Shallow Water Finesse Fishing For Summer Bass

The bass are in less than 2 feet of water! How would you catch them? We turned to "junk fishing" to get the bites. A mix of swim jigs, weightless senkos, and a shaky head did the trick. Come along and watch how we break down a new section of Lake Chickamauga, build a pattern, and locate quality fish despite difficult conditions. 

Summer bass fishing overwhelms a lot of anglers. Knowing how and when to adapt is difficult until you understand fish movements. Once you understand that half the fish go to offshore structure while the other half focus on shallow cover you will find their behavior more predictable. When the water gets really hot the fish will focus on shade for relief, even when that shade is ultra shallow. 

Today we intended to fish offshore structure but the wind had other plans. As the waves we picked up we knew the only option was to focus on the ultra shallow bite. Don't let Summer heat or changing conditions keep you off the water. Focus on the basics and you'll find consistent fish in the heat. Below you'll find a breakdown of the exact baits we threw to target these shallow water fish. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Senko... 

Worm- Yamamoto 5" Senko (Watermelon Red Flake): http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Owner Jungle Wide Gap 3/0: http://bit.ly/2sBsR1Z

Shaky Head...

Worm- Netbait T-Mac 6.5" (Bama Bug): http://bit.ly/2jndwj9

Hook- Dirty Jigs 3/16 Canterbury Shaky: http://bit.ly/2aFOs0V

Swim Jig... 

Jig- Dirty Jigs Swim Jig 3/8 oz (Crappie): http://bit.ly/2dIVUMd

Trailer- Keitech 4.3" Fat Swing Impact (Pro Blue Red Pearl): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Topwater... 

Frog- River2Sea Bully Wa 2 (Ghost): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

Matt's Senko Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7'2" MH: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Shimano Curado DC 150 HG: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- Maxima Ultragreen 15 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Tim's Shaky Head Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis NRX 854C JWR: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq

Reel- Shimano Metanium DC HG: http://bit.ly/2qrSZvs

Line- Sunline Flippin FC 18 lb Fluorocarbon: https://bit.ly/3clXxt2

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TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

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Swim Jigs: Everything You Need To Know For Summer Bass Fishing

Swim jigs made easy! Matt gives quick tricks that you can use to take your swim jig fishing for bass to the next level! If you're a spinnerbait or chatterbait guy, the swim jig is the next step. When combined with the proper trailer the baits come to life with amazing movement and flash that bass can't resist. Don't get caught shaking your swim jig this Summer, learn the proper technique and catch more bass!

In recent years, most swim jig fishermen have begun to use a keitech as their trailer. While this can be effective (and we often do it) its not the ideal swimbait trailer for a swim jig. Switching over to baits like the Rage Swimmer or D Walker will complete change the way the bait moves. A properly balanced swim jig with the right trailer will have head bob/roll, body rock, and skirt movement/flash without you imparting any outside action to the bait.

Summer time is the perfect time to learn the swim jig. This time of year you can get a lot of bites on the baits but you can also catch GIANT fish! Again, the key is selecting the right trailer. Below is a breakdown of the jigs, jig trailers, and equipment we use for swim jig fishing.

The Jigs...

-California Swim Jig (3/8 oz-3/4 oz): http://bit.ly/2auXfmx

-Dirty Jigs Swimbait (1/4 oz-3/8 oz): http://bit.ly/2dIVUMd

(Threadfin Shad, Tactical Shad, Crappie, Alabama Bream)

Swimbait Jig Trailers...

-Keitech Fat Swing Impact 3.8 and 4.3: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

-Strike King Rage Swimmer 4.75: http://bit.ly/2evZF8j

-River2Sea D Walker 100 and 120: http://bit.ly/2NwqBmz

-Reaction Innovations Little Dipper: http://bit.ly/2brnU5I

Craw Jig Trailers...

Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver: http://bit.ly/2MPuma1

Strike King Rage Bug: http://bit.ly/2aAsuiV

Strike King Rage Craw: http://bit.ly/2uoqsLJ

Zoom Z Craw: http://bit.ly/2vW7Jo5

California Swim Jig Combo...

Rod- Expride 7'6" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Chronarch MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- 65 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 20 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Swim Jig Combo...

Rod- Zodias 7'2" MH: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Curado 150 DC: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- 50 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

How To Catch Striped Bass

From Topwater to Swimbaits, we show you how to target big striped bass! If you've ever wanted to catch Striper on artificial lures, this information will help you be more successful. Come along for an exciting day on the water!

We begin throwing big swimbaits in the early morning hours. As the day unfolds we transition to a combination of swimbaits, topwater both big and small, and swim jigs. This combination allowed us to maximize our time on the water, increase or shot a big bites, without catching too many smaller fish.

Traditional striper fishing involves cut bait, rattle traps, and small topwater lures. These are all incredibly effective ways to catch striped bass, but they're not great ways to consistently TARGET Big Striped Bass. We use a combination of swimbaits and topwater to eliminate the smaller bites and more effectively target the big bass that we're searching for.

The baits in order of appearance...

S-Waver 200 (Light Trout, Powder, Bone): http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Evergreen Shower Blows Topwater (150): http://bit.ly/2zIkqUH

Jackall DowzSwimmer 220: http://bit.ly/2OqDNMM

R2S Rover 128 Topwater: http://bit.ly/2acSVea

California Swim Jig 3/4 oz (Dirty Shad, Crappie, Citrus Shad): http://bit.ly/2auXfmx

Keitech 4.8 Swimbait (French Pearl, Sight Flash): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Swimbait Setup...

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 966: http://bit.ly/2x9kxuS

Reel- Tranx 300: http://bit.ly/2kYsvRw

Line- 80 lb Power Pro MaxCuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 30 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Budget Swimbait Combo...

Rod- Dobyns Fury 8' Heavy Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2bGvlVV

Reel- Shimano Cardiff 300: http://bit.ly/2cvhtMO

Line- 80 lb Power Pro: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Swim Jig/Large Topwater Combo...

Rod- Expride 7'6" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Curado 200K: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 65 lb: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

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How To Fish A Chatterbait (Beginner Tips AND Advanced Tricks)

The Chatterbait is one of the best bass fishing lures of all time! Its easy to use, even beginners catch bass on them. So why is one guy consistently catching bigger fish on a Chatterbait than everyone else? Are you the guy that's catching them or the guy that's wondering why someone else is?

Matt takes us to the core of the Chatterbait technique in this in-depth seminar-style video on chatterbaits and bladed jigs. From the baits themselves to an underwater look at the Chatterbait trailers, we're going to examine every aspect of chatter bait fishing. 

We don't stop there, we're also going to discuss rods and gear for the technique. Matt examines both the finesse and power fishing approaches to Chatterbait fishing and explains the merits of both. 

The baits...
Evergreen Jack Hammer Chatterbait: http://bit.ly/2popvj6
Z-Man Project Z Chatterbait: http://bit.ly/2b9oqRs
Z-Man CUSTOM Chatterbait: http://bit.ly/2Ix71mI
Picasso Shock Blade: http://bit.ly/2GAa00V
Picasso Undressed Shock Blade: http://bit.ly/2GAr4UA

The Trailers...
Yamamoto Cowboy: http://bit.ly/2q7AI72
Strike King Rage Trailer: http://bit.ly/2Hd4MFA
Yamamoto Zako Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2fKmSRp
Yamamoto Swim Senko: http://bit.ly/2Hcf20Q
Keitech 4.8 Fat Swing Impact: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Matt's Braid Setup...
Rod- Zodias 7'2" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe
Reel- Curado 70: http://bit.ly/2apmDJt
Line- 50 lb Power Pro MaxCuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ
Leader: 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Matt's Fluorocarbon Setup...
Rod- Cashion 7'3" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2He0r4X
Reel- Bantam MGL 150: http://bit.ly/2H44yjG
Line- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm
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Need Apparel? Tacticalbassin gear is here! Get your hats, Hoodies, and sunshirts by emailing Tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com