Tactical Bassin

I am getting to the point of thinking everything Matt and Tim do never work on the lakes I fish. I think their site is pretty informative and all but how many of you all have really had any luck with using their technics?
I have tried a few of them because it seemed like they were catching a good amount of fish in certain type situations where I struggle with. I still struggled when i used their technics. I tend to think it's just me be terrible at fishing those certain lures.
What i have found is they have opened up some new technics that I needed more information about and how and why to fish them.

It works, I just think the small details they know and having the confidence they do in what they are doing is key. It's hard to gain that confidence but when you do it definitely improves your success with a bait or technique

I used to have a friend with a 10 acre lake out in Boyd. Anytime I was learning a new technique or had a new lure to try, I would go out there and at least catch a few while playing around with it. Made all the difference in the world because I would then go out to a full size lake with at least a little bit if confidence knowing I had caught some on that bait before. Mentally its very difficult to try a brand new technique with zero experiential confidence. I sure miss that lake out in Boyd.

I agree getting confidence in a bait or technique is what makes it a great thing for you. I have a large pond close by that I test my ideas/lures on. I know I will catch fish so that starts the confidence thing.

I agree getting confidence in a bait or technique is what makes it a great thing for you. I have a large pond close by that I test my ideas/lures on. I know I will catch fish so that starts the confidence thing.

Back when Squaw Creek kept their end of the bargain, you could take a lot of these techniques, and really any for that matter, out there to practice and hone in on.

Don't forget, we only see a glimpse of what they are doing. They have days just like us where fishing sucks and they do show that sometimes but we don't see all the downtime between fish either.

Great point.

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Easiest lake on the planet to catch fish before it got raped

I love Tacticalbassin, my wallet, not so much , .

for how often they post....i bet these guys are on them more then they arent.

Tactical and bigbassdreams are 2 of the channels made by guys who just flat out catch them! I wish Tim and Matt would fish some opens or team events. oliver ngy didnt do the worst. no trophy but i think he had a couple decent showings. These guys are kinda like wheeler....just a better fisherman than all of us even on our best day. They definitely have that feel for the water thats only gained with experience and experimentation.

Funny to hear you talk about all the techniques not working.....since they were pegged as only big bait/swimbait guys as recent as a few years ago. these guys are tackle addicts that just have the feel to make most everything work.

Their techniques definitely work but what gets me is the timeline on their videos. For example I remember a video / article they put out about fishing that last full moon before the true post spawn begins. Well, when they posted it I checked the moon phase and it had already passed. I know they shoot video and then edit before posting but I feel like I’m missing something. Also, they’ll put out videos that say “you need to fish these baits right now on these bodies of water” and they’ll break it down by reservoir, River, highland etc… and I’ll take those baits to the corresponding body of water and don’t have success on THOSE techniques but others produce. I know certain baits work better under certain conditions but I see the success they have, then when it doesn’t work for me I feel like I did it wrong and can’t figure it out.

I try not to take everything they say as the”gospel”, what I try to take from their videos is maybe a different way to fish a certain lure. So far most of what they provide has not been very successful. It may for others but I’ve not had much success in translating what they say and do into me catching more fish.
I’m sure TackleWarehouse appreciates what they do since they link their lures and equipment to their site for purchase.

yep same here

I've had more success integrating tips they've shared on techniques/approaches/lures that I was already at least somewhat comfortable with than the ones that are totally new to me. And I'm sure that the tips that didn't work for me were due to my inexperience or mis-application more than it just not being sound advice. Their videos are great study material.

Not sure how they came to prominence but I do like their channels. Lots of great content. However you can put the same complete setup ( lure, rod, reel, line) in two anglers hands in the same boat and one guy just isn’t going to catch. That’s just fishing. Confidence, personal touch, and focus is everything. You gotta learn from them but then find out how it works for you.

Some techniques work on some lakes, but not on others.

I can't get bit on Lewisville with a big spoon. I don't know anyone who can either.

TB guys post up some good stuff. Keep in mind that in a 20 min video, if you are talking about baits, showing underwater clips of the lure in action, showing rigging tips, you don't have to catch many fish to make it look like you crushed them.

All lures are tools. It is up to you to make sure you're not trying to use a phillips-head screwdriver when a 7 mm open end would work better for that particular situation. Those are the kind of things that only come with time spent on the water.

I think you nailed it when you mention "integrating" since I think that is key. Dont just do what they do cuz they do it.....do what they do.....in a situation (structure, cover, water temp, season etc) that youve encountered at your home lake or while out fishing. Then test that out to see if you have success.

For example....drop shot is the worst technique ever, but that thing gets bit. Not a flat worm fan or a senko fan while drop shotting and got tired of roboworm all the time. Watched their underwater videos where they were talking about the BBB smallie smashers....and just what they were saying about why they like the smallie smasher clicked in my head for being applicable to what I fish. And yup....drop shot still sucks...but those smallie smashers get bit like a mofo in my dirty water!

So its cool to just flat out experiment with something they mention that youve never considered....but not experiments succeed. But when you see those guys...pay attention when they fish something that youve encountered, and see how they approach it to try for yourself next time you approach a similar situation. Like was mentioned confidence is key......i think subconsciously we get to thinking "well if tacticalbassin is catching them in the exact scenario im in, then I can do it" where if youre trying something brand new that really doesnt jive with your conditions I think you have more of a "YOLO lets hope for the best" type feel while fishing it....and that confidence/perspective difference does make a difference imo.

I been skunked texas rigging a craw toooooooo many times, just to switch up to my confidence craw and end the skunk shortly after to not strongly believe confidence is key.



they came to prominence by being big bait/swimbait guys from Cali who smashed DDs with seemingly no effort. got the haters that said they were "only big bait guys" and I think thats what lit the fire under TB for them to pivot to the videos they pump out now where its pretty much everything they cover.

“they came to prominence by being big bait/swimbait guys from Cali who smashed DDs with seemingly no effort. got the haters that said they were "only big bait guys"
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Why is it if you find something you disagree or have a different opinion…you are now called a “hater”. Is this the new click word? Reminds me of people that are now called a racist because they might think giving trillions of dollars out to free loaders is a bad thing.
I have many different opinions or my take on things of people but I do not hate anything or anyone. Hate is a very strong word. I seriously don’t anyone really hates Tim and Matt.

Why is it that anytime you use the word "hater" people think that you are merely describing a difference of opinion? Does the word trigger some people too much because maybe they over generalize things and like to argue semantics?

When I say "haters that said they were only big bait guys" I didnt mean that there was any sort of difference of opinion or any form of disagreement. I mean that there was jealously, rumbling and smack talk that Tim and Matt were only able to catch fish on big swimbaits. Hate is a very strong word. What word do you feel is a better fit when people create rumors, talk smack and do things like that to discredit ones accomplishments since hater didnt do it for you?

Dissent , differ, disagree, oppose, maybe……

Something you need to remember with regards to throwing swimbaits-in California the primary forage on many lakes
are stocked rainbow trout. So swimbaits do a very good job of matching that forage. On Texas lakes you don't have that.

Swimbaits are and have been one of the biggest sellers in Texas tackle shops and from online shops for the past 3-5 years. The numbers sold here are insane. They work extremely well in Texas. It's not just a out clear water, trout and West Coast any longer.

Whatever....youre just a hater!





The tacticalbassin guys always say to use trout colors too like the lite trout because they will get bit. i know lots of guys still chuck hudds...and those things are trout imo. We are slowly evolving...especially when it comes to swimbaits. People like the TB guys were kinda on the cutting edge in that they were fishing it in places whre you wouldnt expect it to work

I've known Matt since he was a teenager and I've met Tim a couple of times when he worked for CA Fish and Game. Tim's background is definitely finesse tournament fishing but he is exceptionally adept at throwing swimbaits. Anyone who knows Matt personally or who has ever hired him as a guide knows he was never just a swimbait guy. He's one of the most proficient big bait guys on the water anywhere but he has a wide array of presentation skill sets and uses them all to catch truly large bass. His success throwing swimbaits on his home lake (before he moved) had nothing to do with CA trout plantings...Clear Lake has never seen a trout.