Should You Buy a 2 Piece Rod?

We've been asked time and time again about 1 vs. 2 piece rods. Today we address the questions and explain the advantages of each style of rod. 

The answer really comes down to fishing style. If you're a bank fisherman or fishing from a smaller boat there are huge advantages to two-piece fishing rods. Under virtually any other circumstance the advantages of a one-piece rod far outweigh any disadvantages!

If you're shopping for rods, below are our recommendations based on budget...

7' Medium Spinning Rod:

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Dobyns Fury
High $$$- G Loomis NRX

7' Medium Baitcasting Rod:

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Shimano Clarus
High $$$- Dobyns Champ Extreme

7'-7'2" Medium Heavy Baitcasting Rod: 

Low $$$- Shimano Sellus
Mid $$$- Dobyns Fury
High $$$- Shimano Zodias

Reel Recommendations for each...

Spinning Low $$$- Shimano Nexave 2500
Spinning Mid $$$- Shimano Saros 2500

Baitcasting Low $$$- Shimano Caius
Baitcasting Mid $$$- Shimano Citica 7:1

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Tips For Approaching A New Lake

New Lakes can be intimidating! Where should you start? What should you throw? How many rods should you bring? Tim answers these questions and more...

Its not easy to choose what tackle to bring to a new lake. To simplify Tim employs a top down approach. Any time he approach a new lake he starts with his favorite topwater. This allows him to cover water and look for active fish. If he's not immediately successful he'll drop down the water column and try reaction fishing. If reaction bait fishing fails to catch fish its time to begin slowing down and fishing the bottom. This simple approach lets you break down the entire water column very quickly to locate the most active group of fish. 

While it seems like a lot of baits and options you can literally fit all of these baits into a single box. Combine them with 3-4 rods and you're ready to jump on a boat and hit a new lake without crowding the boater and overstaying your welcome. 

Baits We recommend bringing:

Topwater...
-Rover
-Whopper Plopper
-Rico

Reaction...
-Favorite Squarebill Crankbait
-Favorite Spinnerbait

-Favorite Chatterbait

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Proving Which Baits are Best For the Fall Transition

A few weeks ago we shot this video about the "Best Baits For the Fall Transition". Today we hit the water with that box of baits and find out if they really work!

So... what did we learn? We learned that Fall bass are aggressive! From jigs to squarebills to underspins the bass were crushing all of the baits we threw! We shot this quick afternoon video on beautiful Clear Lake. If you ever get the chance to fish it in the Fall take full advantage of the opportunity! 

Below are the baits and colors in the box...

-S-Waver 168 Swimbait in "Light Trout" color

-Whopper Plopper 130 in "Bluegill" or "Loon"
-Bully Wa 2 Frog in "Dirty White", Yellow/Black, or "Little Allen" (Little John)

LV-500 Lipless Crankbait (Ghost Minnow, Chartreuse Shad, American Shad)

-Lucky Craft RTO 4.0 Squarebill (Chartreuse Shad)
-Biggie Smalls Squarebill in T1000 or TS Minnow
-Jackall Aska 70 Squarebill in "Super Shad"

-Staysee 90 Jerkbait (Ghost Minnow)
-Pointer 100 DD Jerkbait (Chartreuse Shad)
-Pointer 100 Jerkbait (Gun Metal Shad)

-Bling Spinnerbait 3/8 oz (Abalone Shad)

-3/8 oz Pitchin' Jig (Go To or Norcal Craw)
-3/4 oz Flippin' Jig (Molting Craw)
Sweat Beaver Trailer (Green Pumpkin Red Flake)

Matt Allen Swimbait Head
Blade Runner Spintrix
4.8 or 4.3 Keitech Fat Swing Impact

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Huddleston Swimbait Retrieves

Are you trying to catch a big bass on a swimbait this year? These 3 retrieves are all you'll need to make it happen. Swimbait fishing is very simple it just takes a solid foundation and some dedication. 

The 3 retrieves are as follows:

1) Steady Retrieve: Think of the Swimbait as nothing more than a spinnerbait. Simply chuck and wind, mid-column. 

2) Bottom Creeping: As the name suggests this retrieve is all about going slow, and then slowing down some more. 

3) The hop: This retrieve doesn't work often but in a pinch, it catches the giants! It involves burning the reel handle then killing the bait, much like fishing a hair jig. 

Use the following links to the products we're using and support Tacticalbassin at the same time...

-Huddleston 8" Swimbait
-Huddleston 68 Special

Other Swimbaits we highly Recommend...

-JSJ Hitch 6
-Osprey Tournament Talon
-S-Waver Glidebait
-JSJ Siren Glidebait

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