How to Tie Feathered Treble Hooks

It’s happened to all of us, you start changing the hooks on a lure, only to find yourself stuck with a junk rear hook simply because it has feathers on it. The feathered trebles you find at the store are no better, you can’t find them tied on the right hook, in the right size, or the color you want. Luckily, tying your own is a simple process. Watch the video below to learn how

Materials:

-Fly Tying Thread (for demonstration purposes I used 80# braid in the video)
-Super Glue
-Hooks
-Feathers
-Neck Hackle is the most common
-Marabou works well for adding bulk
-Rooster saddle feathers are great for adding color or wrapping over marabou

Optional
-Fly Tying Vise (Highly Recommended) ~$20
-Bobbin (holds thread, really convenient) ~$2.50

Chatterbait Techniques

Several weeks ago I received a request for information on fishing chatterbaits. As I thought about how to approach the subject I decided it would be best to bring in an expert to shed some light on the technique. Mike Rold has been dominating local circuits for years, is my strongest mentor on tidal fisheries, and is extremely skilled at plying chatterbaits to a variety of situations. At first I thought an “on the water” video was the way to go but as I thought about this subject it occurred to me that Mike would be more apt to “tell it like it is” if he didn’t know this video was coming and had to instruct with little to no notice. He was given about 10 minutes to prepare when I called to inform him that I was just down the road. The result is this AWESOME, tell-all video on how, when, and where to fish chatterbaits in a variety of environments.

Did you enjoy this video? Do you want to hear more from Mike and other anglers in the future? Let us know! As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Red Hooks???

Throwing topwater lures is one of the most exhilarating ways to catch bass, but all too easily it can end in heartbreak. Lots of factors go into hooking fish on topwater lures, but today I’d like to offer one quick tip that’s easy to put to use.

What are your favorite tricks for hooking more fish? Leave a comment below!

Punching in Heavy Cover

I had the pleasure of spending a day on the water with Justin VonSpreckelsen. Justin, while not an amateur to bass fishing, confided that he was quite new to the technique known as “punching”. While some would see this as a negative, I saw a golden opportunity for some unbiased information! Justin isn’t a novice anymore. He endured tough conditions and put in a full day punching the tidal waters of California’s delta. When the day was coming to an end he sat down in front of the camera and explained his experience with the 3 most commonly used punching methods.

I hope you find this information useful! Personally, I have a huge bias to the punch jig. I love the hookup to land ratio and the lack of maintenance it requires throughout the day. However, that isn’t what this site is about. You just got an unbiased viewpoint from a man with a keen understanding of punching heavy vegetation.