Fishing The Southwest

I recently got my hands on some Mythik Lures square bill crankbaits, and I have to admit, I am very impressed. The action on the lures is unique to me. They have a very wide and slow wobble which will for sure get the fishes attention! The rattle is loud but not overly done. This is the type of square bill that will absolutely destroy it on the lakes during the springtime. As always the paint job on these are on point. So overall when I think to throw a square bill these lures will be the first one that comes to mind.

         

Do yourself a favor a buy this lure at www.mythiklures.com  instead of just reading what I think about it. You will notice the unique difference about these custom baits vs the typical manufactured lure. I have a ton of confidence when I throw any of their lures.

Be on the look out for future reviews about different Mythik Lures

As always….

Tight Lines!

What to say about Revenge Baits? Well for starters I can’t believe it took me up to about 2 months ago to first hear about them! I have gotten to try their buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, and their tailspinners. When I fished with my friend, Lyle Danuser, we were fishing along some coves with the buzzbait in the morning. Within 20 minutes he landed three on this buzzbait and I was already impressed. It has a nice slow retrieve while disturbing the top of the water even through windy conditions. Its wire is bent down slightly to provide the bait to swim a little bit lower on the surface, ensuring that it’s not just skipping across the top of the water. This buzzbait is unbelievable.

Next, we have their spinner baits. Now I know sometimes it is hard to tell which spinnerbaits are superior to others and why I have to tell you the blades on these spinners will continue to cycle even with the slowest retrieve. Its just so smooth and reflective and will definite grab the fishes attention!

The tailspinner is my favorite lure. It is very versatile. You can jig it, do a straight retrieve, yo-yo it, and let it flutter like a spoon. This is truly an amazing bait. You can compare it to Lunkerhunts Hatchspin but better. I have tried both and these bad boys have a much better hook up ratio!

Please for your sake check out Revenge Baits and pick up a few lures!

https://www.revengebaits.com/ 

Tight Lines Everyone!

When it comes to pond fishing we have all had slow days. Most of the time it seems that pond fishing in general is very pressured. What can you do to overcome this obstacle? Downsize. Now this does not require you to use micro-lures or anything in that nature. However, if you switch from a Texas-rigged 5” senko to a ned rig you will more than likely capitalize on the fish who have been caught with a senko over and over already. Here are my top 3 favorite setups to use when times are tough on pressured ponds:

Ned Rig

Wacky-rigged Senko 

Finesse Jig

 

I hope the information in these videos help you out! Good luck out there!

 

 

Jigs can be the most effective year round baits out there. However there are so many different styles of jigs. We will help you identify the different types of jigs and how to fish them effectively in today’s post.

 

Football Head Jig- a football head jig is one of the most popular jig types out there. The key technique with this set up is to drag it across the bottom. Whether you are going shallow or going deep, this technique will catch you fish. The only downside is that you don’t want to fish this in grass the bulky head will get caught up pretty easily in the grass….that’s where the next jigs comes in handy…

Finesse Jig- Finesse jigs usually are a Jack-of-all-trades type of jig. You can swim or drag them slowing along the bottom, they also can be flipped and pitched. The difference between finesse jigs and other jigs is their size. Finesse jigs are often smaller, not to only keep the profile smaller, but also because you generally want a slower fall rate.They’re designed to be fished slow. The idea is to get a lethargic fish into eating an easy bite-size meal.

Swim Jig- swim jig fishing is fast and the fish are full of energy when you hook and fight them to the boat or shore. A lot of anglers swim a jig with braid. I like to use a medium-heavy to heavy action 7-foot rod. You want fish targets like cuts and corners in the grass, stumps, laydowns, etc. A high speed reel is a must. A lot of anglers will tell you to use a lighter jig and reel the jig slowly through the grass. That goes against the grain of what many have found that makes a swim jig so effective.

Bladed Jig- also known as a chatterbait, can be a super effective method, especially in murky water. First of all, finding where to cast is incredibly important. What I like to do is start casting to the side and start fanning out across until you start to see some action. Secondly it’s important to remember that chatterbaits have a lot of action, and that a slow and steady retrieve often does better than just doing the yo-yo technique. If you find yourself hitting the top of grass be sure to pop the chatterbait out, bass will head to the movement coming out of the weeds and most of the time you’ll get a bite off this.

Flipping Jig- You can pitch or flip docks, grass, wood, lay-downs, or other types of cover that you feel are not easy to cast to. The advantage to these types of techniques is you can make a quiet presentation with extreme accuracy. Twitch your rod a few times, pick it back up, and repeat. This can be a monotonous method but can be very effective.

 

Make sure to get your jig to stand out more and add different trailers to them. Match the trailer with the color of the jig head or skirt for effective results. Try and read the weather, for colder weather the fish will be less active so you’ll want to go a little slower with your retrieve just like any other lure. Jigs are one of the best year round baits out there. Keep practicing with them and I guarantee you will land more fish. For information on which colors to use check out our post Bait Color Basics!

 

Tight lines!

Fishing at night can be tough at first. All of your senses kind of go out of whack. We get so used to fishing with our eyes. We watch for the bites. At night, we don’t have that luxury. But before you write off the idea of going out at night, hear me out. A lot of people think that the top water bite will only ever kick in at first and last light. What you might be surprised to hear is that the top water bite typically starts at sunset and actually CONTINUES on throughout the night until sunrise. Ill get to the top water bite in a minute though. I have had some of my most productive fishing experiences at night. Especially when it comes to fishing in the summer. Its hot out here in Arizona, and the bass arent any happier than we are about it. So when the sun goes down, the fish will spread out again. They will come up shallow and they usually feed up pretty heavily. So here are my suggestions for making the most out of fishing at night. Enjoy. -Ethan

1. Drop Shot. This technique may be kind of boring but it flat out catches fish. my recommendation for plastics would be desert craw roboworms. They have always worked great for me at night. It is important to stick with dark colors at night. Blacks. Purples. Junebug. Etc… Now, when you are fishing the drop shot at night, fish it slow, and I mean almost PAINFULLY slow. The fish will have to move around to zero in on your presentation. At night, bass primarily feed using their lateral line. This detects movement in the water, kind of like sonar.

2. Texas rig. No other technique out there has caught more fish than the texas rig, and night time fishing is no exception. Now, when it comes to finesse fishing at night, there is one advantage to using a texas rig that the drop shot just cant compete with, and that is SIZE. Fishing a huge worm can be crazy productive. I would recommend using a 7″-10″ ribbon tail worm. I prefer the culprit worms but bass pro and zoom also make some great options. I know some people will even throw those crazy 14″-20″ worms but to me that seems like overkill. Again, fish it slow. I recommend rigging with a glass bead to get that sound factor going.

3. Weightless Senko. Wacky or Weightless Texas Rigged Senkos both work. Fish it the same way you would during the day. Senkos are fish catching machines.

4. Chatterbaits. VIBRATION VIBRATION VIBRATION. Nothing gets these fish more worked up at night than a chatterbait. I ALWAYS rig up my chatterbaits with a craw style trailer. But, I am very particular about the trailers. I only use the Xcite baits raptor tail chunk or the Powerbait Chigger craw. These trailers are super awesome at night and at day. They more around a lot and it moves a lot of water. Fish the chatterbait slow and steady.

 

Extra Tips:

Move around a lot.

Travel light. Try not to bring more than two rods.

Bring a headlamp.

Scent can be key. BANG makes a crazy garlic scent that works great at night.

 

As always, Good luck, and Tight Lines!

-Ethan

When we are fishing during the Spring time it may seem like all we are doing is catching fish. Then summer hits, and it may seem like all of the fish suddenly vanished. Well that’s because they are on a new pattern. This post will help you find the bass even on the hottest summer days.

Find vegetation and flowing water

Near the grass and reeds you will find a bunch of bass stacked up like no other. This is because during the hot summer days they will have a hard time finding oxygen, therefore, they become very lazy and lethargic. They will flee to vegetation and flowing water (such as water pumps and waterfalls). If you find these areas, you find bass.

Go deep

The coolest parts of the water will be deep. The more shallow the water, the hotter it is. Some of the more popular lures going deep are deep diving crank baits, Carolina rigs, and football head jigs. Fish these lures nice and slow along the bottom and you’ll find yourself some luck. For whatever reason it is I have had the best luck using ribbon tailed worms on a Carolina rig.

Find cover

Fish love cover regardless if it is Spring or if its Winter. It doesn’t matter. That is why even during the Summer go for cover. Not only is it something that they are naturally attracted to, but it also keeps the bass cooler and provides them shade.

Be loud

One of the last things I will try if none of the above are working is using loud baits. Lipless crankbaits, chatter baits, and even jigs with rattles. The point is, if you can’t find fish, let them find you. It may take a while but this can be an effective last resort. If the lake is murky it works especially well.

So there you have it. These are my summertime go-to’s. Give this a shot while you are out there sweating your butt off. Remember drink plenty of water, and as always, tight lines!

 

Here is a helpful visual:

Where to begin with these spinnerbaits… well first of all, I have never seen blades on a spinnerbait work as smooth as these bad boys. The best part about them is that I can crank the lure VERY SLOWLY and not once have the blades lost their action, I mean it is incredible how well they spin.  This lure has an amazing sinking rate. It’s not too fast and not too slow. The control of where you want to fish it in the water column is very easy and accurate. I have to say that these are by far my favorite spinners that I have ever used. They are a fish magnet! I found that the key with this bait is to fish it nice and slow and give it a twitch every now and then. If you do that, I guarantee you’ll land some big bass.

The owner of Southwest Custom Baits, Lyle Danseur, told me that he made this lure have the ability to switch the blades fast and easy. To switch out the blades all you have to do is slide the sleeve down (near the blade) and unsnap. It’s that easy.If you want to get your hands on these baits reach out to him or visit www.swctackle.com Great thing is that he makes them as custom baits. So it’s your choice on the colors that you want to fish! Get it today, you won’t regret it!

Tight lines!

Texas Rig

One of the most common ways to fish senkos is a Texas rig. Fishing a weightless Texas-rig, which causes it to fall slowly through the water with a nice wobbling action. Fish the Texas-rigged Senko anywhere in shallow water. Throw it with a small bullet weight if it’s windy out. If you are casting it where the fish are more than likely you will catch them!

Shaky Head

Senkos also work great on a shaky head. Even though a number of other plastics pair work well when fishing a lighter shaky head in shallow water, Senkos work well when paired with a heavy shaky head on deep structure. You can either drag it across the bottom (might not be the best presentation but it can still help locate the fish!) or bounce it like the normal technique.

Wacky Rig

This is another presentation commonly fished weightless. It can be very effective in our Arizona waters. I will cast it out and let it sink to the bottom. Regardless of the time of year I will fish this bait very slowly. If I do decide to put a weight on it I will fish it quicker (like a jig presentation). It has been my go-to set up for a while on slow days and has yet to disappoint. Make sure you are using o-rings for the wacky rig. It saves a lot a worms and a lot of money!

Drop-shot Rig

The drop-shot rig is an effective technique to use on high pressure days in clear water reservoirs. A 3- or 4-inch Senko is the option to pair with a drop-shot. It’s a subtle presentation that pretty much does nothing when sitting still. It does have enough wobble when you shake it to entice cautious fish into biting. Downsizing from the normal 5-inch Senko is critical for this presentation. When fishing is tough, bass will eat a smaller bait before they will a larger one.

Ned Rig

The Ned rig is easy: set up half a Senko to jighead. The rig is most effective fished on spinning tackle with light line.When things get tough, pull out the Ned rig. There are a number of ways to retrieve it effectively. If you haven’t tried this yet, give it a shot.

 

Go ahead and try these out if you haven’t already!

As always, tight lines and good luck!

 

-Sean