Caught plenty of smaller bass with those hellgrammites. Glad you introduced them to many people. Never heard of them until you produced your first video showing them off.
Everything you presented is spot on. I had a smaller hellgramite lure from BassPro I had bought for trout fishing years ago. I broke it out recently and was getting lots of fish, bass, perch, panfish - but managed to shred every bit of plastic. They didn't hold up. I came across this video and decided to give the Nikko version a try. Wow - these things really hold up! I love this rig you demonstrate. I caught lots of smallmouth, never got snagged and my lure is as fresh as it was when I tied it on. I found that the fish did not hit it hard and I had to really pay attention. Gut hooking is never fun for catch and release! I fished it with mono and I will be switching to braid for next time. I ended up dragging the lure at a steady retrieve so they wouldn't have time to swallow the lure.
Hellgramites main habitat is a rocky stream bottom in a moving stream ,creek, or river. Here in Pennsylvania, my Grandfather and Dad used to catch and collect Hellgramites to fish both for Trout, and Smallmouth out of a local Limestone trout stream. Hellgramites have a 3-5 year life cycle. If you flyfish the wooly worm, and wool bugger imitate these nymphs. I really enjoyed this video and a new style of rigging. I am currently teaching a nephew and his son to fish conventionally. I started them worm and bobber on local ponds and lakes, they terrorized the bully sunfish and bluegills, next I took them to the Delaware River and had them wade and fish the channel for Smallmouth bass and possible striped bass....using shiners drifted. ..no dice switched to a Keitech 1/10 oz jig head and a 3" Keitech swimbait.....Smallmouth, Smallmouth, Smallmouth. I used a 1/4 round jig #2 hook and Mister Twister tail baits in Chartreuse Yellow, Green ,Pumpkinseed, and Motoroil when I was a conventional angler and had great success. I'm going to pick up some Nikko Hellgramites and some of these hooks and try this. I've been a Fly only guy since 1991 but teaching these two new anglers has brought back so many memories and I am enjoying seeing two new anglers flourish. I started them both off with matching rigs,,,, St Croix 6' single piece medium fast action Triumph rods, Shimano Sienna 1000 spinning reels, loaded with 6 lb Berkeley Trilene in a olive color. I think I will pick up two Shimano 2500 Sienna reels and get some 10lb braid and put some Maxima 4 or 6 lb as a leader . Was wondering do you keep your softbaits in a small plano box or in the original zip bags? What brand hook is that i know you said 1/0 for size
Thanks for this, man. Just used the Bullet z and mud bug helli to crush bass for ten days in MI. Wouldn’t have had that rig without your insight, a lot of people are fishing it other ways but that worked awesome and was so weedless. Thanks thanks thanks 🙏🏻
I love the hellgamites, I bought the Nikko hellgamites, very nice and long lasting materials. Caught many bass on one of them, they last a long time. I'm new to fishing, and from watching your video's, I invested in the hellgamites. Thank you for the informative video's. Looking forward to more of them.
I never heard of a hellgrammite until watching you and I LOVE them! So do smallies in creeks and rivers lol You have taught me so much! Thank you, John.
I tried this set up and was playing in a stream behind my house where a few smallmouth hang out at a tressel bridge. Had a few bass look it down but no hard hit then a decent rainbow trout came over and grabbed it. Just like you said😊
Great video'. I always learn from your content. When I watch Mack's river techniques I'm like...........Dude I 've been using that technique since I was in 5th grade fishing off my parents dock.
Hey great video I just used it yesterday for the first time no for the second time. Caught a TN trophy small mouth so excited that you taught me about Niko. Dynamite bait.
Tried this last night and it really works. I was using a yum hellgrammite rigged on a size 4 ewg hook and a 1/16 ounce cone sinker. Casting upstream at a 45 degree angle and just letting it drift. I just moved to mountains in ne tennessee and this is the best day I've had since I moved here.
Hey John, thanks for sharing how you rig the bullet jig head hook through the side instead of the belly. I was skeptical but gave it a try, and man what a difference it has made! I was having a similar issue where about half the fish i hooked were coming off using the Ned rig hook. Problem solved .... thanks again and all the best.
If you think the 3" is great you should try my 1.5" helgi's everything demolishes it. I normally get no joke 20-40 fish in a few hours. I will probably get me a 2.7" coreshot helgi next.
By watching this video, I decided to make Nikko my Hellgrammite choice. I was considering Yums version but it is not as durable as Nikkos are. So that changed my decision. I agree with the jigheads you chose, I use them religiously. They are perfect for Missle Baits Ned Bombs. But that plastic will rip easy so you have to be careful how you work it. Now Zman has a jighead called a Ned lockz and it comes in EWG style. Those are my choice if I can get em. They will make the bait stand up better. Thanks for sharing this video. I wanted to see how the Nikko version were. This settled my decision and I thank you sir!!!
Would you rig the same way in a reservoir? I’m looking to go no more than 6 -8 feet deep fishing rocky shorelines that drop of into deeper water. I need to fish weedless. I’m finding the Smallies within 10 feet of the shoreline and want try some different baits
Hey John, love your videos, keep it up! Have you ever tried fishing the Hellgrammite or other floating lure, like the Z-Mans, with a cheburaska (I think in the US they called swing jigs) rig? I use them together with Z-Man lures for perch and zander and it works perfect. Greetings from Germany
That sideways rigging thing is popping up everywhere, natural reaction to try something new is skeptic but I'm gonna try out this definitely, that's what's fishing is all about. What's the point of watching this videos if not to learn and try out new stuff anyway. Thanks for the tip my fellow angler friend.
John, I’ve caught fish on the hellgramite rigged sideways and the more typical rigging of from to back. I don’t think the fish care. I think the point you made about “let the current do the work” is good advise. And in my experience casting up stream and taking up slack in the line as the current brings the hell gramite toward you or casting across current and slowly retrieving allowing it to swing in the current. I don’t think helgramites swim upstream so I never cast downstream. Great smallmouth lure!
I got up at dawn and fished the grand river with the bait. It just floated! So I tried inserting a weight into it. Yeah right. Now I see he uses weighted jigs. Thanks, now I know!
Great video John I don’t always comment but I watch nearly all your videos man. I just bought a few packs of the Nikkos at The East Tennessee fishing show can’t wait to try them out. I’ve used live ones for years and they are like smallmouth candy for sure. 👍
Excellent video!!!! It’s great that you setup this additional channel. You answered many how’s and why’s and when’s that come to mind when you are moving fast fishing. Happily subscribed!!
I use a 6'8in extra fast action also i find 7' sometimes is a bit too long for the over hanging trees and a little bit better for accurate casting!!!!!!!!!
Using a leader... do you think the color of the braided line matters? Thinking of switching to yellow. Great videos by the way... keep up the good work!!!
Hello my name is Ivan I buy some Nikko hellgrammite I buy 4 packs of green pepper and blue black June color at Bass pro shops formerly of cabelas y buy some hooks bot kind but is going to be my first time used this kind of fishing lure and I hope it works
I'm going to try those lures this year. I've caught many fish on live hellgramites over the years and have been tagged by them plenty of times while seining them lol. The big red-headed ones are the nastiest. The smallies around here hit them hard so I'm curious how they'll be with the lures
I recently tried this hellgramite and the 1/15oz bulletz jighead with a bit of sight fishing. The jig head was too heavy. Do you know of a supplier that does lighter (1/64 - 1/32) jig heads on larger hooks(#2, #1, 1/0)? Using an unweighted #1 - #2 hook with the Nikko results in a bait that floats half the time.
John, do hellgrammites work in stream-beds that are not rocky and/or don't have a lot of current? I live in South Alabama where most of the streams have silt and/or mud bottoms. I'm unsure if hellgrammites are a natural forage for fish in such streams.
I found out about Hellgrammites via ndyakangler but I prefer your setup because of the weedless properties. Can’t wait to try this! One question, if I am fishing murkier areas is this still an option? I know hellgrammites exist in very healthy clearwater rivers but we don’t have many of those by me. Will the bass still eat them and should I go with the lava color?
But each packs comes with 15 soft plastic lures i have 60 in total NIKKO HELLGRAMMITE lures for me i can start used a few i going fishing this week or next week
I heard you talking on a video about cutting them down. Have you ever tried cutting them in half (so they become 1.5” each) and fishing on a 1/32 jig head? How do you think that would work for panfish?i don’t have much experience with them, but it would be great to have a durable bait like these for ‘gills
These baits don't work...lol. They are awful and not tough, fish hate them like Bikers hate Katy Perry. Do not use...they don't last for months or hundreds of fish, Nope. ( If you read this far, These fuckin things rock ! Bass and Trout love 'em. Different presentation up here in NH, this lure's a Slayer)...
I am so glad you started this channel. You explain things in a way everyone can understand. Keep it up!!
Me too.
Caught plenty of smaller bass with those hellgrammites. Glad you introduced them to many people. Never heard of them until you produced your first video showing them off.
Everything you presented is spot on. I had a smaller hellgramite lure from BassPro I had bought for trout fishing years ago. I broke it out recently and was getting lots of fish, bass, perch, panfish - but managed to shred every bit of plastic. They didn't hold up. I came across this video and decided to give the Nikko version a try. Wow - these things really hold up!
I love this rig you demonstrate. I caught lots of smallmouth, never got snagged and my lure is as fresh as it was when I tied it on.
I found that the fish did not hit it hard and I had to really pay attention. Gut hooking is never fun for catch and release! I fished it with mono and I will be switching to braid for next time. I ended up dragging the lure at a steady retrieve so they wouldn't have time to swallow the lure.
Get some lives ones .we did as a kid in kings mtn north carolina.
Glad to see you’re uploading these types of videos, thanks for the tips on these hellgrammites
Hellgramites main habitat is a rocky stream bottom in a moving stream ,creek, or river. Here in Pennsylvania, my Grandfather and Dad used to catch and collect Hellgramites to fish both for Trout, and Smallmouth out of a local Limestone trout stream. Hellgramites have a 3-5 year life cycle. If you flyfish the wooly worm, and wool bugger imitate these nymphs.
I really enjoyed this video and a new style of rigging. I am currently teaching a nephew and his son to fish conventionally. I started them worm and bobber on local ponds and lakes, they terrorized the bully sunfish and bluegills, next I took them to the Delaware River and had them wade and fish the channel for Smallmouth bass and possible striped bass....using shiners drifted. ..no dice switched to a Keitech 1/10 oz jig head and a 3" Keitech swimbait.....Smallmouth, Smallmouth, Smallmouth.
I used a 1/4 round jig #2 hook and Mister Twister tail baits in Chartreuse Yellow, Green ,Pumpkinseed, and Motoroil when I was a conventional angler and had great success. I'm going to pick up some Nikko Hellgramites and some of these hooks and try this. I've been a Fly only guy since 1991 but teaching these two new anglers has brought back so many memories and I am enjoying seeing two new anglers flourish.
I started them both off with matching rigs,,,, St Croix 6' single piece medium fast action Triumph rods, Shimano Sienna 1000 spinning reels, loaded with 6 lb Berkeley Trilene in a olive color. I think I will pick up two Shimano 2500 Sienna reels and get some 10lb braid and put some Maxima 4 or 6 lb as a leader . Was wondering do you keep your softbaits in a small plano box or in the original zip bags? What brand hook is that i know you said 1/0 for size
He said Zman Bulletz jighead
Thanks for this, man. Just used the Bullet z and mud bug helli to crush bass for ten days in MI. Wouldn’t have had that rig without your insight, a lot of people are fishing it other ways but that worked awesome and was so weedless. Thanks thanks thanks 🙏🏻
I love the hellgamites, I bought the Nikko hellgamites, very nice and long lasting materials. Caught many bass on one of them, they last a long time. I'm new to fishing, and from watching your video's, I invested in the hellgamites.
Thank you for the informative video's.
Looking forward to more of them.
I never could find the right hook for that bait and you found it! Thanks for your info! Great info! Thanks Brother!
I never heard of a hellgrammite until watching you and I LOVE them! So do smallies in creeks and rivers lol You have taught me so much! Thank you, John.
Excellent. We need more tutorials from Big John. Creek fishing has become a passion 😂
Love your content, missed your Scripture at end though. Thanks and God Bless You 😊
Great stuff! I’ve had some success using a weedless ned hook, but I never would’ve thought of this hook and sideways. They are great hooks.
I tried this set up and was playing in a stream behind my house where a few smallmouth hang out at a tressel bridge. Had a few bass look it down but no hard hit then a decent rainbow trout came over and grabbed it. Just like you said😊
Great video'. I always learn from your content. When I watch Mack's river techniques I'm like...........Dude I 've been using that technique since I was in 5th grade fishing off my parents dock.
Hey great video
I just used it yesterday for the first time no for the second time. Caught a TN trophy small mouth so excited that you taught me about Niko. Dynamite bait.
Tried this last night and it really works. I was using a yum hellgrammite rigged on a size 4 ewg hook and a 1/16 ounce cone sinker. Casting upstream at a 45 degree angle and just letting it drift. I just moved to mountains in ne tennessee and this is the best day I've had since I moved here.
NRV baits have a smaller hellgrammite and is black like the Nikko. Would love to see a review!
John...rigged some your way today. All I can say is Holy Cow !! It was an absolute smallie fest. Thanks.
Good stuff!
Hey John, thanks for sharing how you rig the bullet jig head hook through the side instead of the belly. I was skeptical but gave it a try, and man what a difference it has made! I was having a similar issue where about half the fish i hooked were coming off using the Ned rig hook. Problem solved .... thanks again and all the best.
Great advice on the sideways position of the bulletz hook. I fished all day with only a few hangups and very few missed fish.
Outstanding instructional video John. I love 💗 your channel. 🎣
This lure got my only Smallie of the day.
You should come fish the upper stones river with me east of murfreesboro. It's right up your wheel house. Great small mouth
If you think the 3" is great you should try my 1.5" helgi's everything demolishes it. I normally get no joke 20-40 fish in a few hours. I will probably get me a 2.7" coreshot helgi next.
I must have missed what you're running for line? Thanks for sharing, and keep the videos coming.
Just ordered my first pack of nikkos. Thanks for all the tips. God bless.
I hope they have a micro versions of it in the making soon. 2 inch would be fun to fish with. I would be all over it.
Exactly the answers I was seeking. Thanks John.
Thank you for the detailed explanation very helpful 👍🎣
This is exactly why I enjoy and follow your channel
By watching this video, I decided to make Nikko my Hellgrammite choice. I was considering Yums version but it is not as durable as Nikkos are. So that changed my decision. I agree with the jigheads you chose, I use them religiously. They are perfect for Missle Baits Ned Bombs. But that plastic will rip easy so you have to be careful how you work it. Now Zman has a jighead called a Ned lockz and it comes in EWG style. Those are my choice if I can get em. They will make the bait stand up better. Thanks for sharing this video. I wanted to see how the Nikko version were. This settled my decision and I thank you sir!!!
Love these videos as much as the other channel. This helped me quite a bit, I wasn't fishing the hellgrammite correctly.
You just changed my mind on the hooks I was going to use this year. My order is sitting in amazon.
Put the Obsidian on the Zman tonight and let the current do the work like you said. Got a nice smallmouth! Good to get back to the hellgrammite
My right ear loved this video
I love those Zman weedless
Ned and bullet heads. I very rarely lose fish on them and can throw them into some thick stuff
That rig is awesome, gonna try it tomorrow 😀👍
This is the video i needed brother , thank you
Would you rig the same way in a reservoir? I’m looking to go no more than 6 -8 feet deep fishing rocky shorelines that drop of into deeper water. I need to fish weedless. I’m finding the Smallies within 10 feet of the shoreline and want try some different baits
Ultra short leader drop shot?
I’ve been wanting to try these, but didn’t have a clue how to fish em. Now I do. Thank you!! I’m gonna order some and give em a whirl. Thanks again.
I been watching your videos where you catch a lot of fish species with this NIKKO HELLGRAMMITE lures and I hope it works for me too
Great explanations! Makes me wish I had those kind of streams nearby!
Have you ever used or tried the Nikko Tadpole to fish in the creeks and rivers? If so, any success?
Love the 2nd channel.
Hey John,
love your videos, keep it up!
Have you ever tried fishing the Hellgrammite or other floating lure, like the Z-Mans, with a cheburaska (I think in the US they called swing jigs) rig?
I use them together with Z-Man lures for perch and zander and it works perfect.
Greetings from Germany
That sideways rigging thing is popping up everywhere, natural reaction to try something new is skeptic but I'm gonna try out this definitely, that's what's fishing is all about. What's the point of watching this videos if not to learn and try out new stuff anyway. Thanks for the tip my fellow angler friend.
Thank you for this video just started kayak fishing
Would these be good to fish on larger bodies of water?
John, I’ve caught fish on the hellgramite rigged sideways and the more typical rigging of from to back. I don’t think the fish care. I think the point you made about “let the current do the work” is good advise. And in my experience casting up stream and taking up slack in the line as the current brings the hell gramite toward you or casting across current and slowly retrieving allowing it to swing in the current. I don’t think helgramites swim upstream so I never cast downstream. Great smallmouth lure!
Loving the side channel. Keep up the good work
Woooo, a master class!! Keep doing bro! Nice videos and always good talk.
Great vid here John thanks so much I think I asked how you rig these in one of your fishing videos this is just what I needed!
I was hoping that you would upload on the channel again!! I found out about hellgramites because of you! They work real good in the creek!
Great tips great video thank you john i really feel i am learning a lot
I got up at dawn and fished the grand river with the bait. It just floated! So I tried inserting a weight into it. Yeah right. Now I see he uses weighted jigs. Thanks, now I know!
Great video John I don’t always comment but I watch nearly all your videos man. I just bought a few packs of the Nikkos at The East Tennessee fishing show can’t wait to try them out. I’ve used live ones for years and they are like smallmouth candy for sure. 👍
John can you please get the (nikko flex worm 12" pinch worm) and try it out also some underwater footage
Just received my first pack in the mail, can't wait to hit some creeks with it
The Nikko Hellgrammites to u are what the Gulp minnows are to me I believe!!! Hahaha Hahaha.....they are our go to baits
I just gotta rig it through the belly, I always have stability issues when side rigged
So there is another great Hellgrammite. Made in the USA. Try Tackle Max version
i just looked them up and will order some, thanks
Excellent video!!!! It’s great that you setup this additional channel. You answered many how’s and why’s and when’s that come to mind when you are moving fast fishing. Happily subscribed!!
That Nikko Hellgrammite is money..you don't even need a hook sometimes..lol
they dont let go..
Thanks for the info! I am definitely going to give it a try next time I’m on the Holston!
i have caught a bunch of smallies with them on the holston
I use a 6'8in extra fast action also i find 7' sometimes is a bit too long for the over hanging trees and a little bit better for accurate casting!!!!!!!!!
I find a difference definitions between a 6’6 ish and a 7’ rod. I am 5’11 and definitely prefer the shorter one. At least in a creek!
Using a leader... do you think the color of the braided line matters? Thinking of switching to yellow. Great videos by the way... keep up the good work!!!
Love the new content man!!
Looks great.
Hello my name is Ivan I buy some Nikko hellgrammite I buy 4 packs of green pepper and blue black June color at Bass pro shops formerly of cabelas y buy some hooks bot kind but is going to be my first time used this kind of fishing lure and I hope it works
I'm going to try those lures this year. I've caught many fish on live hellgramites over the years and have been tagged by them plenty of times while seining them lol. The big red-headed ones are the nastiest. The smallies around here hit them hard so I'm curious how they'll be with the lures
I have tried these before with no success? But I will try it your way and let you know 👍
Am I the only one that noticed hellgrammites crawl backwards? Love watching
I recently tried this hellgramite and the 1/15oz bulletz jighead with a bit of sight fishing. The jig head was too heavy. Do you know of a supplier that does lighter (1/64 - 1/32) jig heads on larger hooks(#2, #1, 1/0)? Using an unweighted #1 - #2 hook with the Nikko results in a bait that floats half the time.
When are you coming to California?
hmmm
John, do hellgrammites work in stream-beds that are not rocky and/or don't have a lot of current? I live in South Alabama where most of the streams have silt and/or mud bottoms. I'm unsure if hellgrammites are a natural forage for fish in such streams.
I don’t do as well it seems in those waters. But I have done well in the Everglades
I found out about Hellgrammites via ndyakangler but I prefer your setup because of the weedless properties. Can’t wait to try this!
One question, if I am fishing murkier areas is this still an option? I know hellgrammites exist in very healthy clearwater rivers but we don’t have many of those by me. Will the bass still eat them and should I go with the lava color?
yes they can still work, i would probably still use a dark color like odsidian
Dang can't find those 1/10 oz hooks you're showing here. The link didn't work.
Good instructional video though.
If you wanted to guarantee a catch in a creek, would you rather take the hellgrammite or your 4 inch swirl yum dinger?
Love these vids
probably have to stay with the hellgrammite for the creek and bigger water going to the dinger
I tried this at my creek where I struggle to catch smallmouth and I must have had 10 or more on within an hour.
nice
Is the hellgrammite strictly a spring /summer lure or does it work just as well in winter?
oh all year, i have had good succes in every seson
What type of knot do you use to tie your leader line ?
double uni
Thank you ! Could you do a video on how you tie your knots ?
Do you ever fish the 4.25 inch hellgramites or is it always the 3 inch
yes sometimes, but i have caught so many good fish on the 3 in
what do you mean by show bass?
I’ve had good success with them in the upper Flint on Shoal bass.
i want to try there soon
Do you have a color recommendation for murky water? I fish in southwestern Ohio and northern KY. Nothing is clear in these parts.
for hellgrammites i use the obsidian, its dark black. for other lures most people use blue/black lures
Do you think if Niko added ribbing to the hellgrammite, like a swim bait, that it might be even more effective?
i dont think so, its not made to swim
@@morecreekfishingadventures I was just wondering if ribbing would make it undulate more as it drifted in the current.
John where I buy nikko god bless you
amazon, or nikko website, or fishtales in cleveland, tn
I mainly fish for trout here in Doe River in Tennessee. Would the trout go after it?
i have caugh a bunch of trout on it
If you hook it more centered, you can replicate it’s natural movement better, faster bites.
It actually works really well this way
Anyone know how much a Nikko hellgrammite weighs?
But each packs comes with 15 soft plastic lures i have 60 in total NIKKO HELLGRAMMITE lures for me i can start used a few i going fishing this week or next week
I heard you talking on a video about cutting them down. Have you ever tried cutting them in half (so they become 1.5” each) and fishing on a 1/32 jig head? How do you think that would work for panfish?i don’t have much experience with them, but it would be great to have a durable bait like these for ‘gills
Yeah I know several people do that for smaller bass. They are a little bigger thick for most sunfish
Sounds like they're cautious about eating them.
You've probably been asked this but when I let it drift, I get hung up all the time. Irritating!
that definitely happens but thats also the way fish eat
#310👍🏻📱👀
These baits don't work...lol. They are awful and not tough, fish hate them like Bikers hate Katy Perry. Do not use...they don't last for months or hundreds of fish, Nope. ( If you read this far, These fuckin things rock ! Bass and Trout love 'em. Different presentation up here in NH, this lure's a Slayer)...
I cannot understand much at all. Diction and Pronouncing at low Yank level.