It’s no secret. I currently travel the Land o’ Lincoln in search of the mighty largemouth bass. Some days the fishing is incredible, other days… not so much. Probably user-error more than location… or maybe Abe doesn’t want me catching all his fish?

Whatever the reason, there are 4.3 presentations that I ALWAYS have with me no matter where I’m fishing in Illinois. I did a video on this last year (below). Based on the comments, some people loved it… others didn’t care for the fact that I made fun of our state.
Like it or not, I ain’t lyin’ 😉
These are proven producers:
- A moving topwater, like the Rage Tail Toad
- A topwater you can pause, like the Scum Frog
- A heavy Swim Jig
- A quality Stickbait
And #4.3? That’s gonna be a Jigworm. Start with a quality jig, add a slender floating worm with salt or scent – and work it around sparse cover whenever you can.

* Click here for my Top 5 Swim Jig Trailers, or here for my favorite Swim Jigs.
Whether I’m fishing up around northern Illinois, or way, way down south (we got a looooong state y’all), these baits are with me so I can cover many kinds of water and fish the conditions effectively.
If you have any questions, just let me know.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots!

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[…] the rod held between my knees, I awkwardly pulled the Plano container out and selected a simple jigworm, then tried to balance while tying a new loop knot I’d been working on […]