When Andy Poss invented the Alabama rig in 2010, downsizing the umbrella rigs commonly used to troll for tuna and bluefish inshore, he unleashed controversies as loud and as far-ranging as a pack of dogs. Now banned from many major bass tournaments and illegal in many states, the A-rig or umbrella rig has lost some […]
When the summer sun threatens to boil the water, bass will look for shade. Thick, heavy cover like hydrilla, lily pads, or mats of dead vegetation offer a perfect spot to wait out the heat and set up an ambush for any shad or bluegill that happen by. Experienced anglers know that in the heat, […]
When low water temperatures force largemouth bass into cold-induced torpor, they’ll hold in the deepest holes they can find and cease feeding actively. That can make winter fishing an exercise in frustration for even the most experienced anglers. Only a handful of techniques have even the hope of soliciting a bite, and sluggish, cold-weather bass […]
While fishing for carp has yet to take off in the US, in the UK, it’s a national obsession. These massive fish are more than capable of putting up a memorable fight, but you can leave the lures at home. Largely herbivorous, carp search the bottom for their meals, routine through the mud, silt, or […]
Whether you fish for bass in a quiet pond, fight catfish on a muddy river, or work the surf hoping for a bull red, the right rig can make all the difference. More than just a way to attach terminal tackle, fishing rigs are designed for different purposes and techniques. And the best of them […]
Anglers who chase fish in the surf know they need a rig that does more than just hold live bait. It needs to have enough weight to allow long casts when necessary, hold the bottom against tide and current, and offer the option of a tough leader tied to their hook. The Fish Finder Rig […]
Bass anglers never get tired of finesse techniques for a reason: on a pressured lake where the big ones have seen everything over the years, something new and subtle will get bites when nothing else will. And when precise casting is the name of the game, say, when you’re trying to hit a small puddle […]
Finesse presentations like the wacky and Neko rigs can save the day when the bass aren’t in the mood for a meal, and as legions of anglers have learned, they’ll draw strikes when nothing else can. Only one thing differentiates the two: the Neko’s nail weight. But that seemingly small change results in dramatic differences […]
While both the Texas and Carolina rigs can reach down deep for bass, they don’t share the same strengths and weaknesses. And for serious bass anglers, knowing how to differentiate between these two popular rigs can mean the difference between a winning stringer and getting skunked. If you’ve wondered about when, where, and why you […]
The venerable Texas rig is rightfully famous, and from punching thick grass mats to pitching into heavy cover, working a deep hole or hump to gliding under a dock, it’s just plain magic. But the wacky rig has a lot going for it, too, and there’s something special about its fluttering dance that draws hungry […]
Most anglers know that a Texas rig is typically anything but a finesse presentation, putting it at the opposite end of the spectrum from the compact, subtle Ned. For the most part, that’s true, and where the Ned shines, the Texas rig doesn’t - and vice versa. But there’s more to the story than that […]
One of the most common questions we get asked is to explain the differences between the Ned rig and the Shaky head. Anglers want to know if they’re functionally identical, and if not, what the strengths and weaknesses of each of them are. a Where is the Ned better than the shaky head? When does […]
For a long time, my go-to worm setup was the weed-busting Texas rig. And while there’s still no question that the Texas rig is a good choice, it has issues that every savvy angler recognizes. The weight at the nose of the worm or creature bait deadens action the heavier it gets, placing a practical […]
Two finesse techniques dominate bass angling: the drop shot rig and the shaky head. By contrast, the Texas and Carolina rigs use the same soft baits but are entirely different techniques. That doesn’t stop a lot of questions about the Texas rig versus the shaky head, but that’s an apples to oranges comparison that misses […]
The Neko rig was invented in Japan, where it originated as Shin Fukai’s unorthodox response to ultra-pressured bass in glass-clear water. Essentially a weighted variation of a wacky rig, the Neko keeps your worm head-down on the bottom, allowing you to entice bass to strike through a series of short hops and bumps along the […]
Hard, relatively horizontal bottoms are where the Carolina rig shines, offering everything an angler wants in a soft plastic setup. Covering a lot of water quickly, and relying on enticing motion that’s hard to match with any other technique, the Carolina rig is a staple of pros, though it’s often overlooked by less experienced anglers […]
I’m sure I’m not telling you anything new when I say that pressured bass need to be seduced into a bite. On lakes that take a pounding over the weekend, even weekday anglers need to adjust their approach to lure wary bass into a strike - and finesse techniques are definitely the way to go. […]
Serious anglers know that not just any rig will hook trophy-size blues, flatheads, and channel cats. Nope - it’s going to take something special. You’ll need a rig that stays put in current, that holds bait on or near the bottom, and that offers minimal resistance when the cat takes your bait. And there’s only […]
While blues and flatheads are active hunters, channel cats use their super senses to find dead prey items, detecting their stink in even microscopic amounts, even at great distances. And where live minnows are perhaps the best bait option for hunting cats, prepared stink baits like Catfish Charlie’s or Secret 7 are pretty much ideal […]
Finesse techniques for worms are among the most productive options for largemouth bass. The precise reasons that a long plastic worm triggers a strike aren’t well-understood, but the simple fact that it does--and often!--has everyone from weekend anglers to tournament pros throwing them. And while there are many ways to run a soft plastic worm, […]
Among walleye anglers, the bottom bouncer rig is rightly famous as the ideal trolling method to produce trophy fish. A properly rigged bottom bouncer, armed with a slow death spinner, is simply amazingly effective. A simple design with complex consequences, the better you understand this exceptional rig, the more fish it will produce for you. […]
The Texas Rig has come to dominate bass fishing for a reason: it works. Whether you’re pitching big tubes or creature baits, working the bottom of a hard-bottomed channel, or running a worm through grass and brush, a Texas Rig won’t let you down. This versatile rig makes the most of virtually any soft plastic, […]
