Andrew Ragas splits time between the Chicago area and Wisconsin's Northwoods. Based in Minocqua, WI, he specializes in trophy bass fishing and offers guided trips from May thru October. While big bass is the passion, he dabbles in multi-species as well. He may be visited online at www.northwoodsbass.com
During the past decade, I’ve prioritized learning and focusing my time on open water fishing tactics for smallmouth bass. Prior to then, this was something I hadn’t done much of. What spurred me to this was the realization of how lakes and smallmouth fisheries are cyclical and slowly evolving. Lakes that might have been
Frogs are fantastic baits in heavy vegetation. Utilizing a surface-running soft plastic frog around lily pads and atop mats of slop is exhilarating as bass come out of the water to engulf the lure. The distinctive feature of frogs is that their hooks and riggings are weedless and there are no protrusions or sharp
Opportunistic predators with voracious appetites, largemouth bass will eat whatever living creatures swim and slither atop matted weeds or across the lake’s surface. With our lakes gaining in weed cover and plant life, this spells success for anglers pursuing largemouths with reptile and amphibian baits.
It wanders erratically under a multitude of retrieve speeds and cadences. Its polycarbonate or circuit board lips are able to withstand the frequent punctures from digging into the hard, impenetrable lake bottom. Hook points may impressively dull in the process. Colliding into wood, rock, and boulder, its frivolous wobbling and vibration aided by noisy