Tag: the minimalist fisherman

Is The 80/20 Bass Fishing Rule False? Yes… Unless You Use It This Way…

It seemed like the rain would never stop.

It had rained and rained and rained… not a cute little sprinkle.

Buckets.

So when the storms finally broke, I did what any red-blooded American man would do. Grabbed a fishing rod, a Base Box, and headed to the closest pond I expected to stabilize quickly with a simple plan:

Clear water. Confidence baits. Bank fishing. Bass.

Two hours later? Nothing. Not a bump. Not a tap. Not even those annoying little panfish that jackhammer your plastics just enough to keep your confidence alive…

It was enough to make me question my ability, my knowledge, my manhood… but challenging moments teach us the most. As soon as I took a step back, admitted the problem was me, and not the pond, everything clicked:

80/20 Isn’t a “Rule” – It’s a Principle

Most fishermen don’t have a bait problem. They have a system problem. We keep adding and buying and collecting because we feel like we need to. It feels like proper preparation.

Just one more crankbait. Just one more tackle bag. One more reel. One more rod. Those JDM plastics look like spicy nuggets…

Just in case. Right? I get it. I used to be that guy. Some days, I’m still that guy. But…

New Gear Never Creates More Fishing Time. A Cleaner System Does.

The 80/20 Rule is often applied to just one aspect of fishing:

80% of the fish are in 20% of the water.

While that’s true, if you want more fishing success, you need to go deeper than that. For example:

80/20 TIME

Where you spend your time is important. 20% of your fishing locations probably account for 80% of your fish.

80/20 TACKLE

20% of your baits probably catch 80% of your fish. (I bet you a dollar.) Stop collecting. Start mastering.

80/20 SKILL

20% of the fishermen are catching 80% of the fish.

80/20 SYSTEMS

Whenever I load up a Base Box, I make sure that 80% of the contents are perfectly paired for the target conditions, but 20% of the space in that box is reserved for curveballs.

Be Ready… Without Carrying Everything…

Minimalist Fishing is not about being underprepared. It’s about being intentionally prepared.

When I fish, I’m applying the 80/20 Principle on purpose. That 20% can save the trip in more ways than one.

You don’t need countless tackle boxes in the truck or boat. You don’t need tons of rods & reels. You just need to think through the most likely conditions, and you’ll quickly find that less clutter leads to faster decision-making and better focus.

Example: What I’d Carry to a Clear Water Fishing Spot

Goat ToadZ

Hula Grub

Rage Craw

Hula StickZ

Albert

FattyZ

Blade

KVD Frog

Notice the first 3 options in each row are natural, but the 4th is a high-viz option. The KVD Sexy Frog also has a free-floating internal rattle for extra drawing power. (Yes, I know this is actually a 75/25 split, you math nerd. It’s just an example!)

Watch The Video

The full video walks you through the trip, the mistakes I made, the lessons learned, and the success that followed. It’s a simple example, but it’s also true.

If you’ve been carrying around too much tackle, or you’re on the fence regarding this whole minimalist fishing thing – this one’s for you.

It will help you fish better with less.

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

May 14, 2026
Rowboat Bass Fishing for Big Fat Hidden Largemouth

Good morning brothers.

I’ve been gone for a bit – traveling (and fishing) with family, writing for a few new outlets, and just being blessed overall with some awesome new opportunities… but very busy. It’s time to get back into reviewing notes and fishing techniques that have worked well this year, and here’s an awesome little realization I’d like to share with you…

I’ve recently discovered there’s something different about a rowboat. Not just in how it moves – but in how it makes YOU move. How it slows you down. How it connects you to the water by removing things like electric trolling motors & sonar screens.

It’s different.

It’s also one of the BEST ways to gain access to big, hidden largemouth bass in the thick – and I mean THICK – stuff. Rowboat fishing is a physical activity and it will challenge your body in a good way, and after fishing everything from kayaks to charters to modern bass fishing boats that cost more than a house… there’s something special about stripping it all back. Drifting quietly with nothing but the rhythm of your own hands. Pulling big, fat bass into the boat from areas that NOBODY else is fishing, because their trolling motor would get eaten alive… yeah man, never thought I’d say it but… I love rowboat fishin’!

Big Fat Hidden Largemouth Bass Taken While Rowboat Fishing

One presentation you absolutely for fishing thick stuff is The Crowbar Rig.

Gear for Making The Crowbar Rig:

ToadZ

Mag

Float

Snake

Vendetta

Mach II

Reaction

Gold

When to Bass Fish from a Rowboat

First, when it’s too dang thick to get around any other way! (I considered testing out a push-pole in here, but it was just too clunky and surprisingly expensive.)

That’s lookin’ a little… thicc…

Rowboat bass fishing shines on small to mid-sized lakes, but you could also use it to your advantage on bigger lakes with large, choked-out bays. It’s also great if you simply want to enjoy a more peaceful approach. You’ll see things you would’ve missed. Bass cruising the edge of a sunken log. A pike darting around the cabbage. Panfish suspending beneath the reflection of an overhanging tree.

Thick-cover water like this rewards patience, stealth, and presence – and this method of fishing forces you to pay attention to what’s in front of you.

Additional Rowboat Fishing Gear To Have On-Hand:

Barometer

Temps

Scale

Pliers

Rowboat Fatty – never woulda caught her without my little dingy!

Another rowboat bass with some sort of deformity or sickness. 18″ long and way under 2 pounds – something was wrong with this one… not sure what…

Eat

– A –

Sammich

I’m not saying dump your electronics forever – but consider shoving off with nothing but a rod or two, a couple of oars and a small box of confidence baits. Fish slower. Enjoy the environment you’re in, get into the areas other guys aren’t exploring – and soak it up. It’s a different way to fish, and a different way to experience the water… and it’s GOOD.

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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July 29, 2025
Be a FLEXIBLE Fisherman… It Pays Off! (Bass Fishing After a Storm)

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

The jon boat was finally ready, loaded, and trailing behind me as I sped toward my favorite canal. It was the fourth week of April, and even though it was a little brisk at 65°, it was comfortable. The only thing that made me uncomfortable… was the clouds up ahead.

But winter had finally released its grip on spring, and with the slight increase in warmth, life had to be stirring beneath the surface of the water. Clouds or not, I had to check. Within 55 minutes, the ramp came into view. I slammed the truck in park and walked over to the water to see how things looked…

Then the sky tore open.

Not a rumble. Not a flash. Not a drop of rain. Just a brutal, bone-deep crack of thunder following a streak of lightning so clearly visible it made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up.

I didn’t launch the boat.

Instead, I cussed, got back in the truck, and drove all the way home. “What a flippin’ waste of two hours,” I mumbled… but about halfway through the drive, something changed. I went from sulking to planning. When you’re a father of five running two businesses, there aren’t many days you get to fish. So, my options were to be sad – or be flexible.

I opted for the latter. Dropped the boat, grabbed a different Base Box, a backpack, rigged two simple rods, and drove to a nearby group of small lakes with shoreline access. If I hadn’t… I never would have caught her…

Sometimes the best days begin with a little flexibility.

19″ of Pure Largemouth Attitude Exploding Topwater on a Crowbar.

Vendetta

Mach II

Reaction

Gold

ToadZ

Mag

Float

Snake

Fishing Flexibility

In a nutshell, fishing flexibility means this: don’t force it.

The scenario above is true – you’ve experienced it yourself. We make plans to fish a certain lake, a certain way, for certain results. God laughs. Heartily. Then tells us otherwise. If we can pay attention to these signs – to our surroundings – we can usually make better decisions. Decisions that will make us safer, make us look smarter, and, in truth, help us catch more fish.

Rain? I’ll fish it. Clouds and even a bit of distant thunder? I’ll fish it. Lightning?

I’m out.

Don’t put yourself in a position where you are the tallest, most attractive thing on the lake – unless you’ve always dreamed of transitioning into a lightning rod.

“My pronouns are cooked / goose.”

Flexible Fishing Techniques

Leaving the canal was hard – not only because it meant I’d have to wait to explore an area I know holds big fish, but because I had to adjust how I would approach the fish at the next location. I had to pick somewhere I could take cover quickly, which meant staying on foot. This limited the rods I could carry, and so two bank fishing techniques got the early-spring nod:

1. Fling-a-Ding

I love throwing YUM Dingers around, but the problem with Flingin’ a Ding is that they have very little weight. They’re durable, cheap, and they catch fish – all good – but they look dead unless you impart some action into them. There are several ways to do this, but the easiest is to put your Dinger on a Reaction Tackle Weighted Wacky Jig.

Even in clear water, it seems like bass focus on the bait, not the weight. They’ll inhale your Frankenstein’d hot dog like it’s a gourmet offering! I’ll still opt for internal weights and super-light wacky hooks in pits with 500-foot visibility… but in semi-clear water like this, I don’t feel like I’m missing fish because of the exposed weight. Plus, the hooks are nasty, and the weight adds a pulse to the Dingers that is otherwise nonexistent. Very important. Very effective.

The color white (or in this case, a more subtle smoke / pearl laminate) is perfect for overcast days as it creates a soft glow in the water. At times, it’s the best thing you can throw.

Fling-a-Ding on Reaction Tackle Weighted Wacky Jigs

Ding

– A –

Ling

2. The Crowbar

The Crowbar is a combination of the components listed above: a Z-Man Goat Toad, a Trokar Magworm EWG with a bait keeper, two internal rattles inserted with the Rattle Snaker tool, and a floating bullet in front of your uni-knot to keep things ultra-muckless on your 40-pound Seaguar Gold leader.

This setup was developed to pry big, mean bass from thick, heavy sludge. It’s a battering ram with a fishing license – like calling in an airstrike to deal with a raccoon problem. Brutal, yes – but effective.

The single hook delivers a much better hookup ratio than a frog hook – especially when you consider that the extra weight of the solid ElaZtech gets flung in the air less than a hollow-bodied frog. The legs give you the ability to buzz or pause. You can twitch, hop, skip, and everything in between. The fluoro is less visible and abrasion-resistant if you want to work around stumps and laydowns.

I could go on, but the bottom line is this: The Crowbar is an extremely versatile topwater presentation that I will leave tied on from the time the water hits 55° until the end of my season. Period.

It’s a flexible technique for the flexible fisherman.

Clear water? No problem. Buzz. Pause. Twitch. Brace for impact.

Crowbar Bass

Crowbar Bass

So yes, it can be frustrating… but if you focus on improving your flexibility – becoming a flexible fisherman – you’ll make better decisions, safer decisions, and make hay.

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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May 29, 2025
Ebike Fishing (Best Ebike for the Money)

Good morning brothers.

It’s been a minute. As we close in on the (bitter, cold, dark) end of 2024, I find myself following the traditional year-end routine. Reviewing notes. Looking at stats. Checking to see what fishing goals were achieved, and dreaming about setting new goals for 2025.

It’s a beautiful, never-ending cycle. One that I love. It’s also a nice distraction.

A few weeks back, my younger brother passed away. My family is crushed (to say the least). November flew by. It was like being in a trance. Each day mushed together with the one before. I told our boys, the days leading up to the funeral will be a blur. It’s going to be a complete whirlwind, and after the dust settles we will find ourselves standing there, alone, 1 man down.

This has come to pass.

I have an archive of videos to edit. The surplus was something I considered deleting, just starting fresh this coming season, but now… now those videos are invaluable. Vaughn didn’t fish with me as much as I wanted, but he did fish with us from time to time.

Vaughn and his infamous tiger muskie on “the spoon,” a black perch Daredevle that he never took off.

This summer, the boat will seem a little light. Dad and I will continue to fish. We’ll have too much room. Won’t be bumping into anyone. Perhaps it’s time for my boys to join us more often? Probably. But even if they do, we’ll be standing there, fishing, 1 man down.

We would do anything for just one more trip.

Dad, Zach, AJ & Vaughn at Grandpa’s Place in Wisconsin

But we have to keep moving. It’s what Vaughn would have wanted, and though my heart is heavy, I rest my sadness at the feet of the cross. I pray he is with the Lord, and I take comfort in the fact that he is no longer suffering in this fallen world.

The days go on. We all take steps. We stay busy. We look ahead.

Still, every evening when the house is finally quiet, I find myself in the dark kitchen, staring at a digital picture frame that cycles through hundreds of family photos. Many include my brother. A few go by… there he is. A few more, there he is again. Holding Fish. Hugging kids. Smiling at my parents. Sitting by a fire. Laughing with me. Joking around with my wife…

… and I just stand there, broken & sobbing, 1 man down.

Love you brother. Godspeed.

Speaking of taking steps & moving ahead…

There was a new little toy that changed my fishing options last year – an ebike. Specifically, the Rattan Quercus. Odd name. Odd looking. You’re asking yourself… “how in the heck does a freaking BIKE help with FISHING?”

Great question.

Let me tell you…

The Rattan Quercus is a super-practical ebike that opens up a new bass fishing opportunity for anglers with limited time.

Where I live, there are several canals that run for hundreds of miles. I’ve fished many areas along the way in…

… my kayak and…

Kayak Largemouth Bass Fishing

… my jon boat.

Jon Boat Largemouth Bass Fishing

But canal access is somewhat limited when you consider how many fishable miles there are. It takes a long time to paddle long distances to explore new areas. However, with an ebike, I can rip through many unproductive miles quickly (even along paths that don’t allow motorized vehicles) stopping only when I come across a pool that looks fishy.

Find a place that looks good? Park the Rattan Quercus, pull out some gear from the satchel, fish it for a bit, then pack up, go and repeat the process. This is a great way to quickly find productive water from the bank!

Hop off. Fish it. Catch something? Stay. Don’t catch anything? Leave.

Repeat.

At the end of this season, I scheduled two different trips on the ebike. Let me tell you… I caught a few good fish on day one…

Enjoy a ride on the Rattan Quercus, park, fish, catch a few, repeat. My best on day one went 2 pounds.

But day two, that was when I found a killer little honey hole 10 miles from where I started, sporting crystal-clear water and good shoreline access, absolutely LOADED with unpressured bruisers!

A nice, fat 3-pounder. The first fish I caught on my second ebike fishing trip. That’s a good sign!

I recorded both days so that I could share them with you:

Ebike Fishing for FAT LARGEMOUTH BASS

Using my Rattan Quercus to catch FAT BASS

Bank Fishing Secrets: Catch MORE LARGEMOUTH BASS

A Rattan Quercus breakdown and real-world use scenario

Here’s a collection of pictures from the trips.

Rattan Quercus: Ebike Fishing

One of the things that we always need to do is find ways to make the most of our limited time. If bank fishing is something you love – look for tools that can help you move around faster and with less effort, like what I’ve outlined here.

If you do, you can enjoy more casts, more fish, and more fun.

Learn more about the Rattan Quercus (along with other models) over at the manufacturer’s site.

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

Go hug your people.

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December 6, 2024
Bass Fishing with Flukes: Two Nice Largemouth in the Early Evening

You know, I spend a lot of time writing for The Minimalist Fisherman so that I can share my personal development as an angler. This is important to me, and I hope it is useful to you and my kids as they become more and more interested in the sport.

My goal with all of this is to get better, to reduce the clutter and confusion, and help you do the same.

That’s why I write long-winded articles, and record long-winded videos, and share a bit TOO much information. I do it for the people that want to sit back and review for a while, then casually contemplate where they’re at and where they want to go.

Other times – we just want to catch some fish! Here were two sweet largemouth bass on a fluke caught early evening late summer. Fun stuff!

Bass Fishing With Flukes

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March 14, 2020