18 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Cold front dropping temps into the low 40s (and into the 20s tonight) hit today and I walked the bank in the backyard - missed some good bites and then double back through making casts from far away and this 3 lb 12 oz beauty thumped the free rigged net bait dagger on the fall.

She wrapped me up in a tree pretty good but the 3/0 worm hook kept her pegged nicely. 6 lber yesterday and almost 4 lber today - that’s fun!

Unfortunately the action may slow down a lot tomorrow and Tuesday but by Wednesday the weather will be trending back up and this weekend we should have favorable conditions for catching a nice one on shallow cover again!

You mind posting a picture of your free rig? I have never caught a bass on one. The rig makes no sense to me but obviously it works so it's something I'd like to work on.

Friday afternoon I got out to the pond across the street for about 30 minutes, trying to get some numbers for the Catch 2026 challenge. Had my BFS setup and decided to roll old school with an 1/8oz yellow and black beetle spin. Something about pond bass and beetle spins that just go together.

Sunday was brutally cold and windy. Barely made it above 30* and gust to nearly 30mph. I made it about 15 minutes with the fingerless gloves before I was in full fingered gloves the rest of the day and my fingers were still stinging. I caught about 30 small ones from the first stop before hopping across the road to a smaller lake in search of a bigger bite, I should have made the move sooner.

Didn't get a weight on either. Only had about a hour left in the day and only tossed 3 rods in the yak with a few baits in my Tracpak. The big girl was my big fish of the year for sure though. Caught enough fish on the day to sneak into the top 10 for Catch 2026, getting into the mix with all the southern boys.

Long time! With spring atleast creeping somewhat on the horizon for me, bass have started poking into thought. Already thought about getting out atleast one caster just to pretend.

I’ve had a heck of an ice season in MI, and lately largemouth have been more active through the ice. They’re real fun on panfish tackle, but a good one really pulls back. I’ve had some fine messes of panfish for people in need. Spring can come if it wants or winter can linger…either way I can find a fish to catch!

Clayton, that bottom bass is a walrus! How did it fight?

@Bluebasser86

The lightest I usually go for this technique on a sinker is 3/16 of an ounce and I use 3/8 of an ounce a lot!

16 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Clayton, that bottom bass is a walrus! How did it fight?

It was only a short distance from the kayak when it slack lined my bladed jig and bulldogged under the kayak. I was really worried it was going to get into my drive and cut me off but I guess it didn't get far enough forward to reach them. I'd got blown into the bank by then, so I was fighting the battle with the fish and boat control but the water is still so cold that the short burst of energy it hard was short lived. I doubt I would have gotten it out from under the kayak if the water was in the 50's or 60's.

3 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

@Bluebasser86

The lightest I usually go for this technique on a sinker is 3/16 of an ounce and I use 3/8 of an ounce a lot!

Huh, so you just hop it along like a T-rig then? No bead between the bait and weight to protect the knot?

26 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

It was only a short distance from the kayak when it slack lined my bladed jig and bulldogged under the kayak. I was really worried it was going to get into my drive and cut me off but I guess it didn't get far enough forward to reach them. I'd got blown into the bank by then, so I was fighting the battle with the fish and boat control but the water is still so cold that the short burst of energy it hard was short lived. I doubt I would have gotten it out from under the kayak if the water was in the 50's or 60's.

I am thrilled to read accounts of anglers fighting big bass. Plus, I so frequently feel right on the edge of failing to land a big girl (and I do lose some, of course) that it's reassuring to read that I'm not the only one who struggles.

29 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Huh, so you just hop it along like a T-rig then? No bead between the bait and weight to protect the knot?

So there’s a few key 🔑 details 🙇 that people need to be aware of when fishing a free rig IMHO.

The plastic needs to sort of be the protection for the knot with this rig - if you practice and get it dialed in you’ll see what I mean.

For the bait to properly glide freely the knot needs to be inside the plastic so the plastic has maximum glide/spiral/dart/whatever that it is intended to do when you give the bait action.

Heavier weights seem to separate the best and there’s a sweet spot in that 3/16-3/8 oz range where everything seems to really operate the way it was intended to for me at least with a wide range of soft plastics on a wide range of line diameter.

Obviously the round eye tear drop sinkers are going to be the freest and I recommend the Walmart ones - they rule. Lead is better than tungsten for me. It’s bulkier and gets snagged way less. It’s also softer and sort of gives coming through hard cover more. Way way better for me.

I like the lightest wire hook I think I can get away with - this will dramatically increase the overall effect of the rig underwater.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road with this rig so get your pen and paper out now:

As much as it pains me to do it, this is one of the only presentations where I will dramatically feed the bait slack on the fall. This is the only way in my opinion to get the proper action on the initial presentation you cannot have semi slack line with a free rig it does not work. You need to give it enough slack to where you basically probably can’t see if you get a bite or not for that initial fall. If you want to get bit on the drop learning to trust this process is the first step and trust me. You’ll feel the thump or see your line swimming every time. It’s not that big a deal once you get used to it and you don’t need to let it sit for too too long after the initial slack line fall.

When you’re working the bait back to the boat, the subtleties are very similar and equally important. You need to pop the bait up hard and then immediately drop your rod tip and throw slack into your line so that you see coils on the water if you do this next to you, you will see what I’m talking about the difference between popping the bait and dramatically, throwing it slack instantly versus popping the bait on semi Slack line is night and day and it’s the difference between getting bit and not getting bit most of the time.

Play around with it and see what your fish like but my best luck has been with Beaver Baits or bulkier profiles that glide and have lots of lift on the fall like mag speed worm or mag speed craw or brush hog or even flukes and trick worms and ribbon tail worms are all deadly on the free rig.

The key is really learning how to illicit those moments where the bait and the weight separate and once you get your range of motion dialed in and learn how to be subtle or not so subtle, you can really milk a spot with this bait and you can fish it slow and fast and I find the way that the teardrop weight hangs below the bait, you can stroll it or buzz it back to you for big bites a lot of times, especially with that 3/16 ounce sinker.

I think one of the biggest keys with this rig is getting the sinker hung in wood cover and then popping it free and getting the weight and the bait to separate and in my opinion this happens more with the free rig because the sinker tends to get hung up more than a Texas rig sinker. I think it really gets big bites so don’t be afraid to get it really hung up in the brush. When working brush work it more on a tighter line and when you feel it pop free from something give it a little bit of slack on the initial drop and you’ll get thumped a lot of times instantly .

It’s all about learning when to strategically give it a little bit of slack basically and then you’re golden. It’s kind of like a jerk bait or a frog in that way.

Have fun with the technique everyone who reads along with this rambling rant about free rigs! They definitely are fun and sometimes they get bit 10:1 over a Texas rig for me!

@Pat Brown I appreciate you taking the time. I think it's something that could really be good in the laks I fish with zebra mussels where a jig and T-rg are basically worthless now. Seems like it would be good in lakes with lots of snot on the bottom also.

10 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

@Pat Brown I appreciate you taking the time. I think it's something that could really be good in the laks I fish with zebra mussels where a jig and T-rg are basically worthless now. Seems like it would be good in lakes with lots of snot on the bottom also.

To me it’s just good on fish that have seen 1000 jigs and Texas rigs which is all of them lol

Hit the ice today for a few hours and man am I glad I did. An old boy walked out last trip and offered me some leftover minnows which I was going to decline until he mentioned there were a few big goldies in the mix of perch minnows. That changed my tune quick and I accepted them.

I put one out on my tip up in 12’ with still green weeds and it took less than five minutes before flag up and spinning. I was too hyped and lost a monster in the hole after it spit the shiner out. I reset the same bait and off it went again not even 10 minutes later! This time I got it and I swear the same big green head appeared, but was coaxed through the hole this time. Man was I excited at that mondo! After getting her back, I reset the tip up and it went off within minutes. Another good bass.

I ended up landing 3 nice bass, losing 2, some gills and 3 jumbo perch. All bass came on the tip up save for one on the perch dead stick. It took 30 min to even get to my panfish holes as the same hole had four flags in the first 20 min! All released of course, perch included.

7 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

So there’s a few key 🔑 details 🙇 that people need to be aware of when fishing a free rig IMHO.

The plastic needs to sort of be the protection for the knot with this rig - if you practice and get it dialed in you’ll see what I mean.

For the bait to properly glide freely the knot needs to be inside the plastic so the plastic has maximum glide/spiral/dart/whatever that it is intended to do when you give the bait action.

Heavier weights seem to separate the best and there’s a sweet spot in that 3/16-3/8 oz range where everything seems to really operate the way it was intended to for me at least with a wide range of soft plastics on a wide range of line diameter.

Obviously the round eye tear drop sinkers are going to be the freest and I recommend the Walmart ones - they rule. Lead is better than tungsten for me. It’s bulkier and gets snagged way less. It’s also softer and sort of gives coming through hard cover more. Way way better for me.

I like the lightest wire hook I think I can get away with - this will dramatically increase the overall effect of the rig underwater.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road with this rig so get your pen and paper out now:

As much as it pains me to do it, this is one of the only presentations where I will dramatically feed the bait slack on the fall. This is the only way in my opinion to get the proper action on the initial presentation you cannot have semi slack line with a free rig it does not work. You need to give it enough slack to where you basically probably can’t see if you get a bite or not for that initial fall. If you want to get bit on the drop learning to trust this process is the first step and trust me. You’ll feel the thump or see your line swimming every time. It’s not that big a deal once you get used to it and you don’t need to let it sit for too too long after the initial slack line fall.

When you’re working the bait back to the boat, the subtleties are very similar and equally important. You need to pop the bait up hard and then immediately drop your rod tip and throw slack into your line so that you see coils on the water if you do this next to you, you will see what I’m talking about the difference between popping the bait and dramatically, throwing it slack instantly versus popping the bait on semi Slack line is night and day and it’s the difference between getting bit and not getting bit most of the time.

Play around with it and see what your fish like but my best luck has been with Beaver Baits or bulkier profiles that glide and have lots of lift on the fall like mag speed worm or mag speed craw or brush hog or even flukes and trick worms and ribbon tail worms are all deadly on the free rig.

The key is really learning how to illicit those moments where the bait and the weight separate and once you get your range of motion dialed in and learn how to be subtle or not so subtle, you can really milk a spot with this bait and you can fish it slow and fast and I find the way that the teardrop weight hangs below the bait, you can stroll it or buzz it back to you for big bites a lot of times, especially with that 3/16 ounce sinker.

I think one of the biggest keys with this rig is getting the sinker hung in wood cover and then popping it free and getting the weight and the bait to separate and in my opinion this happens more with the free rig because the sinker tends to get hung up more than a Texas rig sinker. I think it really gets big bites so don’t be afraid to get it really hung up in the brush. When working brush work it more on a tighter line and when you feel it pop free from something give it a little bit of slack on the initial drop and you’ll get thumped a lot of times instantly .

It’s all about learning when to strategically give it a little bit of slack basically and then you’re golden. It’s kind of like a jerk bait or a frog in that way.

Have fun with the technique everyone who reads along with this rambling rant about free rigs! They definitely are fun and sometimes they get bit 10:1 over a Texas rig for me!

Great info!

I’ve been meaning for the past 2 months to get out on the water and give the free rig a chance.

Now I’m even more determined and excited to go try it out.

Wow! Thank you @Pat Brown free right is one I’m gonna try this year with the bellows gill. Thank you for the info. probably make the experience a lot more enjoyable

3-9

4-3

5-0

Winds 35-45mph. Found someone else's line with my brand new lipless and snapped off about 10 feet from where I was standing. Hate that so I left

Warmed into the 40s, about the same as the water temps (46-47 deg). Wind finally died after a couple days of 30-40 mph gusts. Picked off a dozen bass on mostly jighead minnow - nothing big. Hoping for another trip at the end of the week.

More beauties landed by the Chef and Team 99. Your bass look so healthy. And fishing in big wind make them even more impressive.

Another 1 bite day. 1/2oz football in about 20ft.

On 2/24/2026 at 10:10 AM, Pat Brown said:

So there’s a few key 🔑 details 🙇 that people need to be aware of when fishing a free rig IMHO.

The plastic needs to sort of be the protection for the knot with this rig - if you practice and get it dialed in you’ll see what I mean.

For the bait to properly glide freely the knot needs to be inside the plastic so the plastic has maximum glide/spiral/dart/whatever that it is intended to do when you give the bait action.

Heavier weights seem to separate the best and there’s a sweet spot in that 3/16-3/8 oz range where everything seems to really operate the way it was intended to for me at least with a wide range of soft plastics on a wide range of line diameter.

Obviously the round eye tear drop sinkers are going to be the freest and I recommend the Walmart ones - they rule. Lead is better than tungsten for me. It’s bulkier and gets snagged way less. It’s also softer and sort of gives coming through hard cover more. Way way better for me.

I like the lightest wire hook I think I can get away with - this will dramatically increase the overall effect of the rig underwater.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road with this rig so get your pen and paper out now:

As much as it pains me to do it, this is one of the only presentations where I will dramatically feed the bait slack on the fall. This is the only way in my opinion to get the proper action on the initial presentation you cannot have semi slack line with a free rig it does not work. You need to give it enough slack to where you basically probably can’t see if you get a bite or not for that initial fall. If you want to get bit on the drop learning to trust this process is the first step and trust me. You’ll feel the thump or see your line swimming every time. It’s not that big a deal once you get used to it and you don’t need to let it sit for too too long after the initial slack line fall.

When you’re working the bait back to the boat, the subtleties are very similar and equally important. You need to pop the bait up hard and then immediately drop your rod tip and throw slack into your line so that you see coils on the water if you do this next to you, you will see what I’m talking about the difference between popping the bait and dramatically, throwing it slack instantly versus popping the bait on semi Slack line is night and day and it’s the difference between getting bit and not getting bit most of the time.

Play around with it and see what your fish like but my best luck has been with Beaver Baits or bulkier profiles that glide and have lots of lift on the fall like mag speed worm or mag speed craw or brush hog or even flukes and trick worms and ribbon tail worms are all deadly on the free rig.

The key is really learning how to illicit those moments where the bait and the weight separate and once you get your range of motion dialed in and learn how to be subtle or not so subtle, you can really milk a spot with this bait and you can fish it slow and fast and I find the way that the teardrop weight hangs below the bait, you can stroll it or buzz it back to you for big bites a lot of times, especially with that 3/16 ounce sinker.

I think one of the biggest keys with this rig is getting the sinker hung in wood cover and then popping it free and getting the weight and the bait to separate and in my opinion this happens more with the free rig because the sinker tends to get hung up more than a Texas rig sinker. I think it really gets big bites so don’t be afraid to get it really hung up in the brush. When working brush work it more on a tighter line and when you feel it pop free from something give it a little bit of slack on the initial drop and you’ll get thumped a lot of times instantly .

It’s all about learning when to strategically give it a little bit of slack basically and then you’re golden. It’s kind of like a jerk bait or a frog in that way.

Have fun with the technique everyone who reads along with this rambling rant about free rigs! They definitely are fun and sometimes they get bit 10:1 over a Texas rig for me!

Interesting. Thanks, Pat. I have also never used this.

If you want the weight to separate from the bait, why not put a bobber stop+bead a little ways ahead of the hook?

7 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

Interesting. Thanks, Pat. I have also never used this.

If you want the weight to separate from the bait, why not put a bobber stop+bead a little ways ahead of the hook?

Try it - I find it kills the action I want and more importantly the fish want - I have tried it during hot free rig bites and never caught a fish doing it. Just sharing what seems to be important nuance based on my personal experiments with the rig fishing for purty tough to catch fish.

It’s entirely possible that your fish won’t care about a bead and a bobber stop or how much slack you have in your line etc.

These are merely my observations based on a lot of testing.

If I had to guess : objectively I think the bead and the stopper do what too heavy wire of a hook does and kinda creates uneven amounts of drag and also I find the free slider gets suck around the stopper or the bead does and it just doesn’t work properly at all - most importantly you lose the feel.

When it’s totally free and the knot is buried and the line is the next thing the water sees - the rig operates correctly. Some kinda physics at play.

2 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Try it - I find it kills the action I want and more importantly the fish want - I have tried it during hot free rig bites and never caught a fish doing it. Just sharing what seems to be important nuance based on my personal experiments with the rig fishing for purty tough to catch fish.

It’s entirely possible that your fish won’t care about a bead and a bobber stop or how much slack you have in your line etc.

These are merely my observations based on a lot of testing.

Thanks Pat! I picked up some 1/4 and 3/8 ounce weights at Walmart lol

First 2 bass of 2026. Even with last weeks warm up Mid-Michigan and Central Michigan still has roughly 18-22 inches of ice on the lakes

First 1 I actually caught around the first of the year on a tip up with a sucker minnow. It may have been 14 inches.

2nd photo I caught this little guy along with 3 big pumpkin seeds, 1 blue gill, and 1 pike. The bass and pike are fun to catch with a 32-36 inch rod with 3 lbs test.

I’m betting we have ice around here until at least mid-march. Farther north may be the end of march.

I like ice fishing but, open water can’t get here fast enough. Once the night time temps get above freezing and we get some rain. The ice will go quick.

A bass trip that turned into a crappie fest after the first stop - lol - but I got some green ones, too; the right kind and the wrong kind. Best crappie 2-02

First fish of the year. Went to one of the regular ponds. Just before sun up. Throwing a bladed jig and a freeloader trailer. Left and went to my pond that was super productive last year. Hooked 5 and landed one. No big fish. But alot of them hit right up shallow where I could see them. Had a ton of fun. Cold. But fun lol. Guides were freezing so I think that affected me keeping fish on after the hook set lol. And I’ve got a lot of confidence in a bladed jig now.

Well done, Joe! Big girls are around - dip your rod every cast lol

2 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Well done, Joe! Big girls are around - dip your rod every cast lol

Thanks Pat!!! Oh they for sure are. May try again later when it warms up and sun comes out. I’m glad I took the shot at a cold early spring morning tho lol.

Joe catching his first 2026 bass sure makes me smile.