Tips & Techniques

For 54 professional anglers, 7:15am on March 24th cannot come soon enough. The 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota will be held in Knoxville, TN on the Tennessee River – a favorite site for anglers and spectators alike after one of the largest Bassmaster Classic turn outs here in 2019.

The 2022 fishing season is in the books. In conversations with anglers over the past few weeks, several observations have been presented more often than others. Some of these probably can’t be answered with any degree of accuracy, but to this angler, they’re interesting and worthy of some thought. Following are a couple of those observations.

Jig fishing is one of the most popular techniques among anglers and Strike King has once again stepped up to the plate with their new Tour Grade Tungsten Casting jig. This new addition to their already impressive lineup of jigs is sure to be a game changer for any angler looking for a small profile jig.

Fishing with jerkbaits can be an incredibly effective way to catch fish, especially when the conditions are just right. As an experienced angler who has been fishing with jerkbaits since I was a kid, I've learned a lot about what it takes to get the most out of this type of bait. And in my opinion, the most important thing to keep in mind is the equipment you're using.

It’s late November as I write this and I am in a reflective mood looking back on the 2023 fishing season. The prevalent theme that comes to mind is how good the fishing was. I don’t say that in a boasttful way, but rather in a manner recognizing that we are fortunate to live in an era where our fisheries are very healthy and we have great equipment and technology at our disposal to target the fish living in those waters.

Fishing in the wind can be a challenge for many anglers, but for some, it's the best conditions to catch fish. The wind can activate fish, creating windows of opportunity for anglers to capitalize on.

The sport of fishing, including the lures we use and the way we present them, are constantly changing.  Two of my personal favorite ways to catch fish over the years involved vertical presentations, one for  walleyes and the other for bass.  Recently, however, I have made adjustments to those presentations and seem to be catching more fish as a result of those adaptations.  Here is a look at those changes.

It is certainly no secret to most anglers that largemouth bass during fall become very susceptible to moving baits.  As weed cover starts to die and dwindle, moving baits become easier to work along and through fish holding areas and their aggressive nature keys in on the fall feeding binge bass go on.  Here is a look at one of my favorite fall moving baits and good ways to fish it.

You can feel it in the air and you can see it in the sun.  Nights are getting cooler and the days are getting shorter. Fall is closing in on us. While some folks mourn the passing of summer, a good number of anglers are looking forward to autumn.  And many of those anglers are looking forward to catching crappies.

Fall is my favorite time of year for lots of reasons.  Hunting seasons are starting, football teams are playing, and, of course, the fishing can be top notch now too! 

This past week I traveled to Orlando, FL to attend the ICAST fishing show where much of the new fishing tackle, accessories, & other fishing equipment for the upcoming year is introduced.  With clear water as the result of zebra mussel infestations becoming more & more prominent in many of the waters I fish for bass across the Midwest, I kept a keen eye out for lures & other equipment that I feel will help me combat clear waters when bassin'.

When fishing conditions are tough and the bass are pressured, the Ned Rig puts them in the boat.