I called in the big forces for this one, my good friend, Brian Latimer, Bassmaster Northern Open and Rayovac pro. Brian said he could teach me a few tricks to help my game and score me that big fish, despite the hot temperatures.

1. Go to places you don’t normally go.

Chasing top water fish on the lake is common knowledge, especially on the Savannah River chain, and it is to ensure some solid catches. To catch fish you don’t normally catch, you must fish places you don’t normally fish. Try fishing in the very back of a creek arm, where the natural creek run-off flows. Often times, the fish lurking in these dark waters never leave the creek. They stay there along the shady banks, in the bushes or any brush. Bass are warm blooded creatures, When the water temperature rises these shallow fish get more active causing the fish to need to eat more. The dirty water in these feeder creeks usually indicates a flow of water, in turn generating the oxygen required to keep these fish stable and active.

2. Use a variety of baits.

Typically the most difficult part of catching these shallow fish is unmasking their location. Once you find those few creeks that are holding fish, you are then burdened with the task of deciphering what they want. Brian looks at it three ways: they either want it on top, in the middle, or flipping. When he’s planning for a trip to go beat the heat in the shades of the creek, he always has a frog, buzz bait, floating worm, and texas rig on the deck of the boat. As he hones in on the pattern, he will figure out just where in the water column these fish want the bait. Take notice of the forage in the creek, and be sure to look for shade, may flies and bream to try and match the hatch.

3. Quit adjusting your trailer and keep your bait in the water.

Fishing a creek bank infused with laydowns and overhanging branches can make for some interesting casting opportunities. Often times the fish are hiding deep inside an array of brush or behind the arms of an outstretched willow tree and the only way to reach that sweet spot is to skip your bait under. You will notice after a couple of skips, your trailer will be sliding down the hook and soon you’ll spend more time adjusting your hook than actually fishing. Try using a Chunk X Sling by tour Edge Lures, which holds the trailer on the bait skip after several brutal skips. Not only will it save you time but also money when you factor in the savings on trailer packs.

4. Long legs aren’t always a good thing.

As it skims across the water, the flappy appendeges on some trailers will slow the bait down. To solve this issue, choose a trailer with a long flat surface and with as few pieces to grab the water on a skip as possible. Brian will go so far as to cut the curly part of the legs off the trailer, leaving small, straight legs behind.

With both the right location and the right use of tackle, we finally bagged that big fish, and ended up cracking the 15lb mark that day, an admirable feat for me. By implementing these tips and tricks into your tackle box, my hopes are that you will as well. To achieve those things most people don’t normally achieve requires doing those things most people don’t normally do.

Fishing like everyone else, using the usual methods, will score you a catch like the rest of your friends, but learning to fish with strategy, precision and thought might just give you that catch you’ve held in your mind for years.

Good luck!

The time spent searching for the perfect honey hole or picking just the right lure seem negligible when a fish tugs heavily on my line. No matter how long it may take, the end result of an incredible catch keeps me coming back to my rod and the lake.

But, what if there was a way to reach this end result faster? What if there was less work and more thrills? What if there was a way to make the whole process more streamlined?

Fatsack Outdoors created an app to get you, the fisherman, to the thrill of a great catch as quickly as possible. With a touch of a button, the app records all of the important data including exact location, water temperature, weather, and time of day. A few additional swipes of the thumb allow you to input the specific lure, jig or bait used to catch the fish. Your specific analytics are stored on your phone and are made available to you at all times. As more and more of your personal data is stored, the app creates graphs to display your best days on the lake. This makes it easier for you to duplicate and recall exact details after a great day of fishing.

Gone are the days of outdated fishing journals and time spent writing statistics down by hand. No longer must anglers be forced to analyze their own data or recall details after a day where your thumb is raw from catching so many fish. Forget the struggle and frustration of trying to duplicate a day on the lake you can’t quite remember. With Fatsack, the data stays with you, on your phone, making it readily available at all times.

Advancements in technology, such as Fatsack Outdoors, change the way even the top notch fish. Pros, such as Jordan Lee and Matt Lee, have adopted this trend and are using the app to improve their own game. Not only are these Elite Series fisherman utilizing it to catch more fish, others such as Brandon Cobb of the FLW tour, and Brian Latimer are partnering with the company to produce video tutorials to be seen directly within the app. Yet again, these videos strive to teach you tips and techniques to make you a better fisherman.

As you continue to improve, Fatsack wants to be right there with you along the way, which is why the app contains a social media aspect called the Bragboard. It is our own in-app site that allows you to post photos of your catches and link the picture directly to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter showing off your angling skills.

Fatsack Outdoors, is available for both iPhone and Android and can be downloaded for free within the app store. As technology changes and improves, so does the sport of fishing and we strive to be with you along the way. Work less, fish more.