How to Back Reel

When the fishing gets tough many anglers turn to finesse tactics. While this increases their odds, it creates its own set of unique challenges. The most significant of which is learning to adapt to fighting big fish on light line.

The technology behind spinning reels has vastly improved in recent years but there is still room to fine tune your skills. One of the best ways to increase your odds at landing big fish on light tackle, is to back reel.

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In this week's video, Tim finds himself fighting a 14 pound catfish. He was completely outgunned, armed with only a Stratic, Dobyns Spinning Rod, and 4 lb Line. Catfish are known for pulling hard, rolling in the line, and otherwise destroying tackle. Instead of letting the drag scream and hoping for the best, we flipped the camera on so Tim could walk you through how to back reel, why he's doing it, and how it can benefit you.

The biggest misunderstanding about back reeling is that your drag will be disabled. This simply isn't true, its still intact and working normally. When you're reeling in reverse there is no stress on the line but if a fish pulls harder than you can react to, the drag is still in place and will release line like usual. Really, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain so the next time you find yourself tied to a big fish, flip that little switch on your reel and give it a try!

How to Catch the Fish of a Lifetime

I recently had the opportunity to do two seminars at the International Sportsman's Expo in Sacramento. From swimbaits to jigs, even going so far as fishing a chartreuse spinnerbait with willow leaf blades at night, I laid out my tricks for fooling big Winter and Spring bass.  There was a great turnout and a lot of positive feedback. There were also quite a few requests from anglers that live outside the area, that we record the seminar so they could listen and learn as well. The show was extremely loud and there is some background noise but Tim did everything he could to bring you the complete seminar.

From start to finish, here it is! Below you will find a breakdown of the various baits I discuss in the seminar with quick links to see them on Tackle Warehouse.

We hope you're able to glean some knowledge from the seminar and put it to work on your local fisheries. If you have any questions, we're here so feel free to ask.

The following baits were used in the tank:

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Photo Courtesy of Sean Moffett

Trout/Kokanee eaters:

• Huddleston Deluxe 8" Swimbait
• River2Sea S-Waver 200
• Gan Craft Jointed Claw Magnum
• Dirty Jigs Tackle 3/4 oz Pitchin Jig with Sweet Beaver or Pork Trailer

Bluegill/Baitfish Eaters:

• JSJ Prototype Swimbait (Not yet available)
• River2Sea S-waver 168
• Dirty Jigs 3/4 oz. California Swim Jig with Roboworm EZ Shad Trailer

Night Fishing:

• Huddleston 8" Trout Swimbait
• Osprey 7" Tournament Talon Swimbait
• Dirty Jigs 3/4 oz California Swim Jig with 4.8 Keitech Trailer
• Revenge Heavy Duty Spinnerbait (Double Willow)

Night Fishing with Infrared Cameras

This past week we attended the International Sportsman's Expo. Instead of fishing we were meeting anglers, shaking hands, and doing seminars on the bass tank. The seminars were recorded so you should expect to see some of the content uploaded here very soon. We know some of you live out of state, and even out of country so we did our best to capture it for anyone that wasn't able to be there in person.

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Since you'll have to wait on that footage we thought we'd share something unique with you this week. To our knowledge this has not been done before by bass fisherman. Tacticalbassin used Infrared technology and  highly modified GoPro cameras to record a night of fishing. This allowed them to capture very clear images without the use of lighting so that you can have a true, first person view of what goes on out there in the dark.

The footage is very well lit from the camera's perspective but remember, without the headlamps the anglers cannot see anything. Enjoy the footage, good luck out here this week, and keep an eye out for more infrared fishing clips in the future!

Where Do Bass Go In Winter?

As bass fishermen we're always striving to improve. In the spring we're looking for bigger fish, Summer and Fall we're looking for more fish, but in Winter, it seems like we're just praying to get a bite. Winter bass fishing can be tough! So many of the productive areas have shut down and the bass seem to have disappeared all together.

This week we put together some quick tips to help you locate fish more quickly. We filmed this at Clearlake and while it may not apply to every body of water, it will definitely get you in the mindset to target specific locations and patterns rather than grinding through the day on your same old haunts, waiting for the bass to return.

On naturally occurring lakes we've found that there are 3 key patterns that consistently produce our biggest bites. 

1) HOLLOWS: If you're fishing a body of water that is featureless, has a flat mud bottom, or is generally shallow, this is for you. Often times the bass in Winter will pull off shore and lay in the lowest, deepest spot they can find off shore. If you're on a small body of water this probably means the middle of the deepest coves. If you're on a big body of water this could be the middle of a bay or even the center of the lake, miles offshore. The key to this pattern is to understand that the fish are NOT orienting to cover, its more about depth and the presence of food so don't be afraid to go look in the middle of nowhere. 

2) ROCKS: If you have rock in your lake, this is a key Winter time feature. Rock offers safety to smaller baitfish during the cold water months, attracting bass like a magnet. If the rock is deep, the bass will lay along the bottom edge where the water is warmest. If the rock is shallow, on the sunny days they'll move right up against the shallowest rocks that protrude above water. Either way, this is a key place to look for BIG winter bass. 

3) DEEP DOCKS:  Deep docks or other vertical structure is key in Winter. The pilings offer cover, ambush points, and warmth. Bass cling to them until the water warms in Spring. We've found that the largest fish hold just off the deepest pilings through the cold months, only moving in to feed or to sun on the warm afternoons. 

While these are just generalizations, they'll give you a great starting point as you search for Winter bass. Its important to add, the right electronics makes a huge difference when searching for open water bass. While not everyone can afford high-dollar electronics, if you can it will save you a lot of time. Everyone has their favorites but the graph in this video is a Lowrance HDS-10. If you can't afford a quality graph don't worry about it, its just going to take a little longer to find the fish. Stick to it and you'll find them!

If you're curious what baits to throw once you find the fish, check out our Top 5 Baits For Cold Water Bass video. This Winter you should abandon your same old haunts, run some new water, and you might just catch the biggest bass of your life!