I hate it when plastic baits start getting that slimy, sweaty consistency! It usually happens as they get older or have been stored in a hot place (like the garage) for long periods. What’s happening here is the plastic starts to break down and leach out. In addition to the slimy feel, plastic baits often start giving off a chemical smell that I’m sure fish aren’t super fond of.
I used to chuck older plastics into the trash, but our resident bass guru, Big Fred Contaoi showed me a way to bring some life back into these babies. Here’s how…
Early in the spring, when bass are in a pre-spawn mode and haven’t yet come up into the shallows, you can have some unbelievably good days by fishing deep with jigs.
While we’re kinda on the backside of what is traditionally considered “jig season” (late fall through early spring), there’s still time to get out and hammer a bunch of fish. Here’s how to do it: [click to continue…]
Well, the Alabama Rig is nothing if not controversial these days! Who knows how long it will be legal, but here’s a look at what the hype’s all about from the fish’s perspective. Watch for the bite towards the end!
This time of year, you can go from Indian Summer to winter overnight. One day, you’ll be fishing in shirtsleeves and then it snows on you the next. When you get a sudden cold front, bass fishing often gets extremely tough. Luckily, all is not lost. Professional bass angler Fred Contaoi has a few tricks up his sleeve to keep the bass chewing — even when they’re hunkered down after the first storm of the year.
While most folks turn to drop-shotting finesse baits and spooning in deep water when the temps go frigid, Contaoi says that there’s a short window in which the bass will still be up in the shallows and he employs three main weapons to get the fish to go. [click to continue…]
On Wednesday, the Three Amigos (Me, Riles and Big Fred) that just returned from that epic Oregon steelhead mission were back in action: This time our target was Clear Lake’s winter bass. Armed with a mixed bag of live minnows, drop-shot gear and swimbaits, we took to the water for a rip-roaring bucketmouth blitzkrieg.
The weather was decidedly “unwinter-like” for the dead of February and the bass were feeling frisky. When the smoke cleared, we put probably 30-40 chunky largemouth in the boat. Here’s a little photographic evidence… [click to continue…]
Now that the cold weather months have arrived, it’s time to give up bass fishing right? Well…not so fast!
While it is true that bass will get more lethargic as the water temperatures drop, you can still have some seriously good days of fishing in the winter…if you keep some basic principles in mind. [click to continue…]
Wishing you were winning more bass tournaments? Well there’s a lot of stuff that the top pros do the day of the tournament to better their chances. Our resident touring pro, Big Fred Contaoi, sheds some light on the all-important pre-tourney routine…
