Four-Season Bass Fishing Secrets from Jaxton Orr

I am so grateful to have the ability to compete against so many outstanding anglers from all across the country. Throughout my journeys, I continually receive the question, “What special lure did you use to get them to bite?” Nine times out of ten, my answer is simply the Shock Blade Tungsten Knocker Football Jig made by Picasso Lures. The Tungsten Knocker catches fish throughout all four seasons, crystal clear to chocolate milk colored water and from the North all the way down to the South. Simply stated, it catches fish! The Tungsten Knocker comes in twenty different colors and a variety of sizes, which can all be utilized all year long. Here are a few tips and tricks on how to catch trophy bass all year long by targeting with the Shock Blade Tungsten Knocker Football Jig.


Winter
In the winter months, bass are very lethargic and tend to like a small presentation that is slowly retrieved. From the time that the ice is coming off until the water temperatures reach fifty degrees is an excellent time to slow roll a Tungsten Knocker along a deeper shoreline or even shallow sloughs. My absolute favorite color to throw in the early months is a ⅜ ounce Green Pumpkin Glimmer. I typically look for steep banks, structure, or even a visible weed line in deeper water (10-25 feet). No matter what time of the year I habitually trim the skirt of the Tungsten Knocker so it is the same length as the hook. Not only does that create a smaller presentation, but it also allows the trailer to move as freely as possible. When the water is cold and the fish are finicky, my “go to” trailer is a Zoom Speed Craw in the Green Pumpkin Magic color. This creates a perfect early crawfish presentation due to the skirt colors being lighter in colder water temperatures.
         

Spring
Spring is my absolute favorite time to fish a Tungsten Knocker. Bass get extremely aggressive as they feel, see, and hear the blade knocking off of the solid Tungsten jig head. In Spring, water temperatures in the Midwest vary from the low fifties all the way up to mid-sixties. When the fish are at their pre-spawn stage in their spawning cycle they are catchable anywhere from 2 feet to 25 feet of water. I have found that slow rolling a ⅜ ounce Bluegill Tungsten Knocker paired with a Green pumpkin magic Zoom Speed Craw directly above a weed line to be the most productive way to catch them in the spring. A “slow roll” refers to a painfully slow retrieve until you feel the weed line touch the jig. If the jig becomes caught in the weeds; just give it a gentle rip and continue the slow retrieve. Many times they will smack it when the bait is falling back down from the previous tug. If the lake you are fishing has docks, focus on the deeper docks as they always hold fish. I try to cast at the shoreline of the dock and slowly retrieve my bait along the bottom as it falls deeper and deeper all the way to the very end of the dock and more. The majority of the time there will be a hungry pre-spawn fish just waiting to chow!

Summer
As the scorching sun beats down during the summer months, the water temperatures rise. My favorite color to throw in summer season is BlueGill. Since the water is warmer and the fish are much more active I start using a Gary Yamamoto green pumpkin Zako as a trailer. This creates realistic bluegill and/or bream presentation. I often will switch to a Heavy Cover Tungsten Knocker as the weeds become fully grown. This Knocker has an unbreakable Nickel Titanium weed guard. One of the extraordinary things about the Tungsten Knocker is that it is very versatile and can be fished in several different ways.

During my summer tournaments, I periodically get the question, “How are you working the Tungsten Knocker? Jigging it? Cranking it in?” My most honest answer to this question is simply “both.” Typically, in the summer there will be a lot of fish that migrate to the deeper holes and ledges of certain bodies of water. The unique thing about the 97% Tungsten Football Jig head on the Knocker is that it allows the bait to stand upright and to be worked like a football jig. If there is a large dip or a ledge in a body of water, give a ½ ounce Tungsten Knocker a cast and just let it sink all the way to the bottom. Each time you “jig” it, the blade will vibrate so the jig is much more effective. For me, if it is a windy day, weed lines are key to me in the summer. I absolutely love to find a weed line in deep water and slow roll a Tungsten Knocker above it. Also, there will usually be a bunch of fish that stay up shallow in warmer water. Finding shallow weed flats and using a fast retrieve is another way to catch an abundance of bass! If I have thoroughly tried every tactic; I will find docks and first slow roll a Tungsten Knocker on either side of it and then do my best to get a good skip under if there is some vacancy between the dock and water; most likely a fish or two will bite.


As night tournaments become more and more popular during the summer months, the Tungsten Knocker is unreservedly the best go-to bait to use while night fishing. Picasso Lures has crafted an all-black model that works perfectly at night. When I do tournaments during the night, I always throw an all black Tungsten Knocker with a black and blue Yamamoto Zako as a trailer. During the nights, the bigger bass really love to cruise the shallows and feed on baitfish such as bluegill and shad. The Tungsten Knocker does an exemplary job of imitating a baitfish as it is moving through the shallows. When I show up to a lake during the night, I always try to stay between the 4-6 foot depth range. Night fishing is very simple and only consists of casting and retrieving...at least that is how I catch them! The blade creates excellent vibration and the all-black color creates an outstanding contrast in the water that attracts those nighttime GIANTS!
          

Fall
Autumn loops around and completes the four-season fishing circle and is another great opportunity to chuck a Tungsten Knocker. Naturally, in the fall, it tends to be a lot windier with water and air temperatures decreasing. Similar to spring, the fish are super hungry because they are trying to get stuffed before the onset of winter. I use a BlueGill Tungsten Knocker with either a Zoom Speed Craw in the green pumpkin magic or a Yamamoto Zako in a green pumpkin color. My favorite thing to do in the fall is to find submerged weed lines, deep or shallow, and keep a steady retrieve so my Knocker is barely above the weeds. If it is a windy day, the Tungsten knocker is the best choice for an outing on a new lake.
          

Are you ready to experience the results that the Picasso Shock Blade Tungsten Knocker Football Jig produces? I can attest that this jig has helped me catch so many tournament winning fish throughout the 2018 and 2019 seasons. It was originally created from the mind of Bassmaster Pro, Aaron Martens and Picasso Lures. The football jig head, which is made of 97% tungsten, allows this bait to be worked like a jig, but also reeled in like a spinnerbait. Either way, the Tungsten head allows for much vibration and sensitivity. I have caught many bass throwing a Tungsten Knocker against timber, riprap, above weeds and even suspending above a hard bottom. The Heavy Cover Tungsten Knocker is the ticket when fishing heavy weeds. The weed guard also prevents any possible hang-ups in structured areas. The Tungsten Knocker is available in every color imitation. These are fish producing lures and caught the majority of my 20+ inch fish this past year! In my opinion, Picasso Shock Blade Tungsten Knocker Football Jig is one of the best all-around baits in the fishing world!

Blog is written by bass angler Jaxton Orr.

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