How to: Make Swimbaits Last Longer

As swimbaits get more and more expensive the need for them to last is ever increasing. There are some simple modifications you can do to any softbait that will make it last much longer. This week Matt shows how to cut open a soft swimbait and properly secure the harness to make it last. He also covers how to repair the baits once they're damaged.

View fullsize

The two baits shown in the video are the Mattlures Ultimate Bluegill and Huddleston Deluxe 8" trout. All you need to increase the life of your baits is a razor blade, superglue and Mend-it.

Step 1: Cut Open your brand new bait with a razor Blade. (I know its scary)

Step 2: Once the harness is fully exposed, carefully cover the harness in superglue and carefully lay the body back in place.

Step 3: Use Mend-It to seal the razor cut in the bait.

Rate of Stall

Most anglers are familiar with the concept of "Rate of Fall". In case you're not, its a measurement of how quickly a bait sinks through the water column on its way to the bottom. But what is "Rate of Stall"? The first time I heard the term it came from Matt Peters in a discussion about how quickly baits move, in the words of Peters, "From East to West".

The idea is that most anglers pay a lot attention to how quickly baits sink and how that effects the fishing but very few pay attention to how quickly their baits are coming back to the boat. If a slow falling jig catches fish better than a fast falling jig on a given day it stands to reason that swim jigs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc... might also have different catch rates based on how quickly they move through the water.

Its easiest to visualize this concept with topwater baits. As an example:

View fullsize

 Let's say you're walking a super spook and catching fish non-stop. You return the next day but find the bite has completely disappeared. Its possible that the topwater bite has shut down completely but the odds are much higher that the "rate of stall" the fish are responding to has changed. Instead of giving up on the topwater bite you pull out a 1/2 oz buzzbait (faster) and a small popper (slower). By experimenting with baits that have different rates of stall you discover that the topwater bite with the buzzbait is actually better than the day before, you just had to choose a bait that was going faster.

The next time you're on the water be cognizant of the speed your baits are moving and make adjustments in retrieve speed, lure weight, etc... until you've fine-tuned the pattern to get every bite that you can. Good luck out there!

Top 5 Baits for Bed Fishing

Love it or hate it, bed fishing is a great way to catch the biggest bass of the year. If you live in warmer parts of the country you're probably already seeing the beginning of the spawn. We sat down with the camera this week to bring you the Top 5 Baits that will help you fool those feisty spawning bass.

The key to sight fishing is to treat every bed as a new opportunity to start fresh. The bait that caught the last fish might not work on the next. Each fish has its own preferences so don't be afraid to rotate through your arsenal of rods until you've found the bait that works best.

My top 5 choices:

1) Jig w/ Craw Trailer: 3/8 to 1/2 oz Dirty Jigs Pitchin' Jig coupled with a beaver-style or double tail grub trailer. This profile allows me to present a large bait but still have a compact enough profile that the fish can easily engulf it.

View fullsize

2) Swim Jig: 3/8 to 1/2 oz California Swim Jig in Alabama Bream or Tactical Shad coupled with a matching keitech or Sizmic Shad. With a swim jig I can hop or swim the jig, depending on the mood of the fish.

3)Bluegill Imitator: My two favorite bluegill imitators are the Mattlures Bluegill (boot or flat tail) and the Basstrix in "perch" color. The mattlures gives me that large swimbait profile whereas the basstrix is a very finesse, slow presentation that can really irritate those hard to catch bass.

4) 3.5" Tube: The tube is a deadly bait on all bass but its especially deadly with spots and smallmouth. I find a 3.5" to be best but you can drop down to a 2.5 if the fish are picking the bait up by the tails.

5) The Senko: Who can argue with the senko? 5" or 6" is your choice but if you use a bright color (white or chartreuse) and a natural color (green pumpkin or watermelon) you'll find a bait that the fish are willing to eat.

Please remember that bed fishing is a great time to catch the fish of a lifetime but its also a critical time during a bass' life cycle. Treat the fish with care and always return them to the bed quickly so they can successfully finish the spawning process.

Tim Breaks the State Record Spotted Bass!

Both Tim and I have a passion for trophy bass but there is a huge difference between catching big bass and breaking records. On January 12th, 2015 Tim had the honor of breaking the Calfornia State Record for Spotted Bass. His monster bass tipped the scales at 10 pounds 6 ounces and is the number 2 spotted bass of all time!

Over the past few weeks there has been an amazing buzz across the internet about this fish. No one had ever seen a spotted bass like this. Her dimensions are an amazing 24.25" long x 20" girth! We put together a brief documentary of the experience including the RELEASE of such an important bass.

While some anglers would argue that a bass of this size should be killed in the name of science, we just couldn't do it. She's still out there, she's still swimming, and maybe one day we will meet again. This sport is all about setting goals and pursuing our dreams until they become a reality. For Tim, his goal of a true world-class spot has become a reality and he had the blessing of watching her swim away when it was over.

So what comes next for Tim and Tactical Bassin? Well, the world record is still out there somewhere. The pursuit is real and we'll continue putting in our time searching for the biggest bass in the world! We appreciate the constant support from all of you that read the blog, watch the videos, and follow the Tackle Warehouse links to do your shopping. We couldn't do any of this without you!

Until next week, good luck out there!