Behind the Scenes of River2Sea

If you've ever had an explosive bite on a Whopper Plopper or a giant bass track down an S-Waver Swimbait, you've thrown a bait that passed through these doors. Most anglers don't realize River2Sea is a local company, located in Richmond, California. A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to spend an afternoon at the River2Sea offices and thought we'd bring you along.

Angelo Alorro, the National Sales Manager, gave us a brief tour. We learned they've been around for 16 years and have developed a handful of bass fishing lures that have shaped the market and changed the way we view bass behavior. Simon Chan is the primary lure designer and his breakthroughs can be seen throughout his own products as well as across the industry. 

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Tim and I never realized just how many River2Sea products we use. There are those we talk about regularly but there are a bunch that we fish without ever saying a word. Below is a list of the baits we use that you should take a look at...

-Whopper Plopper
-S-Waver Swimbait (168 and 200)
-Biggie Squarebill Crankbait
-Rover Walking Topwater
-Bubble Walker (Both Sizes)
-Bully Wa 2 Frog
-Spittin Wa Frog
-Bling Spinnerbait

Big Delta Swimbait Fish

This week Tim and I took a break from all the work of filming and editing. Tim got to Spend some time with family and I went fun fishing. Despite the brutal wind/rain forecast I headed for the Delta to see if any of the early prespawn females were moving up to feed and was not disappointed!

All too often anglers back themselves into a corner by continually fishing the same patterns with the same baits. When major weather events happen its a great time to get out and try new things. Often times the fish will move into the shallows to feed on whatever is being washed into the lake (or river). These shallow fish are an easy target. Even if they're not biting, they'll show themselves. If you pay attention while fishing reaction baits you might be able to catch them on a return visit.

This fish came on a bank I hadn't fished in years, with a bait (S-Waver 200) that I'd never thrown there before. The key to consistently catching giant bass, especially on multiple waterways, is to never stop searching. The Delta is constantly changing. The bass are shifting from one spot to the next, feeding on different food sources and its important you keep up with the changes to maximize your time on the water.

As Winter begins to turn to Spring, branch out, try new lakes, new spots, and new baits. This just might be the best year you've ever had!

How to Back Reel

When the fishing gets tough many anglers turn to finesse tactics. While this increases their odds, it creates its own set of unique challenges. The most significant of which is learning to adapt to fighting big fish on light line.

The technology behind spinning reels has vastly improved in recent years but there is still room to fine tune your skills. One of the best ways to increase your odds at landing big fish on light tackle, is to back reel.

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In this week's video, Tim finds himself fighting a 14 pound catfish. He was completely outgunned, armed with only a Stratic, Dobyns Spinning Rod, and 4 lb Line. Catfish are known for pulling hard, rolling in the line, and otherwise destroying tackle. Instead of letting the drag scream and hoping for the best, we flipped the camera on so Tim could walk you through how to back reel, why he's doing it, and how it can benefit you.

The biggest misunderstanding about back reeling is that your drag will be disabled. This simply isn't true, its still intact and working normally. When you're reeling in reverse there is no stress on the line but if a fish pulls harder than you can react to, the drag is still in place and will release line like usual. Really, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain so the next time you find yourself tied to a big fish, flip that little switch on your reel and give it a try!

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!