Jason Christie's Old-School Approach Talk of the Bassmaster Classic

Oklahoma pro Jason Christie ended up one spot short of winning the 2016 Bassmaster Classic at Grand Lake, Okla., finishing second to fellow Oklahoman and Bassmaster Elite Series roommate Edwin Evers. Though he didn't win, Christie's old-school spinnerbait approach was the talk of the tournament, even among fellow competitors.

With the cold and muddy water, Christie wanted a bulky bait that he could fish slowly. He fished a 1-ounce BOOYAH Blade spinnerbait that he altered by replacing the single No. 5 Colorado blade with a huge No. 6 gold Colorado blade, and used the new YUM Pulse swimbait as a trailer.

"I used that combination because I wanted to increase the strike zone in that dirtier water," he said. "The fish couldn't see so well, so I wanted them to feel the bait."

Learn to fish topwaters better with Zell Rowland and IBASSIN

Tournament pro Zell Rowland is called Mr. Topwater. Learn from the master as he explains to IBASSIN.com how to become better at fishing a top water plug. Zell Rowland explains how to modify your baits for spring, summer or fall and how to adjust to changing water temperatures. He'll advises on how to get the best action from poppers, devil horse prop baits and spooks. Zell also explains how line size will change lure action.

Camrea at the Ready!

By Luigi De Rose

With every advancing season, anglers ready their tackle. At IBASSIN.com we are no different but we are getting more than our lures in order. This summer, IBASSIN will be hitting the water better equipped than ever before. Expect great quality videos with more inventive camera angles and sharper quality courtesy of my new camera arm.  Originally developed for Kayak anglers by RAM mounts, this set up should be a winner at retrieving the action as it happens, especially when teamed with my GoPro.

Good luck this weekend and expect some cool news to start leaking out from ICAST. I'm already got some juice from Live Target, Mustad hooks and Yum. Make sure to check in everyday!

Christie on Flipping

By I.M. Bradley

Any angler can go randomly flipping around grass or cover and catch a few bass. That should not surprise anyone, but why just settle for a few fish when you can catch more and better bass. The key to better flipping comes from knowing when to fish a quick-sinking lure or a slow-falling lure, and what to do after the lure settles to the bottom.

FLW Tour and B.A.S.S. professional angler Jason Christie always thinks flipping first when approaching a tournament. He’s so good at it, he even has a new signature series flipping rod coming out.

Christie has made his living fishing shallow.

Catching better bass for Christie comes down to how fast the lure falls, or “rate of fall.”

“For me, I pick the lure and weight by the water clarity,” he said. “The clearer the water; the faster I want the lure to fall.” 

Christie says that when fishing impoundments with gin clear water, like Beaver Lake and Table Rock, he wants a fast falling lure anytime the water temperature is more than 70 degrees. When water temperature gets very cold, however, he’ll begin considering a slower-sinking jig for his flipping.

The technique of flipping is done on a short line. With the reel in free spool and thumb holding the spool motionless, the angler takes the jig in his off hand (the one not holding the rod) and swings the rod to pendulum the bait toward a target in the cover, while removing the tension his thumb has been applying to the spool. The result is that the lure hits the target as quietly as possible, right in the face of the bass. Bass then strike the lure out of a feeding response or reaction strike. Christie believes that more than 75 percent of the strikes he gets while flipping are reaction strikes.

Skipping Doc(s)!

By L. Talyor

Dock after dock after dock -- all day long it was the same thing. Some of the docks had one bass under them and others had two or three. It was proving to be the best way to get a quality bite, but the technique required just the right touch.

“It’s like skipping rocks, only you are using a fishing pole and a lure,” said Beaver Lake fishing guide Brad Wiegmann.

The skipping technique is all about having the right angle. When skipping light lures it’s best to use a spinning rig. Leave about 14 inches from lure to the end of the rod, open the bail and bring the rod back parallel or slight pointing toward the water. Then, simply use a sidearm cast to skip the lure to its destination. It’s skipping a heavier lure with a baitcasting rig that gives some anglers fits.

“Put the reel on free-spool and use adequate force to swing the lure parallel to the water,” Wiegmann said. “After the lure stops, take your pocket knife and cut out the tangled mess. Retie and repeat, until you have no more over-priced fluorocarbon line on your reel. Lay down this pole and grab the next, and repeat the process until all the line is removed. At this point, it’s customary to say ‘the he#% with it,’ grab a topwater rod and go throw a Zara Spook.”

Pro Advice on Flipping

By I.M. Bradley

Any angler can go randomly flipping around grass or cover and catch a few bass. That should not surprise anyone, but why just settle for a few fish when you can catch more and better bass. The key to better flipping comes from knowing when to fish a quick-sinking lure or a slow-falling lure, and what to do after the lure settles to the bottom.

FLW Tour and B.A.S.S. professional angler Jason Christie always thinks flipping first when approaching a tournament. He’s so good at it, he even has a new signature series flipping rod coming out.

Christie has made his living fishing shallow.

Catching better bass for Christie comes down to how fast the lure falls, or “rate of fall.”

“For me, I pick the lure and weight by the water clarity,” he said. “The clearer the water; the faster I want the lure to fall.” 

Christie says that when fishing impoundments with gin clear water, like Beaver Lake and Table Rock, he wants a fast falling lure anytime the water temperature is more than 70 degrees. When water temperature gets very cold, however, he’ll begin considering a slower-sinking jig for his flipping.

The technique of flipping is done on a short line. With the reel in free spool and thumb holding the spool motionless, the angler takes the jig in his off hand (the one not holding the rod) and swings the rod to pendulum the bait toward a target in the cover, while removing the tension his thumb has been applying to the spool. The result is that the lure hits the target as quietly as possible, right in the face of the bass. Bass then strike the lure out of a feeding response or reaction strike. Christie believes that more than 75 percent of the strikes he gets while flipping are reaction strikes.