The past few weeks have been tough here in Illinois. Algae is thick. Stinky. It’s disgusting. Fishing has been up and down, but we’ve managed to smack a few largemouth bass on a Z-Man Pop Frog.
Yet… there’s a problem…
His pants keep falling down.
It’s weird, but imagine your topwater frog has pants.
Every time you pop him over the top of the thick algae, they start to sag.
Stick with me.
I have not been drinking.
This is an unacceptable fashion faux pas, but more importantly, it makes your topwater far less effective. As the rear end of the frog slides down the hook after every *POP*, you’ll find yourself spending more time resituating the bait than fishing it.
Take your floss, tie a granny knot, and wrap it around the shank 15 – 20 times, right below where the plastic will sit on your hook. (I’m using a 4/0 Eagle Claw Trokar Magworm Hook with this plastic, and a heavy duty – short – leader made from 30lb J-Fluoro. Fluoro sinks, so only use a bit.)
Hit the floss with some super glue, and leave it sit until it dries. If you don’t like the white color on the hook, go over it with a Sharpie.
Z-Man Pop FrogZ Mod by The Minimalist Fisherman / AJ Hauser
ElaZtech is super stretchy.
It will pass over the “bump” we’ve added with relative ease, however, just this slightly raised rough patch on the hook will prevent the plastic from sliding down the smooth hook shank after every single twitch.
Hooksets, you ask?
Not a problem.
I only rest my hook in the slot on the top of the bait, I do not bury the point back into the plastic (what some call rigging it “Texposed“.) The plastic stays in place with the floss underneath the bait, which lets the hook slot do it’s job and keep the bait weedless even without “Texposing” the plastic, allowing me to make good, clean, solid hooksets!
Here are a few more quick pics to show you how mine looks:
I learned this method from the great Richard Gene the Fishing Machine. The legend uses floss and super glue on smaller jigs to lock plastics into place, and prevent them from sliding down the shank.
Same concept, slightly different use.
It’s made life easier for me so I had to share. Let me know if you can put it to work in the field!
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If you want to catch more largemouth bass, it makes sense to spend some time exploring how they actually eat.
Most of us have a basic understanding along these lines:
“Bass suck stuff up, and if they don’t like it they spit it right back out.“
We’ve seen panfish do this while bobber fishing. They’re not shy at all when it comes to what they suck up, taste, spit and repeat. Their table manners are as questionable as Uncle Oliver’s.
“Say please, thank you, and always use a napkin, buster.“
There are several ways that bass will eat food.
The most common – and arguably the most exciting method – is to rush towards their prey and engulf it.
This is how largemouth bass attack fast moving objects, or larger prey.
Largemouth bass will inhale smaller, slower moving objects – especially if it seems like they are unable to escape. They will approach slowly, flare their gills, and suck ’em on up in the blink of an eye.
If the bass senses a problem – it reverses the action, quickly blowing the object out.
The act of inhaling and exhaling is so rapid at times that the human eye has trouble tracking it.
If you’re a masochist like me, take a second to imagine how many strikes you’ve missed because you never even felt a tiny tap.
Actually no, don’t.
You’ll turn to the bottle.
Don’t you put that evil on me Ricky Bobby!
The Reaction Strike
Bass also have a reputation for striking by reflex. The Reaction Strike. Many pro anglers have made their bones by heavily leaning on the idea of “getting the fish to react”. To strike even when they “don’t want to.”
However, there are many biologists that believe that bass don’t strike what they don’t want to hit. That said, there are studies that claim bass will strike baits moving rapidly because they don’t take the time to decide one way or another.
Certainly bass don’t have free will, they’re not making conscious decisions, but the claim is that they don’t simply react – they hit with intention.
We Can’t Force Bass to Strike
There is no magic bullet, so it makes sense to try a variety of presentations on your next outing. See if the bass will react, or if they will chase and smash a moving bait, or if they insist you give them time to inspect the offering before moving in and engulfing it.
As a Minimalist Fisherman, remember this: we want to be deliberate with what we take on our boat or in our backpack. We don’t want to become collectors, or walking bait shops, but we do need a few different options.
It’s not about limiting yourself, but striving for quality over quantity.
I’ll often take two rods: one for power presentations like topwaters, swim jigs or cranks. I’ll work these lures to see if the bass will react, which means a faster day of fishing. My second rod will be set up in a way that I can test multiple finesse presentations. Jigworms, stickbaits, tubes, small jigs or little swimbaits.
Bass are not stupid. In order to grow and thrive they need balance between their energy expenditure and their food intake. They can’t afford to waste energy on fruitless strikes, and on average strikes from 18 inches away are 60-80% effective. Heavy cover and long distances lower these odds – but if you keep everything mentioned here in mind the next time you hit the water, you’ll have more success.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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I don’t remember the last time I took a picture with my wife.
We have 4 boys.
They’re crazy about her.
As they should be.
We do things with them. On vacation especially. It’s easy to make time for activities that are not the norm when you are on a trip. “We’re on vacation, so we have to go do vacation things!” But even when we’re not doing said vacation things, the kids are always around (thankfully). If my wife and I are in a picture together, it’s with the addition of 1 to 4 little boys.
Wildwood Wildlife Park Zoo & Safari in Minocqua, Wisconsin
No big deal… I mean… one of us has to manage the camera… we have enough pictures together… right?
Last week, I mentioned that the first 7 days allowed me to see how much I was not listening to my wife. When I say “listening“, I don’t mean “obeying” – this is not submissive exercise. A marriage is a partnership, and I was being a bad partner. She was carrying the events of her day at the hospital alone. I was not hearing her when she was speaking, because I was obsessed with the little glowing rage machine.
That has changed.
As a result, you can tell that she wants to be around me more. It’s the same on my side as well! I’m enjoying having real conversations that are beyond the stuff that we have to talk about.
You know the stuff…
What are we cooking this week? Who is taking the kids to the dentist on Wednesday? Are we painting those doors or leaving them for now? Should we do church Saturday or Sunday? School starts back up on what date?
This is the stuff that keeps life moving… but it’s boring.
With the newfound space for actual conversation, there is a change in the atmosphere. We like each other. We’ve always loved each other, but there is a playful banter that has resurfaced in our relationship.
It’s Flirting.
Do you remember when you were courting your wife? The compliments? The things you did to try to impress her? To make her laugh? To show how special she was to you?
Are you still doing those things?
If not… why not?
Because life. Because job. Because tired. Because excuses. Because these days we don’t even think about it.
I started this Political Detox hoping to do more fishing, and instead I’m doing more flirting.
Definitely unexpected, but let me let me tell you… that ain’t a bad thing!
Do you know what else happens when you genuinely invest your time and energy into the relationship you have with your wife?
Good things, fellas. I ain’t gonna spell it out for ya, but many, many, many good things…
The Fishing Keeps Getting Better, Too.
This was the original goal, and it has been successful. I was able to fish again after getting back from a 4-day Prison Ministry trip to Tennessee. What a great way to close out the evening after the 9-hour drive.
But there is work to do between now and then. So for now, I think I’ll go give the misses a little pinch, perhaps a smooch on the cheek… maybe it’s time to set up a date night so we can get that picture with just the two of us?
It’s important, and I’m glad I can clearly see that again.
For the full explanation of what this Political Detox is, and the habits it’s addressing, please see: Fish for Bad Habits…
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 of my favorite quotes comes from the great Jordan Peterson:
Don’t compare yourself with other people; compare yourself with who you were yesterday.
Jordan Peterson
I like this. It applies to everything.
A common mistake is to cherry-pick someone that it already doing well, and to compare yourself to them.
Let’s say you want to get into shape, so you look up Instagramers posting gym selfies. Dang, they look awesome. It’s so inspiring. Absolutely ripped. Veins popping. Tan. Just incredible. You say to yourself “yeah man, I want that!“
Dang. Suns out guns out.
But shortly after you follow them, you start to get discouraged. It seems like they are constantly posting gym selfies – complete with perfect posing, perfect hair, perfect lighting – and these images start to discourage you. You start to feel like you’re never going to get there… so you quit.
TIME OUT.
You don’t know what it took that person to get there. You don’t know what sacrifices they made. How long they’ve been working at it. 1 year? 3 years? 10 years? 6 lifts a week with one-on-one help from a professional nutritionist?
Here’s a better path: develop your own nutrition plan and workout routine. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be consistent. Log calories. Add lean protein. Work out 3 or 4 times a week. Then, take a picture on Monday, every week, for 8 weeks.
Tracking calories, creating workout routines, implementing them – these are all skills that you will start to develop.
Focus on you, and look at the changes you can make in your own life.
Fishing is a skill
Like all skills, it’s more enjoyable when you’re good at it. But in order to become a master, you must be willing to be a fool. You have to embrace starting small, and instead of picking up the latest issue of Bassmaster to gawk at pro anglers with $95,000 bass boats, or picking out a YouTuber with 500,000 subscribers and a billion views – take a snapshot of where you are at right now.
The easiest way to do this is with a journal. It can be pen & paper, or a computer document, or even a blog – like this one.
Another method you might consider is starting a video journal. I use YouTube for this purpose. I tape, edit and post videos so that I can go back and look at where I was at and where I’m going. Stars & Bars Fishing is specifically set up to be a running log of my escapades in-the-field.
Click the banner to jump to Stars & Bars Fishing on YouTube.
I am no master, but I was willing to be a fool.
Still am.
For example, this year I decided it was time to learn to use a jerkbait. Never done that before. I knew I was going to look like an idiot – and I knew if I taped it, people would see me looking like an idiot.
But I went for it. Made dumb mistakes. Fished it “wrong”. Just kept pushing ahead… and you know what happened?
If you want to get better at fishing, you just need to invest the time and energy required to develop your skills. Just like the gym example above, your fishing plan doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to be consistent.
Another beauty caught using a new method I’m developing: The Pop ‘n Drop
So start something new. Today. Right now. Make the decision, and as you move ahead, compare yourself to who you were yesterday.
Keep learning. Keep pushing. Keep fishing.
From one fool to another…
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Bass will grab something if they are curious, and sample the flavor and texture – how it tastes & feels.
“I may have held on a bit too long this time…”
Most of the time bass will hang onto an object longer if it is squishy or soft, as opposed to hard. Obviously, squishy baits like a Zoom Zlinky, or a Strike King Super Finesse Worm will hold their attention for a bit. These baits are soft and contain salt & scent – like food. This is what allows you more time to set into the fish with an EWG (Extra Wide Gap) hook. Hard baits, like those contained in the Rebel Small Crankbait Collection, contain “sticky” treble hooks. Baits with treble hooks are harder to spit out after a largemouth has a taste, but they are also much more difficult to use around weeds and muck.
The Rebel 4-Pack – a killer combination, especially for creek bass.
Swim jigs are hard as well, but they usually only contain a single, strong hook. But this works, because you’re (usually) reeling the swim jig at a constant speed, and when a bass strikes, they almost hook themselves – or you can get them on a reel set.
The plastic trailers added to swim jigs can really enhance them, so think about this when you’re making your selection. Don’t just grab a big plastic tail that smells like motor oil, look for a trailer that will add scent and taste, so that after a big bass hammers your offering they get more than lead.
Bass can feel with their body as well. In fact, their sense of feel helps them efficiently move through rocks, weeds and woody cover.
All of their senses seem to work at relatively close range. Senses like sight and what they can feel and hear with their lateral line work out further than taste and smell. But these close range senses play a major role when you’re trying to catch fish. The close senses form a little sphere around their face, which we commonly refer to as the strike zone. This is the area that we should be most concerned with… however, we would be fools to ignore what a bass can see and feel further out from their body.
The most effective anglers will be mindful of all of these senses.
Largemouth bass are capable hunters. They are not prisoners within their environment, and while they are best known as ambush predators – they are extremely versatile. Shooting up 10 feet to hit a topwater, or swimming after a swim jig for a ways before deciding to strike – these are common occurrences in the world of bass fishing.
Be mindful, and always strive to give yourself the best possible chance when you are selecting baits for largemouth bass.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
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1 week since a simple family vacation to Minocqua, Wisconsin helped me to identify a very destructive habit.
My morning and evening “news routines” were taking a major toll on my time, and more importantly, my family. There were several things that happened over our two week fishing trip that gave me the much needed space to think clearly, to see these habits as the problems that they were.
I am 1 week into a full-bore Political Detox.
I have not allowed myself to check in on the rage machine in the mornings, the evenings – even while driving (which has been extremely difficult).
So far, here’s what I’ve learned…
In Wisconsin, it was easy.
Wisconsin bluegill fishing
When I was surrounded by water, nature, family, activities – so many good things from the time I woke into the late, late evenings – it was easy to push these bad habits behind me.
Now I’m home.
Every day starts with work. There are real-life responsibilities. Real-life problems. Things break, things cost money, things seem to go wrong constantly and all of this makes me want to sit and “veg out”. Disconnect. Fortunately we don’t have cable so the TV isn’t a huge draw for me – but as a website developer, I have screens. Many screens. Screens filled with YouTube, Twitter, and every opinion-type website you can possibly imagine…
When overwhelmed, there is a strange, powerful draw to just sit – to do nothing – and check in on what other people think, what other people are ticked off about. To let them think for me – not to mention, a (big) part of me wants to know what is going on out there! I don’t like being uninformed… but still, being informed with rage isn’t a good place to live either… so at some point, we’ll need to figure out a way to get simple, straight, distilled news with no slant. Just information.
Does that even exist?
Not sure, and today isn’t the day to find out, because I am dedicated to this experiment. There are 3 weeks left.
Good things have already started to manifest themselves.
Two days ago, I realized how much I was not listening to my wife.
(Insert some joke about how “hubby don’t listen“, or “my wife never stops talking“, or “put the toilet seat down!“)
Jokes aside, I’m not talking about OBEYING, I’m talking about LISTENING.
Those are very different things.
My wife is a registered nurse, and at the hospital, she sees some pretty heavy stuff. The other night we were in the kitchen, and she started to talk about a man with an infection. I won’t go into the disturbing details (and she never gets into specifics like personal info), but it was clearly worse than anything she had ever seen before.
This person was essentially rotting from the inside.
As she was explaining this in our kitchen, I had my phone in my hand. Not because I was going to open YouTube, but because I was waiting to borrow the charger. At one point I looked down and noticed it was there – and that the screen was blank.
Dark.
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.
Just a few weeks ago, my response to her would have been “uh-huh, uh-huh, yup“, to end the conversation so I could start a video, or read a tweet, or check some social site… how is that being a good husband?
Easy answer: it isn’t.
By not listening I was forcing my wife to carry the weight of her job by herself. Can she do that? Yes. Should she do that? Of course not. This is a partnership, and whether or not either of us realized it, my bad habit was placing extra stress on her, because she wasn’t properly unpacking the events of the day.
It’s a blessing, and this Political Detox has helped me realize that.
Yes, the fishing has improved…
This week I was also able to get out to the local honey hole and do some fishing. It’s a far cry from the deep, clear lakes near Minocqua, but still fun. Yesterday I threw a Z-Man Pop Frog, then a little finesse Tokyo rig I’ve been playing with as a delivery method for some Strike King Super Finesse Worms and had some success.
The topwater strike was the most fun, which is often the case.
I left earlier than usual instead of sitting on my rump, slurping coffee and looking at a my computer screen, because of my new-found morning time. This meant more casts, more fish, and more time breathing the fresh morning air.
Truth is, the extra fishing time was the initial draw for going through this process – this Political Detox… but the things I am learning about myself and my family at the same time – that is the real benefit.
Consider going through this process yourself. You’ll be glad you did.
For the full explanation of what this Political Detox is, and the habits it’s addressing, please see: Fish for Bad Habits…
I’ll be traveling south for the next 4 days doing Prison Ministry, so articles and videos will be on hold while I’m on the road to & from Tennessee. Please pray for safe travels and that the hearts of many, many men will be touched by the Holy Spirit!
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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!
“It’s too dang cold“, you grumble after a late start as you scramble to grab your breakfast, coffee and gear in one quick pass through the house – you just know you’re going to forget something on this chilly Monday morning.
“It rained last night, the bite is going to suck after all that thunder and I bet the water temps cooled, too. Look at all the fog out there! None of my poles are rigged up properly, gas is super expensive, I don’t want to pay for live bait but I’ll need it, the ramp is going to be too crowded, and I bet that moron that likes to ride his jet ski at the butt-crack of dawn is already out ruining the weedline bite… maybe I’d be better off just staying home…“
Meanwhile, across town…
“I don’t think I can pay my bills this month“, he grumbles after a late start as he scrambles to grab breakfast, coffee and all of his work files in one quick pass through the house. Seems fine, but he knows he forgot something and it’s going to ruin the week.
“I already missed the deadline for Tom, so we might lose him as a client. My boss is going to be super cheesed off about that – probably fire me – at the very least rip me a new one, and Megan isn’t even talking to me lately because of all the family stuff I’ve missed. The kids are mad at me too, obviously, and I feel like there is a massive wedge being pounded between us – but what the heck am I even supposed to do about it?! God, help me… maybe I’d be better off just staying home…“
Two different worlds. Similar feelings of despair.
As I was driving to the lake this morning, I was grumbling, similar to the first example above.
It’s Monday. I was headed to fish for largemouth bass. Planned to throw a Z-Man Pop Frog, then a little finesse Tokyo rig I’ve been playing with as a delivery method for some Strike King Super Finesse Worms.
When I hopped on the interstate, I was stuck behind a little white SUV.
My pity-party continued. WOE IS ME! Everything is working against me this morning even though I’m headed out to fish! They won’t bite! The storm was huge! Everything is messed up!
Then I realized something…
The fella in the SUV actually lives down the street. He was headed to work. He has 5 kids, the youngest plays baseball with my oldest, and he has a beautiful wife.
She has breast cancer.
They’ve been taking trips to Texas for treatment, and it seems like things are looking up, but I don’t know. I’m too terrified to ask.
He was driving in front of me, as I was complaining about all the awful, catastrophic things that were wrecking my morning of fishing…
Gut punch.
I felt silly, then ashamed. I was disgusted with myself. Why had I allowed my outlook on the morning to become so negative? I was going fishing – not going to work while my wife was resting at home fighting cancer!
In that moment, I made a note to share this story, and decided to immediately adjust how I was reacting to everything around me.
This week, consider this:
We all have our battles.
Battles that change constantly. Battles that are important to us (no matter how small).
Not all battles are as intense as breast cancer, thankfully, and it’s worth keeping this in mind as we go through our day. If we’re able to sneak out to the lake – even if it’s terrible – that is a simple blessing. It’s better than running a business, going to work, taking a child to the emergency room… it’s better than any number of things.
All of the inconveniences that pop up on any given morning allow us to grow as anglers. They help us get better. They toughen us up. If they are so resilient that we can’t overcome them, if they cause us to stumble – GOOD – we fail, but failure is not an ending, just an obstacle.
Regroup. Come back, and defeat whatever was holding you back. Be thankful for the opportunity to do so.
As fishermen, we are surrounded by simple blessings and vivid reminders of the Almighty. Pause for a second this week, and see how many you can identify. I promise you this simple act will improve your mood, your relationships – and yes – even your fishing.
Rainy-day dinks? That’s a good problem to have. Smile.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Fixing fishing rods is something that has fascinated me for a while now.
Several years ago I started working on an outdoor social media project with a few friends. We tried our best, but fizzled out. During that time I broke an important fishing rod – one that helped me catch a lot of larger bass early on in my fishing journey. I’d become attached to it, and when it snapped, it broke my heart. Surprised by this sentiment, I decided to try my hand at repairing fishing rods.
This video shows how I completed my first fishing rod repair, the next shares the improved rod repair method.
Going through this process showed me what to do, but more importantly, what not to do. After testing the repaired rod in the field, I came up with a new, stronger method for repairing fishing rods.
If you have a broken fishing rod that needs to be repaired, I would suggest you check this out and see if you can apply the methods and tips within these two videos.
While it might make sense to just go out andbuy a new rod instead of spending the time and effort required to perform the rod repair, I can tell you from experience that the knowledge you’ll gain from going through the repair process is extremely valuable. You will develop new skills and a deeper understanding of the tools you’re putting to use on the water.
Click the banner to jump to The Minimalist Fisherman on YouTube.
If you have any questions, just let me know.
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!
A very interesting squarebill crankbait, the Thunderhawk A10 Squarebill Crankbait looks a bit different. You can see that the bill is actually molded as part of the lure itself, and the claim is that this feature helps the crank come over cover like wood and rocks better.
The bait is 3.5 inches, dives between 3 – 5 feet, sports awesome black hardware, and the finish looks outstanding. As you can see in the image below, I’m testing out an A10 Squarebill in Ghost Ayu, which is a good fit in my algae-loaded local lakes at the moment. There are several nice looking finishes, and if this bait works well I’ll be grabbing a few others. Ghost Bluegill and Red Ear look amazing.
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 Kalin’s Crappie Scrub is a neat little bait that attracts bluegill, crappie and bass – literally anything that swims. When you spot fish up shallow (of any size), this little guy is hard to beat and a TON of fun to throw!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Fishing a Kalin’s Crappie Scrub for Big Bluegill #short
Click the banner to jump to The Minimalist Fisherman on YouTube.
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!
With an infant in the room, some sort of sound machine is always buzzing away, creating fake rain or running water noises to mask movement. Our breathing, cover adjusting or pillow fluffing.
But now – silence.
I could see massive puddles in the street, and the drops falling from the tree leaves and power lines made soft ripples that glistened in the moonlight. Clearly a storm had come through and killed the power.
“… something’s wrong“, I mumbled to myself, and rolled out of bed as quietly as a clod can when half-awake at 3:30 a.m., “better go check the basement…“
The basement, you see, is prone to flooding. This spring it had already happened. We have two sump pits in the basement, and both were equipped with heavy-duty pumps. I say “were equipped”, because one day they magically burned up at the same time – no surge, no other electronic devices were damaged, none of the circuit breakers were flipped… they just died.
Then the water came.
Watching your basement flood is an interesting experience. It puts you in your place. You quickly realize that you are at the mercy of nature and the local water table. The cracks in the basement floor become dark and obvious as the water starts to seep through. The pits slowly overflow. You scramble like a madman to move every box and memory from the basement floor to higher ground.
The mind begins reeling:
“Why didn’t I clean up down here??“ “Why aren’t these paper documents on a shelf??“ “When is the water going to stop?!“ “Why do we have so much STUFF?!“
But it doesn’t matter what the answers are – all that matters is that you run. Run to every single object, hoist it over your head, move faster, up the creaky wooden stairs to deposit the item on higher ground so you can repeat the process many, many, many times.
Fortunately (fortunately?), as mentioned the first flood of the year had already happened a few weeks ago, and everything was still piled up haphazardly in the garage. As I ambled downstairs on this dreary, dark morning, I was not frantic – only curious. Was there water rising in the pits?
Yup.
“Well, shoot… guess I better fire up the generator and get these pumps working ASAP.“
I shuffled back upstairs and pulled out the gas-powered generator my father-in-law had gifted us last Christmas. As long as the pumps weren’t magically burnt up again this should work well.
A prime. A choke. A quick tug on the cord. Loud noises.
She fired right up, and I was able to do two very important things:
First, I ran two large cords from the generator to the pumps so that they could lower the incoming water, and I was relieved as they began gurgling & ejecting immediately.
Second, I ran an extra cord from the generator, across the garage floor, into the door by the hallway, past the pile of dirty shoes and up into the kitchen.
To save the food in the fridge, you ask? The frozen meals in the deep freeze?
No… to make sure the coffee pot would start up for my wife at 5:00 a.m., and after resetting this, I went back to our room filled with silence and slipped into bed… my most important husbandly tasks now complete…
We met in the kitchen 2 hours later.
My wife daintily teetered in as I was sitting, enjoying my first cup. Her robe cinched up, she could hear the generator grumbling away outside, took one look at me, then the nearly-full pot of strong black coffee.
She smiled.
Victory.
She poured a cup and gave me a quick smooch, “thank you, what’s the plan today?“
“I’m not sure“, I said, “I was going to go try to learn to use a jerkbait and see if I could muster up a few cold largemouth bass, but with everything going on I’m not sure I’ll have time… maybe I’ll go next week…“
She took a deep, noisy slurp off the top of her piping-hot coffee, then in a very matter-of-fact tone said, “the mess will be here when you get home, you should go“.
She was right of course. It is in her nature to push me to do the things that she knows will make me happy, but leaving her home with all the kids, no power and a generator running… I couldn’t do it in good conscience.
After a brief discussion, we decided that I would go, but later on. Late afternoon. The forecast showed overcast skies and low temps all day. If I was going to have success with the jerkbait today, a few hours shouldn’t be a make-or-break deal.
Plus… I’d never caught a fish on a jerkbait before… so what’s the rush?
We finished our coffee, and after a few hours the power returned. Cleanup ensued, then my rod, reel & gear were prepped.
Time to fish.
When I arrived at the lake, it was cold. It was overcast. I had planned to fish from shore, and as I began walking around the edge of the lake searching for a fishy-looking spot, I realized something…
Nobody was here.
Good.
City lakes have a tendency to get rather loud, but at times, noisy lakes are all you will be able to fish – we can’t take a 6-hour trip to the creek and isolate ourselves from society every day. City lakes allow us to scratch the itch… but the sweet sound of a lawnmower running over sticks and rocks does not create the ambience we crave.
I welcomed the cold. The drizzle. The mud. The cracked, bloody fingers. The wind.
The payoff, was silence.
Silence, like what woke me from my sleep early this morning.
Silence, that would allow me to hear the slight click of my bail opening, the lure whipping through the air, pulling my line through the guides until further down the bank the presentation entered the water with a soft “plop”, the bail clicked back over with a quick motion of the hand, and then with the initial twitch – we were fishing.
The only problem was that I was using a jerkbait.
I had never caught a fish on a jerkbait in my life. The one that I had tied on looked so good… so good in fact, that I had been looking at it for 5 or 6 years, planning to use it “one day”.
I knew that lethargic, cold bass should respond well to a bait that I could pause in front of them – they had to. I had read so many articles and watched so many videos on how these baits could be fished, how they could work… but with limited time, it became apparent that I may have made a huge mistake.
“I have no idea what I’m doing… this looks ridiculous…“
It was obvious that there needed to be a simple pattern I could follow so that I was able to focus on my line to see if it jumped. After all, I didn’t know what a strike would feel like. A pull? Slack? Something in between?
“Twitch twitch pause, twitch pause, repeat.“
There. Done. That was it. My simple pattern. For the next 45 minutes I would live or die by the double-twitch pause twitch pause.
I made another cast, then another… then something happened.
The rod bent over in the direction of my jerkbait.
“Oh my gosh, are you serious?! Oh my gosh – that’s a good bass!“
My drag clicked a few times. The rod stayed bent as I reeled – I could see the thump-thump-thump of the tip-top as she made runs in the opposite direction – she felt huge.
But she wasn’t.
As I brought her in, I could see that the jerkbait had caught the bass on the top of the back.
Foul hook.
Still, I had my “first” jerkbait fish – right?!
No… deep down I knew the victory was tainted.
“I’m still gonna count it!“, I proclaimed, knowing that was a lie, but trying to convince myself that I had achieved my goal.
The fish was unhooked, measured and released, and as the initial shot of adrenaline started to fade, so did my conviction towards the fact that I had “caught” a jerkbait bass. Wrong. I had snagged one.
Shoot.
With time dwindling, I decided to keep working the bank, making cast after cast, hoping that I might place my jerkbait in front of another bass, one that was more interested in eating as opposed to inspecting, as the previous bass had done.
Less than 10 minutes later, the casting paid off.
What did the strike feel like?
Well, if memory serves – it just felt like a tiny bit of weight, as if the bass had inhaled the jerkbait in a soft, subtle manner that I didn’t even feel on my end, but as I tried to move the lure slowly towards me, it stopped.
BOOM.
I set the hook, pulling in the opposite direction, and she was off.
She swam hard, and stayed deep. You could tell instantly that this was a bigger fish. If there was any doubt, it went away when my drag decided to scream in my face as she made a powerful run –
Reeeeee-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-eeee!!!
“Oh my gosh, that is a good bass. That is a GOOD bass. Hahahahahahahaha! I just hope I got ‘er in the mouth!“
She pulled away from me several times, and as I worked her closer to the shore I could see that I did have her in the mouth.
Barely.
A single barb on the rear treble was all that connected me to the fish. I could see the entire body of the jerkbait as she kicked & thrashed close to shore – I had to get her up by the rocks so I could grab her. Now. Before she was lost forever.
I held my breath, gave the spinning rod a final mighty tug, and shoved my thumb into her thick, powerful jaw.
Success.
She was mine.
As I hoisted her into the air, laughing like a crazy person, I was even more grateful for the silence and solitude. No gawkers. Nobody running over to inspect my catch. No questions about the bait I was using.
Just me, and my first jerkbait bass.
She was gorgeous.
With the tiniest of tugs I dislodged the single hook from her face, grabbed a quick measurement and some pictures, and we said our goodbyes.
As quickly as it started, it was over. I knelt down to carefully release her back into the cold, dark water, and she took off with a single, powerful kick.
The ripples her tail created on the surface began to fade, and I was left, surrounded by silence once again.
My goal had been achieved in a most spectacular fashion… but now it was time to get back to real life. Time to go home and clean up the garage, the flood piles… my hike back to the truck began. I would head home and start my work… but I knew that all the while I would be thinking about everything that had just happened…
Thinking about the cold, the silence – and that one mighty jerkbait bass.
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If you are here looking for a largemouth bass recipe, we’ll need to do that in another article. Today we’re going to discuss how bass taste things in the water.
Their sense of taste is even more close-range than their sense of smell. Taste receptors reside on their lips & mouth. However, compared to other species, bass have relatively few taste receptors. They only taste something after grabbing it.
Largemouth Bass Sense of Taste & Smell
Largemouth bass, walleye and pike have taste buds centered around their mouth & lips.
Carp have taste buds centered around their mouth and lips, and especially their barbels.
Catfish have taste buds centered around their mouth and lips, and especially their barbels, but also distributed over their body.
(This begs the question: when we hold catfish… are the actually tasting us? That’s kinda weird…)
Taste is a close-range sense for bass, but that doesn’t make it unimportant. In fact, after a bass hears, feels or sees your presentation and decides to grab it, it is taste that helps them decide whether or not to hang on.
Whether or not it’s food.
Scuba divers have reported seeing bass inhale and exhale soft plastics so quickly, anglers didn’t feel anything. The same with crankbaits. If a bass decides to hold on to your presentation a bit longer, you will have a better chance of setting the hook and landing the fish.
This means that scent, or attractants you can add to lures probably have more to do with taste than smell. They also mask your human taste & smell.
The simplest attractant is salt. When salt is added to plastic baits, it makes them less translucent, they become heavier and can sink a bit faster, and they give the bass something to taste when it they grab on.
Personally… I do not like to fish with plastics that don’t have salt in them (at the very least). Other scents are fine, garlic is popular, so are other “baitfish” or “crawdad” scents – but I have a hard time tying on plastics that just taste like… well… plastic.
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Vacations have a way of bringing things that are truly important to the forefront.
My family is home now.
We currently live in Illinois, but for the last two weeks we have been elbow-deep in fishing, swimming, eating, being merry, and then… even more fishing up in Minocqua, Wisconsin.
You read that right. Two weeks. And we go with the EXTENDED family.
Trips like this take a lot of planning & patience… virtues I have been sorely lacking for many years…
But it seems like we finally have a routine dialed in. We have checklists. We know what not to pack. We’ve minimized, you see. We know what presentations to use on the crystal-clear, spring-fed lakes if we want any chance of attracting the finicky smallmouth bass and walleye that roam the depths…
With the added clarity, I realized something this year:
These trips are a good way to disconnect from the modern world.
With an intentional focus on family, fun & fishing, all of the excess – the clutter, the noise, the distractions – they all fall by the wayside.
At times, we find ourselves on the calm, quiet lake, and we are left with something a bit unsettling…
Our thoughts.
Not a distraction in sight…
This helped me notice a very bad habit…
I start every morning by reading “the news”. After checking a few sites, I hop over to read 8 to 10 Twitter feeds, to get a feel for the reaction(s) to said news. This can take about 2-3 hours as I drink coffee and “wake up” with the rage machine.
At the end of the day, I catch up on daily events by watching YouTube commentary for 60 to 90 minutes.
Every. Single. Day.
Yet over the last two weeks I didn’t have the time to indulge in this sick, twisted habit, and as a result I realized just how destructive it was.
I was up every morning at 5:30 a.m. to fish with my Dad.
Smile, Pops.
It paid off.
Sometimes with fish.
Other times… with conversation.
Often both.
The days were filled with family activities. Swimming, sight-seeing, bobber-fishing.
In the evenings, I would read to my boys, then lay them down after prayers.
Then at night, the adults would play dice and drink a few refreshments, eventually rambling off to bed. Late. Late enough that I didn’t even want to try to keep my eyes open to watch YouTube commentary.
The swimming and sun, combined with everything else that happens on a vacation day, makes you rather tired. The real tired. The good kind of tired that comes from actually doing stuff.
Y’all ready for a nap yet?!
Then something changed.
I began to enjoy the mornings.
I looked forward to the evenings when my head would hit the pillow.
My family started to get the best of me, my wife got more attention & time and my kids got Daddy in a good mood. I started to focus on them, started to plan things with them, started to zero-in on the things I could actually change in the short-term. There simply wasn’t time for my bad habit.
But I didn’t even know I had made a change… until I came back home.
When I sat down to sip my coffee and fire up the same ‘ol websites the first morning back, something was off. I realized that I was about to pick up a bad habit that I had minimized… by accident.
Happy accident.
And so, this habit has stayed gone.
I am now entering into a period of Political Detox, to see what I can do with the time I will regain.
If my math is correct, I may very well regain four hours every day.
How in the WORLD was I wasting four hours a day without realizing it?!
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My best BLUEGILL on a KALIN’S CRAPPIE SCRUB (micro-swimbait) since I started this channel. The bait used was on a 1/16 ounce jighead in a natural brown & white color. Links are below – pick some up – they work!
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!
For many anglers, fishing is a hobby. Or a passion. Or a lifestyle. Or an obsession.
It’s many things to many fishermen, yet, it doesn’t come without it’s fair share of frustration.
One day you have it all figured out… the next day… the fish remind you that you don’t know squat.
This can happen over the course of a year, a month, a week… and yes, even a single day.
The presentation or location that was productive in the morning can turn off as the sun shifts in the sky, as the weather changes, water temps cool or heat up… or as the snacks & beverages run dry…
Why does this happen?
Well, you see, the fish… they do what they want. We’re simply chasing them. Hunting them. We’re a step behind. We’re guests in their homes. It’s not the other way around.
So bad days, they happen. A skunk, days with no fish… yup. Happens. If it hasn’t happened to you lately, it will. It’s just a matter of time.
Accept it, but even more than that… embrace it.
If we didn’t have the bad days, the good days wouldn’t be special.
The days where you can throw anything at the water, make as much noise as you want, stomp around hooting and hollering with your wife or buddies or kids – those days would just be normal.
Normal isn’t memorable.
Normal is boring.
When you find yourself in the middle of a day where extraordinary things are happening, pause for just a second. Reflect. Drink it all up. Lock it in the memory bank.
These days don’t happen often, and they should be treasured.
This week, consider this:
1. The frustration of fishing will help you become a better angler, so you can help friends & family succeed.
Trial and error can be an extremely effective teacher.
When fishing, success and failure are in your hands to a certain extent – but not completely. There are many external factors that will have an impact on your day-to-day fishing trips.
In time, you will learn what many of these factors are. You will gain experience and knowledge that you can share.
If you have buddies, a spouse, or most importantly – children – it’s this knowledge that will help you put them on fish faster, which in turn allows you to guide them towards the cultivation of a true love for the sport.
So you do your reps ahead of time. You take your licks. You get knocked down, beat up, chewed on and spit out. Do this, and learn more so you can help others avoid similar heartbreak as much as possible, especially early on in their fishing journey.
In time, they will experience plenty of this frustration on their own… and they will also learn that frustration is good. But, to start, use your hard-earned knowledge to create happy memories that they will cherish (and hopefully chase) for the rest of their lives.
2. The frustration will show your children that failure is not an ending, just an obstacle.
We don’t quit. Ever.
Failure is not an ending, just an obstacle.
Defeat it.
As Dad, as Mom… if you don’t want to raise quitters, whiners, losers… you need to set the example. You need to show your kids that when things get tough, the answer is never submission. We don’t throw in the towel or look for something easier.
Mama, setting the example for the littles fishing Rattlin’ Raps & smackin’ smallmouth bass before a big storm comes through…
We work hard, make adjustments, and get better.
Sometimes this is simply a grind. Hard work.
Other times it’s strategic. An adjustment.
Brains & brawn. Both are important in fishing and in life. Angling provides us with multiple opportunities to teach our family & friends what it looks like to overcome obstacles through our actions – not just our words.
So… embrace the frustration.
Embrace it, then defeat it.
Defeat it, and grow.
This cycle will repeat. It is self-perpetuating. Just when you think you have it figured out, the fish will remind you that you don’t. We’re always learning… and learning leads to growth…
The growth of an angler.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
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Is this the best jerkbait? EVER??? I have no idea what it is… but… when I tied it on recently when the sky became overcast… it was LIGHTS OUT! What the heck is it?!
Let me know if you happen to find out…
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
The Best (Unknown) Jerkbait!? Intense Fishing! #short
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My best CRAPPIE on a JERKBAIT since I started this channel. The bait used was a No-Name (?) Gold & Black suspending jerkbait on a spinning setup with 10lb Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon. A similar bait is linked below – try some out – they work!
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Crappie fishing is always a good time – and when you happen to pick the magic color on an overcast day… well… it doesn’t get much better than that. Look at this huge crappie!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Giant Jerkbait Crappie Fishing from Shore! #short
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Midwest Multi-Species Fishing – sounds like a good time to me! This year, the MOVING BAITS have been absolutely smoking, from chatterbaits to topwater – although my new favorite technique is by far a jerkbait. This is followed closely by another new favorite from last year: micro-swimbaits.
Today, we hit the water with my only golden jerkbait… a no-name model from yesteryear that worked… well… it worked surprisingly well, landing a few bass and my PB Jerkbait Crappie.
After I got frustrated with the jerkbait trebles picking up too much of the Illinois muck I was fishing through, I switched to a Kalin’s Crappie Scrub. This little dude was paired with a 1/16 ounce Kalin’s simple ballhead jig (which has a relatively short shank – which is important) and it was lights out for the panfish.
Today was an extremely fun, productive round of fishing even though I was pretty limited on time!
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!
Largemouth bass fishing is popping off here in the Midwest! One of my new favorite techniques for searching our largemouth (and smallmouth) bass, is a combination I’m calling the POP ‘N DROP. Check out some of the other videos we’ve posted to learn more – and make sure to try it yourself!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Ever Fished the Pop ‘n Drop for Largemouth Bass? #short
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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!
“Finally… finally, back in the creek… it’s been too long… “, you mutter to yourself.
The wind is lightly blowing on this warm June morning in Illinois as the kayak slips silently into the slow-moving water. You begin to plunge the paddle below the surface and make a quick note on clarity.
“A foot of visibility, maybe two“, you again mumble out loud, remembering the rainfall from earlier in the week, “with this sediment I’m not sure where the smallmouth are, but there is a good chance they’ll be in tight to cover.“
You start to make your way upstream, against the current.
Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right.
The methodic movement is almost enough to put you to sleep. Blades dipping below the surface one after the other, sparse droplets sprinkling down each time you lift. Left. Right. Alternate. Repeat. At times you scrape the rocky bottom as the creek bed comes up within the runs between the riffles and pools.
“Might as well start casting here“, you say as you arrive at the shallow end of the first pool, “I can work my way up to the riffles, then lift the kayak above my head and hike to the next run… now we gotta find the fish.“
Smallmouth bass fishing presentations flood your mind:
A jigwormis always a great option but it’s so slow, doesn’t allow you to really cover water. A swim jig lets you cover water, but they’re clunky and don’t look natural in this stream because of their size. An inline spinner might be better… maybe a small swimbait is the right option… but maybe not… can they see it and feel it from far enough away in the sediment? Topwater is always fun, but it seems like the topwater bite is always hot or cold – and with limited time we need something that is versatile. Efficient.
“Can we do two things at once?” you ask yourself? “Maybe… combine a few items? Wait… what if we…“
Grabbing a small pair of pliers, you frantically get to work on your creation:
First, let’s snip the back split ring off of a Livetarget Popping Frog (which is similar to a Rapala Skitter Pop) to remove the rear treble hook. Then we’ll strip 3 feet of line for a dropper. Done. In your head, you envision the dropper holding a trailing plastic – something that could look like it’s chasing the popper, but also settle a foot or so below the surface (held in place, suspending seductively) tempting fish that are not inclined to commit to a topwater strike. A quick palomar knot attaches a light wire wacky hook to one end of the dropper, and another attaches the line to the popping frog where the rear treble was seconds ago. A Strike King 4″ Ocho in green pumpkin is attached to the dropper hook – wacky – of course.
“That should work“, you reassure yourself, looking at the goofy contraption you’ve just Frankenstein’ed while slowly floating in circles back downstream. “That… should… work?“
Hmmm… maybe…
A few quick paddles back to the spot you wanted to start exploring, and it’s time to cast.
WHIZZZZZZZZZZ-SPLASH!!
“Good Lord… not the most subtle presentation…“, you grumble as you begin twitching the popper back towards the kayak.
Twitch… twitch…. twitch… the popper spits and gurgles as the stickbait trails behind, settling underneath and making the popper sit out of the water at a 45 degree angle.
One cast. Two casts. A third…
“Man it looks pretty good, I mean it should wor-“
BOOM!!
A MONSTER creek smallmouth annihilates the popper, ripping the entire rig underwater as you lean back into a startled hookset. The abrupt commotion decimates the summer morning calm.
She starts to bulldoze with the current, ripping line off of your Abu Garcia Orra spinning reel, which makes a familiar sound that is both exhilarating and scary –
“Oh my – please God let me have a good hook in that beast! Don’t pop off. Don’t pop off!!”
The drag on the reel is absolutely screaming.
A jump. A splash. A turn. A doubled-over rod.
More bulldogging… she plunges beneath your kayak… but then… she starts to tire.
After another minute, the battle is over. You lip ‘er boatside and hoist her in the air to marvel at the impressive girth… the Pop ‘n Drop dangling from her mouth.
What a sight to behold.
Pop ‘n Drop Creator AJ Hauser with a Beautiful Smallmouth Bass
Believe it or not, this story is true, and while she would be the best fish on that warm summer morning, she wouldn’t be the last. The popper drummed up another bite or two, but many lesser smallmouth fell prey to the trailing wacky worm suspended in the current of the creek.
The popper almost acted as a bobber with hooks, but overall what I learned was this:
At certain times, in certain conditions, the Pop ‘n Drop is a great way to combine an aggressive technique with a finesse presentation that allows a fisherman to cover water quickly and pause in strategic locations to entice a bite.
Example:
Let’s talk a bit more about what it is, where it came from, and how you can make your own to catch more fish.
The Origin of the Pop ‘n Drop
The very first iteration of this presentation was made in my garage about 6 years before I actually got around to using it. I set it up with an old Rapala Skitter Pop, and hung it up on the wall. One day I tried it on a lake with largemouth, and I think I caught one small bass… but at that time I was still green – and we all know that there is no shortage of exciting, active presentations that we simply have to try.
I tried them all.
The original combo and cobweb collector.
This obsession took over, and ultimately culminated in me having too much stuff… which is also what led to the creation of The Minimalist Fisherman. I needed to reduce… and as “must have” presentations were tossed aside or retired, this one remained on the wall of my garage, covered in cobwebs…
For some reason, I couldn’t throw it away. It just always looked like it should work.
Last year, I began fishing creeks heavily after discovering 3 or 4 hidden locations in Illinois. Beautiful spots. Isolated, full of deer & songbirds, eagles and herons. Yet, it all came with a very frustrating learning curve, as current, sediment load & clarity changed substantially between trips.
More than one early morning outing were a complete bust due to changing conditions…
This year, after a few unproductive trips, I needed to figure out a way to fish multiple depths so that I could find the fish. Actively search, without skipping over semi-neutral bass. To date, jigworms and small plastics have accounted for about 65% of my catches – so it would be foolish to ignore them – but you have to work them slow, and they certainly don’t work well in chocolate milk! Then, I remembered the wall decoration…
Off the wall and into the frying pan! Or… something.
I took it down, and made a smaller version with a more natural looking bait that might appeal to smallmouth in skinny water, and it was game on.
You can mix and match any number of components when it comes to making your own unique Pop ‘N Drop. Chances are you already have everything you need to get started:
Part 1: A Floating Bait Start with a floating bait that can support the weight of the trailing offering & dropper you plan to use. I found that even something as small as the Livetarget Frog Popper could float a fluorocarbon dropper (18″) with a (sinking) 4″ Strike King Ocho.
Important note: if your trailing bait is too light, the wind will catch it on the cast and you will experience some pretty nasty snarls. Experiment until you find the right combination for your situation.
Part 2: A Dropper Line I like fluorocarbon. 10 pound test Seaguar Red Label works fine for smaller applications, and 20 pound fluorocarbon works when I am fishing largemouth, like in the video below. I have gone all the way up to 30 pound fluorocarbon at times, in very heavy muck where the bass aren’t line shy.
Important note: the other thing to keep in mind is your leader material. Even when I am fishing braid, I will use a small fluorocarbon leader to make my topwater connection less visible. It does sink so you have to balance everything. When I use the smaller Livetarget version on my creek spinning setup, I simply tie straight to my 10 pound fluorocarbon mainline – no leader required.
Part 3: A Dropper Hook Wacky hooks are the way to go. They are low profile and compact with wide bends. Light wire options easily penetrate fish jaws. If I am going to work over weeds or shallow timber, I might opt for a wacky hook with a weed guard on it. These days I’m using a Berkley Fusion19 Weedless Wacky Hook because the guard is made out of fluorocarbon. It collapses better than the wire guards on my Weedless VMC hooks.
Part 4: A Trailing Offering Try a YUM Dinger, an Ocho, or if you want a trailer that floats – pop a Z-Man TRD on there and keep everything up on the surface. If you’re fishing a bigger floating bait, you can even get away with a full size stickbait – just make sure your line and hook are matched appropriately.
Pop ‘n Drop Heavy Cover Modification
One significant mod that I tried (with mixed results) was a Pop ‘n Drop with a Z-Man Pop Shad and a large single Trokar EWG hook. This left me nowhere to attach my dropper, so I had to put a split ring in some tubing used for spinnerbait trailer hooks, which allowed me to slide it onto the shank.
Pop ‘n Drop Heavy Cover Modification
From there I was able to attach a 30 pound dropper line to a weedless wacky. Kinda cool – but here’s the problem. Twitching the popper made the rubber tubing slowly move back on the hook, right up under the belly of the Pop Shad. When a bass hits topwater, the Pop Shad will not move down the hook on the set – meaning you will lose fish.
I lost a BIG fish.
I did manage to catch a good handful on the lower portion though, as I was able to use a full size Zoom Zlinky (with heavy salt) as my dropper offering.
The Zoom Zlinky is a soft, salty stickbait and a fish catching machine!
So this version, geared towards largemouth bass in ultra-mucky water, is going to require more thought… I’ll keep working on that. Just don’t make this mistake that I made with this version of the rig!
Give the Pop ‘n Drop a shot!
Don’t be like me – don’t take this presentation and use it as a wall decoration for years – get out on your favorite body of water and put it to work.
I’ve posted a few videos with this technique hard at work, and there are more to come…
Create your own combination, and let me know how it goes!
Pop ‘n Drop Finesse Topwater Technique by AJ Hauser
My best LARGEMOUTH on the POP ‘N DROP technique since I started this channel. The bait used was a Rapala Skitter Pop with a Strike King Ocho (4 Inch) in green pumpkin off the 20lb fluoro dropper. Pick a these supplies and try this fishing technique out – it works!
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My best LARGEMOUTH on a TEXAS RIG since I started this channel. The bait used was a Grandebass Airtail Wiggler. Pick a few up and get out there – they work!
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!
Largemouth bass fishing is always a good time – and veteran anglers know that a Texas Rig is one of the BEST ways to put fish in the boat. This bass was caught on a Grandebass Airtail Wiggler – a killer little floating worm that we will be doing a full review on soon.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Largemouth Bass Fishing | Grandebass Airtail Wiggler on a Texas Rig #short
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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!
