Stop Sleeping on Lipless Crankbaits — Fall’s Best Bait Explained!

This is the most versatile bait for Fall bass fishing! Lipless crankbaits catch great numbers of fish and they catch giant bass too! They can be fished multiple ways, both up in the water column and down on the bottom. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and sounds. With so many variables, where do you even start?!

The lipless is one of our favorite bass fishing techniques! While it is effective year round, it shines in the Fall! Our two main methods are hopping the baits on bottom and steady retrieving them in the middle of the water column. The two methods utilize completely different baits and today we'll help you understand how to utilize both methods to catch more fish.

Below you'll find links to the exact baits discussed in the video. We've included our favorite colors for each, as well as links to some of our favorite gear for fishing these baits. All the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item.

KEY BAITS...

•Jackall TN 70: https://bit.ly/2lqAwjh

Colors: SG Threadfin, SS Shad, Super Shad

•Bill Lewis Rat–L–Trap (1/2 oz): https://bit.ly/2gm8CjC

Colors: Bleeding Shiner Chrome, Cali Craw, Ghost Minnow

•Bill Lewis Hammer Trap (1/2 oz): https://bit.ly/3Uk0Ri1

Colors: Green Gizzard, Silverado, Firecraw

•Nomad Swimtrex Max: https://bit.ly/3SjrDWD

Colors: Threadfin Shad, Sexy Shad, Chartreuse Threadfin Shad

•Lucky Craft LV 500: https://bit.ly/2aAUUbd

Colors: Ghost Minnow, American Shad, Chartreuse Shad

HOOK/SPLIT RING UPGRADES... (Sizes: 4 – 6)

–Gamakatsu EWG: http://bit.ly/2cZrsbY

–Owner ST–36: https://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

–Owner ST–56: http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

–Owner STX–45: http://bit.ly/2FNnZwR

–Owner Hyper Wire Split Rings: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Size: 3

G LOOMIS LIPLESS COMBO...

Rod– G Loomis IMX Pro 855C CBR: https://bit.ly/2FQj6CZ

Reel– Shimano Metanium MGL (XG): https://bit.ly/2ezIBfB

Line– Sufix 832 Braid (40 lb): https://bit.ly/2ae93Ji

Leader– Sufix Advance Mono (14 lb): https://bit.ly/3GJEUix

ST. CROIX LIPLESS COMBO...

Rod– St. Croix Legend Tournament Carbon Cranker: https://bit.ly/3Iow9KV

Reel– Shimano SLX 70 MGL (HG): https://bit.ly/3gIUCgJ

Line– Sufix 131 Braid (40 lb): https://bit.ly/314VoyF

Leader– Sufix Advance Mono (14 lb): https://bit.ly/3GJEUix

BUDGET LIPLESS COMBO...

Rod– Dobyns Maverick 7' MH Mod Fast: https://bit.ly/47alYsM

Reel– Daiwa Aird 80: https://bit.ly/46up5Mx

Line– Seaguar Red Label (15 lb): https://bit.ly/2LOVEwA

TACTICALBASSIN LURE DESIGNS (AND APPAREL)

We have a variety of custom lure designs and apparel available! Everything from Swimbaits and crankbaits, to apparel and merch! See it here…

•TacticalBassin Apparel and Merch: https://bit.ly/3ZxEI0z

•TacticalBassin Lure Designs: http://bit.ly/38YpPIz

Best Hooks For Bass Fishing: Senko, Worms, Crankbaits, Topwater, Swimbait!

So many hooks, so little time! Its taken us years (and hundreds of packs of hooks) to develop this short list of the best hooks for different situations. Whether you want to wacky rig a senko, punch a creature, or throw a deep diving crankbait, we've compiled this list for you! Not only do we cover hook styles, we also cover wire sizes, strength, etc... to perfectly match your fishing conditions. 

Tim starts off with reaction baits and wraps it up with soft plastics. The reason for this is most anglers lose fish on treble hook baits. Crankbaits and topwater are the primary heartbreakers in bass fishing. You think you've got that fish hooked well but when the head shakes start, you lose. Almost all of these losses can be avoided if you truly understand treble hooks. When to switch between styles, when to switch to heavier gauge wire, etc. 

Today's video is a lot for you to digest as an angler. We know Tim breezed through a ton of hooks in a short time but its the only way to cover all the information. Below is a detailed breakdown of the hooks in order of appearance in the video. If you click the links (they go direct to Tackle Warehouse) you will see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. This truly is a challenging year with store shelves around the country completely empty and mixed information on future shipments. We hope this video gives you the information you need to be successful throughout the Summer and Fall. 

Treble Hooks... 

Round Bend- Owner ST-36 (1X Strength): http://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

Curved Point Bend- Gamakatsu EWG (1X Strength): http://bit.ly/2cZrsbY

Cranking Hook- Owner ST-35 (2X Strength): http://bit.ly/2g8uCMj

Stronger Hook- Owner ST-56 (3X Strength): http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

Feathered Treble- Owner ST-36 Dressed Hook (1X Strength): http://bit.ly/2m7XrAx

Split Rings... 

Finesse- Hyperwire Black (Size 2-4): http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Heavy Duty- Hyperwire Silver (Sizes 4-5): http://bit.ly/2aTH3f1

Strongest Ever- Owner Ultra Splits (Sizes 5-9): http://bit.ly/3bQgswL

**Big Swimbait Fishermen: You are missing it if you're not using Ultra Split Rings. They're bomb proof and will hold up to giant striper, saltwater fish, mega largemouth, etc**

Swimbait Hooks... 

-Owner Beast Hook: http://bit.ly/2gx3A54

-Tactical Finesse Swimbait Head: http://bit.ly/2Pqrq3n

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

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

-Owner Flashy Swimmer: http://bit.ly/2e8O4Y7

Senko Hooks... 

Senko Wacky- Owner Sniper Finesse: https://bit.ly/2zXirRH

Senko Wacky- Gamakatsu G Finesse Stinger: http://bit.ly/2otYTPg

Senko Texas Rig- Gamakatsu 5/0 G-Finesse Hybrid Worm: http://bit.ly/2GT2T29

Senko Heavy Duty- Owner Jungle Worm Hook: http://bit.ly/2sBsR1Z

Dropshot Hooks... 

Matt's Favorite- Trokar Dropshot Hook: http://bit.ly/2ahxJOr

Gamakatsu Aaron Martens Dropshot Hook: http://bit.ly/2zGX441

Tim's Favorite- Owner Mosquito Light Hook: http://bit.ly/2zQVKx3

Flipping and Punching... 

-Owner Jungle Flipping Hook: http://bit.ly/2G5aQTk

-Trokar Flipping Hook: https://bit.ly/39OyCOS

NEW Tactical Bassin 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

Spinnerbaits, Crankbaits, and More... Early Spring Gear Review!

Here are some of our favorite gear picks for 2018! From unique hooks to new spinnerbait colors, these are products worth checking out! Spring is arguably the best bass fishing of the year and its one of the best times to try new tackle. 

As Winter comes to a close the fun begins! If you've been considering trying new products, now is the time to do it. Below are Matt's picks...

Strike King 4.0 Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2dzeCUk
(Try Summer Sexy Shad if you get a chance)

Owner STX 45 Treble Hook: http://bit.ly/2FNnZwR
(Size 4 and Size 2 are our most commonly used sizes)

Owner STX 38 Treble Hook: http://bit.ly/2oNIeCD
(Size 4 and Size 2 are our most commonly used sizes)

Dirty Jigs Guppy Head: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS
Try 1/8 with a 1/0 hook for 2.8 keitech or 1/8 with a 3/0 for the 3.3's 

River2Sea Bling Spinnerbait: http://bit.ly/2diSwqq
(Golden Shiner and Iced)

Frenzy Baits Wack-A-Sack: http://bit.ly/2oFduEq
(Try pairing with a flirt worm: http://bit.ly/2CMB33J)

We hope you guys enjoyed this gear review! If you did let us know and we'll keep producing this style of video in the future. 
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Need Apparel? Tacticalbassin Gear is here! Get your hats, Hoodies, and sunshirts by emailing Tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com

Treble Hook Tricks For Crankbaits

Crankbaits get more expensive every year but the hardware on them seems to be getting worse and worse. Your best bet is to remove the stock hooks from all of your crankbaits immediately. 

You need to upgrade the split rings and hooks but what trebles should you use? Tim explains the benefits of different trebles and gives some key tips on how to align them to increase your bite to hook up ratio. 

The key to belly treble hooks is to turn them so that the hook lays flat against the belly of the crankbait while leaving one point completely exposed. On the back treble the key is to turn the hook so that one point is standing straight up off the back of the bait. This will give you your highest hookup potential. 

In addition to these quick tips Tim explains how to modify diving depth and the rate of rise by choosing different sizes and shapes of trebles. 

Components shown in this video:

-Strike King 6XD
-Lucky Craft RTO
-River2Sea Biggie

-Owner Short Shank Treble
-Gamakatsu EWG Treble
-Aaron Martens Finesse Nano Treble
-Mustad Triple Grip

View fullsize

-Hyperwire Split Rings (Size 2 or 3)
-Split Ring Pliers

Tim's Deep Crankbait Rod-805CB
Tim's Deep Crankbait Reel-Curado 200

Tim's Squarebill Rod- CBR 845
Tim's Squarebill Reel- Curado 70