Adjusting to Braided Line

If you haven't picked up the April edition of FLW's Bass Fishing magazine, grab a copy and take a look at the article on properly adjusting to braided line. If you haven't made the switch yet, its worth your consideration. In honor of the article, we're revisiting our video on properly adjusting to braided line.

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There have been a few advancements in braided line since this video was uploaded but we still make all of these same adjustments. The brands of line may have changed (Sufix 832 is hard to beat) but the concepts and principals are as applicable now as the day the video was shot. Do yourself a favor and start making the switch to an "All Braid Diet" before your next trip!

Understanding Reels and Gear Ratios

Fishing equipment is getting more expensive every year so understanding what you need before making a purchase is very important. Purchasing the right rod comes down to choosing a model you like but reels require more details. Most quality reels are offered in several different gear ratios so choosing the speed that meets your needs is critical.

After getting multiple requests for a video about what gear ratios we use for different techniques, Matt finally sat down in front of the camera to give a brief explanation of his preferences.

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Matt keeps it pretty simple. As you'll see in the video, he only uses three ratios, and really, could get by with two. His specific reel preferences  for each speed are:

5:1 ratio: Shimano Curado or Calcutta

6:1 ratio: Shimano Curado or Caenan

7:1 Ratio: Shimano Curado or Lews BB-1 Pro

How To Set Up a GoPro Camera for Fishing

When action cameras hit the market a few years ago, bass fishing was changed forever. Almost overnight every-day anglers had a tangible way to gain notoriety on the internet. As Tim explains, its become so much more than that. The most significant benefit of filming your day on the water is the ability to review the footage after the fact.  So much can be gleaned from a video that you missed in person. 

We've received a lot of inquiries about what cameras we use and how we attach them to the boat. In this week's video Tim breaks down some of the different GoPro cameras we use including the differences in models and the must-have accessories that make using them on the boat as seamless as possible.

We recommend two different GoPro cameras. For the beginning angler on a budget, you can't beat the Hero camera. At $129 even a budget angler can gain the ability to record their day. For anglers that want to use the footage for promotion, pictures, etc... the Hero 4 Black Edition cannot be beat. They retail for $499 but the footage is second to none. You can shoot in 4K and in frame rates as high as 120/second. Both of our boats are covered from multiple angles by Hero 4 Blacks when we are fishing.

The accessories you need to be comfortable on the water day after day are:

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• LCD BacPac: The BacPac allows you to watch, edit, adjust settings, etc... without the use of an external monitor.
• Battery PacPac: This pack allows you to extend the life of your camera so you're not stopping to change batteries as often.
• GoPro Cigarette Lighter: Most bass boats are equipped with cigarette lighters and this will let you charge the camera to keep the batteries full.
• Battery Packs: Aftermarket battery packs are best sourced on Amazon. Combined with a USB cord you can film for hours, if not days, without charging.
• Gooseneck Clamp: The Gooseneck allows you to capture all kinds of angles without sticking multiple mounts to the boat.
• Jaws Flex Clamp: The Jaws Clamp will clip to just about anything. Gone are the days that you have to use the adhesive-backed bases all over the hull of the boat
• Suction Cup Mount: Stick this mount to anything from the windshield to the motor cowling to get great shots!

We know that not every angler considers filming their day on the water to be a priority but if you're thinking about giving it a try, these are the tools we use every day. They're yet another way that you can fine-tune your angling and become a better fisherman. Good luck out there!

Night Fishing with Infrared Cameras

This past week we attended the International Sportsman's Expo. Instead of fishing we were meeting anglers, shaking hands, and doing seminars on the bass tank. The seminars were recorded so you should expect to see some of the content uploaded here very soon. We know some of you live out of state, and even out of country so we did our best to capture it for anyone that wasn't able to be there in person.

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Since you'll have to wait on that footage we thought we'd share something unique with you this week. To our knowledge this has not been done before by bass fisherman. Tacticalbassin used Infrared technology and  highly modified GoPro cameras to record a night of fishing. This allowed them to capture very clear images without the use of lighting so that you can have a true, first person view of what goes on out there in the dark.

The footage is very well lit from the camera's perspective but remember, without the headlamps the anglers cannot see anything. Enjoy the footage, good luck out here this week, and keep an eye out for more infrared fishing clips in the future!