Swimbaits Part 5: Endurance

When watching this site or reading forum discussion its easy to fall into the trap that big fish are always easy to catch. Don’t get me wrong, there are periods where it is a cinch and anyone can do it, but there are also those “other” days.
The other days are the ones we don’t talk about, the ones where the camera never gets turned on, and the big-fish-logs don’t get updated. The reality is, they happen.
In the spirit of keeping this site real I thought I would share one of those days with you. By the time I filmed this I was worn out, beat down, and mentally exhausted but I refused to give up.

After filming this video I finally got a bite. It HAMMERED my swimbait but when it came close to the boat it wasn’t my target species. These days happen, that’s reality. If you let them get you down, you’ll never be successful. I picked myself back up, went to another lake two days later and had a great time catching fish.
The moral of the story is, don’t give up. If you want a BIG bite its going to take some dedication, but you can do it. Get out there and keep slinging those baits. Endure the tough days and you’ll be rewarded with giant bites.

Beating The Bank For Giants: Part 1

It is with great pleasure that I introduce Adam Hinkle to the Tacticalbassin community. Adam is a close friend and a top-notch angler. He excels in the pressured lakes and reservoirs of Southern California and is known for his ability to adapt to changing conditions. One day you may see him on the boat, the next day he’s climbing through the brush approaching pressured fish from shore. He thinks outside of the box and that’s good enough to gain him a soapbox on this site.
We recognize that not everyone can afford a shiny bass boat. For that matter, not everyone wants a shiny boat. With that in mind, it seems only fair to bring an angler on board who not only fishes from shore but excels at catching trophy bass with his feet planted firmly on the ground.
The truth is, that introduction does the guy no justice. He’s been featured in several magazines, has caught numerous trophy bass and even landed an 87 lb Blue Catfish on 4 lb line. Seriously, you need to listen to what this guy has to say. With that, I’ll let Adam take it away.
-Matt
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You are the biggest, oldest and wisest bass in your lake. You are king of your water and have seen every trick in the book. As soon as you hear that familiar sound of an outboard motor cranking in the morning, your guard goes up. You are wise and know that all of these sounds – sonar ping, trolling motors humming, footsteps on the bottom of boats and the slapping of water on a hull – are signs of warning. That trophy hunter, floating above you on the surface a hundred yards away, doesn’t have a chance because you spotted him long before his trolling motor was dropped in the water and even before he thought about making his first cast.

Today, something is different. The trout swimming your way, bumping through all of those rocks looking absolutely delicious, just appeared out of nowhere. It doesn’t seem completely normal, because no real trout would swim right at you this arrogantly. This is just too easy of a meal, right? But there’s no sign of warning, no boat, no footsteps, no locker slam, no sonar ping, no noise whatsoever. Just a stupid, little trout about to swim right into your face. You are not going to pass up this opportunity.

This is exactly why most of my largest bass have been caught walking the bank. Those fish had no idea I was there. Big fish, as you know, are smart, very smart. They really have seen everything in the book. They know better than to ignore signs of warning, but when you take all of those warning signs away, they become vulnerable.
Fishing the swimbait from the bank is how I learned to trophy hunt. I didn’t get nearly as many bites walking the bank as I do from a boat because I was limited to how much water I could cover, but the bites I got were big, really big. I was able to focus on the most prime spots on the lake and spend more of my time fishing slowly in big fish water. There was no paying attention to GPS points, no watching my meter, no fighting the wind with the trolling motor. I had complete control of my bait, I knew I had set myself up in productive water and I knew exactly what was happening on the end of my line. But most of all, those fish didn’t have a clue I was there.

The next time you want to get out for a few hours and toss the big bait, follow these steps:
-Think about a few specific spots at your favorite lake you can reach from the bank that you know big fish frequent.
-Pick a lake that is pressured by boaters. This is what this whole idea is about – taking advantage of a giant pressured bass’ vulnerability.
-Grab a rod, a few baits, a camera, a scale and eat your Wheaties because you’re going to need them!

-Adam Hinkle

Advanced Swimbaits Part 1: Skipping the big baits

Throwing a swimbait is not nearly as difficult as most people make it out to be. Anyone can go to the lake and throw a big bait and have a good shot at catching a big fish. However, if you live in an area where it seems like everyone is already throwing the big baits, it may be time to step your game up even further.
Skipping a swimbait is just one example of something you can do to set yourself apart from the pack. If you’re on a body of water with docks, tullies, overhanging trees, or other forms of dense cover learning to skip the big baits will let you reach fish that no one else is fishing for.

The technique is fairly simple and can be mastered in a few short hours (or less) by a well-rounded angler. By keeping your rod low to the water and slinging the swimbait with more force than is used for a standard cast you can get the bait to skip effortlessly across the surface of the water and back into heavy cover.
Give it a try then come back and share your experiences. I hope this lets you reach fish that you’ve never reached before and maybe, just maybe, catch the fish of a lifetime!

Swimbaits Part 3: Where to Fish

By now you’ve made the decision to bring one rod on your next trip to the lake, you’ve chosen your bait and you know when to fish. The odds are beginning to lean in your favor of catching a bass on a swimbait. The next step is to focus in on where to throw the bait once you arrive. The lake is vast and the options are endless. There are points, humps, ridges, ledges, coves, inlets, outflows, foundations, trees, brush, and grass lines. What do you do?
Get a map out of your favorite lake. Remove all your mental blocks that currently determine where you should and should not fish. Look at the map with a new perspective and then watch this video.

Targeting trophy bass is really quite simple. Catching them can be another matter but knowing where they live is not that difficult. These bass are the masters of their domain. The choose the best spots with the easiest access to food and they typically roam very little. Once you have located the fish in your lake it will just be a matter of putting in the time to catch them.
I hope you’ve found this video helpful and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.