ARTICLES AND HOT TIPS

Crankbaiting Timber ...by Jeff Chudzinski

A lot of anglers never consider throwing a crankbait in the middle of wood cover, simply because they think they will lose their crankbait. I can tell you if you fish it properly, you can fish timber with a crankbait. All you have to do is take your time fishing it through the mazes of branches. If you feel your bait crawling through the wood but then suddenly it gets hung up, just stop your bait and give it some slack, most of the time the bait will float right up out of the cover. You will find that a lot of fish do not see these lures in the kind of cover, so you will catch a lot of fish that other anglers are not catching

Finding Bass with Crankbaits ...by Jeff Chudzinski

A lot of anglers think that a spinnerbait is the best search bait for bass, it is definitely in the top three but over the past few years, I have found that a crankbait is a better search bait than a spinnerbait. The reason I say that is because I can catch more bass on a crankbait under a lot more different conditions than a spinnerbait

Carolina Rigging for Smallies ...by Jeff Chudzinski

It has long been thought that a Carolina rig is just for largemouth bass, that is not so it's also a killer bait for smallmouth too. You can fish a tube, a 4 inch lizard, or a fluke on a Carolina rig for smallmouth bass. This has become a go to bait for me in the past four or five years and it's a tactic that puts smallmouth bass in the boat

A big bait excites a smallmouth ...by Jeff Chudzinski

Spinnerbaits and smallmouth bass go hand in hand, there is nothing like burning a spinnerbait just under the water and a 4-pound smallmouth coming up and crushing it. Burning spinnerbaits is a great technique on lake Erie smallmouth. Speed is the key to catching big smallmouth, you can't reel a spinnerbait to fast for a smallmouth to chase it down and eat it. You have to reel pretty fast so the bass does not get a real good look at it. I also think it is the speed that makes the smallmouth want to chase it and take the lure. With this technique you can fish it in 5 foot of water or 15 foot of water. You can make smallmouth come a long way to hit a spinnerbait, or it works when the bass are relatively shallow. Smallmouth really like reaction type lures and a spinnerbait fits just right. I like painted bladed spinnerbaits, in white or char; the size of the bait can range from 3/8 oz. to a full 1oz. bait. S and J Custom Lures have made some new proto type baits in different colors for this year and I can't wait to try them out. So the next time you are on a lake with clear water and it has smallmouth bass, try burning spinnerbaits for them, it is a fun way to catch them. By the way make sure you have your heart pills with you. Good luck!

Concentration is your most important piece of equipment ...by Jeff Chudzinski

Bass fishing is not only about rods, reels, lures, boats, and motors. When you hit the water in a tournament or just to fun fish, the most important piece of equipment you can bring is your concentration. The power of your concentration is a huge part of competitive bass fishing. You have to be ready mentally for anything that can happen during the day, such as how and where a bass bites. This will lead you to the next fish of the day and the rest of your limit. You must also be able to recognize when you have to make changes if you are not catching fish. Some of the changes you need to make maybe very small and you need to have your concentration at peak performance to pick up on these subtleties. This brings the other part of the mental game in bass fishing and that is confidence. Confidence will help you when it is 1 o'clock and you don't have a fish in the live and you are still as sharp as you were the first cast of the day. Confidence tells you that you are still going to bring your limit in at the 3 o'clock weigh-in. This is difficult to master. It was only a few years ago that I finally mastered this approach. Since then I have won and placed high in tournaments that I didn't have a fish at 1 o'clock and still came in with a limit. You never give up and you always fish every second of the event you are in.

Baits to Throw in Early Spring ...by Jeff Chudzinski

When fishing in early spring, a very small jig 1/8 to 3/16 oz. with a uncle josh no# 101 pork frog is the hot bait in icy water. My second choice is a tube bait. These are the only two baits I will throw in early spring. You have to remember to fish these baits very slow. You also must keep in mind that you will not catch 100 bass a day at this time of year, but you can get your limit. Find the warmest water in the body of water you are fishing and start there. I look for any backwater area that has docks or brush piles in it. Pitch your jig in and around cover and make sure the jig falls straight down. You have to feed line out after your jig hits the water to make your jig fall straight. Begin making little shaking motions with the rod tip, do not move the jig 6 or 8 inches at a time, move it 2 to 3 inches at a time. This time of year you must be a line watcher, the bites maybe very subtle, just a small jump in the line, if you are only going by feel, you will miss these light strikes. Sometimes in very cold water the bites can also be a hard thump, so be ready. At this time of year more than any other you need to fish your bait all the way back to the boat. Bites may occur right in the cover or they can come 2 to 15 feet out in front of the cover, so fish all the water in front of you

Concentration is your most important piece of equipment ...by Jeff Chudzinski

Save Your Boat Tarp ...by Jeff Chudzinski

Are you tired of your trolling motor prop blades poking through your boat tarp, if so then here is a little tip. Take a piece of an old garden hose and cut it the length of one of your trolling motor prop blades, then cut the hose all the way down the side of it, then slip it on your prop blades and this will keep the blades from poking through your boat tarp

Waxing Your Boat ...by Jeff Chudzinski

If you hate using car wax to wax your boat because of the wax getting down in every little nook and cranny, leaving that unsightly leftover wax. Then try using a furniture polish to wax your boat. I like to use one with a moisture barrier in it. You can wax your boat in 15-20 minutes, it looks great and protects your boats finish.

Boat Bearings ...by Jeff Chudzinski

A lot of anglers forget to check their wheel bearings on their boat trailers. Every spring when you get your boat out of storage, always have your bearings checked. This could save you from a serious accident with your boat

Different Shaped Tube Heads ...by Jeff Chudzinski

All anglers should carry different styles of tube heads for their tube baits. Each style of tube head falls a little bit different through the water column. On different days fish want your bait to fall different ways, so always be prepared for any condition you may face. Also, make sure you carry a wide variety of tube head weights, this can also make a big difference in your fishing day