Are You Sure You're Using the "Right" Reel?

Do you use right or left-handed reels? Are you positive that you're using the correct reel? Have you ever considered flipping left-handed with a right-handed reel? Are we confusing you yet? 

Here's the arguement... most anglers that reel with their right hand have felt pressure to switch to left handed reels for flipping and pitching the last few years. Our question is, rather than switching reels, why don't you switch flipping hands? Watch the video and you might be amazed that a right-handed angler with a right-handed reel can still be in perfect position to set the hook on a bass as his lure enters the water. 

Since we're talking about reels we might as well put our 2 cents in on the actual "right" reel for the right job. Matt's list of favorite reels (In order of use)...

Curado 200: His go-to reel for most bass fishing applications. The reel is the perfect size to reach the drag control with your reel hand as shown in the video. 

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Curado 70: Do you have a smaller hand or using finesse techniques? You need to try the 70, especially in the 8.2:1 gear ratio. You'll be glad you did! 

Calcutta 400B: This is the reel he does nearly all of his swimbait fishing with. Its a work horse! Matt says he's still using Calcuttas he bought more than a decade ago and they're still going strong. 

Bass fishing is always changing and trending. New reels are coming every year. They get lighter, faster, smoother, etc... but if you want work horses that last year after year its hard to beat  the Curado and Calcutta. We hope this video changes the way you think about flipping and pitching. You may not make the change but at least you'll have considered your options. Thanks for watching!

How to Catch Every Bass Under a Dock

In this video Tim explains what you need to do to catch as many fish as possible when fishing a dock. Instead of walking up and simply casting to the dock, take a tactical approach, work your angles and systematically catch all the fish.

Its amazing to us how many guys, especially from boats, will just make a random splash down cast into the middle of a dock then move on to the next one! Who came up with that idea?! Take 30 seconds out of your day, be systematic in your approach, and you will see immiediate results.

As the video begins Tim explains that the first step to dock fishing from shore is to approach the dock from the down shadow side. Meaning, don't let your shadow cross the dock, instead keep your shadow behind you. Next, start fishing the structure that is closest to shore and farthest from the center of the dock first. 

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Slowly cast to each piling of the dock, shadow corner, or other structure. As you fish each piece of cover slowly work out to deeper water. This way any fish you catch will be pulled up into the shallows without crossing over the other fish.

The last cast should be to the very center and darkest part of the shadow under the dock. By the time you've reached this cast you should have caught every other fish under the dock. 

If you use this method for all of your dock fishing you're absolutely going to catch more bass! Whether you're bank fishing or standing on a bass boat this information applies to your fishing. If you happen to be on a boat simply fish the dock in reverse order to achieve the same result. 

Equipment Used...

Rod- 7'4" 3 power
Reel- Lew's BB1 Pro
Line- 15 lb AbrazX Fluorocarbon

Weight- 1/4 oz. Tungsten Bullet
Hook- 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG Superline
Bait- Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver

Tips for Flippin' and Pitchin'

Flipping heavy cover has evolved drastically the last few years. A term that once meant throwing a texas-rigged plastic into brush now encompasses everything from punching matted vegetation to pitching a jig around docks. Perhaps the term has been abused or perhaps we're learning new ways to expand and catch bass that are hiding in the dark. 

However you want to look at it, Flippin' has changed. In this video Matt breaks down everything from traditional texas rigged plastics on a straight shank hook to newer twists including screw locks, Superline hooks, and even jigs. The changes include rods as well so if you're flipping with a 7'6" rod you might want to consider expanding into both shorter and longer rods for different approaches. 

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Below is a breakdown of some of the gear Matt and Tim have found to help them catch more fish when flipping and pitching in cover...

Flipping Rods...

-Light Flipping 7'2" Zodias
-Heavy Flipping 7'6" Expride
-Heavy Flipping 7'9" Extreme 795
-Punching 8' Champion 805

-Reel: Shimano Curado 200 7:1

-Line: Sufix 832 65 lb braid

-Favorite Flipping Jig
-Favorite Punch Jig

-Tungsten Weight With Liner
-Dirty Jigs Punch Skirt
-Bobber Stop (Weight Stop)

-Gamakatsu EWG Superline Hook (4/0 Size)
-Owner Twist Lock Hook (4/0 and 6/0)
-Straight Shank Super Heavy Cover Hook

Preferred Baits...

-Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
-Missile Baits D Bomb
-Strike King Rage Bug

Breaking Down a New Lake: The Finale

Part 3 of "How to Breakdown a New Lake" picks up right where part 2 left off. The duo move into the Eastern arm of Lake Sonoma in search of shallow water largemouth. They begin by fishing in the marina where they flip a senko into boat slips and skip a keitech swimbait into shade pockets. 

Almost immediately Tim and Matt encounter a wolf pack of schooling largemouth bass along a shade line. If you look closely in the lower corner of the video you'll see a 6-8 lb bass swimming out of a brush pile toward the boat. They are able to lure a topwater explosion from the bass on a hollow body frog but they it doesn't fully commit. After plying other offerings like the senko, keitech swimbait, and even a wakebait they agree to return to the marina later after the fish have settled. 

After leaving the marina the pair briefly fish the bridge pilings. 
When summer bass fishing in a lake with bridge pilings, this is a key place to catch large numbers of fish. Largemouth, smallmouth, and especially spotted bass love to school around vertical structure.  Matt throws a senko on the pilings while Tim is casting an Alabama Rig, both to no avail. They quickly move on to another set of docks where Tim catches back to back bass fishing with a 2.8 Keitech coupled with a Revenge Dart Head. 

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After leaving the docks behind Matt and Tim fish cove after cove and point after point in search of schooling fish on deep ledges or shallow shade pockets. They spend much of the afternoon fishing standing timber in open water but aren't able to get consistent bites. Finally, as the redwoods began leaving large shade lines on the water Matt is able to catch a nice largemouth on a hollow body frog lure. After a few more stops Matt and Tim return to the marina and head for home. 

We hope you were able to take valuable information out of this video. Whether you are bass fishing in California, Texas, Alabama, or New England, we tried to fish different types of cover and with different techniques that could be applied to every location.

Breaking down a new lake and learning how to find bass is not an easy task. However, If you follow the steps we outlined in this fishing video, you should be able to locate bass much more quickly in the future. We hope this helps! 

Baits used in this video to locate and catch fish...

Yamamoto 5" Senko (Green Pumpkin)
Keitech Fat Swing Impact 2.8"
Revenge Darter Head
Yamamoto 5" Senko (Natural Shad)
Alabama Rig- Yum Ultralight
River2Sea Bully Wa in “Dirty White”

Equipment Used:

Tim's Keitech Combo:
Rod- Dobyns 742 Champion Extreme 7'4"
Reel- Daiwa Fuego Spinning Reel
Line-Power Pro Braided 15 lb
Leader- Sunline Leader Material 8 lb

Matt's Frog Combo:
Rod- Dobyns 736 Champion
Reel- Shimano Curado 70
Line- 65 lb Sufix 832
Leader- None Used