Alabama Rigs Are No Joke

After months of requests the time has finally come for me to chime in on the topic of Alabama Rigs, generically known as "Spreader Rigs" or "Umbrella Rigs". Obviously I'm months behind the hype. Most of you now own rigs and have had some experience with them. Some of you are probably having a blast catching fish on them while others of you have already retired them to a plano box where they will soon be forgotten.I would have chimed in months ago but I wasn't willing to speak out until I felt I was speaking from a place of experience.

For those of you that have been living under a rock, the "Alabama Rig" gained huge notoriety when Paul Elias won a major event last fall. It is a smaller, "freshwater" version of the old saltwater spreader rigs.

The video was shot on Clearlake in mid-april. While the fish in the video is by far my largest fish on the "A-rig" my clients and I have been catching big fish on it all spring. As you watch the video you will notice there are a handful of details that I failed to cover. I apologize for the oversight, but Jeff and I were in a hurry to get back to fishing. The day ended with 5 fish for 44.05 lbs, only one of which (the smallest) was not caught on a Spreader Rig.

Feel free to respond with your thoughts and questions. I'll film a follow up video with more of the technical details in the coming weeks and will answer as many of the questions as possible at that time.

Jig Trailers Made Easy

Have you ever met one of those people who is a legend in their own mind? My goal is to pass along information without coming across like one of those people. I know a thing or two about jig fishing but let’s face it, there is always someone better. With that said, here are my thoughts on jig trailers.
There are countless jig trailer manufactures in the bass fishing world. From the garage companies to the industry standards it seems that everyone has “the next big thing” in jig trailers. Do you want a trailer that wiggles its claws with the slightest movement? They have it. One that swims, they have that too. What about one that walks, talks and negotiates with the fish for you? Its probably in development as we speak.
The point is, your options are virtually endless. An angler could spend all day changing trailers and never actually have time to wet a line. As with most things, simplicity is your best option. I’m not saying the three trailers discussed in this video are the very best for your specific scenario, but they’re a really good start. If the day comes that you get in my boat and head out on the lake, these are the jig and trailer combinations that you will see me fish with.
Obviously there are a plethora of options not covered but day after day, year after year, these are my key baits. From ledge fishing a football head to working shallow cover with a flipping jig, you can do it all with these three options.

Give it a try. What can it hurt? You never know, your next cast might be the biggest bass of your life! At the least, simplifying your choices will save a dollar or two on your next trip to the tackle shop.

If you disagree with my selections, that’s okay. In fact, I’d love to hear about it. Did I completely ignore your confidence bait? Share with us what you like to use and why.

Top 5 baits for the Fall Transition

The late fall to early winter is one of my favorite times to fish. This season is one of the few times I have the lake all to myself. Sure, there are other fisherman on the water but they aren’t fishing like I am. No matter where you are in the country, as winter approaches anglers begin to slow down their presentation. Whether that mean throwing a worm, flipping a jig, or spooning, just depends on where you live. Sure you could give in to the trend and fish like everyone else but why?

Why not break away from the pack, fish hard, fish for the active fish, and have whole sections of the lake to yourself? As the water cools most of the bass will slow down and become sluggish and the fisherman will follow suit. Maybe this is your year to break out of the mold and find the feeding fish in and around the shallows. Here are my top 5 baits for fishing that transition between fall and winter.

You’ll notice the only bait on the list that isn’t a pure reaction bait is the football jig. At certain times the active fish are completely keyed on crawdads and that is when the football comes in to play. The rest of the time however, I’ll be fishing shallow, fishing fast, and putting the remaining 4 baits to work for me. If you want to catch a big bass in the fall that hasn’t been pressured like all the smaller fish be the last guy to leave the shallows, the last one to set down the topwater rod, and never, ever set down that swimbait.

Are these the baits you like to throw in the fall/winter? Is a late-season reaction bite news to you? What are your go-to baits in the fall?  I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Which swimbait should you choose?

Has anyone else noticed that there are 10 or 20 times the number of swimbaits on the market today than there were 5 years ago? Some of the biggest “brand name” baits in the industry have only existed for a year or two.  What is an angler to do? You can buy every last one of them in order to see which ones consistently catch fish and which ones don’t but then there is no money left to put in the gas tank. A boat full of baits and no where to go sure won’t help you get bit!  At the request of several anglers I put this video together to shed a little light on which baits work. Forget the hype, forget all the talk about which bait is better. I’m sharing with you a handful of the baits that consistently help me put big fish in the boat, in every season of the year. These aren’t the only baits I use but these are the baits that are widely available and that I firmly believe will get bit coast to coast, day in and day out.

Has this been your experience? Are you one of those guys that lives and dies with a hardbait in your hand? Feel free to leave a comment and let me hear your thoughts. I don’t claim to be the best or to know it all but these are the baits I love to fish. If you take the knowledge in this video and apply it to your time on the water, big things are sure to come.