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Jig Skirts and How To Choose (Video Included) |
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Wade Bourne: A jig is perhaps the most versatile bait in fishing, and it’s also one of the simplest in design. Basically, a jig is a lead weight molded around a hook shank and “dressed” with some type skirt, including hair, rubber or silicone.
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Homebrew Lure Retriever (Video Included) |
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Wade Bourne: So you’ve snagged your favorite crankbait on an underwater stump or log. Now what? Crankbaits are expensive, and losing a “pet” bait can put a damper on your fishing confidence.
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Topwater Variety (Video Included) |
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Wade Bourne: Topwater lures are exciting to use because anglers can see and hear all the action. Also, anglers can leave topwater lures in place for extended time periods, which tempts and/or irritates bass into striking them with explosive force!
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Spinnerbait Modifications (Video Included) |
Wade Bourne: Most spinnerbaits work just fine “right out of the package”. However, enterprising anglers may wish to try any of several modifications to make these lures even more effective at catching bass.
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Jerkbait Stinger Hook (Video Included) |
Wade Bourne: Soft plastic jerkbaits are great lures for catching bass in shallow water in the spring. These lures have a darting/pausing action that bass find hard to resist. However, some anglers have trouble getting good hooksets with soft plastic jerkbaits.
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Matching Blades to Baits (Video Included) |
Wade Bourne: Spinnerbaits are among the most versatile, most productive of bass lures, especially in spring when the fish are in the shallows. However, these lures require some expertise in terms of matching features to specific water conditions.
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Casting Where the Fish Are |
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Fish'n Canada: Pete explains the importance of getting your cast as close to the structure as possible on heavily fished lakes.
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Crankbait Tune-up (Video Included) |
Wade Bourne: Sometimes crankbaits “get out of tune.” This means they don’t run a straight track back to the rod tip after a cast. Instead, they veer off to one side or the other. Some new crankbaits need tuning when taken out of the package. Others get out of tune through use. Whichever, for best performance anglers should check how their crankbaits are running and tune those that need it.
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Carolina Rigging for Largemouth |
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April can be a confusing month for bass fishermen. Depending on where you fish and local conditions, bass can be in the pre-spawn, spawning or post-spawn mode. This means it can be hard to figure out what you have to do to catch bass, and where you have to do it.
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Largemouth fishing after Heavy Rainfall |
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Smart anglers know how to take advantage of extraordinary opportunities for catching bass. For instance, special conditions sometimes occur that draw fish into predictable areas and cause them to feed. Anglers who know how to find and work these places can score some unbelievable catches.
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Playing Light Tackle Largemouth |
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Sometimes anglers can catch more bass on light tackle than on heavy tackle. When the water is clear and the sun is bright, bass can get finicky, and little baits and light tackle generally out-catch the bigger, heavier stuff. However, there's one problem. What do you do when you hook a big bass on light tackle, and it immediately runs into brush or heavy weeds?
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Reading the Weather for Largemouth |
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Weather plays a huge role in fishing. When the weather is right, the fish are more active, and you get more bites. But when the weather is wrong, just the opposite occurs. The fish get lockjaw, and it can be difficult getting them to strike. This is why it's important for anglers to be able to judge weather conditions and pinpoint the days when they will have higher odds for success.
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Professional bass angler George Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark., says bass change. He says these fish are always evolving in terms of getting used to certain lures and presentations. They also figure out how not to get caught! Cochran says lures and techniques that worked 20 years ago aren't so good now. This is why it's important for fishermen to keep up with new baits and ways to use them. He believes that to catch more bass, many anglers would benefit from "out with the old, in with the new."
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Anglers looking for some easy fishing for some big fish should try tailwaters below major dams for white bass, striped bass and hybrid stripers. Tailwaters are major concentration areas for these fish in the spring, and anglers who know their secrets can literally wear themselves out fighting them. Pro angler Mark Menendez of Kentucky describes fishing these areas as a "free-for-all."
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Dragging Soft Plastic (Video Included) |
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Mike Miller explains how he catches lethargic prespawn largemouth.
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