Blade Bait Tricks For Cold Winter Bass ( A Day On The Water )

Today we're on Clearlake throwing Blade Baits for Winter Bass. The blade is deadly in cold water and the bass on Clearlake don't know what hit them! If you're looking to catch more fish this Winter, take note as Matt teaches about the different baits, colors, and equipment to be effective with this awesome technique! 

The blade bait finds its roots in cold water smallmouth bass fishing but its effectiveness reaches far beyond its original purpose. Big largemouth can't resist a blade, even in warmer water temps. If your bass have gone deep for Winter but you don't want to reach for finesse tackle, the blade is your best option to elicit a feed response. 

With all of the new blades on the market in recent years its hard to know where to start. Which baits work the best? Why are there so many different colors? And what do you do with those stock double hooks? Matt is catching a ton of fish on the blade today but he still stops to answer all these questions and more along the way. Below is a breakdown of the baits and equipment he used in the video. 

Today's baits... 

-Megabass Dyna Response (Jerking Gill): http://bit.ly/2R7FlvL

-Jackall Keeburn (Silver): http://bit.ly/2or8sy0

-Damiki Vault (Black Holo): http://bit.ly/2rnO7e2

Other Great Blade Baits... 

-Silver Buddy: http://bit.ly/2AcTelj

-Blade Runner: http://bit.ly/2XMNoQj

-Binsky Vibrating Blade: http://bit.ly/2mR2Vwe

Matt's Favorite Blade Bait Combo (jerkbait combo)... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Aldebaran 50 MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8

Line- Sunline Assassin 10 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Matt's Braided Line Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 812 JBR: http://bit.ly/2QurcHi

Reel- Shimano Chronarch MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 10 lb Mono: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Hook Upgrades... 

Split Rings- Owner Hyperwire Size 2: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Split Ring Pliers- Texas Tackle: http://bit.ly/2fT4Qw0

Hook- Owner ST-36 Size 6: http://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

Hook- Gamakatsu Finesse Nano Treble Size 5 and 6: http://bit.ly/2dWWAut

NEW TacticalBassin Apparel…

-TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

-TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

-TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

-TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

Blade web.jpg

Best Lure Colors To Catch Bass This Winter

We've covered bass location and lure selection but without the right colors, Winter fishing can be downright frustrating. Today we're making color selection so simple, you'll never doubt yourself. You can fish all Winter with a handful of colors and adapting to changing conditions is easy!

We've separated soft plastic color selection into 5 basic colors. While Green Pumpkin is the most important, you’ll also find great success with Margarita Mutilator (Purple), Black and Blue, Smoke, and Morning Dawn (Pink). With Jigs the selection becomes even easier. You can use 3 basic colors to meet a variety of conditions by changing your trailer color. In order of importance, we focus on Green Pumpkin Brown (Go To), Brown, Cinnamon, Purple (Supermatt Brown), and Black Blue Green Pumpkin (Blackened Blue).

Last comes hard baits. We focus entirely on ghost colors unless murky water conditions dictate that we throw a solid color. Our favorites include Ghost Minnow, Mirrored Minnow, and Ghost Pro Blue. There are of course exceptions to the rule. Below you'll find a breakdown our 4 exceptions, including our favorite baits they're offered in. We've also included our favorite jigs, crankbaits, soft baits, etc. And finally, we've included links to all of our NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel!

TacticalBassin's New Apparel... 

-TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

-TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

-TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

-TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

Lures that come in "Margarita Mutilator" and "MMIII"... 

-Roboworm 4" and 6" Fat Worm: http://bit.ly/2awYSxM

-Roboworm Ned Worm: http://bit.ly/2j9F0Xy

Lures That Come in "Tramp Stamp"...

-Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver: http://bit.ly/29W3RZW

-Reaction Innovations Man Bear Pig: http://bit.ly/2s51oIV

Football Jig Available in "Blackened Blue", "Supermatt Brown", and "Go To"... 

-Dirty Jigs Football Jig: http://bit.ly/2d0iJbd

-Dirty Jigs Finesse Football Jig: http://bit.ly/2d2apsm

Our "exception colors" that work great from coast to coast are linked below.

Ghost Red Craw... 

-River2Sea TacticalBassin Crankbait (Blood Craw): http://bit.ly/37dclbX

-Spro RKCrawler 55 (Red River Craw, Red Crawfish): http://bit.ly/2BLmsVN

-Spro Little John (Blood Craw): http://bit.ly/2dDfuqt

Chartreuse/Blue... 

-Keitech Fat Swing Impact: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Bluegill Imitator (GP Or Blk Pur Pearl Blue)... 

-Big Bite Baits Smallie Smasher: http://bit.ly/2ZpCOCY

Desert Craw... 

-Robo Ned Worm: http://bit.ly/2j9F0Xy

winter collr web.jpg

Swimbaits and Underspins - All The Info (Winter Fishing)

Underspins and Finesse Swimbaits are both proven baits in Winter. Their fish catching ability is beyond question... but how do you know which one to throw? What makes a finesse swimbait get more bites one day and an underspin work so much better the next? Do you know when to use each style to consistently catch cold water bass? 

Swimbaits do an amazing job of imitating baitfish. Their natural presentation lures bites from cold water and warm water bass alike. When nothing else seems to be working, the swimbait can still get bit. However, its effectiveness is reliant on visibility. Understanding when its time to switch size, color, or abandon it in favor of the underspin is the trick. 

Underspins get their effectiveness from the flash and vibration the blade provides. Its that extra element that helps fish locate the bait in off colored water. It also helps them locate your lure amongst natural baitfish. However, it has its drawbacks. As water color changes its effectiveness can stop in the blink of an eye. Again, the key is knowing when to switch. 

Below is a breakdown of the baits and heads Matt discussed in the video. He included 3 sizes of swimbait head and 3 sizes of underspin as well as a variety of swimbaits. We hope you take the information in this video and fish with confidence the next time you're on the water!

Swimbait Heads... 

-Matt Allen Swimbait Head 1/2 oz: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

-TacticalBassin Finesse Swimbait Head 3/8 oz: http://bit.ly/2Pqrq3n

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

Underspins... 

-Blade Runner Spintrix Head 1/2 oz: http://bit.ly/29UVegz

-Hog Farmer War Pig 3/8 oz: http://bit.ly/2pcQnRP

-Cool Baits Down Under 3/16 oz: http://bit.ly/2boS7QA

Swim Jigs…

-California Swim Jig 1/2 oz: http://bit.ly/2auXfmx

Swimbaits... 

-Keitech Fat Swing Impact: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

-River2Sea D Walker: http://bit.ly/2NwqBmz

-XZone Lures Swammer: http://bit.ly/2PogV0q

-Jackall Rhythm Wave: http://bit.ly/2m78LM9

Great Finesse Swimbait Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Aldebaran 50 MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8

Line- Sunline Assassin 10 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Budget All-Around Swimbait Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Intenza 7'2" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2QADLTq

Reel- Shimano SLX 150 XT HG: http://bit.ly/2BRTYL8

Line- 40 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 12 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Swimbait 1.jpg

How To Catch Bass With Plastic Worms **Incredible Underwater Footage**

Fishing with worms is easy! Use the tricks we show in this video and you're sure to catch more fish this year! Come underwater and watch how the bass react to different worms. Whether you prefer a weightless senko, a dropshot, or any other rigging, its easy to see the best ways to work them with an underwater view!

For today's video we kept the rigging simple. We showed a weightless worm, a dropshot, a ned rig, and a shaky head. All of these are great techniques for catching bass so we've included links below to the exact hooks, weights, and worms we recommend for each method. We also included links to an "In Depth" video for each technique. 

Every time we watch bass behavior underwater we learn something new. In this video is was painfully obvious the bass would approach while the lure was moving but it had to be paused for the fish to actually strike. Consider how often you've failed to pause your worm near key structure while out fishing and we begin to realize how many fish we could have been catching all along. Take this information and apply to your fishing in 2020 and the sky is the limit!


Favorite Stick Baits... 

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

-Gambler Fat Ace: http://bit.ly/2aJq2AO

Favorite Ned Worms... 

-Z Man Finesse TRD: http://bit.ly/2hs4RtR

-Roboworm Ned 3": http://bit.ly/2j9F0Xy

-Z Man TRD TicklerZ: http://bit.ly/2mGyDAC

Favorite Dropshot Worms... 

-Big Bite Baits Smallie Smasher: http://bit.ly/2ZpCOCY

-Strike King Dream Shot: http://bit.ly/2KNXuK9

Favorite Shaky Head Worms... 

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

-Netbait T-Mac: http://bit.ly/2jndwj9

Rigging... 

Shaky Head- Dirty Jigs 3/16 oz: http://bit.ly/2aFOs0V

Dropshot Hook- Owner Mosquito Light Size 1: http://bit.ly/2zQVKx3

Dropshot Weight- Swagger Tungsten Tear Drop 1/4 oz: http://bit.ly/2V2B63h

Senko Hook- Gamakatsu Wide Gap 3/0: http://bit.ly/2d07gvp

Ned Head- Swagger Tungsten Flanders 1/5 oz: http://bit.ly/2KcIB6M

Matt's Favorite Finesse Combo... 

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

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

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

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

Budget-Friendly Dropshot Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Intenza 7'6" Light: http://bit.ly/2s7kaQn

Reel- Shimano NASCI 2500: http://bit.ly/2g278cC

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

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

In-Depth Videos... 

Dropshot: https://youtu.be/FTuZqJcMomI

Ned Rig: https://youtu.be/9QIqFiL94Io

Shaky Head: https://youtu.be/XUQUlf6sZMk

Texas Rig: https://youtu.be/ddhh-xCiICg

Carolina Rig: https://youtu.be/dfymzmkYj8Y

Senko: https://youtu.be/QvKzyLtc7pg

Underwater Thumb 2.jpg