Summer Topwater Fishing | Grass Fishing Tips

Bass are exploding inches from the rod tip! Its a feeding frenzy!! When Matt woke up he knew he had perfect topwater fishing conditions so he jumped in the kayak and headed out on Clearlake with 3 topwater rods in hand. His hunch was right as bass were exploding through the grass beds ambushing baitfish. Come along and see how Matt adjusts to catch as many bass as possible before the wind and waves get a chance to ruin it all.

Matt started the day with 3 baits tied on. He'd selected a Gavacho (popping frog), Teckel Honker (straight retrieve frog), and a Rage Shad (straight retrieve solid body) for their unique actions. Each bait would meet a different set of possible circumstances and at least one was going to produce. Before day's end Matt also added a Fluke to the arsenal to help convert leery bass.

Fishing weed beds can be overwhelming but it doesn't need to be. The bass treat this cover like any other. They focus on points, funnels, overhead cover, and small protected pockets. Once you learn to look through the expanse of weeds and see the subtle differences between one clump and the next, the bass become very predictable. Once Matt identified prime spots he was able to use the topwater and fluke combination to successfully lure out the bass.

Below is a breakdown of the gear and equipment Matt used today...

The baits...

Teckel Honker Frog (Grey Camo): http://bit.ly/2Xj7Ye4

Strike King Rage Shad (Blue Glimmer, Smokey Shad): http://bit.ly/2dqEf8E

Jackall Gavacho (Chart Strike Gill): http://bit.ly/2L7KsWS

Zoom Super Fluke (Smokin Shad): http://bit.ly/2aqys0H

Fluke Hook- Gamakatsu EWG Superline 4/0: http://bit.ly/2ac92XG

Kayak Storage...

Plano V-Crate: http://bit.ly/2BLjK4f

Plano Hydroflow 3700: http://bit.ly/2PR1kU0

Kayak...

Old Town Predator PDL: http://bit.ly/2WyVQka

Matt's Fluke Combo...

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'2" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Curado DC HG: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

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

Matt's Rage Shad Combo...

Rod- Dobyns Champion Extreme 746: http://bit.ly/2ab2kRX

Reel- Shimano Curado 200K HG: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- 65 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Budget Friendly Frog/Shad Combo...

Rod- Shimano SLX 7'2" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO

Reel- Shimano SLX HG: http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk

Line- 50 lb Power Pro: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Dock Fishing In The Heat - Everything You Need To Know

Summer bass love to hide in shade so today we're taking an in-depth look at fishing docks for bass. Matt explains which docks hold the best fish, how to find the key spots, and then shows his actual dock fishing box and explains why each bait deserves to be there. If you have any questions about catching bass in the heat around docks and overhead cover, this video will answer them!

Some anglers consistently catch bigger fish around docks than others. This is because they understand what makes a "high percentage" dock. If you want to become a better dock fisherman take the information in this video to heart and began looking at the docks in a systematic way. Which docks are transitional? Which docks cast larger shadows? Which docks reach farther into the open? When you begin making intentional moves you'll start catching more fish, even before you start incorporating some of Matt's confidence baits.

Every once in a while we get a video where Matt opens up a dedicated Plano and lets everyone peek inside. Today he opens his "Dock Box" and he's not holding anything back. From Buzzbaits that can be skipped, to slow falling creatures, he explains every trick he uses to pull big bass from the shadows all Summer long.

The baits in order of appearance in the box...

-D&M Slow Roller Buzzbait (Red Bug 1/2 oz): http://bit.ly/2t7BMKt

-Dirty Jigs Pro Buzz (Blue Glimmer): http://bit.ly/2cWI6if

-River2Sea D Walker 120 Buzz trailer (PB Red): http://bit.ly/2NwqBmz

-Lucky Craft LV-500 Lipless (Ghost Minnow, Golden Shiner): http://bit.ly/2aAUUbd

-River2Sea Biggie Papa Squarebill (Abalone Shad, TS Minnow): http://bit.ly/2ahCzvo

-Lucky Craft 1.5 Squarebill (Ghost Minnow): http://bit.ly/2BGxKPa

-6th Sense Crush 50 Squarebill (4k Shad): http://bit.ly/2HbaCGT

-Azuma Square Boss Crank (Grand Shad): http://bit.ly/2zfBwuK

-River2Sea Bully Wa 2 (Little Allen): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

-Jackall Gavacho (Chart Strike Gill): http://bit.ly/2L7KsWS

-Canterbury Shaky Head (1/8 oz): http://bit.ly/2aFOs0V

-Netbait T-Mac Worm (Kentucky Craw, Junebug): http://bit.ly/2jndwj9

-Owner Flashy Swimmer Underspin (5/0 hook 1/4 oz): http://bit.ly/2e8O4Y7

-Keitech 4.8" Fat Swimbait (Pro Blue Red Pearl): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

-Swagger Tungsten 3/16 oz Vader Weight: http://bit.ly/2NjDYtV

-Gamakatsu EWG 4/0 Hook: http://bit.ly/2d07gvp

-Keitech Crazy Flapper 4.4 (Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Fire): http://bit.ly/2c3cXrp

-Dirty Jigs Finesse Jig 5/16 oz (Alabama Craw): http://bit.ly/2eJinXo

-Yamamoto Double Tail Grub 4" (Green Pumpkin): http://bit.ly/2db9w1p

Plano 3700 Stowaway Pro Latch: http://bit.ly/2rFRJpk

Matt's All-Around Dock Combo...

Rod- G Loomis GLX 843C MBR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Reel- Shimano Curado 150 DC HG: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

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

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

Budget-Friendly All-Around Dock Combo...

Rod- SLX 7'2" Medium: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO

Reel- Shimano SLX HG: http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk

Line- 15 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

We caught 85 bass in 2 hours! Epic Summer Bass Fishing!!!

We just had the most INSANE day of fishing! We had bass trying to eat each other, two bass on at the same time, fish jumping out of the water to catch a crankbait, it was CRAZY! 85 bass in 2 hours and we hardly even moved the boat! You have to check this out...

We found a huge school of largemouth pushing Threadfin Shad up on a point. Once the feeding frenzy began it was clock work. Cast after cast produced fish after fish as fast as we could reel them in! We caught most of the fish on a squarebill crankbait and a swimbait on an underspin. We've said before that causing a "reaction" is key when bass are targeting baitfish and these two baits did an excellent job of creating a trigger.

We were fishing in Mexico when this all took place but even the locals were shocked by how aggressive these bass were. It just goes to show how incredible Summer bass fishing can be when anglers are prepared to work as a team to keep a school of aggressive bass fired up.

The baits used in the video are listed below...

Lucky Craft 4.5 Squarebill (TO Gill): http://bit.ly/2Zl5DiZ

Strike King 4.0 Squarebill (Sexy Blue Back Herring): http://bit.ly/2dzeCUk

Rage Swimmer 4.75 (Ayu): http://bit.ly/2evZF8j

Keitech 4.8 Swimbait (Pro Blue Red Pearl): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Hooks and Hardware...

Underspin- Strike King Belly Blade (3/8 oz 4/0 Hook): http://bit.ly/2Z6Hj4Z

Split Rings- Owner Hyperwire Size 3: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Replacement Hooks- Owner ST-35 Short Shank: http://bit.ly/2g8uCMj

Tim's Crankbait Combo...

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 906 CBR: http://bit.ly/2FQj6CZ

Reel- Shimano Metanium DC HG: http://bit.ly/2qrSZvs

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 30 lb: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

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

Tim's Swimbait Combo...

Rod- G Loomis NRX 894C JWR: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq

Reel- Shimano Metanium DC HG: http://bit.ly/2qrSZvs

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

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

Budget Friendly Combo...

Rod- Shimano SLX 7'2" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO

Reel- Shimano SLX HG: http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk

Line- 15 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Flipping and Frogging Big Bass In The Heat!

Its 106 Degrees today!!! Its HOT but the bass are biting if you know where to look! The frogging, flipping, and punching bite is going strong! Come along for a day on the water with Matt as he patterns bass on a hot Summer day and explains why he's making changes along the way.

A lot of anglers are afraid to fish in the Summer heat. If you're willing to get out there and know where to look it can be incredible shallow water fishing. Understanding shadows and bass behavior makes all the difference! Matt started off his day on Clearlake with a plan to frog and flip. He began with 3 rods on deck; a frog rod, a flipping stick with a 1 oz tungsten weight, and a flipping stick with a 3/4 oz jig.

The bass started biting on the first cast and Matt never pulled out another rod. As the day progressed he dialed in the pattern and fine tuned his color choices to get more bites. The combination of frogging the edges of cover and flipping deep in the thick patches is a 2-pronged approach that can be applied on any fishery that has heavy cover. Below is a breakdown of the gear Matt was using throughout the day.

The baits...

1) Frog- River2Sea Bully Wa 2 size 65 (Little Allen Color): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

2) Flippin' Jig- No Jack Size 3/4 oz (Hematoma and Molting Craw): http://bit.ly/2fx8YBI

Jig Trailer #1- Reaction Innovations Kinky Beaver (Low Blow): http://bit.ly/2XQ1kJ1

Jig Trailer #2- Strike King Rage Craw (Junebug): http://bit.ly/2uoqsLJ

3) Punch Weight- 1 oz Trash Bomb Tungsten: http://bit.ly/2bHj2pB

Punch Hook- Owner Jungle Wide Gap Hook Size 4/0: http://bit.ly/2sBsR1Z

Bobber Stop- Peg X Stopper: http://bit.ly/2bHjowk

Creature- RI Kinky Beaver (Green Pumpkin, Magic Craw Swirl): http://bit.ly/2XQ1kJ1

Frog Combo...

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'3" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Curado 150 DC HG: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- 65 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Flipping Combos...

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'11" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Metanium DC HG: http://bit.ly/2qrSZvs

Line- 65 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Sun Gear...

Sun Mask- Aftco Salido: http://bit.ly/2vgSsh4

Sun Shirt- Aftco Barracuda Sunshirt: http://bit.ly/2KaUg3m