Texas Rigs: When to Peg the Weight, When to Leave it Free

This week Tim compares the benefits of fishing a Texas Rig with a pegged weight to fishing it with a free sliding weight. We as anglers typically latch on to one method or the other. We all have our favorites and that's okay but when it comes to putting bass in the boat, we need to stay open-minded.  

Understanding when to fish each method can be the difference between a banner day and just putting a few fish in the boat. Pegging the weight on a Texas Rig is a great method in and around cover but if you're fishing an open bottom or around docks and wood, you can't beat the slow falling action of an unpegged rig.

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For a pegged rig Tim recommends using bobber stops, his favorite at the moment is the Paycheck baits. He typically pairs this with a tungsten weight. If you prefer your weight have an insert, you can't beat the Reins or River2Sea. If you prefer no insert, we've had great luck with Vike Tungsten lately.

Whether you're throwing an Ol' Monster, a Brush Hog, or a Keitech Crazy Flapper, the next time you're on the water and your fish stop responding to the bait, trying mixing it up, change the weight, and see if it makes a difference. Good luck out there!

Giants Eating Frogs: Full Video

When River2Sea approached us about their new and improved frog called a Bully Wa 2 we weren't sure what to expect. The Spittin' Wa is such an amazing frog how could it possibly get any better? (If you haven't seen the Spittin' Wa Video, see it here) Well much to our surprise, it got better!

The Bully Wa 2 is a fast-walking frog with a tall body that pushes a tremendous amount of water with ease. The hook comes with a unique bend that is ready to fish out of the package resulting in a great hookup ratio. Open the packaging, trim the legs to your desired length, and you're ready to fish!

For us, there were 3 colors that stood out the most. The first is called "Little Allen" and yes that name came from Tim (Little) and Matt (Allen). We were so excited when they decided to include this color scheme in their lineup because day in and day out, its both of our favorite! The other two are "Ghost" and "Yellow Head".

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This frog fishes great in slop but its specialty is open water. Walk it along docks, over cover, or even for suspended fish, and you're going to love the result! You can see by the video that the bass had no problem coming up from the depths to explode in the open. The days of only throwing a frog around cheese or pads are over!

Do yourself a favor and check out the River2Sea Bully Wa 2!

Note: If the video won't play its because you need to watch it from a desktop. Unfortunately its not mobile-friendly.

Tim's Service During Fires Gains National Recognition

Most of you know Tim Little (Co-Owner of Tacticalbassin.com) as an awesome angler and video editor. Until this week however, very few of you had any idea what he does for work. Tim generally stays quiet about his job, choosing instead to let everyone assume that he's just out fishing every day. In reality, Tim works harder than anyone else I know and rarely makes it out on the water. He's not out fishing every day, in fact he's rarely fishing every month (Its just that when he does hit the water, he's a hammer). 

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As a California Fish and Wildlife Warden he works incredibly long hours. I mean LONG HOURS... I can't begin to explain how many times I've stayed at his house while at Clearlake and not even seen him. He's out responding to call after call and doesn't get to break for sleep or family time, let alone fishing or fun.

During the first day of the Valley Fire in Lake County, Tim did what he always does; he responded to a need. While evacuating people from their homes near Cobb Mountain a call came in that a grandmother and young child were trapped in an area that would soon burn. He wasn't the first to receive the call but he was the only responder with a vehicle that might make it in. Without hesitation, he went in and successfully saved those two lives. Later that day he did the same with another elderly woman trapped in a different home.

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When Tim told me about the experience the next morning (He hadn't slept or been home yet) it didn't even register in my mind as being extraordinary, because frankly that's just Tim. That's what my friend does when people need help. Somewhere in the story telling I heard him say "I'm not sure it was smart to be up there, it was really bad" but that wasn't even a factor in his decision making at the time.

Tim's heroics while helping evacuate families garnered national attention this week. Its been amazing to see the story ripple across the nation! He's the last person who would ever want this sort of attention but that's exactly the kind of person who deserves to get it. 

He wasn't the only responder on that mountain. His partner Ryan Stephenson and several other individuals from local departments were also up there "just doing their job" being hero's as well. When you see these guys, please thank them, though they'll probably be embarrassed to hear it.

Please forgive us for not having a fresh bass fishing video for you to watch this week. As you are now aware, Tim is a very busy man. While he pours his heart into every video he edits for this site, it is a very small part of the responsibilities he carries. Thank you so much for your support of Tacticalbassin and of Tim!

Small Swimbait Storage Made Easy

What started off as a joke between friends on facebook turned into Mike Bucca (Owner of the famous Bull Shad Swimbaits) filming an awesome video on swimbait storage. Its such good information we had to share it to the whole Tactical Bassin community!

I will be the first to admit I didn't even know this box existed. It turns out Plano made a box called a FlipSider 3744. Its not available at all the major retailers but a quick google search will turn them up. If you fish slim swimbaits like the bull shad, bull herring,  s-wavers, or other glides, this is the storage solution you've been waiting for!

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Bucca shows how you can store an incredible number of swimbaits in this single box. The baits drop into individual trays, keeping them organized and protected. It also keeps the tails straight and hooks untangled. If you have a collection of swimbaits, do yourself a favor and check out this box!

Isn't it amazing how the little things make all the difference in bass fishing? Tim and I want to thank Mike Bucca for this awesome video and his long standing support of Tactical Bassin! If you guys aren't familiar with his products visit http://www.bullshad.com/