W2F Blog

By Walker Smith

Stick worms for bass are widely regarded as one of the most simple, yet effective ways to catch more fish. In a time where many soft plastic baits look more like spaceships than bass cuisine, sometimes keeping your bait selection simple can pay big dividends.

Throughout the spring, it’s not uncommon to see Yum pro Matt Reed and Keystone Light pro Brent Ehrler ditch the appendages and opt for the simple, subtle profile of a stick worm. It’s almost impossible to fish a stick worm incorrectly, but Reed and Ehrler have keyed in on a few simple, yet very useful tips.

Throw it early and often

Two key factors dictate Jimmy Mason’s selection of Alabama rig components

By Walker Smith

Although the excitement surrounding the Alabama Rig and subsequent rigs has largely died down in the past year, castable bass umbrella rigs remain effective fish catching tools under the right conditions. Alabama fishing guide Jimmy Mason has zeroed-in his approach to the rig over the past two years. He narrowed down bait selection to two important environmental cues:

•    Water clarity
•    Water temperature

Clear water

The most important factor to Mason’s bait selection is water clarity. In clear water, the eyesight of a bass is largely enhanced, making a proper presentation a huge factor of success. In these high visibility situations, he doesn’t get too creative when chunking an umbrella rig.

“The clearer the water is, the more I want my baits to match,” Mason said. “It’s much more natural for the bass to see a ‘school’ of matching baits, so I want to throw 5 identical baits.”

While clear water does dictate a set of matching baits, the color of these baits is equally important. Just as he would opt for more natural-colored hard baits in clear water, Mason keeps this philosophy intact when he’s on a hot rig bite.

“I’m a big believer in translucent baits in clear water,” Mason said. “One of my most productive baits in these conditions is the 3 1/2-inch Emerald Pearl-colored Yum Mud Minnow, especially on sunny days. When the sun reflects off of the green flake, it’s a dynamite combination.”


Stained water

As long as the water has at least 1 foot of visibility, Mason doesn’t hesitate to throw a bass umbrella rig. When faced with these low-visibility water conditions, he tends to get a bit more technical with his bait selection. Larger baits and brighter colors have produced some unforgettable fishing days for him in the past year.

“In dirty water, I’m going to play with my baits a lot more,” Mason said. “I love using 5-inch Yum Money Minnows in the middle of the rig because they give it a much bigger profile that displaces a lot more water. This extra visibility and water disturbance draws attention to my Yumbrella Rig a lot better than smaller baits would.”

The Tennessee River system received an insane amount of rain last year, but that didn’t stop Mason from putting his clients on monster bass. With the river continuously moving at nearly 100,000 cubic feet per second, the muddy water forced him to improvise his A-rig approach.

“The only way we could get consistent bites was by using 5-inch chartreuse grubs on the outsides,” Mason said. “I was running a full size, 5-inch Money Minnow in the middle and the 5-inch grubs on the outside of the rig in order to help the bass see the bait better. It ended up reducing our short strikes and dramatically increasing our hookup ratio.”

Water temperature

As with any bass fishing technique, water temperature is an essential element in Mason’s Alabama rig bait selection process. In water temperatures above 50-degrees, big bass won’t hesitate to attack an A-rig with 5-inch swimbaits, but when the water drops to below 45- to 50-degrees this time of year, downsizing baits can make a lot of difference.

“Whenever the water temperature gets below 50-degrees, bass become lethargic,” Mason said. “A big, bulky presentation isn’t appealing to these wary bass, and can actually spook them. This is a time where I like to use 5-inch grubs on the outside of my rig—it’s less imposing and matches small forage better.”

Umbrella rigs never ended up being the “magic baits” that some anglers thought they would be, but that doesn’t mean they won’t catch fish. Keeping a close eye on the surrounding water clarity and water temperature not only leads to smarter bait selection, but also more fish in the boat. 


To fish with Jimmy Mason, visit jimmymasonbasspro.com.

Tackle modifications that will help you catch more fish

By Walker Smith

One of the best parts of our job is when we have the privilege of communicating with our readers. We read every email and comment from our readers and we always appreciate and enjoy your feedback. Just as we hope to keep our readers up-to-date on the latest fishing information, we often learn some pretty cool tips from our fans as well. In the past few months, several of our readers have commented on our feature pieces with their own tackle modification ideas.

Being the bass fishing addicts that we are, we’ve tried many of these ideas and have been impressed with the functionality and simplicity of them. In order to keep you “in the know”, we have compiled a list of some of our readers’ simple ideas that will help you get the most out of your fishing day.

Double split rings on jerkbaits


Try adding an extra split ring to your hook in place of a longer shank! I do this on my jerkbaits and it works just fine.
Posted on Wednesday, December 05, 2012 7:21 AM by Michael Clifford on Short-Shank vs. Long-Shank Treble Hooks

Not every angler has the available tackle to quickly switch from short-shank to long-shank hooks—and that’s totally fine. If you’ve ever experienced the heartache and frustration of multiple short strikes when fishing with your favorite jerkbait, you may want to consider adding an additional split ring to it.

Just as a long-shank hook allows for better hookups on a jerkbait, double split rings will serve the same purpose if you don’t have a wide selection of treble hooks to choose from. In addition to giving the bass a better opportunity to get hooked, doubling up your split rings is also a great way to alter the buoyancy of your jerkbait in different water temperatures and conditions.

Spinnerbait blade dye for hooks


Red hooks are dyed red and it doesn’t take long for the red to come off of the hook, so get a bottle of red blade dye—you can dip the hook in the dye without taking the hook off the bait.
Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 8:44 AM by Larry on When and Why to Use Red Hooks for Bass Fishing

With the right water clarity and sunlight, red hooks are a great way to get extra bites when the fishing is tough. It’s not always easy to get your hands on the right size or style of red hooks, but don’t worry—red spinnerbait blade dye makes for a very effective hook dye as well.

If you’re fighting the battle against short strikes, especially in time-sensitive situations, it’s a hassle to rummage through your terminal tackle box, untangle a big ball of sharp hooks and replace them all. Red blade dye saves a lot of time by allowing you to keep the hook on the bait and simply dip it into the dye—it’s that simple.

Don’t be concerned about the dye dulling the hook points, either. Blade dye is formulated to be extremely thin as to not alter the weight of spinnerbait blades. When you experiment with this modification, you’ll notice that the blade dye is no thicker than water.

Coffee stirrer in the tail of a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm


To get the paddle tail or any plastic worm tail up off the bottom, insert a thin, plastic coffee stirrer in the tail section. This creates an air pocket, raising the tail slightly off the bottom while giving the extra action often needed to entice a strike.
Posted on Friday, December 21, 2012 8:37 AM by Richard Ziert on Four Ways to Fish a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm

This simple tackle tweak can make a big difference on the water, especially when targeting pressured bass. As if the Ultravibe Speed Worm doesn’t make enough racket in the water, inserting a simple coffee stirrer into the tail of the worm will make it irresistible to big bass. To make it easier to insert the stirrer, simply dip it in the water to minimize any tearing.

Whether you’re fishing the UV Speed Worm weightless, Texas rigged or on a shaky head, this handy modification will get more bites. Not only does the coffee stirrer allow the tail to float when at rest, but it also creates a ton of bubbles as you drag or swim the bait in the water. Several of the best grass lake anglers have been doing this for years with consistent success.

Feathered treble hooks on walking topwaters


Great article! I also love to use walking topwater lures. I often change out the rear treble with a feathered treble hook to increase chances of a good hook up.
Posted on Friday, October 05, 2012 9:44 AM by David J. Gutierrez on Big Walking Topwaters in the Early Fall

There’s something about a feathered treble hook on the back of a topwater bait that big bass simply cannot ignore. In the fall and spring, bass see a plethora of topwater baits whizzing overhead every day and eventually become wise to them. In order to differentiate your offering from others, adding a feathered treble hook to the back of the bait can draw strikes from even the most finicky bass.

Because many bites on walking topwater baits can come while the bait is paused, feathered trebles are a great way to add a little more action to the bait while it’s at rest. As the bait sits in the water, the feathers quiver and pulsate with the movement of the water, making it a tantalizing addition to any topwater bait.

Loop knot for “walking the dog”


A Loop knot also makes “walking the dog” easier for me.
Posted on Sunday, October 07, 2012 4:40 PM by Rollie Van Cleave on Big Walking Topwaters in the Early Fall

“Walking the dog” is an age-old technique that has caught big fish for years. Although it is possible to execute this retrieve with a generic Palomar knot, many anglers prefer a loop knot instead. Because the loop knot allows the bait to move more freely, anglers are able to perform a wide-walking presentation with the slightest twitch of the rod tip.

If you’re just learning this technique or if you’re tired of jerking your shoulder out of socket to make your favorite topwater walk, this simple tweak is a must-try in our book.

We cannot thank our readers enough for the constant support and feedback over the years. As we continue to do everything in our power to help you become better anglers, we hope that you keep the lines of communication open with more awesome tips and suggestions. Thank you for being Wired2Fish!

Red hooks really do have an application in bass fishing, according to Marty Stone

Photos and Article by Walker Smith

If you’re like us, you don’t have enough fingers or toes to count the number of times you’ve heard fellow anglers banter back and forth about the effectiveness, or perceived lack thereof, of red hooks. You’ll find a couple of them scattered about in random compartments of many anglers’ boats, but most of us never pay them much attention. Truth be told, I only buy red hooks when I’m in a rush to the lake and the local tackle shop is out of black hooks. Sure, they look sexy, but do fish really care what color hook you’re using?

A recent conversation with bass fishing legend Jimmy Houston has turned Vicious Fishing pro Marty Stone into a bona fide believer in red hooks. Under the right conditions, he has had some monster days with his Daiichi Bleeding Bait hooks. Recently, Stone shed some light on the colored hook conundrum and provided us with a lot of interesting food for thought.

The marketing misnomer

Remember when red fishing line was the big talk in the fishing industry? As a young teenager, I thought it was the bee’s knees, guaranteed to turn me into a pro overnight. The allure of red line was simple—the fish couldn’t see it, and when your line is virtually invisible, you’re going to catch a lot more fish.

Now, let’s look at it from an alternative perspective. While many fishing line companies were adamant that their red line was indiscernible, there were some hook companies claiming their red hooks to be the ultimate difference maker on the water.

So let’s get this straight—red line is invisible, but red hooks make bass more apt to attack a bait? At this point, it doesn’t really matter who was wrong or right. Common knowledge would lead us to believe that someone, whether it was the line companies or the hook manufacturers, had to be wrong. Not so fast, says Stone.

Seeing red

Stone got the answer he had been looking for during a recent conversation with Jimmy Houston, who had taken part in a light penetration study. His findings were interesting, to say the least.


“In water of normal stain, considered to be 12- to 24-inches of visibility, a red hook is, indeed, very visible from 5-feet or less,” said Stone. “On the contrary, anything red—whether it’s fishing line or a hook—is going to disappear in more than 5-feet of water.”

Technically, both sides are right. Since learning that red hooks are, in fact, visible from less than 5-feet away in water of normal stain, Stone has noticed a substantial increase in his shallow water fishing success.

When to use red hooks

The use of red hooks is something that is becoming increasingly popular amongst the world’s top professional anglers. While not ideal in every situation, Stone has developed some very effective techniques for exposing bass’ weakness for red.

“Any time I’m flipping shallow water with a normal stain, I almost exclusively use a red hook,” Stone said. “If you’re struggling during a tough day on the water, don’t be afraid to tie on a red hook. It may take a bit to get used to, but I truly believe that you will catch more fish.”


The use of red hooks should not be limited to just flipping and pitching, however. Stone loves chunking shallow crankbaits, which has allowed him to experiment at length with red treble hooks. While effective, It’s not always as simple as throwing on some red trebles and going to town.

“If I’m throwing a squarebill that dives less than 5-feet deep, I always replace the front hook with a red treble hook,” Stone said. “I never put red hooks on the back because I want that big bass to attack the middle of the bait, giving me a great chance at getting a really solid hookup.”


Because bass can be triggered by a subtle flash of red like gills on a fish, red trailer hooks are outstanding on bladed baits, as well. When targeting sluggish shallow fish holding tight to cover, Stone uses red trailer hooks on his spinnerbaits and buzzbaits to give the bass a little extra “something” to hone in on.

Although he has had an enormous amount of success using red hooks, Stone believes that changing hook colors makes the biggest difference on bright, sunny days.

“The cloudier the day and the lower the light, the less that red is a factor,” Stone said. “For that light penetration to do what it’s supposed to do, you need to have a sunny day in order to get the maximum benefits from red hooks.”

The next time you are having a tough day on the water or getting a lot of short-strikes on a crankbait, switch to a red hook. While it may take some time to get confidence in it, you just might crack the code and enjoy some killer fishing. All it takes is one monster bass to make you a believer.

Editors Note: Be sure to follow manufacturer warnings on too much heat around plastic baits. Several baits don't deal well with heat. I like to put my crankbaits out in an open box on the porch rather than in a truck that is like a pressure cooker. You just want to sun bleach them, not cook them so to speak. We've not had a bait yet have problems but others have reported baits that have expanded and cracked due to heat.