Been cutting that front hook off for years in the winter. Not sure where I got that tip but it was in the 90’s . Absolutely makes more casts fishable! Great tips!
I've been cutting the hooks on all my square bills and lipless crankbaits for years after watching your video on it. I can throw it deep into a lay down and have confidence it's gonna come out. If i was losing a lot of fish, i wouldn't do it. When you're afraid to lose lures, you're gonna miss a lot more fish that never see it.
I have always used the Strike King 2 Tap with pretty good success, but this past spring I decided to try the new Graffiti Colors in the Booyah One Knocker. I learned really quick that the super sharp hooks that come with it isn't conducive for Smallies that slap the bait. I had to bend the hooks out a little on the water to try and get them to stick. Unfortunately doing that weakened the hook and lost 3 good fish when the points broke. Now I have 2 of each color one with the stock hooks then another that I changed with Owner Stinger 36 hooks. If they are swallowing it, I use the standard if there swiping, I use the St36. Made a big difference. If I need a silent bait, I just go with the Damiki vault.
I fish in a lot of grass & sometimes put my lipless down because it catches grass. Never thought about cutting the front hook. Going to try that tip. Thanks!
My early days of Bass fishing as a kid back in the late 1960s. My go to lures were Heddon Sonic , Bayou Boogie . Caught many Bass cast and retrieve . I still use lipless today more so late Sept going into the winter months. I have some JDM lipless that have a small willow leaf mounted to the body. Works will with a erratic retrieve and on a stall / fall. Never know anyone to cut off the front part of a terrible . But I’ve read and seen other lures that just use a single hook .. Salmon fisherman ? That Berkeley in your video is a killer looking bait. Thanks for posting today .
I had thought about cutting the hook before but had never heard of anyone actually doing it. I'm going to give it a try, now I'm wishing I had done it in the past. Sometimes following through with an idea is the hardest part. I really like using silent crank baits, sometimes it really makes all the difference. Great tips!!
I replace a lipless with a blade bait because I fish from shore, and a blade bait being a chunk of metal and so thin throws the furthest of any bait I've used. At least up North in the fall the fish all tend to move quite a ways off the bank and it's one of the only things I can throw to reach them. After a certain time I can't catch anything that isn't 40 feet from the bank. Live Target has a really good blade bait I like to use and comes with the double hook instead of trebles. I've never missed any fish with just the double hook.
Another great follow up bait is a damiki rig. 3/16ths head ,reel it fast and let it fall, on a 1st gen Jaw Dropper, add rod pops and fish it fast. That jighead with a scented jerk shad or my favorite- strike king baby z/too..is excellent for pitching laydowns… I find it way more productive than a jig. That little damiki rig combo is SERIOUSLY deadly if you put time in to working it effectively.
Fishing a tournament once in a pretty stout wind. I was killing the bass on a trap, actually won the event. Made a long cast onto a big grass flat and the wind gust blew my line up into a big birds nest. It took a couple of minutes to pick it out. Realizing the cast was wasted I yanked it up off the bottom and felt it loaded with grass. I just started winding it fast back to the boat. Long story a little less long, it wasn’t grass, a fish about 3.5 lbs. had picked it up off the bottom while it lay there. Of course it jumped and was gone. Traps can be a wonderful way to load the boat and they can also make you talk to yourself. 😂
Great tip cutting that front hook off. It works! I’ve caught lots of fish on my Bill Lewis traps doing that. I’m sure I have some catches in videos over the years with that front hook snipped off. Never have issues with that modification. Great vid!
I also followed your advice about the front treble hook and haven't seen a noticable difference in my fish catches, but have noticed I don't get hung up on rocks, weeds or wood which means I am also not losing baits. I do this on my square bills and even my jerk baits and bigger swim baits that I want to fish lower in the water column.
I love fall fishing with a lipless crank in the Fall. I use to throw a Cotton Cordell 1 oz. The Berkley Jack 8 I will need to try. I like the idea of following up with a top water on missed fish. Thanks Matt!
Nicely done Matt all add my 2 cents: don't forget lipless floating baits play with a little weight here or there and make them suspend the way you want them too you can make them go down slower or come up slower 👍
Down in North Carolina I work my Traps in all kinds of ways My best way was cast out start reeling then jerk the bait 3 times then let it drop I would do this all the way back to the boat......I would get hit on the drop...It was a killer way to catch fish...
I do a slightly different retrieve by doing a slow sweep after reeling and then stopping and letting it sink a little. They always ate it on the pause sink. I’m going to try your jerking method. Thanks brow. Btw, they were hitting that lipless almost every cast. 👍🏼🎣
for some reason a smallmouth love lipless especially when i drag it on sand and deflect of the rock. Gotta get myself some of the new berkley lipless for them big mama brown trouts and laker
Another tip for not snag in grass that I use besides cutting the front hook is replace the back hook for a inline single hook. I've been doing this for a long time here in Brazil and I don't miss much fish doing that.
later in the year i like using a lipless and just jig it up and down. just cast it out let it fall to the bottom and lift the rod to about the 11 or 12 oclock. then just lower the rod reeling in the slack. repeat until the bait is close to the bank or boat. caught a lot of bass from my pond in the fall that way.
Been in the high 40 low 50 at night here in vermont and water temps where still 77 last night. Was throwing a lipless alot but didnt even get a slap...lol. did get a couple on drift walker but that was it. Basically junk fishing month for me but the trees are changing and the turnover is happening or coming soon
2:40 nah.. not against the norm.. on the big river for agressive smallmouth, if I get nipped on a crank, lipless, or miniMAX (which isn’t often I miss them on a miniMAX, i do SO much damage on trophy smallmouth on that lure and they usually come back for it) but IF it happens, i follow up with a Sammy100 or a sexy dawg jr. I prefer the sammy100 or even the gunfish115 by lucky craft, you can work them really aggressively and fast then really slow them down and either way the action is just more effective. Good tip Matt. Another good follow up bait is a damiki rig on a 1st gen Jaw Dropper worked aggressively and it pops side to side kinda like a Finisher- but paired with a Baby Z/Too, the jaw dropper jighead just caught me a 24lb bag solely on that bait, 4 pounds came from the miniMAX .
Thank you for the advice but i want to get your advice so i have been thinking about trying a float and fly as a co-angler what do you think about that and how do you think it would work or if it might not work what are your toughs thanks
🍺Multiple companies make twin treble hooks, they virtually eliminate “hook rash” and more effectively allow your baits to perform the way you mentioned in your video🤠.
I use the line through the body lipless crankbaits. take the back hook off. reduce the underbody hook to two or three sizes smaller. no weeds. bass cannot use the body for leverage to throw the hook with the line through the body lipless crankbait I . bounce all types of bottoms including logs and trees and not get stuck. when retrieving the head of the lipless is down and if you use a smaller main body treble without the rear treble hook almost perfectly weedless.. small hook has not reduced hook up. in fact, I lost a lot less fish with a smaller hook.
Been cutting that front hook off for years in the winter. Not sure where I got that tip but it was in the 90’s . Absolutely makes more casts fishable! Great tips!
Right on
I've been cutting the hooks on all my square bills and lipless crankbaits for years after watching your video on it. I can throw it deep into a lay down and have confidence it's gonna come out. If i was losing a lot of fish, i wouldn't do it. When you're afraid to lose lures, you're gonna miss a lot more fish that never see it.
That is awesome!
I have always used the Strike King 2 Tap with pretty good success, but this past spring I decided to try the new Graffiti Colors in the Booyah One Knocker. I learned really quick that the super sharp hooks that come with it isn't conducive for Smallies that slap the bait. I had to bend the hooks out a little on the water to try and get them to stick. Unfortunately doing that weakened the hook and lost 3 good fish when the points broke. Now I have 2 of each color one with the stock hooks then another that I changed with Owner Stinger 36 hooks. If they are swallowing it, I use the standard if there swiping, I use the St36. Made a big difference. If I need a silent bait, I just go with the Damiki vault.
Good tips thanks for sharing
I fish in a lot of grass & sometimes put my lipless down because it catches grass. Never thought about cutting the front hook. Going to try that tip. Thanks!
Give it a try
My early days of Bass fishing as a kid back in the late 1960s. My go to lures were Heddon Sonic , Bayou Boogie . Caught many Bass cast and retrieve . I still use lipless today more so late Sept going into the winter months. I have some JDM lipless that have a small willow leaf mounted to the body. Works will with a erratic retrieve and on a stall / fall. Never know anyone to cut off the front part of a terrible . But I’ve read and seen other lures that just use a single hook .. Salmon fisherman ? That Berkeley in your video is a killer looking bait. Thanks for posting today .
Good ones!
I had thought about cutting the hook before but had never heard of anyone actually doing it. I'm going to give it a try, now I'm wishing I had done it in the past. Sometimes following through with an idea is the hardest part. I really like using silent crank baits, sometimes it really makes all the difference. Great tips!!
Go for it!
Yes! Dragging the bottom is a great option you have with the trap. Got a lot of rock here in the Ozarks so that's a fun thing to try.
Good luck
Perfect timing on this video. Heading out this morning and plan on having a lipless tied on. I’ll definitely be putting these tips to work!
Good luck!
I replace a lipless with a blade bait because I fish from shore, and a blade bait being a chunk of metal and so thin throws the furthest of any bait I've used. At least up North in the fall the fish all tend to move quite a ways off the bank and it's one of the only things I can throw to reach them. After a certain time I can't catch anything that isn't 40 feet from the bank. Live Target has a really good blade bait I like to use and comes with the double hook instead of trebles. I've never missed any fish with just the double hook.
Good tip!
Another great follow up bait is a damiki rig. 3/16ths head ,reel it fast and let it fall, on a 1st gen Jaw Dropper, add rod pops and fish it fast. That jighead with a scented jerk shad or my favorite- strike king baby z/too..is excellent for pitching laydowns… I find it way more productive than a jig. That little damiki rig combo is SERIOUSLY deadly if you put time in to working it effectively.
Thanks for the tips!
Fishing a tournament once in a pretty stout wind. I was killing the bass on a trap, actually won the event. Made a long cast onto a big grass flat and the wind gust blew my line up into a big birds nest. It took a couple of minutes to pick it out. Realizing the cast was wasted I yanked it up off the bottom and felt it loaded with grass. I just started winding it fast back to the boat.
Long story a little less long, it wasn’t grass, a fish about 3.5 lbs. had picked it up off the bottom while it lay there.
Of course it jumped and was gone.
Traps can be a wonderful way to load the boat and they can also make you talk to yourself. 😂
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Matt for these tips, hitting a pond after work and I will give that a shot hoping for some tight lines 👍🏻🎣
Good luck!
Thank you for those tips , lipless are becoming on of my favorites baits ! 🎉
Mine too!
Great tip cutting that front hook off. It works! I’ve caught lots of fish on my Bill Lewis traps doing that. I’m sure I have some catches in videos over the years with that front hook snipped off. Never have issues with that modification. Great vid!
Good stuff!
I also followed your advice about the front treble hook and haven't seen a noticable difference in my fish catches, but have noticed I don't get hung up on rocks, weeds or wood which means I am also not losing baits. I do this on my square bills and even my jerk baits and bigger swim baits that I want to fish lower in the water column.
Good stuff!
Thanks Matt for the follow up bait on a slapping fish on a lipless lure
Any time!
Great information. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
I love fall fishing with a lipless crank in the Fall. I use to throw a Cotton Cordell 1 oz. The Berkley Jack 8 I will need to try. I like the idea of following up with a top water on missed fish. Thanks Matt!
Sounds great!
Cutting the front hook off my treble hook has saved me so many baits from being lost. It's been a game changer for me on losing my baits.
Awesome
The lipless crank is a top 5 bait for me. Caught some major chunks over 25 years
Me too!
thanks for the tips and tricks. Have you announced where you will be fishing next year?
I have no idea yet
Thank you, good stuff
Glad you enjoyed it
Nicely done Matt all add my 2 cents: don't forget lipless floating baits play with a little weight here or there and make them suspend the way you want them too you can make them go down slower or come up slower 👍
Good call
Thanks.
You're welcome
gonna grab a couple for the Topwater Kayak League Championship on sunday.....
Thanks for the tips.
Have fun!
Down in North Carolina I work my Traps in all kinds of ways My best way was cast out start reeling then jerk the bait 3 times then let it drop I would do this all the way back to the boat......I would get hit on the drop...It was a killer way to catch fish...
I do a slightly different retrieve by doing a slow sweep after reeling and then stopping and letting it sink a little. They always ate it on the pause sink. I’m going to try your jerking method. Thanks brow. Btw, they were hitting that lipless almost every cast. 👍🏼🎣
Thanks for the tip on the front hook Matt 🎣 !! I’m always getting snagged 🎣🎣 always a pleasure watching your videos !🎣🎣
Thanks for sharing
for some reason a smallmouth love lipless especially when i drag it on sand and deflect of the rock. Gotta get myself some of the new berkley lipless for them big mama brown trouts and laker
Yes they do
great tip. you are awesome. thanks.
Happy to help!
3 days til northwoods! Gonna be in the 80s still tho. Hope I can get a good bite goin. Thanks for all the confidence
Good luck!
Thanks Matt
You bet
Another tip for not snag in grass that I use besides cutting the front hook is replace the back hook for a inline single hook. I've been doing this for a long time here in Brazil and I don't miss much fish doing that.
Great tip!
Thanks for the tips .... Makes scenes
You bet!
vertical jigging a lipless in 25' of water got me 2 nice smallmouth and 3 pike one day. that was the only time I ever tried that though.
Nice!
Your lure link goes to the Jack 8. Is that the size you use?
The 8 and the 6 are my preferred sizes
@@MattStefanFishing Thanks
All of August, it's been falling at night in New Jersey.
Thanks for sharing
later in the year i like using a lipless and just jig it up and down. just cast it out let it fall to the bottom and lift the rod to about the 11 or 12 oclock. then just lower the rod reeling in the slack. repeat until the bait is close to the bank or boat. caught a lot of bass from my pond in the fall that way.
Thanks for sharing
Been in the high 40 low 50 at night here in vermont and water temps where still 77 last night. Was throwing a lipless alot but didnt even get a slap...lol. did get a couple on drift walker but that was it. Basically junk fishing month for me but the trees are changing and the turnover is happening or coming soon
Fall is coming
How about throwing a lightly weighted swim bait in similar color scheme?
You can!
Great video
Thanks!
2:40 nah.. not against the norm.. on the big river for agressive smallmouth, if I get nipped on a crank, lipless, or miniMAX (which isn’t often I miss them on a miniMAX, i do SO much damage on trophy smallmouth on that lure and they usually come back for it) but IF it happens, i follow up with a Sammy100 or a sexy dawg jr. I prefer the sammy100 or even the gunfish115 by lucky craft, you can work them really aggressively and fast then really slow them down and either way the action is just more effective. Good tip Matt. Another good follow up bait is a damiki rig on a 1st gen Jaw Dropper worked aggressively and it pops side to side kinda like a Finisher- but paired with a Baby Z/Too, the jaw dropper jighead just caught me a 24lb bag solely on that bait, 4 pounds came from the miniMAX .
Thanks for sharing the info with us
Thank you for the advice but i want to get your advice so i have been thinking about trying a float and fly as a co-angler what do you think about that and how do you think it would work or if it might not work what are your toughs thanks
Go for it!
I love cutting the front treble! But wouldn't a heavy, thin lipless be a Blade bait?
It would work as well
🍺Multiple companies make twin treble hooks, they virtually eliminate “hook rash” and more effectively allow your baits to perform the way you mentioned in your video🤠.
Agreed
I use the line through the body lipless crankbaits. take the back hook off. reduce the underbody hook to two or three sizes smaller. no weeds. bass cannot use the body for leverage to throw the hook with the line through the body lipless crankbait I . bounce all types of bottoms including logs and trees and not get stuck. when retrieving the head of the lipless is down and if you use a smaller main body treble without the rear treble hook almost perfectly weedless.. small hook has not reduced hook up. in fact, I lost a lot less fish with a smaller hook.
Thanks for sharing
👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks for watching
🍺👍.
Cheers!
I suck at fishing a lipless! That said, I excel at fishing a blade bait… weird 🙄
Haha
Great tips! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video
Thanks!