A $15 Fishing Combo You Can Take ANYWHERE! (New Fishing Rod and Reel)
A $15 fishing rod and reel combo that folds down to about 18 inches is the kind of fishing gear that can actually be useful if you don’t want to haul a full-size setup everywhere. This compact combo was sent in by a viewer, and in this video I unbox it and take a closer look at what you get for fifteen bucks. The plan is to eventually put it to work catching the kind of fish I normally target, including bass and bluegill.
I also go through some of the other fishing gear that came in, including soft plastics and some Yamamoto worms. A small, inexpensive travel fishing rod can make sense for keeping in the car, taking on a trip, or having available when you find a place to fish unexpectedly. I’m always interested in seeing what you can actually get for your money, especially when the goal isn’t tournament fishing but simply getting out there and catching fish.
This one is also a thank you to the viewers who continue to send fishing gear to the show. I appreciate getting new tackle to test, and I’m looking forward to seeing whether this little $15 combo can actually hold up when it gets used on the water.
3,107 Views
Realistic Bass & Bluegill Fishing From The Bank (HOT Summer Fishing)
Summer bank fishing for bass and bluegill can get tough when the temperature climbs, but that doesn’t mean the fish disappear. Sometimes you just have to keep moving and be willing to change what you’re doing. In this trip I start out targeting bluegill with a small jig and an ultralight setup, and I manage to catch several good-sized fish before another fisherman comes through the area and makes things even more difficult.
After that I try another location and don’t get much going, so I change both the lure and the location. Eventually I move to another lake and find a largemouth bass holding around grass near the bank. It wasn’t a fast fishing trip, but that’s pretty typical of summer bank fishing. You may have to cover some shoreline and try different areas before you find fish that are willing to bite.
If you’re fishing from the bank during hot weather, don’t assume the first spot you try is going to produce. Pay attention to shoreline cover, vegetation and areas where fish can stay out of the direct sun. Sometimes catching bass and bluegill in the summer is simply a matter of finding the right stretch of bank.
4,217 Views
Is THIS a Swimbait Or a SENKO? Bass Fishing With a Swimming Senko
The Yamamoto Swimming Senko is an interesting soft plastic because you don’t have to fish it just one way. In this video I take it bass fishing and try working the lure along the bottom like a traditional soft plastic while also swimming it through the water like a swimbait. That gives the lure more than one presentation without having to completely change what I’m throwing.
I start getting bites from smaller bass before eventually landing a largemouth of about half a pound. When the bite slows down, I switch to a Baby Brush Craw and keep the same basic Texas Rig setup. That produces another largemouth bass, this one a little larger than the first.
That’s one thing I like about fishing soft plastics on a Texas Rig. You can change the bait without having to completely change the setup. A Swimming Senko can be worked slowly along the bottom, moved through the water column, or fished somewhere in between depending on what the bass are doing. If you already have some of these worms in your tackle box, it’s worth experimenting with different retrieves instead of assuming there’s only one way to fish them.
3,746 Views
Bass Fishing With Topwater In The WEEDS! Bank Fishing Topwater
Where you fish from the bank can be just as important as the lure you’re throwing. In this trip I compare two areas that look similar at first, but one has shoreline weeds and the other doesn’t. The difference becomes pretty obvious once I start fishing.
At the first public bank fishing area, the vegetation has been removed and I don’t get anything going even though I’m using lures that have worked for me elsewhere. I move to another stretch of shoreline where weeds are still present, and suddenly I start getting bites. Fishing a weightless rig over the vegetation gives me a way to keep the lure near the surface without constantly dragging it through the weeds.
I end up catching two largemouth bass from the bank by working the lure across the weed-covered shoreline. It’s a good reminder that when you’re bank fishing for bass, you don’t always need to find some complicated piece of structure. Sometimes the obvious cover along the bank is exactly where you should be making your casts.
If you’re trying topwater bass fishing from the bank, look for areas with healthy vegetation, especially when the weeds give bass a place to hide while also putting them close to shallow water where they can feed.
3,746 Views
Two Easy Ways To Catch Fish From The Bank (Easy Summer Bank Fishing)
Summer bank fishing doesn’t always require a complicated rig or a big tackle box. In this video I’m using a small finesse jig with a little soft plastic bait and showing two different ways to fish the same basic setup. The first method keeps the lure down near the bottom, while the second puts it underneath a float.
When I’m fishing the jig on the bottom, I can slowly work it along and twitch the rod tip to give the small plastic some movement. That presentation is useful when fish are close to the bottom and aren’t interested in chasing a fast-moving lure. If that isn’t producing enough, I can put the same basic lure underneath a float and cover the water differently.
That’s the part I like about this setup. You don’t necessarily need two completely different fishing rigs to change your presentation. With a small jig and soft plastic, you can fish vertically under a float or work it along the bottom depending on what the fish are doing.
For summer bank fishing, especially when you’re targeting bluegill and other panfish, having a simple setup that can be fished multiple ways can save you from carrying a bunch of different tackle.
5,115 Views
Public Fishing Spots In Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Tennessee
If you’re looking for public fishing spots in Pigeon Forge or Sevierville, Tennessee, there are several different types of water worth checking out. In this video I spend the day driving between three public fishing locations to see what I can actually catch rather than just looking at them on a map.
I start at Douglas Dam in Sevierville and spend about 30 minutes fishing there. I manage to catch a skipjack before moving on to the Little Pigeon River near The Island. That spot produces a sunfish and a smallmouth bass. The final stop is a public boat ramp on the French Broad River, where I spend a couple of hours trying to make something happen without catching a fish.
That’s one thing to keep in mind when checking out public fishing spots around Pigeon Forge and Sevierville: a location can look promising and still be slow on the day you visit. Water conditions, fishing pressure and the time of year can all make a difference. I wanted to see what these spots were actually like from the bank and what a fisherman could realistically expect to catch.
If you’re planning a trip to the area and want to do some public fishing, this gives you a look at three places I actually stopped and fished rather than simply listing locations without putting them to the test.
7,270 Views
Summer Bass Fishing From the Bank With a Crawfish!
A Texas Rigged crawfish is one of my favorite ways to fish for bass from the bank during summer. It’s a simple setup, it can be worked slowly, and you can fish it around the kind of shoreline cover where largemouth bass like to hang out. In this video I put that approach to work and end up catching three largemouth bass.
I also take a closer look at crawfish activity along the bank. If you find evidence that crawfish are active in an area, that’s a pretty good reason to consider throwing a craw-style soft plastic. Bass don’t need to be far offshore to find something to eat, and a crawfish imitation can be worked right along the bottom where a real crawfish might be moving around.
The Texas Rig is especially useful for bank fishing because it gives you a lot of control over the bait. You can drag it, hop it, pause it, and work it around cover without having to make a complicated presentation.
If you’re out summer bass fishing from the bank and aren’t sure what to throw, a Texas Rigged crawfish is a simple place to start. Find some cover, slow down, and pay attention to what’s happening along the shoreline.
