Randall

I have always bought plain jig hooks and then put a splitshot on them below the worm to hold the worm in place and it makes a wacky jig. They end up looking something like the ones Brad posted. I guess my secrect is out now. : Only bad thing is that you have to retie everytime you change worms.

Thanks Matt and CJ. Glad you liked it. I guess the only way to see the article is get a copy of Basswest or subscribe to the magazine. www.basswest.com I believe is the website. I don't even have my own copy yet but its susposed to be on the way.

If you like flyfishing for LM you need try flyfishing for spots on Lake Lanier. It's North GA but worth the trip. The guys who flyfish up there use a fly called a coyote. Its a big streamer made to look like a shad or herring. Theres also guy named Henry Cowan who guides for stripers on Lanier who only does flyfishing trips. He mainly targets stripers but catches spots as well. Lanier is a great topwater lake and would probably be the best choice for flyfishing. For big largemouth there is a small lake south of Atlanta that has a bunch of five to seven pound LM called JW Smith. Best time to go is July and August when it is full of grass and the fish will strike near the surface. Its tough landing the fish on a fly rod but they will hit streamers, and popping type flys. Best lake for numbers with a good fish here and there on a flyrod is lake Kedron in Peachtree city. Just like JW Smith its a small lake with plenty of grass and fish that will hit on top but the fish will hit on top all day long at times.

Here is the seven pounder from Sunday.

Here is the nine pounder from Sunday.

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks due to the fact my wife had to have two surgeries on kidney stones and I have been at home taking care of her and my children. She is better now and I am have been back on the water over the past three days. I was glad to find the fish active and biting when I got back on the water on Friday since I had heard that fishing had been tough. Right now fishing is about as good as it gets for offshore structure fishing. The fish are bunched up on offshore structure and feeding heavily. Friday I had over fifty fish fishing alone with mixed largemouth, hybrids and catfish. Saturday I fished the SJA tournament with Doghouse and we got second place. We had no problem finding the big fish getting a six pounder and a fished that weighed 8.29 pounds that won big fish but we caught over twenty twelve to thirteen inch fish that didn't weigh much and had a hard time culling up to some bigger fish for more weight. Sunday I fished in the morning with a couple of clients and kept on fishing in the afternoon alone since the big ones were biting. At the end of the day counting both the morning and afternoon there were over thirty fish caught with five over six pounds and a bunch of fish in the one to five pound range. Biggest fish was a nine pounder. Also had a seven pounder and three six pounders. Also lost another fish that was over seven pounds near the boat. The best baits have been changing from day to day but plastics and jigs have been out fishing faster moving baits. We have also caught some fish on crankbaits and a prototype Mattlures Mattshad that I have been trying out on schooling fish and fish suspended in open water. Here are a few photos of the bigger fish from the weekend. The photo with two fish are two big fish from the tournament on Saturday and the other two fish were the biggest from Sunday.

I wasn't going to reply to this but I just had to. Anyone who want to see what bed fishing will do to a fishery in the South needs to come to lake Varner in GA. I guarantee you it is the most heavily sight fished lake in the whole state and there isn't another lake that comes anywhere close. It also produces more big fish than any other lake in the State and is less than 900 acres. There is no doubt that spawning is interupted by this much bed fishing. There are as many as 50 boats a day on some weekends and most are sight fishing on a small lake. The thing is it don't matter because I don't wan't more fish in the lake just biggger fish. There are too many small ones already I wish someone would take home and eat so we could grow more big ones. The last thing I want to see is even more small fish. Want to talk about economics? Ninty percent of my earnings come from fishing this one lake and will continue to as long as there aren't too many small fish in the lake and plenty of big ones. Just release the big ones after you catch them off the bed.

I don't really keep count of how many I have caught over ten pounds so I will estimate. I can tell you the majority of my ten pound plus fish have been caught on trickworms on a splitshot rig or jighead on offshore structure fished slow. I am guessing around forty on just the trickworm. I have caught four thirteen pounders and three of those were caught on 1 1/2 oz Ledgebusters in deep water around 20 feet deep. These are the only spinnerbait fish over ten I have caught. The other thirteen pounder was caught on a trickworm on a splitshot rig. I caught one 15lber on a Mattlures bluegill swimming it over a dropoff on the side of a point. I have caught about ten other fish over ten swimming different swimbaits. I have caught around seven or eight more over ten pounds on Mattlures Bluegill while the fish was on a bed. Probably around twenty more on other different lures while fish were on beds. Most were on big tubes and jigs. Two on a jerkbait but lost a bunch more on a jerkbait. Three on topwaters also lost a bunch more on topwaters. Around twenty on deep diving crankbaits. Around fifteen on lipless cranks. And probably around five more on other plastics including one on Senko77's big skinny long Senko he made for me last year. IMHO all lures will catch a ten pounder if they are used at the right time in the right way. The most important thing is location and then fishing the right bait in the right way depending on the location and the conditions.

There were two days when we fished almost the entire lake. Seven big batteries only running two motors and the batteries were almost completely dead both days. The swimbait I traded you for works. It ain't got no paint left on it now. ;D

Last photo of a five pounder I caught on a topwater.

We have been catching fish this size almost everyday on trickworms and topwaters.

Here is Jerry's buddy Roger who said he hated fishing at Varner becase he could never catch any fish there but would come give it a try. Its now Roger's favorite lake. ;D

Here is Jerry (aka the guy whos dad lives on the big point up the right arm) I took him and a buddy out and we caught some hawgs. Here is Jerry fishing right in his dads back yard so we could call his dad and show him some big fish. ;D

Here is Doghouse with a big fish from last week.

Varner fish are now spawning and post spawn. Since there are a lot of fish that are just now starting to spawn and a bunch of fish that spawned over a month ago in mid to late March fishing has been great for big topwater and wake style swimbait fish as well as fishing for big ones in spawning areas. Most of the topwater fish have been three to five pounds with a real big one here and there. We have had a couple of days with best five on just topwater over twenty pounds. There are still a lot of big fish in the six to over ten pound range still spawning and I am guessing it should continue for a couple more weeks before they are all finished. When the topwater fish will not strike which hasn't been very often I have been catching alot of fish on trickworms in less than seven feet of water. Best baits for spawning fish have been Mattlures Bluegill and a 1/2 oz white jig. We have also been catching some big catfish on beds which at times has been the best action of the day. Its not much different than sight fishing for bass with the exception that the catfish are much more aggressive and bite better when on beds. Best bait for the big cats has been a white jig fished around visible cleared out beds or holes in the banks where the big cats like to spawn. Photo below is a big cat that fought so hard it got a kiss before retruning to the water. ;D

You should be fine with either but I prefer 40lb braid.

Trickworm on a light splitshot rig or jighead and trickworm. Catches numbers and still catches bigger fish and produces in almost all conditions. It the closest thing you will find but a sure fire bait don't exist.

I don't add one because fish eat the whole bait most of the time. I am usually fishing for big fish with it so if it can't eat it it isn't worth catching ;D. I have caught two pounders on it without the treble.

You can throw Matt's baits on heavy action rods or most medium heavy rods that lean to the heavy side. I use an old 7 foot Mitchell Fulcrum heavy action rod which is no longer being made. If you are looking to save money any heavy or medium heavy that is rated for 1oz or better baits that has plenty of back bone but some bend most of the way down the blank will work. You want some bend pretty far down the blank to keep the fish from throwing the baits. I don't like rods with a fast tip for swimbaits. If you want to spend around $100 dollars you can just buy an Okuma Guide Select rod and you can use it to throw other larger swimbaits as well if you get the ones rated for larger baits. Another rod that I think would work well with Matt's baits for a little less is the Bionic Blade that is on sale at Bass Pro Shops for around $55 dollars right now. Get one of the models rated for two ounces and you should be fine.

Not sure what happened without seeing it happen but a big bass can clamp down on a crankbait so hard that a wimpy cranking rod and stretchy line will not be able to move the bait in the mouth of a big fish to set the hook. My solution to this is to not use a crankbait rod but use a heavy action graphite rod and a loose drag. When the fish hits the bait the drag will slip a little allowing the fish to get the bait well. Then you put your thumb on the spool of the baitcaster and set the hook hard with a sweeping motion then release the spool and let the fish take drag. When you want to put more pressure on the fish put your thumb back on the spool. When you want to give a little line take it off. Takes some practice but it works.

Renegade sunglasses at walmart. Less than five dollars . Might not be the best for my eyes but I can see more fish with them than anything else I have tried. If I scratch them or lose them I buy another pair with no worry.

I am looking for someone who can make or tell me how to make a shakey style head that can be used in the grass. Best one I have found so far is the Spot Stalker jighead that can be seen at www.unclejosh.com. They are perfect for how I fish them but, they cost alot , I use a bunch of them and they will not sell them in bulk for less. Anyone here make anything like a Spot Stalker. Looking for 1/8 and 1/16 oz heads with a 60 degree bend.

Thanks. Now go and find a big one. People are going to think I taught you how to snag dinks. LOL ;D

I know I have said this before but I cringe everytime I see one of those jigheads on a rod. I just see it as a lost fish or missed hookset waiting to happen. Regular ball head like a Shakey Head or Spotsticker with no spring keeper will hook and land more fish. If you need a stand up head with a good size hook try a Spot Stalker jighead at www.unclejosh.com.

Can't believe you left out the best parts. ;D It was a pleasure fishing with both of you. Thanks again. Great photos. I didn't even know you had that one of me hung on the bottom.