Muckin’ Largemouth Bass from the Bank

Good morning, brothers.

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.

illinois bass fishing largemouth f4 rig aj hauser — 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.

Thank you Readers!

Thanks for visiting! I’m going to keep doing everything possible to keep the helpful content coming, and FREE FOR EVERYONE… but I need your help. Please chip in by making a small monthly contribution to keep this site alive & growing. $4.96 will buy a sweet Pack ‘o Dingers, and with it, I promise to catch many bass in your honor. Thanks. You are a gentleman & a scholar! -AJ

Sure, I’ll Pitch in for a Pack ‘o Dingers!