Thank you for this episode. Temps have finally climbed above freezing in Indiana. Getting the shakes from wanting to set that hook. Love the Nikko Hellgrammite, which I learned about from you a few years back. I learn much from you about lures and techniques. Great channel. Greater fisherman. TLF
Winter mornings are mostly kinda gloomy around here, at least six out of seven are, then the seventh gets brightened up real good when you post one of your excellent videos -- and take us along with you! Thanks again, Matt! We used to use live hellgrammites quite a bit. We rake them out of the river and catch them in a net. An older gentleman who taught me quite a bit about fishing showed me how to hook and fish them. He used to keep them under his hat when we waded the river!
Your own personal customization of some of your lures is very impressive. Plus, I really enjoy,(as I’m sure many others do as well), your “exited calmness” let’s call it. You never get over the top crazy whenever you tie onto a sizable fish. Again, nice job,Matt. HAPPY GROUND HOG DAY!!
Love seeing you catch bass from under the shore grasses. My dad always cast into small holes as we wadded, fully expecting a bass to bite. Now he's gone, and I do the same with high expectations that a bass is lingering. With substantial success. Your video series are classic river and creek bass fishing. Thanks much.
You haven’t lived until you’ve worked in a fishing store and had someone come in asking “hey, does you’s guys sell dem…whatchamacallit….helmagranites??”
It’s so easy to tell when you really love a program when ‘you’ say it’s time to end and I think…”wait, we’ve just started.” I love fishing. 😃 And it seems I love fishing by proxy too. Funny, never found that in other programs. No hubbub in your program. It’s just let’s get fishing. It’s like we two have just quietly hit the river to fish. Thanks for the fishing adventure. Amanda 🎀
It's so relaxing and calming your videos are the best. I live in Mexico City and here is always running and running and the security is awful these days we don't have time for nothing. Seeing your videos with all that nature you have is spectacular so relaxing your videos are
I rig the 3” Nikko hellgrammite in a similar way, except I Texas rig a size 1 or 1/0 Gamakatsu g-lock worm hook and with the weight at the bottom. The contours of the bait run perfectly along the slightly upturned hook point in this configuration, and when the bait runs up the line after a catch, you can pull the line with one hand and the weighted end of the bait with the other and the hook will just snap right back into place. Cool to see the different ways people rig them. Thanks for the great video!
I love the Nikko 4.25” also. Your rigging method is called tiny child. My fave way to finesse fish smallies. I also use the ZMan TicklerZ in California craw patten rigged tiny child. Another smallie slayer.
Those bass were really beautiful looking 👀 fish 🎣. They all had really good color to them. Thank you for taking me along, it’s the best way to start the day!
The pure serenity of that intro paddle... These are the nuggets of warmth that help get us through the long cold winters. Matt, I would watch a full video of you just paddling in silence.
I actually filmed a half hour paddle across the lake on this morning I planned on uploading, but the first ten minutes or so as I started it was just starting to get light on the horizon and the GoPro doesn’t do that great in low light. The footage is always dark and a little shaky, I think the shake reduction turns off below a certain light level. I might still upload it though.
@ndyakangler In my personal fishing adventures, those quiet pre-dawn paddles are sometimes worth more than a whole day of fishing. If you ever upload videos like that, I imagine there's a niche group of viewers who would enjoy warching them. Myself included.
This is from September, I just don’t have time to edit the four videos a week I film that time of year. I save some footage for winter so I don’t have to post 26 videos in a row of ice fishing panfish.
I guess my attempt at sarcasm or joking isn't too good, sorry. I know where you're located, and thanks so much for saving some warm weather footage for us. Keep em coming, man!
@@StonerCreek74 Lol I confuse a lot of people with these old uploads so I’m never quite sure. Definitely looking forward to some warm days on the river again though!
I have several hundreds of dollars of lures. You name it and I probably have one of them. What I have found is that each and every one of them is AMAZING at catching bass fishermen. Bass? Hit or miss. I never take them with me anymore, no matter the time of year. I fish two baits. In streams and rivers (anything with moving water), I fish Yum hellgrammites in Copper Creek color on a 1/15 oz Zman Bullet Finesse Jig head. In lakes, I fish smoke pearl jam Yum Dingers on a 4/0 AWG hook weightless except in winter I add a nail weight to get it down deeper/faster. I catch every time while my buddies spend all day trying to outthink the bass.
These are my best lures for a couple summers now. I use the 4.25 in deep water and the 3 inch in the shallows. On par with ned rigs. Amazing fish catching machines.
A Fantastic video!! It made my Saturday morning, if didn't have to work today, I would be down on the Rappahannock or Rapidan river here in Virginia. I was wondering what river you are fishing, it's beautiful, and a lot of green vegetation for February. Sure looking forward to more of your videos!!
Bro imma true blue collar confederate flag flying dog huntin God fearing country boy from North Florida and let me tell ya you've inspired me to get a dang kayak and leave everything behind! Lol good job my friend good job
This is freaky. The first minute or so, it reminded me of a video from a few years ago( was planning on scrolling through old videos) where the rapid extended across the entire river. Can't recall what you were throwing then, but i had commented that i would have worked the whole thing quarter casting up river with a top water. And low and behold, i'd bet all my fishing gear(or maybe a $1) that this is that spot !! Too cool !
I fish this spot at least a couple times a year. I have another video from this stretch hammering a ton of fish with a wacky worm I haven’t uploaded yet either.
I definitely need to take a trip to thw northern plain states. He's consistently fishing some of the nicest waterways. I'm over here in the mid-atlantic and have to deal with crowds and trash.
Hi Matt, You've had your Tarpon 120 for a long time and it has served you well. If you had to replace it, would you get another Tarpon 120? Thanks for the work you do to provide us with such entertaining fishing adventures!
Found your channel and have been “binge watching” videos from up to 7 years ago. Very entertaining and informative.been taking notes and buying some of baits and things that bring you results for my upcoming smallmouth crusade in June on Elk Lake in upper Michigan and just general fishing in the lake that I live on in SW Michigan. I’ve seen a couple videos where you saved some Crappies, Perch, etc. for the frypan. what about Smallmouth? I’ve had them and they’re delicious. Your thoughts? Thanks for some great fishing!
Not very often. Most of the fish hide around shoreline structure where trolling won’t get near them. I covered about four miles of water getting to and from this spot. I could have trolled it and spent several hours for a fish or two, or head straight to productive areas where I cast and catch fish every ten minutes.
The camo boonie hat I got at Fleet Farm about ten years ago. It has a National Geographic tag but I haven’t been able to find another one Google searching it.
Hellgrammites in their final form is straight nightmare fuel!! But honestly I don’t think there’s a better bait for smallies. C’mon springtime!! Another 8 inches in Buffalo last night we had to plow off😠
Good to know that you also snag. I thought you can avoid that with Kayak as you can just pedal over... I mostly lose baits to snagging on rocks or plants
I use a similar technique for some z-man and mule plastics. The Z-man hook keepers are engineered really well to grab on to any kind of super stretchy plastics.
Curious about your setup. I think I'd use a spinning rod and slightly less weight . Maybe more weight for the faster current but definitely a spinning outfit.
Matt. How far upstream are you able to paddle/wade on a trip like that?? I've done a couple of miles during lower flow rates. I think that's pushing it though for my 74 year old bones. L. O. L. Thanks.
Niko hellgrammite has been my #1 plastic for about a decade now -- have not yet tried the 4.25", probably because I have so many of the original size floating around in all my tackle cases. They last forever! The plastic seems tougher than even ZMan elaZtech.
Matt, I got good news and bad news. The good news is, you posted another great video with a lot of fish. The bad news is, your channel has been infected by s3x bots. I reported 3 of them.
And the salad? You were in some thick stuff there. Home is a fast river with some debris and weeds galore. Very new to the sport. Tried top water. Would never dare cast where you were wading.
Love how simple your kayak setup is (no electronics or a bunch of extra gadgets) and you still catch tons of fish.
My buddy just started making some of these. They’re gonna be GREAT. Good stuff Matt!
Thank you for this episode. Temps have finally climbed above freezing in Indiana. Getting the shakes from wanting to set that hook. Love the Nikko Hellgrammite, which I learned about from you a few years back. I learn much from you about lures and techniques. Great channel. Greater fisherman. TLF
Winter mornings are mostly kinda gloomy around here, at least six out of seven are, then the seventh gets brightened up real good when you post one of your excellent videos -- and take us along with you! Thanks again, Matt!
We used to use live hellgrammites quite a bit. We rake them out of the river and catch them in a net. An older gentleman who taught me quite a bit about fishing showed me how to hook and fish them. He used to keep them under his hat when we waded the river!
THERAPY TIME 😊😊
Me too
Real therapy😂
My actual therapy 😭
Frrr
I know you hold some of these back over the summer, and I know I'm not the only one who appreciates it. Can't wait for springtime.
Your own personal customization of some of your lures is very impressive.
Plus, I really enjoy,(as I’m sure many others do as well), your “exited calmness” let’s call it. You never get over the top crazy whenever you tie onto a sizable fish. Again, nice job,Matt.
HAPPY GROUND HOG DAY!!
Amazing smallie action😎 and gorgeous river
Such a beautiful river! What a dream stream 🎣 you ever get out there on the fly rod?
Good morning from Canada !
I watch Richard Gene the fishing machine for excitement and NDYak for relaxation. Love the content, please keep them coming. Shout out from from KY.
Great combo
**Cries in Michigan Winter** Two more months ...two more months 🎣
For real!!!
Same here in NW OHIO !
I feel you over here in WI brother!
Right there with ya!!
saginasty here
...sure have some scenic panoramas...make fishing worth it all.
The Mr. Rodgers of fishing, man. So relaxing and always an awesome way to start a Saturday morning!
Love the Hellgermite!! Nice catch 👍
Love seeing you catch bass from under the shore grasses.
My dad always cast into small holes as we wadded, fully expecting a bass to bite.
Now he's gone, and I do the same with high expectations that a bass is lingering. With substantial success.
Your video series are classic river and creek bass fishing. Thanks much.
You haven’t lived until you’ve worked in a fishing store and had someone come in asking “hey, does you’s guys sell dem…whatchamacallit….helmagranites??”
It’s so easy to tell when you really love a program when ‘you’ say it’s time to end and I think…”wait, we’ve just started.” I love fishing. 😃 And it seems I love fishing by proxy too. Funny, never found that in other programs. No hubbub in your program. It’s just let’s get fishing. It’s like we two have just quietly hit the river to fish. Thanks for the fishing adventure.
Amanda 🎀
It's so relaxing and calming your videos are the best. I live in Mexico City and here is always running and running and the security is awful these days we don't have time for nothing. Seeing your videos with all that nature you have is spectacular so relaxing your videos are
I live in Cuernavaca and go to DF a couple of times a month. Never seen much of a security issue other than the normal stuff.
I rig the 3” Nikko hellgrammite in a similar way, except I Texas rig a size 1 or 1/0 Gamakatsu g-lock worm hook and with the weight at the bottom. The contours of the bait run perfectly along the slightly upturned hook point in this configuration, and when the bait runs up the line after a catch, you can pull the line with one hand and the weighted end of the bait with the other and the hook will just snap right back into place. Cool to see the different ways people rig them. Thanks for the great video!
"Looks fishy" is an understatement. Current, grassy banks, and a ton of weeds; I'd say that wading section was an 11/10 on the "looks fishy" scale! :)
I love the Nikko 4.25” also. Your rigging method is called tiny child. My fave way to finesse fish smallies.
I also use the ZMan TicklerZ in California craw patten rigged tiny child. Another smallie slayer.
I just joined the Nikko Team but I've been using them for years. Best soft plastic I've ever used
Man, nothing better than smallies. Theyre pound for pound the best fighting fish in north america.
Happy February !
"One of my favorite stretches of river"-me too and I don't even know where it is.
Good stuff as always; just like the 478k subs reflect. 👍
Trout love them, too! And I love your channel! Keep up the great work!
THE BEST FISHING YTUBER IS BACK
Always makes me relaxed.
its almost spring i’m
excited!
Cast therapy. Thanks to Nodak, those Niko hellies are my go-to softy for smallies.. Thanks for teaching Nodak....
Those bass were really beautiful looking 👀 fish 🎣. They all had really good color to them. Thank you for taking me along, it’s the best way to start the day!
Nice! I’ve never seen one of those, from the thumbnail I thought it was a stonefly but it’s pretty big and kinda looks like a small centipede
I speak for all 478k of your subscribers: we envy your life.
The pure serenity of that intro paddle...
These are the nuggets of warmth that help get us through the long cold winters.
Matt, I would watch a full video of you just paddling in silence.
I actually filmed a half hour paddle across the lake on this morning I planned on uploading, but the first ten minutes or so as I started it was just starting to get light on the horizon and the GoPro doesn’t do that great in low light. The footage is always dark and a little shaky, I think the shake reduction turns off below a certain light level. I might still upload it though.
@ndyakangler In my personal fishing adventures, those quiet pre-dawn paddles are sometimes worth more than a whole day of fishing. If you ever upload videos like that, I imagine there's a niche group of viewers who would enjoy warching them. Myself included.
Can’t wait for spring here in Ohio
@@ThomasCornellmusic same here...ice is starting to melt finally
Hellgramites are the absolute best live bait for a river. Obviously a great lure as well.
Leeches are another...i think Berkley made a leech soft plastic...great for creeks/rivers
@@andybales7318 and so does Nikko!😊
@@ArtClassShankjust saw them...look good, I think i might buy a few packs..have u used them?
Your rigging technique is so clever
Love it...
Still got a ways to go up north....this gets me itchin to go
Nice to see you going sport mode in the river 🤘
I'm very jealous of the weather up his way this time of year! It must be nice!
This is from September, I just don’t have time to edit the four videos a week I film that time of year. I save some footage for winter so I don’t have to post 26 videos in a row of ice fishing panfish.
I guess my attempt at sarcasm or joking isn't too good, sorry. I know where you're located, and thanks so much for saving some warm weather footage for us. Keep em coming, man!
@@StonerCreek74 Lol I confuse a lot of people with these old uploads so I’m never quite sure. Definitely looking forward to some warm days on the river again though!
Most underrated smallmouth bait ever
Made me feel so warm on this February day! ♥
I have several hundreds of dollars of lures. You name it and I probably have one of them. What I have found is that each and every one of them is AMAZING at catching bass fishermen. Bass? Hit or miss. I never take them with me anymore, no matter the time of year. I fish two baits. In streams and rivers (anything with moving water), I fish Yum hellgrammites in Copper Creek color on a 1/15 oz Zman Bullet Finesse Jig head. In lakes, I fish smoke pearl jam Yum Dingers on a 4/0 AWG hook weightless except in winter I add a nail weight to get it down deeper/faster. I catch every time while my buddies spend all day trying to outthink the bass.
These are my best lures for a couple summers now. I use the 4.25 in deep water and the 3 inch in the shallows. On par with ned rigs. Amazing fish catching machines.
Can’t wait for spring fishing over here in Canada
I feel this.
Same... bass opening season was legendary this year
As good as you are if that HELGGIE bites you, you’ll be niko rigged 😂
They are monsters.
A Fantastic video!! It made my Saturday morning, if didn't have to work today, I would be down on the Rappahannock or Rapidan river here in Virginia. I was wondering what river you are fishing, it's beautiful, and a lot of green vegetation for February. Sure looking forward to more of your videos!!
This was filmed in Minnesota last summer. It’s pretty icy out there right now.
@@ndyakangler Oh okay, lolol!!!
Bro imma true blue collar confederate flag flying dog huntin God fearing country boy from North Florida and let me tell ya you've inspired me to get a dang kayak and leave everything behind! Lol good job my friend good job
Nice fish! Thanks for sharing!!
This is freaky. The first minute or so, it reminded me of a video from a few years ago( was planning on scrolling through old videos) where the rapid extended across the entire river. Can't recall what you were throwing then, but i had commented that i would have worked the whole thing quarter casting up river with a top water. And low and behold, i'd bet all my fishing gear(or maybe a $1) that this is that spot !! Too cool !
I fish this spot at least a couple times a year. I have another video from this stretch hammering a ton of fish with a wacky worm I haven’t uploaded yet either.
@@ndyakangler Thanks Matt. Keep up the great work here. Sincerely hope all is going well.
I definitely need to get some of these baits to try.
I definitely need to take a trip to thw northern plain states. He's consistently fishing some of the nicest waterways. I'm over here in the mid-atlantic and have to deal with crowds and trash.
This looks like an EXCELLENT Trout River!!!
No trout unfortunately
I like your rigging idea.
Thank you !!!
Great show tks for sharing 😊
Thanks for the best therapy session
Man nothing beats waking up to NDYak new video with a fat bowl and a brew 👌
Nice catches
Colder than Eskimo pies over here. But I'm getting ready.
Absolutely beautiful!!
Great job
It’s the Bass Master!!
Hi Matt,
You've had your Tarpon 120 for a long time and it has served you well. If you had to replace it, would you get another Tarpon 120? Thanks for the work you do to provide us with such entertaining fishing adventures!
I’m not a fan of the new version of the Tarpon without a center hatch. The Hobie Quest is about as close as I’ve seen to the old ones.
Great video
Woohoo 🎉 🎣
Come on spring 🌱
I bought those after watching another video where you used them. Caught 50+ bass in 3 hrs.
A wonderful break from all the plane crashes! 😢
I have yet to fish helgramites up by me I’ll have to try them in spring.
Found your channel and have been “binge watching” videos from up to 7 years ago. Very entertaining and informative.been taking notes and buying some of baits and things that bring you results for my upcoming smallmouth crusade in June on Elk Lake in upper Michigan and just general fishing in the lake that I live on in SW Michigan. I’ve seen a couple videos where you saved some Crappies, Perch, etc. for the frypan. what about Smallmouth? I’ve had them and they’re delicious. Your thoughts? Thanks for some great fishing!
Good fishing spot... 💚
OMG have all my BABIESSSS!!!!
Ew
新年快乐！我是来自中国的粉丝
Matt do you ever troll while you’re paddling a distance? Always wanted to ask that. Excellent vid as always. Thanks for taking us along.
Not very often. Most of the fish hide around shoreline structure where trolling won’t get near them. I covered about four miles of water getting to and from this spot. I could have trolled it and spent several hours for a fish or two, or head straight to productive areas where I cast and catch fish every ten minutes.
Global warming has hit hard in Northern Minnesota/North Dakota area! Open water and greenery in January? 😂 Also, loved the white water!
What shoes do you wear for wading in the river? Love the videos
I wear Astral Loyaks.
Open water or frozen water, videos are all fun to watch
Had two 40+ degree days in Minnesota and I went looking for open water 😂 I need summer asap.
Another excellent video. I was watching another one of your vids; where did you get your camo hat? thanks.
The camo boonie hat I got at Fleet Farm about ten years ago. It has a National Geographic tag but I haven’t been able to find another one Google searching it.
Hellgrammites in their final form is straight nightmare fuel!! But honestly I don’t think there’s a better bait for smallies. C’mon springtime!! Another 8 inches in Buffalo last night we had to plow off😠
A live hellgrammite under a float is the most effective thing I've ever used for river bass. catches a lot of channel cats and rock bass too.
I am going fishing as soon as I get back from my California trip
Good to know that you also snag. I thought you can avoid that with Kayak as you can just pedal over... I mostly lose baits to snagging on rocks or plants
Most of the time I can get to the snags but I lost one behind a boulder with some fast current moving by it.
It happens. When bait is 25 USD+ it hurts a bit more 😊
GREAT way to weight that bait...👍 would never have thought of that
I use a similar technique for some z-man and mule plastics. The Z-man hook keepers are engineered really well to grab on to any kind of super stretchy plastics.
I miss my home there😢
Curious about your setup. I think I'd use a spinning rod and slightly less weight . Maybe more weight for the faster current but definitely a spinning outfit.
What shoes/waders are you using?
I have Astral Loyaks. I prefer their Brewers but they quit making them in a color that goes with the rest of my fishing clothes.
Matt. How far upstream are you able to paddle/wade on a trip like that?? I've done a couple of miles during lower flow rates. I think that's pushing it though for my 74 year old bones. L. O. L. Thanks.
It’s about a two mile paddle across a lake to the start of the river then I fish about another mile up.
Niko hellgrammite has been my #1 plastic for about a decade now -- have not yet tried the 4.25", probably because I have so many of the original size floating around in all my tackle cases. They last forever! The plastic seems tougher than even ZMan elaZtech.
awesome
Where are they sold?
I always get them off Amazon. Some smaller tackle shops carry them, probably more so on the east coast.
@ndyakangler I doubt that Wal mart has them
8:08 thats why i use ned rigs lol
They make weights that screw in probably a little better than clipping off a hook.
Should I use a piece of shrink wrap on these ?
On a baitcaster, I use mono backing then braid. Should I put more mono for leader?
I usually go with 15lb braid to 12lb fluoro for a leader.
What connection knot do you use for braid to leader?
I use an Albright knot.
@@ndyakangler thanks
I'm inviting you to join me for an awesome day of smallmouth fishing Lake Michigan on Memorial weekend.
Matt, I got good news and bad news.
The good news is, you posted another great video with a lot of fish.
The bad news is, your channel has been infected by s3x bots. I reported 3 of them.
Yeah I think any channel with a decent following gets them.
take me fishing please.
How are you not pulling up massive salad and not getting snagged?
I lost one plastic to a snag but I can usually wade or kayak up to whatever I’m hooked on.
And the salad? You were in some thick stuff there. Home is a fast river with some debris and weeds galore. Very new to the sport. Tried top water. Would never dare cast where you were wading.