait like this you’re simply throwing a white frog.
This Terminator Frog has some accent colors on top, but the entire body is black. Hence, you’re throwing a black frog.
This means you can probably minimize your frog box and focus on quality, not quantity.
2. In mucky water, the bass don’t care what your topwater looks like.
Say again?
If bass are set up below thick mucky algae, they don’t care what your bait looks like, because they can’t see it anyway. This is true when the water below the algae is clear, and even more true if the water is stained, tannic, or straight up pea soup.
They are reacting to the commotion – the movement – the easy meal.
Because of this, one of my favorite ways to target these bass is with a 4″ or 5″ Yum Dinger rigged weedless and weightless on a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG.
New honey hole with muck near shore, pea soup for water, and healthy bass.
Here is the gear I use when I’m rigging a Dinger on an EWG, including my mainline (braid floats) and my leader material (fluorocarbon line gets snagged up less than braid and is abrasion resistant).
As you can see, this is different than the gear that comes into play for throwing straight wacky worms around weeds or sparse cover. When I’m not fishing around muck, I’ll completely skip a weed guard on the hook to stay as invisible as possible, crisscross 2 o-rings to rig perpendicular to the bait which increases hookups, and go with a thinner fluoro with less memory:
When you throw a Dinger topwater, it’s essentially a weightless Texas rig. Slow-sinking, yes, but not heavy enough to punch through the mats. However, when you reach the edge of the mat, pull it off and let it slowly sink for a second or two. Often times bass that are watching the movement above will gladly shoot out and smoke the slow-sinking stickbait as it drifts right in front of their face.
That is… if they haven’t already SMACKED it right through the thick of it!
Largemouth Bass Strikes a Topwater Stickbait thru Muck
Quick Trip: Topwater Dingers in the Muck
I keep a selection of both floating and sinking stickbaits in my Base Box for Fishing Muck, but it’s also important to remember as a Minimalist Fisherman our goal is to travel as light as possible. On kayak trips when we can only select a handful of baits, frogs take up a lot more room that stickbaits.
They’re also less versatile.
FACT.
You can hit every depth with a stickbait, provided you have a few sinker & hook options.
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Have you ever struggled to keep up with something?
I have, and to be honest – I’m having a rough go of it lately…
What do we do as fishermen when we get a free second?
We fish.
Fair enough.
I’ve been fishing as much as possible lately. That means I haven’t been writing or editing videos as much. That’s a bummer – but on the other hand, it helps me stay sane. Helps me stay away from bad habits…
This year has been a wild one – and it ain’t over yet.
So far I’ve managed to almost sink my kayak, had ticks on my unmentionables, I’ve busted rods and reels, lost big fish, and I just discovered some fun new leaks in my jon boat. To top it all off, I’m recovering from a very painful allergic reaction to the antibiotic I had to take to help kick my incredible, amazing, MASSIVE, nose infection.
That was genuinely scary. I posted a quick video hoping it might prevent other fisherman from suffering the same painful fate. To warn them. It seemed to resonate with a few different online creators, and one in particular reached out to to let me know he planned to share the video, and send along some well wishes.
That gentleman was Rick Vogelbacher. We struck up a few conversations, and I asked Rick if he would like to contribute to the site. He obliged, and much to my surprise – he wrote a piece that dealt with one of my favorite presentations: The Jerkbait.
The following is just a straightforward 5-minute read, but it covers jerkbait use at different times of the year… plus some additional info I was unaware of…
It’s The 5-Minute Jerkbait Guide for BIG BASS. Check it out, and let me know what you think!
The 5-Minute Jerkbait Guide for BIG BASS
By Rick Vogelbacher
Author Rick Vogelbacher with a MONSTER 7 POUND SMALLMOUTH (and a beauty of a largemouth bass to boot)
Fishing jerkbaits for bass can be overwhelming with so many choices on the market. You have ones that float, sink, suspend, or dive to different depths. How do you know which ones to use? There are times when we make these choices a little more difficult than they need to be. It can be as simple as the time of year you’re fishing. It could be the body of water you’re on that helps you make the choice for the day.
Let’s go over some of the basic choices for the time of year you’re fishing.
Fishing Jerkbaits in Early Spring
Ahhh… spring time fishing. The water is cold and it’s the first warming trend since the winter months. I’ve caught them on jerkbaits with the surface temperatures ranging 40 to 60 degrees. The clear choice for jerkbaits during these cold-water days is a suspending jerkbait.
They come in deep diving variations, and mid-range models that dive just 3 to 6 feet. The package or product description should tell you if the model suspends, and how deep it dives.
Colors can vary and depend on the body of water you’re fishing. Generally, jerkbaits are a good choice when you are fishing clear water. They are a visual presentation, and therefore excel in clear water situations. Stained water can be productive at times, but you will want to use a much brighter color so the fish can zero in on the jerkbait. They won’t travel as far in stained water to chase a jerkbait as they do in clear water.
One of the biggest things fishing a suspending jerkbait in the spring is to focus on the cadence of the retrieve. I would venture to say more often than not you will want to do at least a 3 to 5 second pause in between jerks with the lure. Typically fluorocarbon lines are preferred by pro’s, but I’ve been doing just fine with mono for years.
The biggest difference is the monofilament line tends to float whereas the fluorocarbon line doesn’t. The most common line diameter to use is 8 lb. test, but strength and thickness can vary from brand to brand. Typically, I will use 10 lb. line. There are times I will go as heavy as 12 lb. line, but not very often. The thicker the line diameter the less action you will get out of your jerkbait. Translucent, silver, light greens or blue mixed in colors work well on clear lakes.
Fishing Jerkbaits in the Summer
Fishing jerkbaits during the summer is a whole different ball game. The surface water temperatures can run 80 to 90 degrees depending on the part of the country you’re in. There is no bigger emphasis on cadence on the jerks of the lure than during this period. It can vary day to day, but the majority of the time you are working the lure much faster than any other time of the year.
The bass metabolism is at its highest and they are keened in on chasing and eating baitfish. You will want to jerk your lure much quicker with much shorter pauses. Often pausing it briefly and either do two quick jerks or three in a row before the next pause. Colors for clear water will be the same, but you’ll notice that bass in stained water will be more active and likely to hit the jerkbait. The largemouth in this video below show just how effective a jerkbait can be during the summer months.
When the water starts to cool in the fall, the productivity of jerkbaits can really start to shine. You will use many of the same retrieves and colors mentioned in the early spring pattern, with one major difference – the bass will be less active some days as the water cools down. In the spring the water temperature is rising and the fish get more active with those rising temperatures. In the fall the opposite is happening. The water is cooling down and the fish are trying to get accustomed to the falling temperatures which can cause some inactivity. This is the main reason you will want to go back to those long pauses on the jerkbait to trigger the strikes.
The difference in getting bites and not getting bites can sometimes boil down to the size of the jerkbait you are throwing. Most jerkbaits are referenced by length in millimeters. For instance, anything with 110 in the name is going to be 110 millimeters long (4.33 inches). One that has 90 will be 90 millimeters long (3.54 inches). There have been days where we have only caught them on the smaller 90 and can’t get a bit on the 110.
Additionally, jerkbaits come in 120, 150, or really small in the 60 range. It’s something to be aware of when you’re trying to match the hatch of the bait fish they are feeding on.
For more tips on jerkbait fishing and to see underwater footage of the jerkbait and baitfish they feed on. Check out the video below.
Big thanks to Rick for sharing his knowledge on the subject, and big thanks to you as well for checking this article out. There are many more coming down the pike, as this year has been very challenging – but also very rewarding. I’ve spent a lot of time these last 2 months in the jon boat. These next few weeks I’ll hit my pits as hard as possible, before everything slows to a crawl…
Fat bass caught skipping a Z-Man Trout Trick… although, the Z-Man FattyZ have been more productive…… and the jerkbait bitehas been good as well… for smallmouth and largemouth!
Get out & get some.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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So, I have these hooks… and they are vicious looking little dudes… but, I haven’t been able to find a good use for them for years. Gear that sits like this, unused, needs to be tossed, round-filed – minimized.
However, while rolling them back and forth in my hands, lightning struck. On a recent bank-fishing trip to Snapping Turtle Pond I was able to fish stickbaits and wakebaits very effectively, but there was a major problem…
When I would get a bass up near the shore, the act of lifting the fish 10 feet high in the air, up and over the tall reeds & grass, resulted in several lost fish. They would either get stuck and fall back in the water, or my little wacky hook would simply pop free – releasing the fish before I had a chance to give ’em a smooch.
I needed a longer pole, heavier gear, and a hook that would stay put when lifting fish up and out. The CHT Double Wacky Hook paired with a stout spinning setup and heavy braid-to-fluoro fit the bill. Now the good news is that I have about 6 more of these, and they will last for a while – the bad news is that I’m not sure if they’re still making ’em… if anyone has any idea, please comment. Might be a good idea for me to send them an email right now just to check…
If you fish from the bank, check this out and go get some hawgs!
Lifting Fat Bass High Into the AirClick the banner to jump to Stars & Bars Fishing on YouTube.
The Lunkerhunt Battle Beetle is something that I will try again. However, it has two exposed trebles on the back. On this trip the slight amount of floating debris made this bait unusable.
The CHT Double Wacky Hook allowed me to lift big fish up and over the tall shoreline reeds & grass. This hook did not pop free as easily as a single wacky hook on previous trips.
The o-ring allows the maximum amount of hook to be exposed – just like using o-rings with a standard wacky hook. Cool feature.
Big fish will hide right up next to shore if there is adequate cover and they feel safe.
It all comes down to balance. When I’m fishing clear water, I go as light and natural as possible, but in a place like this increasing the size & strength of the entire rig is a must.
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I am happy to report that my ridiculous nose-infection has dropped back down, from 100% swollen to about 12%. So, that means it’s back to work, and back to fishin’! In the following video I wanted to show you (and install) a very clever rod holder I just purchased.
Earlier this year I made some vertical rod holders out of PVC… and they came with a few hassles. This addition to the customized jon boat will allow me to add or remove rod holders in 3-seconds flat.
Check it out –
3-Second Rod Holders? Yup. Click the banner to jump to The Minimalist Fisherman on YouTube.
If you want to pick up a few for yourself, check out the Lunker Trail Website – I was extremely impressed with how fast these guys processed my order, and it looks like their home pase is right in Missouri.
More on this product soon… hope you get out today, and have a great weekend!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
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I almost didn’t make this video because… well… LOOK AT ME. I’m a grotesque mess, and this infection (or whatever it is) came as a direct result of not being careful while fishing shallow, WARM, bacteria-loaded mucky ponds.
But I mean… how can you say no when the bass are there, and willing to bite?
You can’t.
And the good news is that you don’t have to – but you better take these precautions RIGHT NOW, to protect yourself and your family.
This Happened While FISHING!?
If you enjoy any outdoor activity, there are things that we need to watch out for.
Ticks. Bites. Big bloody wounds. Twisted ankles and busted knuckles.
These are all things that we notice pretty quickly.
But bacteria… stuff that can get into your system without you even noticing until it’s too late… that stuff is no joke.
Is the answer to hide indoors?
NO!
The answer is to be mindful of what you need to watch out for – and that is why I took a video of this instead of keeping it to myself. If I can prevent just one person from going through this pain, it’s worth it. Might want to share this with a friend or two…
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Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
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A few months back I received a “care package” from Ronald Richards, who I affectionately refer to as Brother Ron. That package contained about 20 lipless crankbaits – different sizes of the Bomber Ratl “RRR” A. It just blew me away. I asked him to tell me a bit more about why he loved these specific lipless crankbaits so much, and here was what he said. Thanks again, Brother Ron.
Brother Ron sharing the goods.
Don’t Give Me Any Lip!
A Story from Ron Richards
About forty years ago I bought a Ratl “RRR” A made by Bomber Lure Company.
When I say I bought “a lure” that’s not really true. I always buy at least two, if not more. Just in case. If they work good I can loan one to my partner (on a cold day in hell) or if I lose one, I have a replacement.
No. I don’t remember where or why I bought that first one.
The Bomber Ratl RRR A Lipless Crankbait
Probably at a WalMart store in North Platte, NE. Maybe at Cabela’s in Sidney, NE. I lived about equal distance from both of them. But it doesn’t matter. I guess I just liked the looks of them and the fact that they rattled. The fact that they discontinued making them right after I “discovered” them has nothing to do with the fact that I ended up with well over one hundred of them.
Probably close to two hundred.
I fished a lot of sand pits (borrow pits) in western Nebraska for largemouth bass, and a couple of major reservoirs for anything that would hit a lure. That is still pretty much how and where I fish today.
I cannot tell you why the Bomber crankbait works so good. I can only tell you that it did and it still does. I had Rattletraps, I had Rapalas, I had Bayou Boogies, I had a large assortment of cranks that didn’t compare to the results I had using a Bomber Ratl “RRR” A.
And that is still true today.
Maybe it’s because I tie that lure on and stay with it. Maybe it’s the rattle. Maybe it’s the color.
But one thing it ain’t… it ain’t my imagination.
The Bomber Ratl RRR A Lipless Crankbait
One year back in the 80s the post spawn walleye were up in the willows at the west end of a NE reservoir. Three of us limited every day for three days using these crankbaits. Nothing else seemed to produce a hit. These were all spawned out females, nice fat walleye.
Nice fat walleye out of the cooker.
My best wiper came on a Ratl “RRR” A, out of Red Willow Reservoir in Nebraska. It was a little north of eleven pounds.
I’ve caught bluegill, crappie, catfish, northern pike and smallies on these lures. They just work!
One evening my wife and daughter and I were fishing a pit and planned on having a picnic. I caught three bass on three casts and the third one gave a mighty twist as I was pulling it out of the water and into the boat. Lure popped out and buried itself in the first joint of my thumb. To the bone. My wife is an RN, she took one look and said… “off to the ER.” I knew the doctor pretty good and told him… ”no matter what, don’t you screw that lure up!” He laughed and promised he wouldn’t.
He didn’t… and I used it next week!
… I’m still hearing about “no picnic” though…
We moved to Missouri shortly after that episode and those lures worked amazingly good on largemouth bass down there. I now had several dozen in different colors, and the biggest bass I caught went all of eight pounds.
Then a few years ago we started going to Texas for the winter. Fishing on the Colorado River reservoirs. Primarily on Lake LBJ. Those crankbaits absolutely hammered the big bass in that lake. And still do. I had back to back five pound bass this year using one. My biggest is nine and three quarters. Still hoping for a double digit.
My technique when using a lipless crankbait is to cast it out and crank it back. Mighty simple, but it works. I do a countdown a lot of the time just trying to get the right depth. I’ve also done ok using it like a jerk bait, but a smooth retrieve still is the best producer.
Chewed Up & Painted Bomber Ratl RRR A Lipless Crankbaits
AJ asked for pictures with the lure in the mouth of a fish. Sadly, I can’t produce that. I have lots of bass pictures but none showing the lures in their mouth. I can still see many of them in my mind, but that is difficult to reproduce on paper… just never seemed important until he asked for them.
If you haven’t gone lipless, try it.
While I’ve made a case for the Bomber, I know that lots of other lipless crankbaits work too.
Best regards and good fishing.
-Ron Richards
Special thanks again to Brother Ron for allowing me to share this story. If you want to get in touch to share a story of your own, I’d love to hear from you. You can also share Ron’s story below. -AJ
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It’s Monday, and there is a YouTubes I’d like to show you.
First, a quick story: when I sat down at my computer to edit this video, that’s all it was supposed to be: a fishing video. With fish in it. And baits. And fishy stuff. And fishing tips.
The end.
But… it’s not just a fishing video…
While playing the clips back over and over and over, I found myself smiling ear to ear whenever my son would catch a fish. The excitement and adrenaline, followed by his enthusiastic laughter – how could I NOT smile!? He’s so excited! He’s happy. He’s proud. He took on a task and succeeded.
So why does this matter?
4 years ago when I started The Minimalist Fisherman, I didn’t know what it would become, but I did feel a strong pull. Just go. Write stuff. Record stuff. Publish stuff. See what happens. Even with all that uncertainty, helping my boys become better anglers was a priority. We’ve talked before about how I struggled to put them on fish. My skills needed to improve, so that they could have more fun.
So that was the focus. Fun. As I gained more and more experience it paid off in terms of many, many more fish for everyone in my tribe… but… guess what the added (unexpected) benefit has been?
Real, genuine, father / son bonding.
I had completely missed it. Bonding was an afterthought, not a priority! Catching more fish, THAT was the goal. But through the development of this skill, something truly special has happened. My boys ASK me to go fishing all the time. I get to take them outside, away from screens, away from news, away from distractions and work in unison with them towards a common goal. We climb a mountain together, and God willing – we celebrate VICTORY.
It’s a beautiful thing, and I want that for you as well.
If you’re looking for a way to bond with your son or daughter – yes, even your wife – then fishing can be an extremely valuable asset in the relationship building toolbox. Keep this in mind during trips so you can do whatever possible to help them have fun and achieve success. On days like this it’s not about you, Dad – it’s far more important they catch fish!
But I promise… by focusing on them, you’ll walk away from the lake with something way more valuable than a couple of bites…
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
We’re at it again! It’s early and I’m sitting in the main room of the boathouse that rests on the shore of the Manitowish Chain O Lakes to begin this article, coffee in hand, thinking about all the different ways to approach the fishing these next two weeks. We had big storms last night, and there’s something amazing about the way thunder cracks and echoes up and down the chain. It’s extra sharp. Crisp. A snap, a pause, a boom and that long, long rumble before it disappears completely back into the ether…
Snap… … … … BOOM!
Last night my family enjoyed the pitter-patter of rain hitting the windows and splattering across the deck in between thunder so loud it shook our souls. A solemn reminder that within the magnificent order of our world, there are powers far greater than man.
An excellent way to drift off after a long day of travel.
So sleep, yes… but then, over the next two weeks… we’ll fish hard.
A Plan for Fishing the Manitowish Chain
There are several techniques that have worked for us over the last 30 years fishing the different lakes of this northern chain. Standouts. The cream always rises to the top. I’ll briefly cover our favorites before explaining a newcomer this year… The Snakebite Rig. Every technique listed here was utilized over the course of this trip.
Top Fishing Techniques for Lakes near Minocqua, Wisconsin
… we slayed ’em this year… I caught the MOST… but…… Mama had the BIGGEST! ATTA GIRL!!
MEAT: a simple jig and leech or a weedless jig with a crawler will get the job done when everything else seems to get ignored. The Slo-Poke Walleye Kit is a great place to start, and if the panfish start attacking your live bait too much, don’t be afraid to fish small plastics. Hit the weed edges and rocky shorelines early in the morning, look anywhere from 5 to 25 feet deep.
Small Stickbaits on a weedless wacky hook are a great way to work the weed beds while fending off the aggravating panfish. I stick with baits around 4″ and usually use natural colors – the water here is clear. If you don’t need a weed guard – don’t use one!
If the fish are active and the water temps aren’t too hot, both pike and smallmouth will absolutely decimate a River2Sea Rover 98! It’s a great way to start your morning, and other small walking baits like a Zara Spook Jr can be dynamite! (For extra fun, rig up a Pop ‘n Drop and go to town!!)
Later this month I’ll break down my Wisconsin Base Box. It’s more involved than this list. It’s also more involved than the Muck Base Box we covered a few weeks ago, but have no fear – the items mentioned above will give you a major leg up on your buddies!
Now… let’s talk about the new guy…
What’s The Snakebite Rig?
The Snakebite Rig is something that’s been getting tossed all along the tall, overhanging shores of Illinois. While exploring, I came across some clear lakes that had an interesting mix of tall, stringy grass beneath overhead muck. The Back-to-Back Uni-Knots used for my fluorocarbon leaders (to make my braid less visible) suddenly became a problem. Their forward-facing tag is a muck-magnet.
In a Back-to-Back-Uni-Knot, the blue fluorocarbon (hard) tag end faces forward.
I would cast, start my retrieve, and within mere inches a large ball of snot and goop would form right at the connection, making it impossible to cleanly work my rigs through the cover. On top of that, the tag on the Uni-Knot next to my hook also gunked up, and as my plastic whatever would slip below the surface, it would become unusable after a crank or two of the handle.
Many popular knots have forward-facing tag ends.
3 popular knots. 3 forward-facing tag ends.
There was no way to cleanly snake plastics through this mucky grass… very frustrating! I needed to come up with the most weedless, muckless setup that was also strong enough to hoist bass up onto the overhanging bank. (My beloved weedless wacky hooks and 8lb test had snapped, bent out or popped free one too many times while trying to haul nice bass up and out of the water. Just too much weight, so the hook needed to be a bit stronger as well – but retain a small profile.)
That was the goal, and The Snakebite Rig was born.
How to Set Up The Snakebite Rig
When you set up your Snakebite – the connectionsare as important as the components:
Spool up with 30 pound braided fishing line (or stronger) and tie on a high quality 15 lb fluorocarbon leader (or stronger) using an Improved Alberto Knot. This creates an extremely small, smooth connection that will not pick up muck. The fluoro is folded back onto itself, and the forward-facing tag is soft braid. This fixes the problem of the Back-to-Back Uni-Knot. (Adjust your leader length based on water clarity and cover conditions.)
Heavy line is important.
This rig will go where a shaky head or a jigworm with an exposed hook won’t, but it’s not a power presentation. It’s semi-finesse, but still needs to give you the power to hoist large bass up onto overhanging banks. The fluoro leader offers abrasion resistance too, and it won’t get spun up around branches as much as straight braid – double bonus!
Improved Alberto Knot connection with no forward-facing fluoro tag. The 30 pound braid to 15 pound fluorocarbon used here still has an extremely small profile. A slight tag has been left on the braid, which will fold back onto itself.
Next, we need a weedless hook and weight system. The first thing that comes to mind is that good ‘ol Texas Rig… but we don’t want that free-floating weight or the hassle of adding a bobber stop / peg. Plus, we need a more compact hook, not a monster 5/0 EWG. This is the perfect rig to pair with some Z-Man Finesse BulletZ. The Z-Man Finesse BulletZ have a fixed weight and the 1/10th or 1/15th ounce sizes are usually enough to get the bait down into the cover without burrowing it into the bottom too fast. This gives fish time to see – and hammer – your offering. The recessed eye, stationary weight and smaller hook size slip through cover beautifully. (Note: the Z-Man Pro BulletZ feature much larger hooks and some heavier weights, so make sure you don’t grab these by mistake, unless you want to upsize the entire rig.)
This must be connected to your fluorocarbon leader using a Weedless Uni-Knot, which keeps the fluorocarbon tag end facing backwards – just like our leader connection.
These days I tie all of my Uni-Knots weedless, because it only requires one extra pass:
A single, extra pass before you cinch your knot will make it weedless.You can see the tag is now facing back after it’s been cinched down tight.
Finally, select your favorite floating worm or plastic (yes floating – we want this to sink slowly) and rig it – you guessed it – weedless. Push the tip of the hook through the bait and bury it just slightly below the “skin” on the opposite side so it doesn’t catch anything (“texposed”). This gives you better hooksets than what you would experience trying to drive through the entire plastic.
I prefer to use baits that already contain salt, then add additional scent. This mimics blood (something that is alive) while masking human stank. Bang StickZ. Dr. Juice. Get some.
The Snakebite Rig was designed to be fished in clear to slightly stained water, with a layer of muck or algae over the top of tall weeds or grass. This is where it shines. The small hook, fixed weight, and knots with hard tag ends all facing back allow the angler to get through the algae, then snake through the weeds or grass below with ease.
The floating plastic helps to keep the bait up off the bottom, and the salt and scent give you an extra few seconds to set the hook.
Cast it out and start to work it back with slow drags or twitches. A faster retrieve will bring the bait back just subsurface. A slow, deliberate retrieve will allow you to drop the bait down into holes or transitions. If you come across a spot on a spot, like a stump or boulder or clearing within a larger weed bed, allow The Snakebite Rig to sink all the way to the bottom of these areas and entice fish.
This works great for largemouth bass. It’s why it was developed.
Quality Largemouth Bass on The Snakebite Rig
Using a Snakebite Rig on Wisconsin Bass
The Snakebite Rig is also extremely useful when you need to fish big weedy flats for smallmouth bass in Wisconsin, and it came into play for me more than once this year.
Was it developed for bank fishing? Yes. Does it work when fishing from a boat as well?
Sure does.
Many techniques catch bass (once you find them) in Wisconsin. Our favorites are listed above, but things like weather, water temperature and clarity are always a major factor. We’re usually visiting in July – so temps can be anywhere from 70° to 84°… it’s the warm water period. Smallmouth bass can be shallow, but we also find them deep, along with walleye and the occasional pike or muskie – depending on the time of day.
Typically, we’re fishing anywhere from 5 to 25 feet deep.
When we head out early in the morning, Dad and I like to start by fishing big weedy flats with sporadic wood and rock cover that sits on the inside edge of the weeds. I’ll throw topwater towards the bank, like a Rover 98 or a Pop ‘n Drop, and Dad will usually fish some combination of jig & meat off the other side of the boat.
This works well.
Dad with a 4 pound smallmouth near Minocqua in the morning (leech & jig).AJ with a 3.5 pounder. The Pop ‘N Drop can work all day long, depending on the conditions.
As the sun starts to get higher and higher in the sky, we move out. If it’s midday we’ll actually head way out to fish weedy, rocky humps in 20+ feet of water – but before that, we’ll work the back side of the weeds that were productive in the morning. Dad will continue to work his jig & meat off the back edge, but I like to keep working out from the middle of the weeds – right in the thick of it.
This year I realized The Snakebite Rig is prefect for working through big weedy flats, and then coming out and OFF of them, dropping down along the backside and working out a bit towards deeper water. This was especially effective on weed clumps sitting at the top of a rocky point coming out from shore, and using this technique allowed me to pick up extra smallmouth bass both IN and OUT of the weeds with MINIMAL SNAGS.
Outstanding.
Snakebite Rig Smallmouth Bass
Snakebite Rig Smallmouth Bass
Snakebite Rig Smallmouth Bass
In terms of rigging up for smallmouth bass? It’s all the same components and knots, just downsize your plastic and your line accordingly. You’ll catch fish of every size – and you might even land a few bonus species…
Snakebite Rig Crappie
Snakebite Rig Bass
Snakebite Rig Bass
Add The Snakebite Rig to your bag of tricks – and let me know how it goes.
You’re gonna catch more fish.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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One Final Note on the Selection of the Improved Alberto Knot over The FG Knot or the Yucatan Knot…
Believe me… I tested ’em all. We covered the Back-to-Back Uni-Knot above (the Improved Alberto comes through the guides easier, and picks up less muck). The FG Knot has a small tag but it also faces forward – not to mention the simplicity of the Improved Alberto makes it much more attractive than the FG in this scenario.
FG Knot: the juice ain’t worth the squeeze…
Finally, the Yucatan Knot is similar to the Improved Alberto, because it also requires you to fold the fluorocarbon back on itself when tying the knot – but I tried to tie this knot several times – with MONO even – and it failed every single time. Every single time! Musta tied 25 knots. All failed. User error maybe… so if you have confidence in a Yucatan Knot it seems like it would work fine for this application, but for me – I’m sticking with the Improved Alberto Knot.
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Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
One great thing about owning a small, lightweight kayak, is that you can carry it into a LOT of different places without breaking the bank… or breaking your back. It’s hard work, but since one of our main goals this year is to find new, remote areas to fish… hard work is simply mandatory.
GOOD.
Exercise plus fishing? Sign me up. Currently I’m lugging & floating in the noisiest plastic kayak known to man – a Lifetime Payette 98 sit-inside model. This nine-and-a-half foot, 44 pound kayak works, but you can hear it squeaking with every cast, every fish, every paddle…
Stealth is not an option, and one day I’ll upgrade… but for now we gotta do what we can with what we got. Here’s what I learned on this trip…
Kayak Fishing a New Lake in IllinoisClick the banner to jump to Stars & Bars Fishing on YouTube.
Jerkbaits can work as a searchbait, but they are a visual presentation – not a great choice in cloudy water after a storm. This is why the 80/20 Rule is applied to all Base Boxes.
Bass love to hide around (and cruise over) Chara Algae, especially during the springtime Midwest fishing season. Look for and cast to shallow clear areas, shadows, overhangs and finally deep transitions to other weed types.
Walking through State Fish & Wildlife Areas can be very productive. Ticks were not an issue… yet… but by mid-summer, they are a major concern. Be careful!
White and gray baits in cloudy water can reflect light. Don’t be afraid to try them, along with black baits that will cast a distinct silhouette. Experiment.
I like to fish small wacky hooks with o-rings so the MAXIMUM amount of HOOK is exposed. This boosts hookups, and the added benefit is that plastics last longer, but I don’t care about saving plastics & neither should you! After spending hundreds on gas & gear, saving a $0.38 plastic bait is NOT a priority, it is a distraction. Focus on the fish. If you need to spend $4.99 on more plastics because you caught too many – embrace that, it’s a good problem to have!
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
Good morning brothers. I’d like to share a few tips that have helped me minimize the pre-trip stress that comes from overthinking. You know what I’m talkin’ about: “welp, better take this, and this, and THIS, because they might bite that, or maybe this, so better grab all 87 colors because you never know what the sauciest little nugget will be, oh plus these 18 hard baits might get a bite or two…”
Overthinking isn’t fun.
More importantly, it’s not productive.
I’ve tried to adjust things and reduce this overthinking the past few years. Change is good. Change is constant. Things are changing all around us all the time. Take the warmer weather for example:
The amount of time it takes to completely sweat through clothing? Decreased.
The time it takes to “enhance” a sunburn? Decreased.
The amount of time it takes to cook an egg on the sidewalk? Decreased.
The amount of big bass up shallow as the water gets up over 75°? You guessed it. Decreased…
That last one is causing me to lose sleep lately…
Illinois fishing has been GOOD so far.
We’ve had good luck fishing all sorts of different water so far this year. We started with little city ponds that warm up faster than deep pit lakes. This scratched the itch, but left something to be desired… I’m not fond of yappy dogs freaking out while I try to interact with largemouth bass:
Just tossing a 4″ Strike King Ocho around on a weedless wacky hook is simple and effective. It’s also surprisingly easy, making it a great option for young anglers.
The dogs and spectators were annoying, so we traveled away from civilization. Explored. Found a new place and dubbed it Snapping Turtle Pond. Wakebaits were effective and a ton of fun to fish:
When the bass will hit a moving hard bait, it’s gonna be a good day!
This was fun for a while, but big bass await beyond the bank. Hence, another change. To the kayak we went – to even more remote locations, starting with The Cheese Factory.
Can you say: “concussion”?
I was surprised to find myself surrounded by cheese, and without a topwater in my bag – but no worries! Did you know that a weightless, weedless Texas rigged Yum Dinger will stay up on the thick muck and attract strikes just fine? (Tuck that nugget away in case you find yourself in a pinch.)
But why probe the muck when big springtime bass are roaming the clear water shallows?! Go there! Catch more bass, faster, and with fewer snags and trouble! So, another change. More remote! More kayak! More basses! More exercise! More exploring!
You gotta love it when a plan comes together! Even though the weather was slightly stained in these borrow pit lakes (they would not hit my jerkbait – which is a visual presentation), a smoke / pearl laminate Dinger was plenty visible – and they wanted it.
Changes. Many changes. Changes in location, cover, clarity, depth, lure & line combos, rods & reels. This is what minimalist fishing is all about! Find out what works – dump what doesn’t!
Repeat this process again and again and again, and you will find yourself with the BEST possible techniques, the BEST boost to your confidence, and the BEST chance of catching more and bigger fish.
You gotta believe what you are doing will be productive.
Ultimately, you will end up with a collection of presentations that work, that you love – and this is what you need to add to your Base Boxes.
Let me show you one of mine.
What is a Bass Fishing Base Box?
A Base Box is a single Plano container, loaded with presentations that you have confidence in for a specific kind of fishing. This container is something that you can pick up with zero notice – it’s always ready to go. So when Billy Bob calls and says “BROTHER, LET’S FISH!”, you simply grab the correct Base Box along with the Terminal Tackle Base Box (which is always on hand no matter what), load the backpack and head out.
Fishing from the bank? Just take that backpack. Fishing from your friend’s boat? Just take that backpack. Fishing from your own boat? Just take that backpack!
Today, we’ll be discussing my Muck Base Box, which is set up for targeting largemouth bass in thick cover.
While refining this the other day, I was surprised by its SIMPLICITY.
When it comes to working the muck, there are only 5 presentations that I absolutely need to have with me to fish with 100% confidence. This is very different from my Clear Water Base Box, and my Wisconsin Bass Base Box… which we will cover in another article…
Behold: The Muck Base Box
Simple. Deadly.
My Muck Base Box is simple and deadly, full of must-have presentations for bass fishing in the Midwest. Start with these 5 items and you will be well on your way to hammering bass! Just remember: standard hooks, sinkers, bobber stops, small jigs… items that you always want to have on hand so you can create any rig you need – all of these items go in the Terminal Tackle Base Box.
Muck Base Box Item #1: Topwater Frogs
Standard frogs and smaller options like the Booyah Pad Crasher Jr. can go just about anywhere.
Everyone loves a good topwater strike, but in the muck, exposed treble hooks are not an option. Poppers & walking baits are out of the question. Instead, keep a collection of weedless frogs on hand to work over thick sludge. Don’t be afraid to skip a frog up underneath overhanging brush and trees near the shoreline. Sometimes the biggest bass can sit back in inches of water!
Muck Base Box Item #2: Soft Plastic Toads & Poppers
Add even more versatility with soft plastic topwaters.
If your frog keeps getting flung up in the air, or if you’d like to add some appendages, or work a buzzbait-style presentation without worrying about the blade getting hung up, reach for some soft plastic topwaters. I keep 3 with me at all times, and they are all ElaZtech: a Z-Man Hard Leg FrogZ, Pop ShadZ, and Pop FrogZ.
Each one brings a different look and action to the table. Just make sure you have some big EWG hooks in your Terminal Tackle Base Box. It’s best if they have a “bait lock” on them near the eye.
Muck Base Box Item #3: Heavy Cover Swim Jigs
“Swim jig, swim jig everyone loves a swim jig!”
Swim jigs are a great way to present a swimming plastic while maintaining a bulky profile. This can work well in mucky water with low visibility, especially if you can identify some alleys and paths within the muck. Grab one of these killer swim jigs off of our top 10 list, pair it with your favorite thumpy plastic trailer, run it through paths and bump it off of stumps and logs – then hang on!
One of the only “terminal” items I’ll keep in my Muck Base Box.
If you need a moving bait that will slip around in the muck a bit easier, drop the skirt and bulky weed guard of the swim jig and reach for a Z-Man Weedless Eye Swimbait Jig. Pair it with your favorite thumpy plastic, and select the lightest weight you can work effectively.
I always “juice my baits”, and keep both floating and sinking plastics on hand.
With topwater and mid-depth covered, we’ll round everything out with baits that can be fished shallow, fished deep, and fished weedless. I keep two bags – one is for normal plastics, and the other is for ElaZtech-type plastics. (ElaZtech must be stored separately because it will react and melt to other plastics and paint it comes into prolonged contact with. It will also melt / deform in direct sunlight.)
I could write an entire article on each of these baits and why they’ve been selected over all other plastics. In fact… I probably have… but, you are very observant and you’re asking “AJ, why the heck do you have FINESSE plastics in a muck box?!”
Great question, my friend! Here’s why.
The 80/20 Base Box Rule
No matter what you decide to include in your personal Base Box, you must apply the 80/20 rule to make sure you never get caught with your pants down!
80% of the selected presentations are best suited for heavy muck.
20% can easily be used in clear water with sparse cover!
A green pumpkin Hula Stick is going to work much better for finicky bass in a clear water situation than a bright green Yum Dinger with a chartreuse tail. A smaller Strike King Finesse Worm is great to have on hand if you arrive at the lake and would prefer to throw a shaky head because the water is cleaner than what you expected. Want to rig up The Snakebite Rig to fish some tall grass below the muck!? You’re covered.
These added options give you versatility, a more natural look for spooky fish, and they help you avoid a bad situation when the conditions are not quite what you anticipated.
Example: I recently took my Clear Water Base Box to a lake and did not apply this rule… only to find the clear water completely cloudy from an unexpected algae bloom. There I was with a box full of natural, visual presentations, but nothing high contrast or high vibration in sight… still, the answer is not to “take everything,” the answer is to plan better.
Apply the 80/20 rule no matter what Base Box you are creating so you can always make the most of the day. Set one up. Let me know how it goes., and I promise you… you’re gonna catch more fish!
A big fat mucky muck largemouth from the day before this article was finished. These concepts WORK.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Get Articles & Videos First
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Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
“This is brutal… I’m not sure how much more of this I can take…”
The weight of the kayak had increased dramatically over the last several hours.
Maybe it was because a gallon of water now sloshed within the cockpit, back and forth, with every ankle-threatening step along the loose gray rocks that continuously shifted underfoot. Maybe it was because I’d carried the ‘yak up and over several miles of creek bed with nothing but a trickle of water running between the pools. Or, maybe… maybe it was because the heat had gone from a nice, cool, comfortable 80°… to over 100°…
Watch your step…
Whatever the reason, the afternoon slog continued… just as it had this morning. But the morning slog had been much easier to stomach, because with every stop in a clear, quiet pool along along the way… there were fish.
Smallmouth bass, to be exact.
The entire morning had been spent “pool-jumping“, and it had been productive.
Now, with the fishing behind me… I was on the return trip. That meant no breaks. No stopping. No more fish. Just a straight slog back to civilization.
It was hard work. But in Illinois:
This is the price of smallmouth… and it’s a price I’m willing to pay.
Drag. Sweat. Carry. Sweat more. Drop into the next pool. Catch fish. Repeat. With hobbies like these, who needs a gym membership!?
But… why go to all this trouble to fish?
Ever since I was a boy, smallmouth bass have been sacred to me. My family could never afford big fancy vacations to magical kingdoms, but we would take a summer trip to “Grandpa’s place” on the Manitowish Chain O Lakes in Wisconsin. The price was right (free) and we would swim, run through the woods, catch crayfish by hand in the rocks that lined the shore, and fish.
I remember my first smallmouth bass vividly.
My father took me out in “the green boat.” An aluminum Starcraft that had been handed down by family, equipped with a 5 HP Johnson outboard.
“The Green Boat”
Dad. Cruising.
We puttered around in this for years, until he saved up some money to upgrade to a 25 HP Merc’. Unbelievable. We thought it was the fastest boat on the planet. Fancy folding seats were installed, along with a vintage graph & trolling motor.
All of us, packed into Dad’s green boat.
Dad fished out of that boat a lot. Usually before we were awake.
Early morning on the chain.
To be fair, Dad would ask me regularly to go fish, but I was content to catch perch, rock bass and bluegill right off the dock. Just a regular kid with zero attention span.
But once in a while, we’d hit the lake together.
On one warm July afternoon, we were fishing underneath a bridge over about 15 feet of water with thick, tall weeds. Dad was working a jig… maybe an jointed Rapala… both favorites of his. These presentations were foreign to me, as I had only ever caught fish on bobbers and worms. Any why even bother fishing anything else? I could rip my own worms and put ’em on the hook – not to mention I was catching 20 fish for every one Dad caught. Granted… mine were all the size of sardines… but still, for a little guy with zero patience, this was the way to go!
Then it happened.
Something came out of the deep weeds and grabbed my worm, turned, and began it’s descent back towards the deep cover. My bobber didn’t twitch, it didn’t get jackhammered, it didn’t doink-doink-doink from a pumpkinseed peppering… it just kind of started to… sink…
I watched it drop down, down, down… and finally set the hook… the bobber didn’t move. Instead, it sat suspended underwater as the rod doubled over and my reel started to make a sound I had never heard before… a sound that perked Dad right up…
REEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
The drag on my Zebco started screaming.
“ROD TIP UP! DON’T HORSE HIM!! AJ ROD TIP UP STOP REELING AND PLAY HIM OUT!!!”
I watched in amazement (and slight horror) as that rod tip danced right above – and then beneath – the water.
REEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Left, right, left, right. I could see golden bronze flashes of light deep below the surface as Dad grabbed his old stringy net with holes in it and continued to shout commands… but I couldn’t hear them. I couldn’t hear anything aside from that beautiful, horrible, amazing, terrifying drag.
REEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
The dancing rod tip became sluggish.
The sharp bend in the strained rod slowly, painfully, began to straighten out.
Bit by bit, it returned to its original shape, easing up towards the sky.
The beast allowed me to reclaim line.
With every crank of the handle that golden bronze beauty came closer and closer to the surface.
Finally she gave in. Dad scooped.
The lake was silent aside from the tinkling water droplets falling off of her body. The behemoth was too big to fall through the holes in the net.
I could not believe my eyes.
This must be why Dad was willing to get up and fish before anyone else was awake. This must be why he went to the trouble of loading and launching the boat by himself. This must be why he had all of those In-Fisherman books strewn across the floor of his room whenever we were at Grandpa’s place.
She was the reason, and now I understood.
Big smallmouth.
Big enough to eat.
So we did – and I will never forget this day. I will never stop pursuing that feeling of shock & awe that fish burned deep into my brain. I will never stop trying to recreate that feeling for my boys as well, although here in Illinois – fishing is different. I find smallmouth deep in the woods, well off the beaten path, in waters not bothered by weekend anglers and pleasure boaters.
Very few walk these waters…
It is hard, and dirty, and sweaty and hot and your fingers crack & bleed and your ankles get raw and your back aches and no sane person would willingly sign up for this… but…
This is the price of smallmouth… and it’s a price I’m willing to pay.
Periodically this story will pop into my head as I’m slogging for smallmouth as an adult. OH! Speaking of slog…
Back to the slog at hand…
I looked down at my sweat-soaked shirt and realized it wasn’t soaked anymore.
“Dang it. Should have brought more water with me today… I haven’t pissed in over an hour… not good…”
Focus on a point out in front. We got a looooong way to go…
“I can’t believe the creek is this low. Good Lord the amount of noise I’m making is ridiculous, it’s amazing that deer looked at me for as long as she did. I gotta get back before someone notices I-“
“You havin’ a hard time finding water for that kayak son?!”
“Oh shhhhhhh…………. oot.”
Hard to be stealthy in areas like this.
No use trying to be quiet now.
I’d been spotted.
Off to the side of a clearing I could see a gentleman standing in the shade of a massive oak tree. He was partially hidden, but less so now as he took steps towards me. There was no doubt he had been watching me for some time. Even though I’d noticed the bank was peppered with NO TRESSPASSING signs during my morning slog in, I had ignored them. They were old and faded, after all. Some were even completely illegible – surely they were just warnings from a bygone era… RIGHT?!
Well… maybe not…
See, in Illinois creeks are not necessarily open to the public. The creek bed is owned by the property owner, even though the water is debatable. If you are floating on a creek that is not specifically designated a “non-navigable waterway” you might be fine…
But I was not floating.
I was carrying my kayak.
I was trespassing.
“Hey there!”
I hollered back as cheerfully as I could, quickly ripping the GoPro off of my person and throwing it in the kayak while offering up a big wave and a smile.
“I was HOPING I would run into someone out here. Do you know any of the property owners along this creek?”
“WE own this property.”
A woman holding two walking sticks appeared from behind the trunk of the same massive oak tree. She glared at me as the tiniest breeze rustled the broad leaves overhead. Clearly, she was not amused by my presence, or my cheeky behavior.
“Owned it for YEARS.”
Silence.
We all stood there quietly, just letting that awkward silence… be.
10 seconds… 20 seconds… seemed like an eternity…
Finally, the silence was broken by the woosh-Woosh-WOOSH of an eagle flying so low we could practically feel the wind coming off his wings as he pulsed rhythmically along the winding creek, past where we were standing, toward the river ahead.
All three of us broke gaze simultaneously to turn and look at the majestic bird. Eagles were more common these days, but they had not been for many years. Their return has been a joy for many outdoorsmen.
Then again, silence.
I couldn’t help but speak.
“It’s beautiful here.”
This is heaven on earth.
The man and woman looked back at me and muttered simultaneously:
“Yes, it is.”
“You know guys… a few weeks ago I came in here with my oldest son. He wanted to try out his kayak when we drove across the bridge, the one over there in the direction that eagle was headed.”
“The bridge by the river? Is that where you put in?”
“It is.”
“So you’ve come a long way to get this far.”
“Yes, and now I have to go all the way back.”
“Huh… the water is so low… that’s a hell of a long way to lug that kayak…”
Without thinking, I blurted out:
This is the price of smallmouth… and it’s a price I’m willing to pay.
The man cocked his head to one side.
The woman allowed herself a quick grin, as if the statement had touched on a memory of her own. Maybe it was recent, maybe it was from years ago when those NO TRESPASSING signs were still a vibrant orange color.
Maybe both.
“… see, when I was a kid we used to go to my Grandpa’s place in Wisconsin, and we would hope to catch some smallmouth bass. They were sacred to us. We’d go to Grandpa’s place because… well, we didn’t have enough money to go anywhere else…”
The pair looked at one another and smiled again; no doubt sharing a memory without speaking a word.
“… when I was in here paddling with my son around the bridge, I noticed fish swimming by the logs and rocks, but the water was too murky up there to make out what they were…”
I pointed in the direction of the river.
“… we started to make our way up this creek and the water cleared up. Then I saw them in the shallows – smallmouth – couldn’t believe it! I knew that I had to come back to try to catch them. I’ve never caught smallmouth here in Illinois – only at Grandpa’s in Wisconsin – and if there was even a slight chance that they were here, 15 minutes from my home, it just… I haven’t been able to stop thinking about ’em! I had to try to catch some, and I was hoping to bring my son back to catch some of his own as w-“
“YOU SHOULD!”
The man bellowed, his voice echoing through the trees.
The stick-wielding woman gave him a sideways glance, but the situation had warmed by this point and her stony glance softened when she saw him stretch his arms out wide, almost inviting me over as his defensive posture faded away –
“Name’s John, and this is my wife, Sue.”
“Is it alright if I come over there and shake your hand?”
“Of course it is!”
I placed the kayak at my feet – finally – and made my way across those loose gray rocks that shifted underfoot towards the bank. Sue was smiling by the time reached I them, and John gave me a hearty handshake – a far cry from where we’d been just moments before when we first crossed paths.
Before the eagle broke the silence.
And so we talked.
We talked about those old memories. We talked about fish from yesteryear. Talked about family trips that John and Sue took to this creek, in the very spot we now stood. Children swimming as the adults tossed grubs at the holes and exposed root systems on the opposite bank.
Sue told me why she carried two large sticks:
“I’m walking the creek and looking for hagstones. When the water gets low like this, you can see rocks with holes in them, where the water has run clean through. You can’t find them when the water is moving fast. They have other names too, but… you should come by some time and see all that I have collected. Bring your boy, I’ll show him all the other neat rocks I’ve found as well.”
“He would love that. Thank you.”
“Don’t be afraid to dig – the best rocks are usually below the boring gray ones…”
“I’ll remember that.”
John jumped back in:
“So what’s the plan now?”
“Well… I think I better follow that eagle and make my way back to the bridge, but I’d love to come back if that’s alright with you?”
“Sure it is… here’s my cell number. You give me a shout some time and come on by the house to see those rocks, and maybe we can talk a bit more about fishing.”
“Thanks. I’d like that.”
… and with that… the slog continued…
A few days later, I gave them a ring and went by with my eldest. Sue had a lifetime of rocks, and crafts to go with them – tables, coasters, jewelry, all adorned with all kinds of rocks from the creek and all over the world. She gave my son a healthy handful for his rock tumbler.
John and I discussed other fishing locations, and he let me know that he loves to hunt. In fact, a lot of people hunt that creek from the deer stands that pepper the shoreline – and if you keep your eyes open, you might just find some antlers shed by a big buck.
He grabbed 3 impressive, partial racks from a shelf with many more, and gave them to my son to share with his brothers.
They still sit above their beds.
I have been back to that creek many times. Some days, the smallmouth are nowhere to be found… but other days… the smallmouth are there…
20″ brute of a creek smallmouth.
They hide in the shadows along the bank.
In deep holes underneath the riffles.
Some days they hold tight to the bottom.
Other days, they swim laps, patrolling their area for intruders – or food.
Creek bass are not prone to pass up an easy meal.
These days when I hike, I’m careful with my steps. If you’re mindful you can find treasures that have been here for who knows how long…
A simple hagstone – my first – carved by nature.
Every trip is different, but one thing remains unchanged.
I will sweat. I will marvel. I will stumble. I will bleed. I will swear. I will wonder how much longer I can carry my gear before my arms fall off. I will struggle to land fish. Some I will hold, others will break my heart. I will lose baits. Lose track of time. I will lose myself… and at the end of the day when I’m driving home with the windows down in the blistering heat, I’ll think back on what just happened that morning – and I will thank God for all of it.
This is the price of smallmouth… and it’s a price I’m willing to pay.
On to the next pool…
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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“But how is this possible with a minimalist approach!? With limited gear?!”
It’s possible, because of the minimalist approach. With two jobs (one in website development, the other business consulting), prison ministry work, 4 boys and a wife – life is hectic. If Odin is with us, I might be able to fish for a few hours twice per week. Max. Had we not spent the last several years fine-tuning presentations, tactics, locations, gear, checklists and pre-trip processes, 400 decent bass this season in our waters would be out of the question.
We’re off to an outstanding start. May will end with 93 in the bag – the biggest just under 4 pounds, second place well over 3, plus countless bass over 2 pounds have briefly boarded the kayak, the jon boat, or joined me on the bank.
A quality kayak bass over 3 pounds in a new, remote fishing location.The biggest so far was just under 4 pounds, at another new remote location I call Snapping Turtle Pond (videos of all these trips on the way later this year).
The best presentations for Illinois bass fishing in May?
Here they are in reverse order, ranked by productivity (quantity).
Well… that’s why it was developed… but since its inception the true versatility of this finesse system has become increasingly apparent…
The F4 Rig Has Proven to be Surprisingly Versatile & Effective
In the past, I’ve utilized this rig in mucky water. That’s what it was designed for – fishing Illinois muck, but the other day I found myself in an extremely clear borrow pit (over 15 foot visibility, easy) with strikingly steep banks. Steep banks usually mean one thing: that slope continues underwater, and sure enough, you could see the lake bottom dropped to ten, twelve, maybe even twenty feet very close to the bank.
We’re talking about an underwater drop much steeper than the pitch on the roof of my house.
Steep!
The bottom was a mixture of mud and weeds… but not tall weeds. Some sort of bushy pond weed. It was stacked up no more than a few feet high, and you could see it matted all over the steep slopes with a clear transition to mud and rock about 15 or 20 feet below. Big sections had been removed between depths from 3 to 8 feet where the bass had made oval-shaped beds right on the steep walls – really an interesting situation.
I could see big, dark shadows moving around all along the lower transition, and several feet up into the overhangs, nooks & crannies of the mats as I quietly paddled about…
The bass were deep, and thick, all throughout this stuff.
So how do we get to them, in a kayak mind you, in a way that allows us to fish, not spend the morning picking these bushy weeds off of our hook after every cast?
Here’s how.
Try This Rig when Fishing Steep, Weedy Banks in Ultra-Clear Water
In clear water, you need light line on a spinning setup (8lb fluoro or less).
This means you also need a light wire hook.
A steep bank means you need to get down to the depth of the fish.
But bushy bottom is something you don’t want a weight to pull your hook into.
So place a weight about 3 feet higher up on the line, and use a floating bait to stay above the snags.
Take a floating worm or plastic, and rig it wacky with a light wire hook (weedguard is optional).
On your line, you’ll place bobber stop #1, followed by a 1/16 to 3/16 ounce bullet weight, followed by a bead, followed by yet another bobber stop. This will allow you to move – or pin – your weight in place. The bead will help you see where you’re at underwater, and if you leave some space, you can clack it against that bullet weight for a subtle attractant.
That weight will slowly sink, dipping below the height of the bushy weeds on the bottom, but that floating bait will stay up above – along with your hook – allowing you work down the steep banks with long pauses as these fish inspect your offering. If something it stuck, it’s the sinker, not the hook, and you can easily dislodge and focus on fishing – not weed removal.
Watch your line. When you get a strike, you’ll feel a slight tick tick and your fluoro will twitch just a bit.
Reel. Fast.
Reel until you feel weight, then lift your rod tip straight into the air. Do not snap the rod or you’ll pull the bait straight out of their mouth – especially because you’re using that little light wire hook (a necessity with such clear water) and because that weight placed a few feet away from your bait puts slack in the line.
When you feel a strike, you need to reel fast until you remove the bow caused by the weight sinking below the bait – but once you do, if you feel weight… you got ’em!
What Makes the F4 Rig Different than the California (or Mojo) Rig?
Great question.
As you can see below, the California Rig consists of a leader to a hook, with a bobber stop below a few beads and a bullet weight. The Mojo Rig is an updated version, utilizing a cylindrical weight and a single bobber stop with no bead for stealth.
Both of these rigs allow you to keep your weight away from the hook, but they do not allow you to pin your weight into place like the F4 (unless you use a Mojo sinker with an internal rubber stopper, which then loses the ability to move freely up and down the line).
The F4 sandwiches a bullet weight between two stops so you can pin it anywhere on your line. You can rig it like a lightweight Carolina Rig, or, push the weight down close like a Texas rig – you can even pin the weight in place without cramming a toothpick in it. You can silence the weight & bead anywhere on the line by pushing the bobber stops in tight, or, allow for noise by leaving space. Not to mention, you can tie the F4 Rig with a single Palomar knot.
Pin it…… or slide it…
No extra hardware. No special knots. Any kind of plastic. The ability to adjust your presentation on the fly without re-rigging… we’re talking Maximum Versatility.
I’ve also used the F4 in shallow creeks and had success:
Fishing an F4 Rig in 100° HeatClick the banner to jump to Stars & Bars Fishing on YouTube.
Later this season I’ll publish the video of this modified rig in action – but I had to share it with you now. Make sure you tuck this option into your bag of tricks. It’s a minimalist approach that will put more fish in the boat.
I guarantee it.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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WARNING: this post is strictly my OPINION. Read it with caution, especially if you are easily butthurt…
I’m about to smash your shibboleth.
You may have noticed in the past several years that professional anglers are taking over places like YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. I’m not talking about Billy Bob that likes to fish his local tournaments – I’m talking about full-time anglers with all the fancy jerseys and wrapped vehicles and boats with sponsors plastered all over ’em…
“Rich guys.“ “Successful anglers.“ “Lucky ducks.“ “The ones that made it.“
They have 400 rods on deck and all the accoutrements: forward-facing sonar, 15 shallow water anchors, a 9,000 HP outboard and that paint job… I mean… those boats have more glitter than a pride parade.
[Parade image removed because yuk]
In the past, I certainly haven’t paid much attention to these things. These guys work really freakin’ hard. They’ve paid their dues. They fish all over the country, investing money in travel and taking time away from their families.
I’m not good enough to do what they do, but even if I was – that last part, being away from family, would make it really difficult… no… impossible… for me.
But all of this sacrifice, from the expense to the silly clothing to the hours and hours in the crap weather and tough conditions, that’s all offset by the massive paychecks… right?
If that’s the case… then why are these guys wasting so much time posting on social media?
Because Pro Fishermen aren’t making the BIG BUCKS.
Not all of them, anyway – but don’t take my word for it. Check out what a couple of veteran professional fisherman have to say about the state of the sport:
The Economics of Professional Bass Fishing
How Can New Guys Afford to Fish?
This begs the question…
What Drives Anglers to “Go Pro”?
Is it the potential fame? Certainly could be.
Sponsors? I guess.
Clout? Sure.
Whatever the reason, the original question keeps resurfacing: why are these guys, the cream of the crop, the ones that made it, wasting their time creating social media posts?
Because they have to.
Because they need more exposure.
Because a large social media following is worth more to advertisers than a major tournament win.
Full stop.
What’s the income potential for a YouTube video? Depends on the subject matter, the amount of time people watch it, all sorts of things – but it’s a fractional penny per view – a TINY percent of $0.01.
Is that worth their time?
NO.
Not if the checks are rolling in.
One thing I have learned from running a business that is a universal truth – is that once you find a product or service that is making good money, you need to redirect the majority of your limited time and effort into selling much more of that ONE SUCCESSFUL THING.
Multi-tasking will result in failure.
Trying to “supplement” a successful product with other products or services that are less profitable is a waste of time.
Trying to “fund” an unsuccessful business with a successful one is a great way to destroy both.
… these guys are not stupid. They’re not backwater hillbillies (my people) lacking teeth and common sense. So the the uncomfortable truth of the matter is this:
Sponsors care more about fickle social media impressions than they do about actual tournament victories.
Why else would professional anglers waste time creating CLICKBAIT content? That’s what it is. “I can’t believe I’m GIVING AWAY my SECRET for fishing this presentation!”
So you’re sharing the things that make you money, just to build likes and follows that don’t translate directly into dollars? It doesn’t make any sense!!
You would PROTECT your “secrets” until you retired, and then probably only pass them on to other anglers you cared about. Ones that were close, or family, or that you had a genuine interest in helping.
Do I watch the clickbait?
Sure, at times.
Have I learned a few things?
Sure, at times.
But I feel sorry for these guys.
After all they’ve sacrificed, these athletes that we’ve placed on a pedestal are reduced to ridiculousness:
“My Top 5 Baits (You Wont BELIEVE #4!)!!!“ “Angry Karen CALLS THE COPS (You Don’t OWN The WATER!)“ “Oh No?! I’ll Be DISQUALIFIED (EMOTIONAL!)!“ “The BANJO MINNOW Beats THIS BAIT Every Time (SURPRISING!)!“
It’s really sad. Pathetic, actually.
But… you gotta do what you gotta do… and if this is what they gotta do, then I respect the hard work at least… but at the same time… I pity them.
It begs the question:
Why do YOU fish??
I started this website 4 years ago after I came to the conclusion that I needed to get much better at putting my kids on more and bigger fish faster.
That was the driving force – to be good enough to help them properly cultivate a love for the sport early in life.
I’m sure you have a good reason as well…
Would you really want to take that reason and pervert it? Would you really risk taking something so pure, so fun, so valuable, such a gift from God – just to turn it into a JOB that sucks the life out of you?
No, nobody would if they knew this was what they had to do to pay the bills.
So… has the “influencer” taken center stage? Has the social media following become more important than the skill of a professional bass angler?
Time will tell.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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It’s been a few days since we posted an article… but I assure you, the reason for the delay is good.
I’ve been fishing.
Oh Lord, have I been fishing… fishing with my boys, fishing by myself, fishing new areas, fishing in the kayak, huffing & puffing through the woods, falling through rotten tree trunks (really), and hitting one of my goals for the year: finding new, remote areas to fish.
Stick with me for a bit, and allow this article to stir your adventurous spirit so that you feel inspired to do the same!
This is an important question that we all ask ourselves after we’ve been cooped up all winter, unless you’re a madman and ice fish (respect… you lunatic).
“Where am I gonna start?!”
Well here in the Midwest, a lot of us will start by fishing small ponds and lakes that tend to warm up faster than the larger lakes. This usually translates to more activity, a better bite, and overall easier fishing as you’re not fighting with the spring wind in a little boat.
The downside of course, is that there is nothing romantic about these locations. You are usually surrounded by yappy dogs, locals out for their morning steps, and kids screaming at the nearby playgrounds.
It’s not bad… but it’s not the same as fishing when you’re surrounded by the Lord’s amazing creation instead of… lawn gnomes.
My first trip this year was to one such location…
Little suburban lakes can hold bass, but they come with a lot of “undesirable extras.”
Still… they can scratch the itch… this fat 2 pounder hit an Ocho on top of the muck.
Fun. But it only whet my appetite for isolation. So the next question was obvious – where can I go to get away from people?
The second trip was planned. A yak-attack at a local state park with a little waterfall lake. Beautiful area, but the lake was so full of snot and muck, I renamed it The Cheese Factory.
Kayak locations are a good option when you want to get away…
… here at The Cheese Factory, a topwater Dinger worked…
Fishing a Topwater Dinger at “The Cheese Factory”
1 bass. 1 green sunfish. 1 miss. 3.5 hours.
A good workout, some lovely fresh air… but not much fun. At least when I was fishing the bank in suburbia, I was catching fish!
After a frustrating day, I came home to do a bit more research. All this time I thought the lake was fed by the river… that is wrong. This lake drains into the river. It is fed by local runoff, which could explain the massive amounts of algae so early in the season… but whatever the reason, the truth was that it was just borderline unfishable – or at the very least, not worth the effort.
I’ve been yelled at more than once. Told to leave or be shot. You know – really fun stuff. So waltzing through the woods is not really an option, because you never know what (or whom) you’re going to find out there, and property owners here typically own the creek bed, even if the water is navigable. Once you step in it… well, you’ve really stepped in it!
Then it hit me.
Last year I started to explore some big deep pits with ultra-clear water. The fishing at these lakes has been extremely challenging compared to the nearby mucky ponds like the ones shown above. Stealth and light tackle move to the top of the list in terms of importance.
You simply can NOT fish the pits like you would the smaller lakes and ponds, or you will NOT get bit. Period. It’s challenging, but extremely rewarding… however, with as deep as these pits are, I wasn’t about to start my season here – they’ll remain colder, longer, and I can hit spawning and active bass in the smaller bodies of water now, then hit these larger bodies of water later to maximize the amount of fish caught.
The pits being referenced are located within a State Fish & Wildlife Area.
Hold the phone.
I’ve seen ponds there. I’ve noticed other lakes off in the distance as well. Bodies of water with no easy access. No boat ramp. I’ve never even thought to go fish them, because… well… no boat ramp! No road. No easy access. No obvious signs: FISH HERE DUMMY!
But what if we decided to hoof it?
What if we took the kayak to these little watering holes??
Is it even possible?! Will I get shot?!
A quick search on the IDNR website cross-referenced with Google Earth confirmed there are actually several small bodies of water located within this public area, and they are within the bounds of state property – it just ain’t easy to get to ’em… but I wanted to get to ’em…
So, we set out.
First we went up…
… then down…
Over the river and through the woods. A couple miles. Nothing crazy, but yes, challenging.
I didn’t see anybody. Launched my kayak in silence. Fished a down-sized presentation on a single rod with a tiny pack of plastics, sinkers and hooks, surrounded by steep woody shoreline.
Isolated.
Minimalist.
It was everything I was hoping to find.
The fish were there.
Started with a jerkbait, and switched to a white / smoke 4″ Dinger after zero action. Jerkbaits are visual, and the water was cloudy due to recent heavy rain. Twitching the stickbait allowed me to kick off vibration, making the bait easier to find.
Over a 3 hour session, I caught 16. A few were just over 2 pounds, and I lost a monster…
Later in the day this bass swooped out from a steep bank with a large overhanging tree providing shade and overhead cover. Light line & tackle were key because the water was clearer in areas with these steep banks where I found most of my fish.
But that’s ok.
She’s still in there… and we’ll be back.
My friends, these places are out there, and they are worth the effort when you find them.
So that’s what I’ve been up to. That’s what I’ll be up to again soon. And I hope by reading this, it has rekindled your interest in exploration. Pull up a search on local SF&W areas, and see if there are a few bodies of water off the beaten path.
Maybe I’ll see you out there… but hopefully… I won’t.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
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This past weekend I went fishing with my son for the first time.
Not the first time ever, mind you, but the first time this year.
Last season we only fished together a few times, and while editing some videos of us casting a blown out creek, I realized two things:
I am a grump and terrible at patiently explaining things.
He loves to fish in spite of my grumpiness.
Talk about a gut punch.
I do not deserve his unconditional love – but, the great thing about realizing you’ve screwed up, is that it gives you an opportunity to make a change.
Discover something wrong? Droppin’ the ball, Dad? Fix it.
And so, the rigs were rigged. The snacks were packed. The plans were made. The hope, was that this year we could turn the page, we could start to fish together in a way that really focused on him. After all, when you’re fishing with kids, the focus has to be on them no matter what – if you try to multi-task (which never works in any capacity) you will quickly get annoyed with their questions and snags and tangles and break-offs… instead of using every single event as a teaching moment.
But… you can still make some casts… if you’re smart. (And no, up until now I have not been smart. Shocker.) In fact, when you’re fishing with kids, it’s a great opportunity to work a bait or practice techniques that require no maintenance.
What is a “No Maintenance” Bait?
Great question.
A hardbait of some sort.
Take your pick: topwater, buzzbait, crankbait, jerkbait, spinnerbait, chopper, chugger, chigger (wait that’s not a bait)… but nothing with any sort of soft plastic that can tear & steal your attention. This means that swimbaits, swim jigs, jigworms, Texas, California, Carolina and Condoleezza Rigs are not an option!
No Maintenance Only!
I opted for this crank and a jerkbait. Nothing else.
The kids, however, should get something that is going to get all sorts of bites. I started my son off with a simple jigworm rig, but after a while, made strike detection even easier by putting a 4″ Strike King Ocho on a black o-ring and light wire wacky hook underneath a slip-float. This was paired with 8lb Seaguar Invizx – giving him invisibility and enough power to lift most fish straight up onto the bank.
A bobber rig will give them the chance for a big bass, but also give them something to watch. Something to do. If you instruct your child to cast – let it sit for 5 seconds – then lift the rod tip to pull the bobber in about 5 feet and let the stickbait pendulum back down underneath the float – then repeat – it gives them “an active presentation” that is relatively snag-free and delivers enough activity to keep them happy and occupied. Most bass near the bank are going to strike or pass as soon as they see this little stickbait. There is no need to wait too long.
Liam’s Best Bobber Rig Fish
Rapala Scatter Rap Largemouth
Chasing Trophy Fish EOC 3.5 Jerkbait
(Sidenote: does anyone know why some largemouth bass, like the one he caught above, can have red eyes like that?! They’re barely visible in the video, and look black in the photo – but trust me, they were red, like a smallmouth!)
Remember: if they are happy & occupied... you can make casts yourself, so long as you are constantly paying attention them them, their needs and their body language.
If the bite slows... SNACKS! Body language turns negative... SNACKS!! Hungry? SNACKS YOU FOOL!!!
It was a good day.
Warm weather. 75 minutes. 7 fish for him. A few for me. No yelling. Burger, fries & a vanilla milkshake on the way home.
Nailed it.
Brothers - THE METAVERSE IS LOOMING - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS HERE - there is no time like the present. Take your kids outside. Do better than I used to do. Be patient. Be kind. Give them room to explore and grow - but teach them to love the outdoors now. Start today. Show them the real world, one that doesn't get spoon-fed to them through that little demonic glowing rectangle.
Sons & daughters. Stop scrolling. Start living.
Now this coming weekend... I'll take his older brother and try for a repeat... I hope you do the same!
Progress. Getcha' sum.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
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A few minutes ago, my left pointer finger was impaled with the razor-sharp rear treble of a Rapala 08 Husky Jerk.
Anytime I do anything… there’s always blood.
I’m not even mad.
Sharp!
We’re going to talk about jerkbaits today, and believe me – I’m the perfect guy to lead this presentation. Why? Because before last season, I had never even tied one on! But I knew that I wanted to get good with them… so… I just went for it. Popped one on. Threw it around. Got a few bites. Tried a few others.
After a while, confidence increased, and more and more fish started to fall prey to these rigid little sticks with hooks. Just 1 season later, this bait has gone from something confusing to a top tier confidence bait.
This season, my first cast will be with a jerkbait. An 08 Husky Jerk, to be exact. In a new color, to be even exacter: Olive Ghost. It’s a green-backed semi-transparent number, with a tiny bit of blueish purple just barely visible down the center. A saucy little nugget, no doubt, and so is his younger brother, the Rapala RipStop® in Live Perch.
The Husky Jerk is a perfectly-balanced bait that can be cast or trolled, according to the Rapala website. It has a slight rattle and stout hooks. The RipStop has lighter wire hooks (they’re “stickier”) and a tail design that stops the bait harder & faster, then slowly rises head first.
I’ll pair both with fluorocarbon line… but lighter than what I have used in the past. We just discussed the benefits of lighter line the other day… so… I’m forcing myself to practice what’s been preached.
Jerkbaits can be used all year, however, you typically see them come into play more during the spring and fall, when the water is colder. They give you the ability to pause for an extended period of time. From the pause, these baits can float up, sink, or even suspend in place (if they are neutrally buoyant). Be mindful of the line you are using, because monofilament and braid both float, but fluorocarbon sinks.
This will have an effect on the action of your bait.
Your cadence (meaning the pattern of your jerkin’ – example: so twitch-pause, or twitch-twitch-twitch-pause, and so on) should be varied until you find a twitch + pause combination that starts to get a reaction out of the fish. If the water is colder, don’t be afraid to pause for 10, 15 – even 30 seconds to see if a fish will strike.
In warmer water, you might be able to get away with 1, 3 or 5 second pauses – and yes, this bait will work in warm water as well.
After the pause, make sure you turn your reel slightly to bring in the slack. Don’t pull your rod and advance the lure or you will be defeating the purpose of the bait. Once you’ve reeled the slack out of the line, you can twitch the rod again to advance the lure erratically, pause, and repeat.
When it comes to rod and reel selection, here’s a good rule of thumb:
If you like baitcasters, you need to use a slightly heavier jerkbait and a bit heavier line. This will allow you to cast the lure effectively – if it’s too light, you’re literally begging for inaccurate casts and a massive backlash!
If you want to use a smaller jerkbait – something that will appeal to everything that swims – opt for a spinning reel setup. This is how I’ll be starting the season, and testing 8 pound test instead of my usual 10…
I know, I know… that’s not super light… but baby steps, man! This should be a positive change in the right direction. Big changes take time and effort to take root.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
Muckin’ bass is something that many of us have experienced. It involves manually removing bass from… well… loads of muck.
In 2019 when I started The Minimalist Fisherman, I had made the incorrect assumption that cover like this was simply unfishable.
“Just look at all that nasty algae. No bass in there! If there are, they’re untouchable – gotta wait until we go up to Wisconsin to catch some fish out of clear water with very distinct weed edges I GUESS…”
So negative. So silly. So WRONG.
The bass are in there, and as soon as I realized this, it became my mission to find the best way(s) to extract ’em. This has led to the development of several new skills and modified rigs.
It’s a blast.
In this video, I’ll explain a bit more about The F4 Rig, which was originally developed to help fish flukes through heavy cover. Here’s how you rig it and what you can pair with it – and just for good measure, a few good examples of what you can pull out of heavy underwater sludge & cover – even when the bite is tough!
The F4 Rig is a great option for muckin’ bass & adjusts easily on the fly.
Early in the season when the greenery is sparse, you can get away with treble hooks and sloppy knots sportin’ large forward-facing tag ends… but as the season progresses, you need to adjust your approach if you don’t want to spend more time removing debris (and pulling your hair out) than fishing. As the snot & muck thicken… rigs like this become more and more useful.
A Healthy Largemouth Bass on the ‘ol F4 Rig
Add it to your repertoire, get after it, and let me know how it goes!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
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Fishing starts Monday. I’m hitting the water rain or shine, enough waiting – tomorrow we’re headed to Southern Illinois for Prison Ministry. I am excited for both of these things.
The other day we talked about Fishing Borrow Pits. What they are, where they come from, and how they can be repurposed:
Borrow Pits can be amazing, low-pressure honey holes if you find one that has been stocked. If it has limited shoreline access and it’s difficult to fish with a full-size bass boat, all the better! The result is a lot of unpressured water for us jon boat enthusiasts to explore… but the bass here are wary. Smart. You can’t clobber them over the head with the big rigs you’d use in a muck-covered city lake…
Today, we’re going to talk about my Top 8 Borrow Pit Baits. I went back and looked at the spreadsheet from last year, and tallied up all of the most productive ways that I fished these clear-water, steep bank, high visibility lakes. The name of the game is natural. Stow the buzzbait, huge rattles, giant jig with massive trailer that has unnatural pincers straight from the depths of hell, and the 10″ high-vis Senko – start natural.
Plan to work the entire water column, and explore. If the pit doesn’t have cover and structure that the fish can relate to, they may roam. This means that temperature and water depth will be the main variables you’ll want to focus on. Look for areas with slightly warmer and cooler water at different depths, and prepare yourself mentally – it’ll be tough, but worth it!
Start with a Quality Topwater
Start by working along the bank with a topwater to see if you can find any active biters. This allows you to cover water, and let’s be honest – topwater strikes are just downright fun! Downsize your offering and try out a walking bait like a Zara Spook Puppy or a Mann’s Baby 1-Minus in natural colors, worked at different speeds. If you reel slow, you can work the Mann’s like a wakebait or speed it up to go slightly subsurface. On windy days with chop, I lean towards the Spook for a bit more splash & visibility.
Another couple baits that will allow you to cover water and work slightly deeper are the Rapala Husky Jerk Minnow, and the Donkey Tails by Mule Fishing Supply Co. The latter is a small paddletail swimbait that catches everything, and the jerkbait will attract bass of all species and all sizes. Bomb the paddletail on light line and reel it straight & slow. If you feel weight, set the hook. No need to twitch, jerk, bounce – just keep it simple. If you want a slightly more active presentation, toss the jerk.
Nothing yet? Sun high in the sky? Time to Finesse…
Chances are at some point throughout the day, you’ll catch more with a finesse presentation. I love to work a Pop ‘n Drop whenever possible – but in clear water like this – having a popper chugging along isn’t always the attractor we hope it would be. Instead, suspend a 4″ Strike King Ocho underneath a float, and cast it up towards the steep banks. You might want to leave this bobber trailing behind you as you work an active presentation (if 2 rods per angler are allowed in your state). This allows you to put a plastic in front of their nose for an extended period of time, and on light line this can look very natural. The Ocho also has more salt than a Dinger and sink without requiring lead splitshot on the line – making it even less visible.
My best Borrow Pit “Bobber Bass” – not too shabby for a 3″ YUM Dinger!
Speaking of Dingers, If you want a sinking option to float down by the steep banks below any overhanging trees, play with the Neko Rig. Rig a 4″ or even a 3″ YUM Dinger wacky style with a small o-ring (this is critical as it gives you more exposed hook / increases hookups) and place a light nail weight in one end of the bait. This is a subtle sinking presentation that can add a bit of erratic behavior on the fall, triggering strikes. It can also “fall back into” trailing bass, depending on the position of the weight.
Two other presentations I’ve caught fish on that deserve your consideration include the Z-man EZ Tube rigged up on a jig, and the Berkley Powerbait Twitchtail Minnow, also on a jig. I use fluorocarbon with both. The tube spirals on the fall when you cast it up to a bank, so it can generate a reaction strike. The Twitchtail Minnow has a straight, vertical fall, and I like to hop this along the bottom, mimicking a small baitfish pecking through the sand & rocks.
Both will work on largemouth bass and smallmouth bass if they are present. The tube in particular seems to work well next to steep banks, but I have seen fish swim up and back off at the last second in open water where they can get a really good look – might just be my experience though… and in those same situations, the smaller stickbaits seem to coax more strikes. Test this on your lake.
Another note on tubes and vertical walls – notice the brush that overhangs the steep bank in the photos below? This provides overhead cover, and just like a creek with overhanging trees, it is possible for bass to get conditioned to caterpillars and other bugs falling in on windy days.
Finally, there are two other tools that you’ll want to make sure you have, even if you’re in a smaller boat. The first is a quality fishfinder like the Garmin Striker Vivid 9sv (a killer little unit that won’t break the bank but allows you to create your own contour maps as you fish – very important for little lakes without any Navionics charts), and a quality trolling motor. I’m seriously considering picking up a Minn Kota Powerdrive… which would be more expensive than everything in my little jon boat combined, but also allow me to work a bank hands-free.
This would be a gamechanger for me as I often fish alone, and fighting the wind ripping across a big flat pit is a full time job…
These tools help you with stealth, and they help you find sunken treasures, depth changes, holes and other contours that can hold fish in these crystal-clear borrow pits.
For me – these are must-haves!
Did I miss something you love to fish with? Let me know!
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I was sitting up last night tying rigs. We’ve had yet another cold snap here in Illinois, with nighttime temps dropping below 30 degrees. There is an upcoming prison ministry trip scheduled for Friday, so it looks like things have been postponed just a bit longer… no matter… this too shall pass.
I was thinking about the rigs that we had modified or created within the last 12 months after going through The Trophy Room, looking at examples of each one working…
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First, we have the F4 Rig, which is super-versatile and allows you to quickly switch between a Carolina, Texas, or in-between rigs, with or without a clackin’ sound.
The F4 Rig: Muckin’ a City Lake
Then we have the Pop ‘n Drop, which allows you to combine a popper with a trailing stickbait that stays off the bottom or suspends subsurface over deep weeds.
The Pop ‘n Drop Over a Deep Creek Hole
Whenever I share these in a video, someone comments, “oh shoot – I need to try that!”
(Yes you do – and you should let me know how they work for you, and if you have any suggestions!)
Later this year, we’ll reveal another combo I’m working on, called The Snakebite Rig. The Snakebite Rig is meant for fishing largemouth bass in areas with a combination of muck and tall, slender weeds (think grass or even cabbage) from the bank or the boat. Every part of the rig has been designed to be as weedless and muckless as possible.
It works.
One extremely important element of that rig, is the combination of knots. Knots are important for a variety of reasons. Certain knots work well with specific line types (uni-knots can “burn” and fray fluorocarbon lines, reducing their strength). Different knots have different breaking strength (often fishermen will tie leaders using a knot with a lower breaking strength by the bait, so if they snag the rig will break there, and they can simply tie another bait on, not be forced to retie their entire leader).
Knots all have a tag end that can cause issues
I know… I used to ignore this as well… but when I was working on The Snakebite Rig it forced me to look at every single part of the setup, because I was sick and tired of pulling weeds and muck and crap off of my line every cast. It’s a waste of time. It forces you to lose focus. It’s annoying.
This leads us to the question: what is the best knot for attaching fluorocarbon leaders to braid?
The answer, is The Alberto Knot.
What!? Why!? Why not the popular FG Knot?
Great question! For starters, you need to be a rocket surgeon to tie an FG Knot. And three hands. This is not ideal for retying a leader on a windy day when you’re on the water. But, if it were the best option, it would still be worth the effort to master the technique. However, look at the direction of the fluorocarbon tag end when you tie an FG Knot.
Forward Facing Fluorocarbon Tag on an FG Knot
It’s facing forward, and it will pick up weeds & muck as it comes through the water that direction.
That can be a BIG problem.
Check out The Alberto Knot, and notice that the braid tag end is the one that is facing forward – but braid is supple, and if you leave a quarter or even a half inch tag on said braid, it will fold back nicely and lay flat, making the Alberto Knot much more weedless… or if you’re in the Midwest like me… much more muckless.
How to Tie the Standard Alberto Knot
That gray tag end you see above is braid, and it will fold back easily as it comes through the water. That means on the front side of our connection, we have some rounded fluorocarbon, and some rounded braid.
Silky smooth.
Combine this with a Weedless Uni-Knot (the tag end on a weedless uni points back, not forward) at the bait connection, and we’re in business! Oh… speaking of Uni-Knots…
What ABOUT Uni-to-Uni-Knot connections?
Great question. I use these often, because they’re easy to tie… but they do have three major problems:
The hard fluorocarbon tag still points forward
This connection is slightly bulkier than The Alberto Knot
It is very easy to burn your fluoro if you cinch your braid down a bit too tight before you pull the knots snug with one another
Double Uni-Knot Creates 2 Tag Ends and Braid can Burn Fluoro when the Knots are Cinched.
So to recap – these are the main reasons why I think The Alberto Knot is the best knot for braid to fluorocarbon leaders:
An Up-Close Alberto Knot
The Alberto Knot is easy to tie
The Alberto Knot won’t burn your fluorocarbon
The Alberto Knot has a low profile
The Alberto Knot is strong
The Albert Knot is very weedless, with no forward-facing hard tag end
Now… if you want to get super-fancy…
The Improved Alberto Knot
… you can improve The Alberto Knot by adding three extra wraps before you end the process and cinch down, like this:
Extra Wraps on an Alberto Knot – The Improved Alberto Knot
I strongly recommend you take this extra step if you are using heavy fluorocarbon leaders!
Give it a shot and let me know how it works for you. Ultimately when it comes to knots, confidence and reliability are key – if this is something new, tie several in the garage prior to hitting the water – test them, and repeat the process until you get ’em right.
Once you do, it’s simple and effective.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Yesterday I was going over a trip from last June while working on a video for the fishing vlog. We had been getting rain off and on for about 72 – 48 hours – but nothing super heavy… so I thought I could go out and have another day of smallie bashin’… well, the water was high & muddy – like chocolate milk.
Fortunately, I was able to call an audible after 30 minutes of unproductive fishing. My F4 Rig was getting snagged up on all the creek bed debris, but my Pop ‘n Drop rig allowed me to make enough noise to attract fish in the muddy water and keep my trailing plastic off the bottom.
Check it out!
Chocolate Milk & Smallmouth Bass – Breakfast of Champions!
When the water is high and muddy like this, bass will move. They might move up or downstream. They might get in really close to cover (including the bank, boulders, timber – anything that can make them feel more secure or offer a current break) and they might seek out eddies or wider areas with slightly slower current.
They could have lockjaw… but… you’ll never know until you get out there and look for ’em.
Check out both of the techniques mentioned here, get after it, and let me know how it goes!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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I came across a video last night, where a YouTuber was complaining about the amount of people on their favorite local shoreline.
It certainly does seem like fishing has increased in popularity. Unfortunately, fishing etiquette has not increased at a proportional rate.
It’s not uncommon to have people, pets, or any number of things encroach on an area where you’re working and just wreck the fishing… but complaining won’t help…
So, What’s a Fisherman to do?
If your fishing area is busy… you only have 4 options, and 3 of them SUCK.
You can quit (don’t be a wuss)
You can complain and wait for the world to change around you (bad choice – none of us are that important)
You can be rude and tell people to leave you alone (no – being annoyed is not a good reason to be a crappy person)
You can find remote areas to fish (good choice – take matters into your own hands like a man)
I like option #4, but this begs the question: where does one find these remote areas?
Here in the Midwest, clear water is not exactly abundant. We’re surrounded by algae-filled lakes and dirty rivers… but some of the pits are extremely clear. I’m talking 20-foot+ visibility on a bright morning… and noisy bank fishermen plodding along are not going to catch these spooky fish… after a day or two of this, they won’t be back…
Some pits can be surprisingly beautiful, and in this example, there won’t be much bank traffic simply because there isn’t really anywhere to walk. If a tiny ramp is present, this is a perfect jon boat or kayak lake…
The term borrow pit is one used in construction and civil engineering that describes an area where earthen material has been removed. That material will be used for fill at another location. Often people think that the name comes from “the borrowing of material at one location, to be used at another.“
I was surprised to find that the name is actually a misinterpretation of the word barrow. A barrow is a “mound” of stone or dirt, and barrow pits were created when these mounds were required.
As per usual… there are many different thoughts on which is correct, and which came first… but here’s the important part…
Borrow Pits can be “Reclaimed” and Utilized
Some pits are absolutely massive…
Often, this means turning them into ponds or lakes by filling them with water when they are no longer in use, and incoming and outgoing technicalities of the water aside, they are valuable for recreation, the water supply, fishing or any combination therein.
It is advantageous to fill these pits, because if they are left barren it’s not uncommon to see them become dump sites for “end of life” vehicles, urban waste, or even hide outs for armed robbers and ritual killers.
(When I was a kid, me and some buddies found a trailer in an old local pit that was filled with dead, skinned animals. Safe to assume there was something evil going on… )
When filled with water, pits need to be set up properly or that water will stagnate and turn into a breeding ground for mosquitos, tsetse flies and other nasty critters. Pits that are properly formed are able to carry fish and wildlife.
In terms of bottom composition, weeds are not out of the question – but it depends. What material was here? What was removed? Sand, gravel, clay (e.g., bentonite), limestone, talc, iron ore, and bauxite, among others may make up the area.
This means that weedy cover may not be present (or very sparse) because it simply can’t grow – but on the other hand, the water can be crystal-clear.
This makes the fish spooky. It makes them harder to catch. It makes stealth imperative. It means hobbyists will become discouraged and leave. It means extra thought must be put into bait selection, and how we approach different areas, and what areas we dedicate time to.
It makes for a much more challenging – and therefore rewarding – fishing experience.
So to my friend that was lamenting the congestion on his local city lake shoreline, I would say this.
Find a pit.
Embrace the suck.
It will be frustrating at first, but accept the challenge. Go out and get after it. Because the fish are in there… and when you start to put together the pieces of the puzzle… it starts to get really, really fun.
In the next article we’ll talk about a few top tier options for fishing wary bass in crystal clear water that really work well for me.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
I hope all is well – the weather has gone from over 80 degrees to the low 30’s with snow in the last 48 hours here in Illinois… which has just destroyed my mood…
Call the Whaaambulance…
No matter. Life goes on. I wanted to share a few tips with y’all that a good friend of mine shared with me a while back. I simply call him Brother Ron D. Brother Ron D likes to fish with light line and light gear. He also likes to tinker, and last year he started to email me so we could talk shop a bit. We’ve discussed technique(s), as well as modifications – I’ll share some of those with you all at a later date as well…
Remember the other day we talked about my buddy, Brother Marty? I met him through email as well, and we celebrated his recent victories:
As important as it is that we celebrate our victories, I think we also need to share quality information with one another. What’s working. Why it’s working. So I’d invite each and every one of you that has either a recent catch to celebrate, or a tip or trick to share to let me know so I can continue to improve – heck, so we can ALL improve – and share what’s working with each other.
With that said – let’s jump into some light line techniques & tips!
Fishing With Light Line: Tips & Technique
AJ – Wishing you a healthy 2023!!
I was very encouraged by your latest blog about fishing with light line. As you know, that’s how I roll. And let me tell you, Matt Straw is correct. For the fish we are targeting (Largemouth bass, 5 pounds or so) light line will absolutely land them. I have been preaching this FOREVER. It is (but also isn’t) perplexing to me why people don’t use lighter line. Let me explain…
As bass fisherman, we study things to nearly an obsessive degree. We obsess over the weather, structure, lures, our gear, what the fish want, what the fish don’t want, etc etc. But one area I see bass fisherman overlook or outright ignore is actually fighting and landing bass; this part of bass fishing is the most enjoyable to me. The fight… the battle. But most bass fisherman have no idea how to do this.
Why?
Because they use heavy super-lines. So there’s really no reason to learn this extremely important skill. Look at the very top of the sport. Ever watch a bass professional reel in a fish? They just rip it in as fast as possible. Sometime the fish even lay flat on the surface and they just reel it in, skimming the top of the water. And then once at the boat, they violently swing the bass into the boat!! Why do they do this?? Because they know the line will not break, that’s why. There’s absolutely ZERO fighting and landing technique for 99% of the catches they make. They just horse it in. Now I understand WHY they do it. Because that’s maybe not just a fish to them. That’s a paycheque. Food on the table. So you want to be 100% sure to get that fish in the boat ASAP. But that’s not me. Or you.
We fish because we love it. It’s doesn’t get me sponsors, pay the rent or put food on my table. I fish for the love of the game. And arguably, the best part of the game is the fight…the battle. I’ve never quite understood why bass fisherman take so much time and effort (and expense) to go fishing… and then when they hook a fish they try to end the most exciting part of the day as quickly as possible!! And part of this reason is they see how the pros fish… and the other part is they’ve completely forgotten how (if they ever knew in the first place) how to fight and land a fish because they’ve become reliant on super-lines. I’d even say most fisherman have no idea how to properly set drag. You just see them fiddling with the drag knob until there’s a pleasing sound or something. Or they pull, by hand, at the reel until they say “That should do it!!” That’s not how you set drag. LOL (FWIW, I set my drag with a digital measuring scale. Because it matters.)
When fishing light line your accompanying gear, particularly rod selection, becomes more important. If not vital. You want the rod to take as much shock as possible. Rod too stiff and ALL the stress is on the line. Drag set incorrectly… again… more stress on the line. However, once you get both of those things correct, you’d be astounded at how heavy of a fish light line can take. For example, the first time I set my drag correctly, I was awestruck. My wife would be the rod holder and I’d hold the line with the measuring device. And I’d yank the line (several feet away) until the drag was perfect. You absolutely can not believe how much strength, rod bend, etc light line can hold. I’d be yanking the line and the rod would be bent and I’d think the line was about to snap. Then I’d look at the device and see I was only at 50% of breaking strength. And I was REALLY pulling, trying to break the line. Once you see and feel that…. you know later on that a 5 pound bass is quite unlikely to snap your line from just a fight. It’s a synergy effect. The line, rod, drag and technique all working perfectly. There is little doubt in my mind that 3 pound could take a 17 pound steelhead as in your blog post… and beyond. 100+ pound fish are regularly caught on 4lbs test… and I think the all time record is 575lbs. No, that’s not a typo. So yes, absolutely 4 lbs is enough for all of our bass fishing. If fisherman would be just willing to learn.
And when you learn? It becomes fishing zen. And does not require balls of steel. Just practice, commitment… and the will to be a better fisherman.
Talk soon, ~Ron
A Quick Thought on Ron’s Email
I started this blog, website, YouTube channel, whatever – all of ’em – so that I could get better at fishing. I was sick of taking my kids and / or wife out with nothing but a guess as to where they’d be and what they’d bite. That’s a great way to kill fishing for other people.
I was tired of failing. Tired of letting them down. Tired of seeing the look of defeat and disappointment on their faces.
And so, this process began…
Obviously, it’s still going, but messages like Ron’s – I can’t tell you how much they mean to me. How much they are appreciated. The fact that someone took the time to share something they feel is overlooked and important. It makes an impact.
In life, we all have a circle of influence.
Some of those circles are very small. Others are massive. But we can all make a difference, and our time would be best spent on doing just that – as opposed to obsessing over the “circle-size” of others.
“Once my circle is bigger, THEN I’ll be able to make a difference!”
Nah man.
That’s wrong.
You can make a difference today. Maybe just for one person.
It may seem small, but I assure you – it matters.
That might be a little deep for a fishing article, based on a fishing email, discussing a fishing technique… but… heh… maybe not?
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
What do you think?