Pre-Spawn Swimbait Fishing

I recently got back from a trip to Clearlake where I got to fish with my good friend Tim Little. We were able to find a great pattern throwing River2Sea S-wavers for pre-spawn fish that were moving up to feed on bait fish.

Early spring can be a difficult time to consistently pattern large fish. As the smaller males begin to move in to the shallows it can feel like the larger fish have disappeared all together. Throwing larger baits can be a great way to identify where the larger fish are located. Often times they will be holding in schools very close to the smaller fish. Using a bait like an S-Waver or other Swimbait allows you to intentionally target larger bites throughout the day. I've found that even when they are not willing to bite, large females will follow large swimbaits (6-10" long) to the boat, giving away their location. Once I've located these larger fish I visit them again during different weather conditions to try and fool them in to biting.

In the past I've insisted on throwing softbaits exclusively when the water is in the high 40's and low 50's but I've experienced days in the last 12 months that have caused me to challenge those beliefs. Even in cold water there is a place for slow, methodical hardbaits that draw up big bass. There will be more to come on this later.

Welcome to 2013

I got a little time to break away on the 1st to do some swimbait fishing on Clearlake. Welcome to 2013!

Matt Makes Kramer's Top 40

Top 40

Every west coast angler should know about "The List" by now. If you dont, you need to check it out. "The List" is a top 40 fishermen of California list created annually by outdoor writer George Kramer. The list has been pretty controversial over the years with anglers that were said to have been placed "too high" on the list or were "undeserving", as well as anglers toward the bottom of the list being "underrated". This always gives us California bass fishermen something to talk about every November (as if we don't have enough drama in this fishing world).

This year, our very own Matt Allen has made the top 10 on "The List" for the first time. Matt has been on the list a few times already, but this is the first year he has cracked the top 10. I wanted to congratulate Matt, as we all know that he has put in countless hours on the water and spent more time than most of us can possibly imagine coming up with new ideas to completely dominate Northern California as "The" trophy guy. You've earned it Matt, Congratulations on your first top 10!

You can see the complete list on Kramer's blog at: Kramer Gone Fishing

-Adam Hinkle Tacticalbassin

Alabama Rig: tips, tricks, and tweaks

I'm hard pressed to think of another bait that has caused such an uproar amongst bass fisherman. Over the past year I've read articles pronouncing it a "miracle bait", others condemning it, going as far as to accuse the Alabama Rig of destroying fish populations. Whether you're in favor of the Alabama Rig or not, you cannot argue its ability to catch schooling fish when other baits fall short. While the "rig" is quite effective on its own, there are many modifications that can be done to further increase the its productivity. Over the past year I've experimented with different models, trailers, and various other components and have dialed in what I consider to be my "perfect" rig. We all have different fishing styles and fish in different environments, this must be taken in to account. Even so, I hope you are able to learn from my experiences and further increase your effectiveness with the A-rig.

Whether you're fishing shallow grass flats or deep ledges you can adapt the Alabama Rig to meet your needs. Its not a cure all but it definitely helps you catch more fish in a variety of conditions.

For the products I use when fishing the Alabama Rig visit the following links: Alabama Rigs Keitech Swimbaits Dobyns 784 ML Rod Dirty Jigs Swimbait Head