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> For hollow bodied frogs, slide the frog up and off of the hook/shank. Next, take some solder and wrap a few wraps around the shaft of the hook. Slide the frog back down the hook as it was. What you've done is made the frog heavier. This way, when a bass strikes and misses the lure, instead of your frog going flying away from the bass, with this heavier version, the frog will stay in the strike zone and you'll get another strike.
> When you're around Smallmouth, always try to use a bit or Chartreuse in your lures. Use dip/dye to add a bit to your soft baits. Purchase lures with some built in, or buy paints and accent your baits that way. Bass love Chartreuse, it's a fact ... especially those Smallies! You'll increase the number of bites you receive period.
> Often, manufacturers make tubes with too many tentacles. One productive trick is to rip a few of the tentacles off of a tube before using it. This will allow the tail of the tube to look more natural in the water as well as give the tube better action in the tail.
> To keep your soft plastic swimming frogs from sliding down the hook ... add a bead on your line before you tie your hook on. Weeds and debris will bump into this bead and slide off instead of bumping into your frog and causing it to slide down on your hook.
> When fishing very clear water, attention to lure detail is paramount. Color coded jig heads, eyes on jigs, well detailed finishes, feathered treble hooks, and things of this nature are real difference makers. In a clear water environment, the bass is going to get a great look at your offering, you're going to need that lure to look good, and by "good", we're talking "real". That's how you catch those fish!
> Soft stick/jerkbaits (Senkos and such) are not just for fishing under the surface, they can be quite effective when twitched in across the surface too, so next time you're out and you think the bass are willing to feed off of the surface, try twitching that stick worm in across the surface before you switch rods and rigs to go topwater.
> To anchor and lock a trailer hook onto a buzzbait, spinnerbait, or swimming frog ... most angles use a piece of surgical tubing. Here's an easier way. Take a plastic container lid like a coffee can top, or the top of a powdered iced tea container. Take a hole puncher and punch a bunch of holes through the thin plastic. Now collect these small disks (punched holes) and slip them on your main hook after you slide on your trailer hook.
> To get a more natural action out of your crank and swimming baits insert an o ring to the front of your lures. This o ring will add action to the lure plus give you added cushion when landing a fish and less fish will fall off!
> Slip a jigging spoon inside a tube to change it's color, give it a softer livelier texture when the bass bites it, and also scent will stick better and hold on longer to the plastic.
> If you have a swimbait and it's deformed from storage, here's a trick to straighten your swimbait right up. Dip the lure in boiling water for a second and the swimbait will conform right back to it's original shape.
> Use scent to lubricate your swimbaits. This will help you get a better hook up ratio (believe it or not) Also, your swimbait will last longer because it will slip and glide off of obstacles rather than get torn apart on them.
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