Lake Cumberland - Catching Fish In A New Lake

How do you find fish in a new lake? Where do you look and how do you target them? Come along with Matt for a day on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky. With no outside information and little more than a map to guide the way, he covers water and locates feeding bass.

Whether you're in the PNW, the Midwest, or deep in the South, bass all behave the same way. Once you understand their feeding habits and basic movements they become highly predictable. Don't let a new fishery frighten you, its not that hard to find fish.

During the cold months we typically start by exploring the backs of deep pockets and creeks. If you can locate baitfish with your electronics you're already off to a great start! Pay attention to the depth of those baitfish and repeat the process in a different location until you find baitfish with bass around them.

Once you've located fish it simply comes down to confidence. Pull out your favorite lures, those baits you've got the most confidence in, and begin targeting those bass. If you don't have confidence baits look below, you'll find a break down of the lures and gear Matt had the confidence to use on his first visit to Cumberland.

The Baits...

Yellow Magic Popper- http://bit.ly/2al0dKP

River2Sea Rover- http://bit.ly/2acSVea

Keitech 2.8 Swimbait- http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Swimbait Head: 1/8 oz Guppy- http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS

Blade Runner 1 3/4 oz Spoon- http://bit.ly/2aKVLlG

Finesse Combo...

Rod- Expride 7' Light+ Spinning: http://bit.ly/2osaj3q

Reel- Stradic CI4+ 2500: http://bit.ly/2gu84t7

Line- 10 lb Power Pro Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Leader- 8 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Spoon Combo...

Rod- Zodias 7'2" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Curado 200 HGK: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- 60 lb Power Pro MaxCuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 20 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

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Fall To Winter Transition - New State, New Lake, Big Bass

Today we're fishing an area of the country most bass fishermen have never visited. The area known as the PNW (Pacific North West) is a region completely neglected by the bass fishing community. With few major tournaments and an abundance of water, the quality of fish in this region has gone largely unnoticed. Come along for a day on the water as we explore Couer D'Alene Lake.

The smallmouth in this region are short and fat, much like the smallmouth of the Great Lakes. The waters are crystal clear but the difference is a food source called Kokanee. Much like the big bass in California, the jumbo smallmouth of the NorthWest gorge on Kokanee Salmon. With that said, a Smallmouth is a Smallmouth, no matter where it is located. As you might expect, these bass are aggressive feeders and love to fight!

Matt and Jessie used a handful of techniques to target bass but the most successful method was the lipless crankbait. The guys found scattered bass on ledges in 25-40 feet of water that would readily attack a lipless crankbait fished slowly along bottom.

Matt flew in and wasn't able to bring his typical gear with him. He came armed with 4 reels and a small box of tackle. He paired his equipment with some of Jessie's rods and hit the water for a day to break down a lake, experiment with new tackle, and catch some big smallmouth bass. Below is a breakdown of the gear used.

The Baits...

Lipless- Lucky Craft LV-500: http://bit.ly/2aAUUbd

Swimbait- S-Waver 168: http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Jerkbait- Megabass Vision 110 +1: http://bit.ly/2iGYOCX

Jig- 1/2 oz Pitchin' Jig: http://bit.ly/2amL3of

Matt's 4 reels...

Aldebaran MGL: http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8

Chronarch MGL: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Curado 200K: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Tranx 300: http://bit.ly/2kYsvRw

Lipless Combo...

Rod- Duckett Terex 7' Medium: http://bit.ly/2yMdIyX

Reel- Chronarch MGL 7:1 Ratio: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- 50 lb MaxCuatro Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

S-Waver Combo...

Rod- Phenix 7'6" Heavy Recon Elite: http://bit.ly/2qhziq6

Reel- Curado 200 K 7:1 Ratio: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- 65 lb MaxCuatro Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 20 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

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How To Catch More Fish On The Neko Rig

The Neko rig is a deadly finesse bait for lethargic bass. Its one of those lures that just seems to catch a bigger-than-average bass. If you're faced with tough weather conditions or bass that just don't seem to want to bite, pick up a Neko Rig and give it a try.

The Neko is a new spin on an old favorite. Neko rigging can be applied to virtually any soft plastic but it shines with straight tail and cut tail worms. It combines the best of both worlds with an exposed hook but still remains incredibly weedless.

Below is a breakdown of Tim's favorite baits, gear, and rigging components for this method. The key to a great hookup ratio with the Neko rig is in the details. Pay close attention to how Tim rigs the baits in order to maximize your time on the water.

Gear...

G7 Worm Pliers - http://bit.ly/2PRMNrG

G7 Worm Protect Tubes - http://bit.ly/2PWEkUs

O- Wacky Tool - http://bit.ly/2wtX7M8

The O-Wacky Tool O-Rings 25pk - http://bit.ly/2h5MhX2

Weights...

Swagger Tackle Tungsten Pagoda Nail Weights - http://bit.ly/2iGNSFW

Lunker City Wacky Weight 10pk - http://bit.ly/2SbAesV

Hooks...

Owner Mosquito "Light" Hooks - http://bit.ly/2zQVKx3

Mustad TitanX Wacky/Neko Rig Hook - http://bit.ly/2yYcJLc

Worms...

Yamamoto Kut Tail Worm - http://bit.ly/2iXlzPu

Yamamoto 5" Senko - http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Daiwa Yamamoto Neko Fat 5" - http://bit.ly/2o2O3LG

Daiwa Yamamoto Neko Straight - http://bit.ly/2kH4KuC

Zoom Trick Worm - http://bit.ly/2aWkG7E

Zoom Swamp Crawler - http://bit.ly/2arWoA8

Strike King Fat Baby Finesse - http://bit.ly/2aKei5y

Tim's Neko Setup...

Rod- G Loomis NRX 852S JWR: http://bit.ly/2dX9zjv

Reel- Shimano Exsence 3000: http://bit.ly/2iMtscV

Line- 12 lb Sunline Xplasma Asegai Braid: http://bit.ly/2OR5i2j

Leader- 6 lb Sniper Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Budget Friendly Combo...

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7' M - http://bit.ly/2jOUXAO

Reel- Nasci 2500 - http://bit.ly/2g278cC

Line- 15 lb Power Pro: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Leader- 8 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

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First We Got Cut Off, Then We Crashed The Boat!

From bad to worse! Tim and Matt had no idea what was coming when they launched the boat on the CA Delta! The day just kept going down hill. It started with lost fish, then they got cut off, next they lost a GIANT striped bass, rebounded by catching a huge bird, and then when it couldn't get any worse, they crashed!

Have you ever had one of "those" days? We just couldn't seem to do anything right! Luckily we survived to tell the tale! When it was all said and done, Matt was able to turn the day around by heading to another lake and catching a bunch of bass on soft jerkbaits.

Bad days happen to all of us. Don't let it get you down! Keep your chin up, stay focused, and continue to fish until you get out of the rut. The only difference between great anglers and the rest of us is persistence!

We did manage to catch a few fish along the way. Below is a break down of the gear we were using to successfully catch fish.

Lures...

S-Waver 200 (Bone Color): http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Split Rings- Hyperwire Size 6: http://bit.ly/2aTH3f1

Hooks- Owner ST-56 Size 1/0: http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

Strike King Mega Dawg: http://bit.ly/2NNGQvs

Evergreen Shower Blows 150: http://bit.ly/2zIkqUH

Zoom Super Fluke: http://bit.ly/2aqys0H

Keel Guard- http://bit.ly/2N5p36m

Super Fluke Combo...

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 874 CRR: http://bit.ly/2R4f2Ud

Reel- Shimano Curado K HG: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- 50 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

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Need Apparel? Tacticalbassin Gear is in stock! Get your hats, Hoodies, and sunshirts by emailing Tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com