Hackney’s heavy-duty spooning
When bass stack up on river ledges in summer, Greg Hackney knows he might have to finesse finicky fish into biting. But there's nothing dainty about his tackle or his approach.
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When bass stack up on river ledges in summer, Greg Hackney knows he might have to finesse finicky fish into biting. But there's nothing dainty about his tackle or his approach.
Leave it to high octane Kevin VanDam to turn a slowpoke finesse tactic like drop shotting into a power fishing presentation.
The same rod-and-reel setup an angler is likely to prefer for pitching, flipping or fishing Carolina rigs will suffice for creature baits.
Toad fishing is for most fishermen a no-brainer. Cast this bait with a stiff rod and braided line, hold the rod up and crank fast enough to make the legs sputter on the surface. That might be good enough for weekend warriors, but toad fishing gets more involved when you make your living casting for cash, according to Frank Scalish of Cleveland, Ohio.
No bass addict would hit the water without a wide selection of jigs, but many anglers give short shrift to jig trailers. They stick with one or two favorites and leave it at that.
Soon after I became a bass addict in the early 1970s, I learned of a Missourian named Charlie Campbell who was a magician with a Zara Spook. His name was synonymous with the dog-walking plug for decades. The aging, endearing Campbell, 77, continues to stuff his livewell with Spook fish in local bass tournaments.
It's one thing to have the knowledge to fish for smallmouth bass in the Great Lakes at this time of year; it's another to have the tools. Below is a list of tackle that bass fishing pro Joe Balog and TV host Mark Davis depend on for their bronzeback fishing
CINCINNATI — The mighty Ohio River rises in downtown Pittsburgh and flows 981 miles to its confluence with the Mississippi River at Cairo, Ill. Flowing through heavily populated and industrialized areas, it collects an unsettling array of contaminants.
Nobody likes fishing in a crowd, especially during a tournament. It's the reason so many anglers make long runs. The farther you run, the fewer competitors you have to contend with.
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