Open Water Froggin'

Sometimes its just about having fun. Here is my good friend Sieg Taylor putting the hammer down on some quality Clearlake bass. The fish were feeding on small minnows around the edges of offshore grass lines and the frog bite was on fire. Often times the key to catching frog fish in the open is to “walk the frog” but for whatever reason these fish wanted it popped along quickly making as much commotion as possible. The bites were vicious and the fish kept getting bigger.

Sieg targeted them with a custom rod, 65 lb braided line, and the Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect Frog in “Wild Bullfrog”

Snagproof Open August 6-7

For those of you on the west coast, you probably know that this weekend is the annual Snagproof Open on the Delta. For those of you around the world, the Snagproof Open is a unique 2-day tournament in which anglers weigh in 3-fish limits (instead of the typical 5) and are only allowed to use Snagproof brand products. In other words, its a topwater frog tournament.
Unfortunately I won’t be fishing the event this year. However, I will be there to help where needed so track me down and say hello. Northern California as a whole has had an EPIC frog year thus far and that should translate into some big weights at the tournament.
In the spirit of the event I thought I’d throw in a quick video of a fish from last week. She’s not huge but she absolutely crushed a Bobby’s Perfect frog in Cicada color while walking it in open water. If I had the option to fish the event, there is no question that this is the bait I would be using and would fish it in similar conditions. (Open water between weeds and tullies)

Best of luck to those fishing the event and again, take the time to say hello. I’d love to put faces to names and maybe we can grab the camera and shoot a clip or two for the site. See you there!

Night Fishing 101: Topwater

Prior to creating this site I had no idea how many anglers were interested in night fishing. I don’t know if it is the taboo of lurking in the dark, the potential of giant bass, or simply the appeal of a new technique but the constant barrage of emails and calls requesting information on night fishing have made it clear that this topic requires attention.
What I intend to do is create a very in-depth series of videos on night fishing. This first video highlights a variety of top water techniques. It will soon be followed up by subsurface patterns, the impact of weather, moon phases, and a handful of other elements. I hope to create a resource in these videos that you can tap into again and again.
Night fishing is an exciting way to more and bigger bass, all across the nation. Whether you are new to this genre of fishing or a virtual pro, I hope you enjoy this video as well as those to follow.

As always, support your local retailers. However, if the baits mentioned in this video are not available I recommend you take your tackle warehouse. Here is a direct link to the Lunker Punker on their site: Lunker Punker at Tackle Warehouse

I assure you that the next few videos will become more and more in-depth as I share what I know of night fishing with you. Like any technique, on the surface it is quite simple but there is always more to know. My goal is to shorten your learning curve as much as possible so that you can see immediate success on your next outing. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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.