Bass Fishing Tips

A variation of the original Biffle Bug, the newest offering from Gene Larew was created specifically for flipping and pitching applications.

Tommy Biffle has been flipping a Biffle Bug since Day 1 of the iconic bait that bears his name. If fact, he was flipping and pitching a Biffle Bug into cover before the creation of the Biffle HardHead that he most commonly matches with a Bug. And while he still flips the original Biffle Bug and catches big bass that way, for some time now, he has wanted a creature bait built from the Biffle Bug template and designed specifically for flipping and pitching.

Folks at Gene Larew knew to listen to Biffle and worked with him to create the bait he was seeking. The result was the new Flipping Biffle Bug!

The Disco Ball Pad Crasher offers plenty of flash and an outstanding shad imitation, filling an important niche for late spring, summer and fall bass fishing.

You’ve seen how a disco ball splashes color across a dance floor. The Disco Ball Pad Crasher does the same with reflected light and the lake bottom. Doing its enticing dance, this bait suggests a distressed shad scurrying across the surface and is too much for bass to resist.

Disco Ball does not look like a typical frog, yet it’s an outstanding fit for the BOOYAH Pad Crasher. Let’s examine why BOOYAH has introduced the Disco Ball color and how you can use it to catch more fish from now through the end of autumn.

The traditional wacky rig, neko rig and flick shake rig are similar in ways, but each is distinctive. Learn when to choose each and how to use all to catch more bass.

You know the wacky rig, and you’ve likely at least heard talk about the neko rig and flick shake rig. You may not know that neko and flick shake rigs are variations of a wacky rig, each with different applications but with definite similarities.

Seeking a better understanding of these three highly effective rigs and when to use each for early spring bass fishing, we went straight to Frank Scalish, best known in the bass fishing world as Uncle Frank. The popular host of Day 4 on Bass Talk Live and former Bassmaster Elite Series pro uses all three rigs at times, with the depth of the water he is working being the largest determinant of which one he picks up.

Learning more about crawfish colors based on region, conditions and season can help you catch more bass.       

Former Bassmaster Elite Series pro Frank Scalish, who now designs baits for Norman Lures and other brands available on Lurenet.com, is fanatical about matching the hatch. An artist with an airbrush, the Ohioan obsesses over paint colors and schemes that precisely mimic whatever forage the bass favor. Scalish’s attention to every detail and deep experience make him the ideal Bass Fishing 101 instructor on the topic of crawfish colors.

When Scalish creates crawfish colors for crankbaits, he becomes especially dogmatic because he strives to replicate the various crayfish species in different regions of the country.

“Certain crayfish dominate in certain parts of the country,” Scalish said. “For example, crayfish in Texas and Louisiana are all variants of red. The rusty crayfish is native to the Ohio River Basin. It has rust or orange-colored makings on its sides. The rest of that craw is green pumpkin or an almost blackish green pumpkin.”

Spring awakens exciting topwater bass fishing opportunities, and a Pop-R is ideal for igniting the action in many situations.

Spring means different things to different people. Some think about baseball, azaleas blooming or the Masters. In the minds of many bass fishermen, springtime is Rebel Pop-R time.

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Stetson Blaylock is one such angler. He has fished a Rebel Pop-R during the pre-spawn and spawning periods for many years, and a few springs back a Pop-R delivered him 1^st and 2^nd place finishes in consecutive Elite Series events.

It’s not that a Rebel Pop-R doesn’t produce excellent action all summer and through the fall. It does. Spring has extra virtues that make it especially good, though, along with being the time when the Pop-R bite first heats up each year.

Learn when topwater bass fishing calls for a finesse approach and how to downsize effectively to catch more fish.

I’ve fished the Zara Puppy for many years. It stands as one of my favorite topwater bass fishing lures for catching smallmouths and spots from creeks and small rivers. I’ve rarely tied one on to target bass in large rivers or lakes, though, because the Pup lacks the weight to cast efficiently on the tackle I favor for those settings and because the hooks and hardware are a bit small for bigger bass.

I typically choose a Super Spook Jr when I want to walk the dog for bass with a finesse topwater lure in bigger water, and often the Junior size provides the perfect answer. At times, though, I’ve wished I’d had even more of a finesse topwater lure that still could be cast efficiently and that was made as tough as the Super Spook Jr.

Seemingly, I was not alone. The folks at Heddon Lures heard about the need for such a topwater bass fishing lure enough times over the years to put engineers to work designing a new Spook. The result was the creation of the Super Spook Boyo, which is only 3 inches long but is built tough like the other Super Spooks.

Learn about the Norman Speed N Jr and its important role for spring bass fishing.

Reeling slowly to tiptoe my bait through the shallow wood I was feeling, I knew my Speed N Jr was in a good place – on the outer edge of what looked like an ideal spawning pocket. When the bait stopped wiggling and began moving sideways on its own, I set the hook with a satisfied smile. When the fish pulled back and I could feel that it was a good one, I’m certain the smile widened.

It was my first time fishing with the new Norman Speed N Jr – maybe my fourth or fifth cast – and the bait performed exactly as intended, deflecting shallow cover, and appealing to a stout spring bass. I was near a parking area at a small public fishing lake that gets a lot of use, fishing a pretty pocket where the bass undeniably see a LOT of lures.

Let’s take a closer look at the Speed N Jr, considering why it was created and how to use it to catch more bass.

Choosing the right crawfish lure and presentation can trigger great days of catching many different types of fish from creeks and rivers.

“Cast across the creek and a little upstream and reel back steadily, reeling just fast enough to feel the crawfish wobble.”

I’ve given that instruction to all my children and to many friends over the years when we’ve stepped into a creek or river and I’ve handed off a lightweight spinning or spincasting combination. The instruction has been the same because the lure has been the same: a Rebel Crawfish.

Depending on the stream and season, the target species might have been rainbow, brown or brook trout or smallmouth, shoal or redeye bass. Or, we might have been fishing for whatever bit and expecting a nice variety. The Rebel Crawfish excels for all of the above. I commonly choose this bait when I’m taking someone fishing because of the ease of use and effectiveness. It isn’t only for teaching, though. It is also the lure I tie on for the broadest range of stream applications and species.

Spring can be an unpredictable time for bass fishing, but the big bass action can be outstanding. Here’s how to pick the proper crankbait to maximize your success.

Catching bass on crankbaits in spring is one of the most fun and successful techniques when fish are on the move. Whether bass are in transition to shallow water, amid the spawn, or hanging around cover to feed, throwing the best crankbaits for spring bass fishing will keep your line tight.

Crankbaits come in a variety of sizes and shapes to mimic baitfish, bluegills, perch and crayfish. The shape and size of the crankbait’s bill will help it stay shallow or dive to specific depths. The bill’s shape might also help it deflect more easily off wood or rock cover and may impart different action to the bait during the retrieve. A crankbait is designed with specific degrees of angle to the bill, body shape, position of the hooks, eye-screw and split ring for the line, and how water flows over it during the retrieve.