Matt Allen Ranked 5th for California's Top 40 Bass Anglers

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With the temperatures dropping and bass in the fall transition, there are a couple things I look forward to this time of year. Great bass fishing, and “The List.” For those of you that don’t know what “List” I’m talking about, annually, outdoor writer George Kramer’s publishes his list of California’s Top 40 Bass Anglers. This year is extra exciting. It is the 20th anniversary of the list, and it’s the last. Tacticalbassin’s own Matt Allen not only made the list for the 6th consecutive time, but he is in the TOP 5! Matt landed in 5th place this year and is the highest ranked non-touring pro. Now that Matt is guiding (BassinGuide.com) I don’t get to fish with him as much, but I’ll be the first to say he truly deserves it. Every time we fish together, or film our next video for Tacticalbassin.com, I learn something. The great thing that sets Matt apart from the other “Pros” is his desire to teach. Putting many clients on their personal best bass and straight up crushing giants himself, 2014 has been an unforgettable year. With 72 Largemouth over 7lbs, and 26 Spotted bass over 7lbs to date (11/13/2014), THIS YEAR, nobody can argue his rank! Congratulations to all the anglers that made “The List.” You can see the entire list on Kramer's Blog.

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Matt with a GIANT Spotted Bass

Ledge Fishing: Tricks to Catch More Fish

No matter where you are in the country, when the baitfish start moving to the rocks the bass fishermen will be close behind. Whether you target summer ledge fish in the Southeast, fall ledge fish in the West, or Winter bluff fish everywhere in between, a time of year will come when dialing in your approach to fishing vertical cover will come in handy.

I have the unique opportunity of fishing with anglers from around the globe and in doing so, I've noticed a pattern. The vast majority of anglers struggle to effectively target bass when they move from their shallow haunts in favor of more vertical cover.

Fishing vertical cover presents some unique challenges that are not often encountered with other styles of fishing. In no particular order those challenges include staying in the strike zone long enough to get bit, knowing if you're on bottom, feeling the bite, and missing the bite because you're out of position. These problems are even more severe if compounded with fishing at night.

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Almost all of these problems are caused by adjusting your baitcasting reel correctly. Yes, I said correctly. For every other application your adjustments are perfect but if you want to fish vertical cover, its time to make some incorrect adjustments that will make all the difference!

Through trial and error I've found a very simple way to eliminate all of the above mentioned problems at once. By backing off the spool tension knob (found next to the star drag) you can eliminate the resistance the reel has on the line. This allows the bait to fall vertically instead of drifting away from the cover like a pendulum. Additionally, the free-floating spool will spin freely enough that you can feel the line falling, stopping, or even getting bit, without having to look down.

I've found this technique to be most effective when fishing jigs, worms, and swimbaits. If using a smaller reel like a Core 50MG you can get away with weights as light as 3/8 oz without experiencing the pendulum effect. If you're going to use standard tackle (I prefer a Curado 200) its important that you step up to a 3/4 oz jig (this works great with swim jigs as well) or heavier in order to keep the presentation as vertical as possible.

Using these quick tips will make you a more effective ledge fishermen overnight. I've seen clients go from getting no bites at all, to catching fish after fish by just backing off the tension. Its a simple solution to a very complicated series of problems that plagues us all at one time or another.

Glide Baits: How to Fish the S-Waver

The popularity of glide baits has exploded in the last 2 years! With their advent, jointed swimbaits went from a warm-water bait to a year-round bait almost overnight. Whether you choose to throw a Roman Made Negotiator, a Deps Slide Swimmer, or an S-Waver, the retrieves that consistently put fish in the boat are completely interchangeable.

After our S-Waver 200 video came out in the spring we received a lot of requests for a video explaining how to fish the bait. Unfortunately we were headed into summer and couldn't address the questions right away. With fall upon us, the glide bait season is in full swing and its time to teach you how to fish these incredibly deadly baits!

Matt and Tim have developed a unique style to fishing these baits that has allowed them to catch numerous giant limits on a variety of lakes and reservoirs. As is often the case with these two, there is great variance in the gear they choose to use. Both have fine tuned their equipment to their own style and both think the other does it wrong. Perhaps you can see through the mire and identify which style you more closely relate to.

Matt comes from a traditional swimbait background and prefers stouter equipment than Tim. Tim comes from a tournament background and prefers a more balanced, (play the fish instead of drag the fish) approach.  

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For the 8" and larger glide baits both anglers use the Dobyns 806H. While this may seem light to a swimbait angler it will be extremely heavy for a traditional tournament guy. We choose this rod because of its great balance, stout backbone, and moderate action. You can sling a giant bait but its not so stout that the fish will bend the hooks. Both anglers also agree on using 65-80 lb braided line with a 30 lb mono leader under most circumstances.

This is where the similarities stop. On occasion Tim will drop down as light as 17 lb fluorocarbon if he's fishing clear water reservoirs. Matt insists that big bass won't shy away from his 30 lb line as long as the leader is of substantial length. Reels are another point of contention between the two anglers. Matt prefers the fit and feel of a traditional round reel for big baits. He loads his rod with Shimano Calcutta in 300 and 400 sizes. Tim on the other hand prefers the relaxed fit and feel of the Abu Garcia Revo 50, insisting that the 60 is too large.

For the 6-8" Glide Baits including the S-Waver 168 the angler's unique styles show themselves again. Matt prefers a Dobyns 764C (traditionally known as a jig rod) for its stout backbone and ability to drive the hooks into the fish. He couples it with either a Lew's BB-1 Pro or Curado 200. Both reels are spooled with 50-65 lb Sufix 832 Braid affixed to a 15-20 lb mono leader.

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Tim on the other hand reaches for the Dobyns 764 CB (Soft cranking rod) for its gentle load and ability to play the fish. He couples it with the Lew's Team Gold Speed Spool filled with 30 lb braid and a 15-20 lb Sunline Flourocarbon Leader.

While the anglers can't agree on their equipment both have proven their technique is effective at landing big bass. Once you've dialed in your gear, the following retrieves will help you turn your followers into committed bites.

4 Retrieves for Glide Baits:

1. The Slow Crawl: As the name insinuates, this retrieve is as easy as it gets. Reel the baits slowly and steadily at the slowest possible speed you can before the bait loses action and starts dragging through the water.

2. The Pull and Glide: This retrieve involves a 6 slow handle turns to get the bait moving followed by a long sweep of the rod. The bait will go from a slow crawl to a fast escape attempt followed by a sweeping left or right turn and is deadly on big followers!

3. The Crawl and Twitch: using a combination of 4-12 slow handle rotations followed by two quick snaps of the rod/reel you can create the appearance of a bait that has been startled. Use this retrieve around cover or when a bass is closely stalking the bait

4. The Walk: Use a combination of the rod tip and reel handle to "walk the dog" with the bait. Fast or slow, the walk will pull incredibly vicious strikes from bass that are chasing bait, in shallow water, or are otherwise acting aggressively.

Use these 4 retrieves the next time you're on the water to turn your favorite glide bait into a fish catcher. Each retrieve has been proven to put big bass in the boat time and time again! As always, if you have questions, comments, or tips of your own, we'd love to hear them!

Thank you for using the Tackle Warehouse links to do your shopping. They keep Tactical Bassin free from banner ads and other advertisement that none of us want to see.  

Top 5 Baits for Spotted Bass

Okay, so we can't really count. Its more like 6 categories and 12 baits but its hard to narrow it down! There are a lot of great ways to catch spotted bass but we can narrow it down a little for you. With all the giant spotted bass being caught in California there are a lot of rumors flying about secret baits, modifications, etc.

The reality is, nothing can replace time on the water. I say again, if you want to catch a giant spotted bass you have to put in the time. In addition to time, you need to be sure that your gear is dialed in. Tim breaks down the various baits that we use day in and day out to put spotted bass in the boat.

Spotted bass fishing is great for new anglers as well as pros. Unlike giant largemouth, spots have a varied diet. They may have preferred foods but they're willing to eat just about anything that crawls or swims in front of them. If you have a preferred method that is on this list, stick to it and you'll see success! 

Our top 5 (6) baits that you should be throwing for spotted bass are:

The Tube: We've found a 3 1/2" finesse tube is best. See our Tube Video for all the details.

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The Senko: Whether you're fishing shallow or deep there is a way to rig the senko to get in front of the bass and fool them into biting.

Straight Tail Worm: Dropshot, Darthead, Shaky Head... they're going to eat it.

The Football Jig: We use the Dirty Jigs Finesse Football. You get the bulky presentation that big spots can't resist with a hook that let's you use lighter line for a finesse presentation.

The Spook: Spots can't resist a walking bait. Whether you're using a true spook or some other brand, it needs to be in your arsenal. As an extra tip: Think "chartreuse" and you won't go wrong.

The Swimbait: How can you beat a swimbait? The key is size. You have to find the right balance between drawing power and overpowering. Our two most reliable options are the 6" Osprey Tournament Talon and the S-Waver 168.

Give these baits a try the next time you're on the water. Spotted bass fishing is booming right now and you need to get involved! From one side of this nation to the other, there is a lake with monster spots just waiting to be caught!