Tag Archives: Bass Fishing

Top Bass Fishing Black Friday & Cyber Week Deals

November 22, 2023 hellabass

Sharing the top Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Small Biz Saturday, Cyber Week deals for bass fishing. Feel free to comment with your own suggestions.

As new Fishing Cyber Deals Pop Up, I will keep updating this post.

Omnia Fishing’s 5 Days of Big Sales with super deep discounts on specific items or categories. It starts on Nov 23 on Thanksgiving and runs through Monday with special deals each day while supplies last. On top of that, they have $60 Gift Cards for $50 which make great stocking stuffers, or you can buy digital gift cards and put those towards future deals for stacked savings! So check the Omnia Deal Page each day!

Looking for a quality $200 Baitcaster reel for less than $200? Lew’s Pro BB1 and Team Lew’s Pro SP SLP Skipping & Pitching reels are $112 when you add them to your cart at Academy. Currently, Academy has a 15% rebate through Rakuten. So with the rebate, you are getting this reel for about $96 with free shipping. Need a Rakuten account? Sign up here and you can also earn a $40 bonus on top of that $96 reel!

Need a super affordable quality spinning rod combo as a gift for an angler? Check out this Jordan Lee signature combo from Abu Garcia that can be found at Walmart. It is 60% off, so you can grab this bass combo for $39.99!

Bass Pro Shops & Cabelas usually have some solid deals this week. The one that jumps out at me is the $40 off a Pflueger President XT spinning reel. You can check out all the Bass Pro fishing deals on this page.

If you grab a deal on one of these fishing reels, you are going to need new fishing line. The very best deals on fishing line I found for 2023 is from Dicks Sporting Goods. They have many line specials that are more than 50% off

Bass Pro also has some Deep Discounts on Lowrance & Humminbird Units, see the full list here.

If you are looking to make some upgrades on your boat, check out some of the great deals on PowerHouse Lithium, Minn Kota Talons & Ultrex Trolling Motors, Jack Plates, Trolling Motors and so much More at ChaddyBoys.com

Good polarized sunglasses are imperative for fishing, check out these deals on Costa Del Mar, Oakley, and more up to $85 off per pair.

Amazon also has some sneaky good deals on Lowrance HDS, up to 52% off on these units from HDS-7 all the way up to HDS-16 units.

Every use Rakuten???? Great way to save money on most online retailers. You shop and basically get free digital rebates. Right now they are running a great promo where you can get $40 for signing up and making a qualifying purchase.

If you have a hankering for the Big Swimbaits?? DC Swimbaits is having s Black Friday Special drop, prices will be reflected as 30% off, no code is needed. Great time to try a custom hand-poured Big Swimbait!

Perch Colored 6.5″ Weedless Shad in Perch

Arsenal Fishing is known for its baits, fishing tools, accessories, and stylish fishing clothing. They have an awesome straight-up 35% off Sitewide with code BLACKFRIDAY23 – Follow this link to access ArsenalFishing.com

Keep checking back for more great fishing deals.

Product Reviews

Reviewing the Trick Shad Glide Bait from Bull Shad Baits

April 6, 2023 hellabass

Have you ever seen a tournament-sized Glide bait that looks too good to resist? If you’re a bass angler, you probably have, especially if you follow professional anglers and their gear choices. One of the latest baits that caught everyone’s attention at the Red Crest tournament was the Trick Shad Glide bait from Bull Shad Baits. Edwin Evers used it for several big fish catches and his third-place finish, but what is it, and why is it so popular?

After some research on message boards and social media, I found out that the Trick Shad is a prototype small tournament Glide bait designed by Mike Bucca, the founder of Bull Shad Baits. It weighs about 2.5 ounces, measures just over 7 inches with the full tail, and has a tight and erratic choppy Glide motion that mimics a Shad’s movement. The Trick Shad is fully customizable from a sink rate standpoint, thanks to a removable pin that allows you to adjust the weight and achieve the desired sink speed. The removable pin also allows you to adjust the screws in the joint to change its glide action.

The Trick Shad differs from the existing Bull Shad Shad Glide. The Bucca Shad glide has a wider more traditional glide, as opposed to the tighter action of the Trick Shad glide. Shop more readily available Bull Shad swimbaits here.

I attended the Bassmaster Classic at Knoxville and immediately visited the Bull Shad Booth to see the Trick Shad up close. The regular paint job and the custom paint job were already selling out fast, so I grabbed two, one of each. The regular one looks stunning, with a deep Shad profile and a realistic finish that would appeal to any predator fish. The custom paint job has a holographic Shad color that shines in the water and could trigger more strikes, especially in low-light conditions.

The Trick Shad Glide bait is not a cheap bait, and it sold out quickly at the tournament. However, I felt compelled to buy two, given the scarcity and the potential for a big bite. Comparing it to other baits, such as the River2Sea 168 and the Arashi Glide, the Trick Shad has a similar length and profile but weighs more than the River2Sea and less than the Arashi. The Trick Shad does have rotating hook hangers, and it comes with split rings and hooks or you can add your own if you prefer.

In conclusion, the Trick Shad Glide bait from Bull Shad Baits is a tournament-grade bait that looks, feels, and performs exceptionally well. Its tight and choppy Glide motion, combined with its realistic finish and customizable sink rate, make it an ideal bait for targeting big bass or other predator fish. The Trick Shad may not be widely available yet, but keep an eye on Bull Shad Baits’ website or social media pages for updates on its release. Your best bet is to visit the Bull Shad website and sign up for their newsletter to get in on their next bait drops. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, you won’t regret it.

Bass Boat Corner

Introducing the New Player in the Bass Boat Market: iKON Boats

April 6, 2023 hellabass

Jacob Wheeler, a well-known professional bass angler, recently announced on his YouTube channel that he’s building his own bass boat. As we dug deeper into this, we discovered that he’s actually working with a new boat brand called Icon Boats, a subsidiary of HCB Yachts, which is rooted in Hydra Sports Heritage.

But the question is, do we really need a new bass boat brand? And what makes Ikon Boats so special that it’s being touted as the best new bass boat out there? Let’s dive in and find out.

Jacob Wheeler’s New Bass Boat

First, it’s important to note that Ikon Boats is not your budget-friendly, everyman’s boat. This is a high-end bass boat that’s likely to exceed $100,000 when fully loaded. But what sets it apart from other luxury boats in the market?

For starters, Ikon Boats has a unique shape and design, with a distinctive “wishbone” in the top cap that makes it stand out from the crowd. The seats are also unlike anything you’ve seen before in a bass boat, resembling modified gamer chairs. And the compartments have unique edges and angles, setting it apart from the simple geometry found in most boats.

One interesting thing to note is that the company is releasing an LX20 and LX21 edition right away, which is typical for major bass boat brands to have a 20 and 21-foot option. However, it doesn’t look like there will be any 18 or 19-foot starter-sized boats initially.

But what about the company’s heritage? Icon Boats is linked to Hydra Sports, a popular bass boat brand from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. However, the company stopped producing bass boats in 1998 and went into yacht making. Ikon Boats, therefore, represents a new era of bass boats, with little expectation that it will resemble its predecessor in any significant way.

So why should you consider Ikon Boats over other top-tier bass boat brands like Phoenix, Caymas, Triton, or Skeeter? While it’s hard to say definitively without trying the boat out for yourself, the unique design, luxury feel, and promise of high performance make it a compelling option.

In conclusion, Ikon Boats is an exciting new addition to the bass boat market, offering a fresh take on luxury and performance. While it may not be for everyone due to its high price point, for those looking for the best of the best, Icon Boats is definitely worth checking out.

Gifts for Bass Fishing Rubes, Top Lists

BEST FISHING GIFT IDEAS FOR ANGLERS 2021

December 10, 2021 hellabass

What are the best gifts for the fisherman who has everything?

Fishermen and fisher gals are arguably some of the most difficult people to shop for out of anyone. So today, I am sharing 10+ Can’t-Miss Ideas for you to add to your list or if you are looking for ideas for the special fisherman in your life!

Best Gift Ideas for Anglers

If you don’t’ want to watch the gift ideas, check out my video above if you prefer to read the ideas, scroll down! Gonna start with a few items that come in for less than $10 and work our way up from there.

Fishing glue is super handy to have in a tackle bag or boat. You can repair lures, frogs, glue soft plastics in place and do on the fly temporary rod repairs. The best stuff I have found that doesn’t constantly dry out is the Carlson Tackle Fishing Glue.
Many of us have invested quite a bit in our rods & reels. That being said, we don’t always do the best job of protecting those investments. The Rod Glove makes a whole series of products for less than $10 to protect rods, reels and our baits. Check them all out here.
A good pair of fishing scissors that cuts braid like butter is worth its weight in gold. The best scissors I have used are made by Arsenal Fishing. Check out their Battle Braid Scissors and there many other fine tools.
If you are like me, you probably hate slathering on sun screen while fishing. Yet at the same time, taking care of your skin is no joke. Too many fine anglers have had serious battles with skin cancer to ignore the effects of fishing all day in the sun withouth protection. I have went the way of hooded sun shirts to cover my skin. If you watch any of my fishing videos, I rocked Arsenal lightweigh long sleeve hoodies all year and they were awesome!
This one may seem strange but trust me. While you will never likely catch a fish on a portable charging bank, they can be a life save for your electornics in the outdoors. Never have a dead phone on the water again with a 10,000 mah bank, plus you can run GoPros, tablets, etc. I use them to run my GoPros for days at a time and never worry about the internal GoPro batteries.
As your rod & reel arsenal grows, storage of rods can start to be a challenge. Check out these great rod racks that require no tools to assemble. Should keep your rods organized, safe and don’t take up much space.
Digital Handheld Scales – Having a scale is the difference between a fishing tale & a legit story & proof a true trophy catch. All anglers should have a quality scale for their fishing trips. If your angler owns a boat & primarily fishes from that, I recommend this Rapala scale, if they tend to fish from shore, other people’s boats or ice fishing, then check out this smaller more compact version.
Whether you are a bank angler, kayak angler or fish out of other boats, a dedicated fishing back pack can be a great asset for any angler. There are some great budget backpack options around $30. If you want to step it up, check out his Piscifun pack as well.
If you want to really suprise them with a new fishing rod, I suggest checking out the Dobyns Fury lineup. Hard to go wrong with a 7′ M/MH action rod whether it be spinning or casting.
Then if you want to put a giant Cherry on that Sunday, go ahead and make those rods a combo with a Daiwa Fuego Spinning reel or Shimano SLX casting reel.
BONUS TIP: GIFT CARDS ARE AWESOME GIFTS. Here are some of my fav stores to get Gift Cards for: Omnia Fishing

If you are not sure that some of these ideas will be home run for you. Here is another great TIP. Omnia Fishing has a Wish List feature, have your favorite angler create a list here where they can pick out the exact items, sizes, colors and send it to you and anyone else via email. Also, you anglers that are watching this video to get ideas that you want to add to your list, head on over, fill out your own wish list, and use that to inform your loved ones so they don’t buy you another Singing Billy Bass again this year.

Tips and Techniques

How to wacky rig a Senko (A Better way)

April 28, 2021 hellabass

How to Wacky Rig Senko?
Wacky Rigging in its simplest form is taking a Senko or soft plastic stick worm and hooking right in the middle with a wacky style hook. Normally fished weightless or with a very small wacky jig head. While that will catch fish, there is a whole lot more to wacky rigging & being efficient in how you fish a wacky rig.

What size hook for wacky rigs?
There are a ton of great hooks for wacky rigging, my two go-to hooks are VMC Neko Hooks in sizes #1 & 1/0. I find that octopus-style wacky hooks often skin hook fish in the mouth & I lose more fish with those hooks.

Best weedless wacky hook style for bass — ***Best style wacky hook for catching more bass!***

How to Fish a Wacky Rig?
The beauty of a wacky rigged soft plastic worm is that it pretty much creates its own action. Cast it around likely areas that hold bass, like docks, trees, laydowns, stumps, pads, weed clumps, etc., and let the rig slowly sink to the bottom. More often than not, bass will eat the bait on the initial fall, if not give the bait small pulls and lifts, letting the bait fall on semi slack line on the way back to the boat. Rinse and repeat and be ready to get bit. Still not sure how to fish a wacky rig? Watch the video below to see its effectiveness for catching bass.

Better ways to Wacky Rig Worms
One of the downfalls of wacky rigging is that you burn through a lot of baits. Because you are just hooking the bait in the center, baits often easily rip in half or fly off when landing a fish. The most common way to improve this is by using a simple O-ring tool make help keep the baits on your hook. While the O-ring helps immensely, there is an even better solution. For the ultimate in bait preservation, the Arsenal Wacky Bands and Tool take the cake.

***Best tool for wacky rigging senkos & neko style worms***

If you are more into visual learning, watch this How to Wacky Rig Video Below.

Best Way to Wacky Rig

Why should you use Arsenal Wacky bands?
Soft plastic worms and stick baits may seem relatively inexpensive, but if you are on a hot bite, you could easily go through a couple of bags of worms per day and that can add up if you are just wacky rigging with just a simple wacky hook through the worm.

What do popular Senkos & Stick worms cost?
Here is a quick chart for the cost of popular wacky worms:

This chart quickly shows you why investing in a good wacky system, like the Arsenal Wacky tool will quickly pay for itself and save you a ton of cash! When most bags of soft plastics cost over $5 each if you can an extra fish or three per worm, the savings add up fast and we end up with less lost worms falling in the water as litter.

If you like to fish Wacky Worms in deeper water or current, think about making your own wacky jigs as I show in the video below. This video will help you simplify your gear & reduce the amount of tackle you need to carry, which is great especially if you fish from the bank or a smaller boat like a kayak.

Fish Wacky Senkos Deeper

If you want to continue to learn how to catch more big bass and suck less, make sure you subscribe to everything HellaBass!

Bass Basics, Fun Fishing, Tips and Techniques

How to find early spring bass on rivers

April 21, 2021 hellabass

Bass fishing rivers like the upper Mississippi River can be intimidating to many anglers especially in the early spring. In reality, river fishing can be more predictable than lake or reservoir fishing once you understand that current really drives bass in rivers.

A recent fishing trip on Pool 4 of the Mississippi river really got me thinking about this topic, here is a video of my trip if you are more of a visual video learner instead of a reader. Either way, I am going to share some basic tips & lures that will shorten the learning curve for you when it comes to early spring bass fishing on rivers.

Early Spring Bass Fishing in April near Wabasha, MN

There are two main strategies or paths to find bass on rivers in the spring. You can either figure out where they winter and start looking close to there and follow them out or you can figure out where they spawn and back out from those areas until you collide with them.

Understanding wintering areas can be a little trickier to nail down on some rivers, but spawning areas are usually a little easier to identify from my perspective.

Smallmouth Bass like to have a little current and some hard bottom where they spawn, they typically avoid dead water for their spawning on rivers.

Chunky Largemouth that fell for a Fire Craw Bladed Jig

On the other hand, Largemouth are much more apt to find completely slack or no current areas with firm bottom for their reproductive cycle. For largies, I like to look for dead-end backwaters and sloughs with good cover, like wood, grass and some firm bottom or stumps to target as spawning areas.

Once the water temperature gets above 50 degrees, those fish won’t be too far away from where they plan to spawn. River fish are also pretty dependable biters in the spring. I love covering water with 1/4oz Super K Swim jigs and 3/8oz Bladed style jigs (Chatterbaits). Black and blue always seems to be a solid choice on rivers around me in the spring. Keep on the move until you run into a few fish and where there is a few, there is often a bunch not too far away.

If you are interested in checking out Super K swim jigs, use Code HELLABASS15 on their site to save 15% off!

Also, below is a list of other great products for catching bass in the early spring on river across the country. Tight lines!

Super K Swim Jigs – http://bit.ly/SuperKSJs
Strike King Menace Grub – http://bit.ly/2y22Zzt
SuperK Klakken – http://bit.ly/Klakken
Arsenal Tactical Minnow – http://bit.ly/TactMin
Zman Jackhammer Chatterbait – http://bit.ly/2nSdTpD
Strike King Thunder Cricket – http://bit.ly/ThundCrick

Need more help about how to fish chatterbaits vs Swim jigs and when to throw each one, check out this video below

Swim Jigs vs Bladed Jigs

Advanced Bass Tactics, Bass Basics, Conservation, Fun Fishing, Multimedia, Tips and Techniques, Uncategorized

How to recycle used BAITS to make soft plastics

April 1, 2020 hellabass

What was once old is new again! This old saying could not be more true when it comes to remelting your old used soft plastic fishing lures and turning them into brand new fish-catching baits! Keep reading & watching for a great Make Your Own Lure DIY.

Remelted Soft Plastic Lures — Examples of the many recycled lures I have produced from remelting my used baits

Let’s start with the reasons why you would want to do this:
1. Reduce littering, please never intentionally throw old or used soft plastic baits back into the water. These plastic baits do not dissolve or decompose in the water, never a good idea. Plus fish have been known to digest them and it is unhealthy for them to do so. So regardless, keep them in your boat & dispose of properly one way or the other.
2. If you end up recycling or remelting your baits, this ultimately ends up doing your small part to reduce the impact on landfills, so you can feel good about that.
3. It can be a lot of fun making soft plastic baits and a good way to keep busy when the weather is not conducive to go fishing, you can be in your garage making baits & doing fishing-related activities, which can help you stay sane until your next bite!
4. In the long run, lure making can save you a fair amount of money. Most decent soft plastics cost between $3-7 per pack. So if you buy a cheap mold for $30, you only need to make 5-10 packs of new worms, craws or swimbaits to be money ahead.
5. Lastly, there is great satisfaction in catching your favorite fish on a bait that you made yourself!

Learn to Make Your Own Soft Plastic Baits

If you are interested where to find all the tools needed to get started in remelting your old, here is a list below:
Cheap Senko Molds – https://ebay.to/2WPm1Xt
Misc Cheap Lure & Bait Molds – https://ebay.to/2WOZ5Yd
Soft Plastic Injectors – https://ebay.to/2vVcZNs
Glass Pyrex Cups – https://amzn.to/2UMEotz
Mold Clamps – https://amzn.to/2ybntJf
Infrared Thermometer – https://amzn.to/2QPpeCj
Gloves – https://amzn.to/3ar7Awt
Hot Plate – https://amzn.to/2xvd9f2
Used Microwaves – https://ebay.to/2UGdlA1

Bass Fishing Podcasts, BASS Tour, Fantasy Bass Fishing Corner, Multimedia

They made me a fantasy fishing pundit!!

January 30, 2020 hellabass

Who would have thought that my little Fantasy Fishing podcast show on YouTube would end up getting me featured as a so called “Expert” on the Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing page…..

Don’t believe it either? Check out my first Pundit piece previewing the first 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St Johns River.

New for 2020 is my newly created Fantasy Fishing Group called BEAT HELLABASS. Make sure to follow the link, joing the group to win great prize packs from Bass Utopia & BassTEK on top of the great prizes from Rapala & BASS.

Also, new for 2020, I am launching a audio version for Fantasy Fishing edge that you can download via your favorite podcast apps. Search Fantasy Fishing Edge or follow this link to the home page and go from there.

For those that love the original YouTube shows, those are not going away. Follow this link or watch below.

Fantasy Fishing Podcast

Fantasy Fishing Powered by Bass Utopia

Fantasy Fishing Powered by:

General, Gifts for Bass Fishing Rubes, Multimedia, Product Reviews, Top Lists

Best fishing gift ideas for anglers 2019

December 5, 2019 hellabass

What are the best gifts for the fisherman who has everything?

Fishermen and fisher gals are arguably some of the most difficult people to shop for out of anyone. So today, I am sharing 5 Can’t-Miss Ideas for you to add to your list or if you are looking for ideas for the special fisherman in your life!

Best Gift Ideas for Fishermen

If you don’t’ want to watch the gift ideas, check out my video if you prefer to read the ideas, scroll down!

Digital Handheld Scales – Having a scale is the difference between a fishing tale & a legit story & proof a true trophy catch. All anglers should have a quality scale for their fishing trips. If your angler owns a boat & primarily fishes from that, I recommend this scale, if they tend to fish from shore, other people’s boats or ice fishing, then check out this smaller more compact version.
Long Sleeve Sun Hoodies – Sun Protection is nothing to joke about and sunscreen is just too easy to forget and when the bite is good, reapplying rarely happens. For me these long sleeve sun hoodies have been the deal, I never get burned any more & feel much better after a long day in the sun. Here are two links to two of my favorite versions, one from AFTCO & the other SIMMS.
Boost Pack – This item is highly underrated & a must-have for any outdoors person. These small compact lithium boost packs have the juice to jumpstart a truck, car or boat. Plus they can keep GoPros, Smart Phones and other small electronics running all weekend. There are tons of options, here is a link to an affordable boost pack that has worked perfectly for my needs.
Glide Baits & Swimbaits – Big baits are all the rage these days! Here is a list of affordable big baits that won’t break the bank but still catch fish!
River2Sea S-Waver
Arashi Glide Bait
Baby Bull Shad
Fishing Tackle Subscription Boxes – Think of these as Birch Box or Stitch fix for anglers. Basically you can sign up for 1, 3 or 6-month subscriptions and send them as gifts where they will get new handpicked tackle for them every month. Below are a few very popular fishing tackle subscription services:
MonsterBass – #TheBetterBox
Mystery Tackle Box
6th Sense Tackle Bags
Lucky Tackle Boxes
BONUS – GIFT CARDS ARE AWESOME GIFTS
Here are some of my fav stores to get Gift Cards for:
Omnia Fishing
Tackle Warehouse
TheHookUpTackle

A New Way to Shop for Bass Fishing Tackle

Tight Lines…..

Advanced Bass Tactics, Multimedia, Tips and Techniques

HOW TO RIG A STUPID TUBE – REVISITED – BEST JIG HEADS & LURES

November 25, 2019 hellabass 1 Comment

The Stupid Tube is not a new rig, but for some reason, it is one that most of the anglers that are in the know about this rig, don’t usually share it with their fishing buddies or the general public. It got its first major press back at the 2007 Bassmaster Classic where Terry McWilliams used the rig to carry him to a top 10 finish at Lay Lake.

If you wonder why so many anglers are so hush hush about it? Probably because it is so dang effective at catching all 3 species of Bass! In short, it basically is a weedless tube jig, so you get the erratic spiral and glide of your typical exposed hook tube jig, but you can throw it in places you would never dream of with a conventional tube jig.

Make sense? Imagine a Texas rigged tube & an exposed jig head rig, had a super-powered bass catching baby!

Want to learn how to rig this bait and impress your friends and the bass in your local fisheries?

Two options:
1. Check out my original Stupid Tube Blog from 2009
2. For you, new school kids, watch my latest Stupid Tube Rigging Video below

How to Rig a Stupid Tube for Bass Fishing

I have called out my favorite jigs and baits in the video and will below, but essentially, take your favorite 3.5-4″ tube and pair it with a jig head that has a 60-degree flat eye line tie and a hook with a larger than average hook gap. Ordinary tube hooks often fail to have enough bite for this and the tube balls up on your hook & you miss fish.

Rig it up on 8-12lb fluorocarbon and fish it in all the places you wanted to present a tube jig, but would’ve constantly got hung. Skip that tube around trees and docks, drag it through standing timber or snaggy boulders and hold on!