Fire on the Mountain

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Well, as much as we'd love to bring you a fresh, new post this week, some more important activities have been taking place around here. As most of you know, Tim lives on the shores of Clearlake and Matt is a guide on the lake. This week, the mountains near Clearlake caught fire.

The "Rocky Fire" has been explosive since it took off a few short days ago, now encompassing 67,000 acres! Let me begin by saying we're safe and not at any risk of direct impact from the fire, so please don't worry about us. We've continued doing our jobs and living life, but fishing is the last thing on either of our minds.

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While we've been blessed with safety, others are not so fortunate.  Its burned 24 homes, more than 6900 others are threatened, and it shows no signs of slowing!

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and communities being impacted by the blaze! Whatever you believe and wherever you are, we ask the Tacticalbassin community to pray for those being impacted by this brutal fire! This too shall pass but its leaving destruction in its wake and we can't help but hurt for those that are losing everything.

We'll keep you posted of any drastic changes and will be back to our normal content shortly. For now, the safety of friends and neighbors trumps the need for bass fishing content. Be safe and we'll see you soon! 

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King Sling: A Loop Knot Every Angler Should Know

This week we break down how to tie the "King Sling", a simple knot that every angler should know. Its quick, its easy, and it can save you from the headaches of split rings and snaps on your hardbaits.

Personally, I use it in place of a snap on all of my big swimbaits so that I know I've got a positive connection that allows the bait to move freely without the risk of opening and failing. Topwater is another prime time to use a loop knot.

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When tying to a "walk the dog" style bait with a traditional knot like a palomar you create a very rigid connection that limits the bait's ability to move freely. Tying a loop allows you to create a strong connection without limiting the bait's ability to move.

There are many loop knots out there but the King Sling is our personal favorite. Its quick and easy to tie and has been a work horse for us for many years. We hope it helps you this summer, good luck out there!

Back to Back Frog Blow Ups

We spend so much time putting together educational videos that sometimes we forget to put up catches. Once in a while its just fun to see a fish or two getting caught. This week we thought we'd show a quick clip from Clearlake.

On this particular day the bass really weren't cooperating. We'd been throwing a Spittin' Wa 70 all day long without a bite! We were nearing the end of the day when Tim suddenly gets blown up on at the boat. As quick as it happened, the 6+ lber came unbuttoned and was gone.

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Next cast, he hooks its twin and that one makes it to the boat. Another solid 6+ lber! As luck would have it we never got another bite. All day, two bites, one in the boat, sometimes that's just the way it goes.

We'd love to act like every day is a slugfest but sometimes its tough out there. Staying focused when the bite finally comes can be the difference between a great day and a miserable time on the water.