Winter Bass Fishing: Focus on the Extremes

Winter may be tough fishing but its prime time to catch giant bass! Don't let the cold temperatures and tough fishing fool you, this is one of your best shots at the fish of a lifetime and you should absolutely be on the water. 

This isn't the time to be exploring new baits or trying to build confidence. During the cold water months you should be focused on a handful of confidence baits so you know that you're doing the right things, even when you aren't getting bit. If you stick to your game plan the time will come that you cross paths with a truly giant bass!

Baits that we recommend during the cold Winter months...

Big Baits:

-7" Basstrix

-8" Trash Fish

-Owner Beast Hook

View fullsize

Finesse Baits:

-5" Senko (Green Pumpking/Black Flake)

-1/0 Finesse Wide Gap Hook

-Strike King Dream Shot

-Z Man Ned Rig Mushroom Head

-Z Man Ned Rig T.R.D.

Swimbait Rigging: The Truth

This video is going to completely change how you approach stinger hooks! Have you ever heard of a haywire twist? If not you're completely missing the boat and its time to listen to this "tell all" on swimbaits! Swimbait rigging doesn't have to be difficult so forget everything you think you know and come along for the ride. 

In the interest of being fair, Matt explains the advantages and disadvantages of Crimps, 7 strand, braid, mono, etc before blowing them all away with the use of single strand wire. Neither Matt nor Tim has been able to figure out why the industry is virtually silent about single strand wire and the haywire twist. 

Unless you're a saltwater angler we'd be willing to bet "haywire twist" is a new phrase to you. Ironically we shot a video on this very subject more than 5 years ago and despite getting 25,000+ views, its still a virtual secret. Today is the day we set the record straight and explain what we believe to be the hands down, best method for rigging stinger hooks on swimbaits. 

Products Shown In This Video:

View fullsize

Huddleston Deluxe 8" Swimbait
JSJ 6" Hitch Swimbait
Baitsmith Magnum: Ebay Only
Osprey Tournament Talon
Keitech Fat Swing Impact

Huddleston and Osprey Stinger Hooks...
Owner 3X Treble (Size 1)
Gamakatsu 4X Treble (Size 1 or 1/0)

JSJ Stinger Hooks...
Owner 3x Treble (Size 2)
Gamakatsu 4X Treble (Size 2)
Owner STX-58 Size 4

Baitsmith magnum Hooks...
Gamakatsu 4X Treble (Size 1/0)
Owner 3X Treble (Size 1)

View fullsize

Stinger Materials:
7 Strand Wire
Crimps
Heavy Monofilament: Amazon
80-100 lb Braid
Single Strand Wire: Amazon 

Matt's Preferred Big Baits Equipment:
Rod- G Loomis 957
Rod- Dobyns 807
Reel- Calcutta 400B
Line- 80 lb Braided

Paddle Tails Swimbaits for Big Fall Bites!

Its that time of year again! Its time to pull out the paddletails and hollow bellies in search of big bass! The bite is just beginning and will continue to improve over the coming months. 

Whether you prefer a Basstrix or a Keitech, a swimbait head or an underspin, its prime time to pull out your confidence bait and begin loading the boat! 

In this video Matt and Tim show how to rig swimbaits and paddle tails a variety of different ways. They even show how to make your own underspin with a swimbait head or weedless swimbait hook! 

View fullsize

If you're planning to creep the bait through heavy cover we recommend using the Beast Hook. If you're fishing around docks, wood, or other isolated cover the Matt Allen Swimbait Head is the way to go! If there are large schools of baitfish present you should either use the Spintrix Head or the Matt Allen head with the added belly blade.  

Hook options and baits shown in this video are as follows... 

-Matt Allen Swimbait Head
-Owner Beast Hook
-BladeRunner Spintrix Underspin
-Small Spinner Blades

-Keitech Fat Swing Impact

-Basstrix Hollow Belly Swimbait

We hope you find these tips useful this Fall as the bass begin corralling the baitfish and feeding heavily before Winter arrives. 

How to Rig Swimbaits for a Variety of Conditions

This week Matt and Tim break down swimbait rigging. From Basstrix to Keitechs they explain the best options to help you load the boat on your next trip! Whether you're fishing heavy cover for big largemouth or suspended smallmouth in clear water there is an easy way to rig your baits to optimize every bite.

Tim kicks it off by showing the best way to rig a swimbait weedless. We've found two hooks that consistently stand out from the crowd. They are the 5/0 trokar and the 4/0 Owner Beast. It depends what bait you're throwing but if you use the 4.8 Keitech like we often do, you can't beat the Beast.

View fullsize

Next Matt breaks down his very own "Matt Allen Swimbait Head". If you've wondered what makes this head different, you'll see it here. The 30 degree line tie helps keep the bait rocking and rolling in the water while the combination wire and cone keeper system helps lock in both solid and hollow body baits. If you haven't used the Matt Allen Swimbait Head yet, you need to give it a try!

Lastly, Tim circles back around and teaches how to save $$$ and headaches by turning the above mentioned heads into underspins by adding a willow leaf to the bait. Forget messing with light wire underspins, just take your favorite head, add the pre-rigged blade, and create your own underspin!

We hope these tips help you as you build swimbait confidence this year! If you have questions feel free to leave us a comment, send an email, and don't forget to join us on facebook and Instagram to stay connected between videos. If you haven't done so already you're missing a lot of big bass pictures, videos, and the low down on the specific baits that are producing our most recent big bites!