Matt Stefan

Full time professional fisherman based in Wisconsin. Matt has qualified for seven MLF Championships and won roughly half a million in professional tournament winnings. We like Matt for his no nonsense YouTube channel and his content on small mouth bass and northern fisheries.

Matt is one of the few professionals we know who does custom lake map breakdowns with Jonny Schultz and Randy Blaukat over on Fish The Moment.

Matt is associated with Tackle Warehouse.

Swim Jig Differences: Finesse, Regular and No-Jack

• Finesse for Small Mouth/Spotted or Clear Water
• Regular - All Around Presentations
• No Jack - Heavy Cover + Braid (mostly in FL)
• Fluorocarbon line almost all the time
• 3/8oz almost all the time

Jig Fishing 101! How to Pick the Right jig style

• Preferred Jig - Luke Clausin Compact Pitchin'
• Heavy Cover - Matt Herren Flippin'
• Grass and Swimming - Scott Canterbury Flippin'
• Offshore / Open Water - Luke Clausin Casting
• Bottom Contact - Tour Level Football
• Clear Water / Finesse - Luke Clausin Finesse

Matt's Custom Bass Jig Colors

• A custom black/blue color he calls Big Chip
• A custom yellow/white color he calls Goldilocks
• A custom brown/bluegill color he calls Bad Bluegill

Matt's Favorite Jig Trailers

• Compact and Football - 3" Berkley Pit Boss
• Grass and Swimming - Strike King Menace
• Swimming - 3 1/2" Berkley The Deal*
• Small Mouth - 2 3/4" Berkley MaxScent Meaty Chunk
• Rock and Bluffs - Berkley MaxScent Creature Hawg
*Identified in other videos

Swim Jig Fishing!

• Can use everywhere. If you have to pick only one bait.
• 7'-3" Medium Heavy Power Fast Action Rod
• Fast Speed Reel
• Dirty Jigs - Standard Size
• 3 1/2" Berkley 'The Deal' Trailer

The Difference in Jerkbait Body Styles

• Classic Body Style - Megabass Vision 110
• >10ft Deep - Burkley Cutter 110+
• Highly Pressured or Clear Water - Go Smaller

The 5 Best Jerkbait Colors

• Clear Water + Sunny = Translucent
• Clear Water + Overcast = Chrome
• Off Color Water = Opaque White
• Smallmouth/Spotted = Flashy Hot Colors
• When the others fail = Dark Maroon Blood Red

Do You Thread Chunk Trailers or Hook Them?

• Threading gives the jig a smaller profile and faster fall
• Hooking gives the jig a larger profile and a slower fall

Braided Line Tips You Need to Know!

• Flourocarbon anytime I can get away with it
• Moving baits and heavy cover is the exception
• Prefer high strand braid like Berkley X9 for casting performance
• Prefer 'normal' strand like Berkley X5 for heavy grass abrasion resistance

5 Bass Fishing Tips You Need To Know!

• Fish isolated targets
• Identifying the type of day it is so you pick the right bait/technique
• All water has current...find it
• Keep your color selection simple
• Downsize if you want more bites

Killer Swim Jig Colors!

• White \w Gray Shimmer for Shad Imitation
• Purple & Green for fishing around grass
• Black & Blue for dark water
• White & Green Pearl for tannic water
• White & Chartreuse - Small mouth

Choose the Correct Crankbait Colors!

• Pick your base color based on water clarity...don't worry about the accent colors
• Clarity <2ft = Dark or Bright Base
• Clarity 2ft to 4ft = Natural White or Opaque Base
• Clarity 4ft+ = Translucent Base

Do Red Hooks Catch More Fish?

• Maybe...some studies say yes and some studies say no
• Maybe the red hook disappears so the fish isn't scared (do they know what hooks are?)
• Maybe the red hook looks like an injured fish
• No...I don't swap out all hooks
• If you think it works for you...do it

Must Have Muddy Water Baits!

• The muddier water - the shallower you need to fish
• Big Jig for isolated cover
• Large and Loud Square Bill
• Bright Colored Spinner Bait /w Colorado style blade
• Chatter Bait - White or Black/Blue

Catch More In Clear Water By Using These Baits!

• Translucent Top Water (J-Walker)
• Translucent Jerk bait
• Small swimbait (2.8" or 3.3")
• Fluke
• Casting Jig - Craw trailer

Double Your Spinnerbait Hookups With This Simple Trick

• Originally used Zoom Split Tail trailer
• But it's not really about the particular style
• It's about creating bulk...use whatever you want.
• Try a piece of plastic worm

Catch More Bass With These River Fishing Lures!

1. Swim Jig \w 3" Trailer in Chartreuse/White
2. Squarebill Crank Bait - buoyant version
3. Compact Pitching Jig in Green/Orange
4. Topwater Popper
5. Caroline Rigged Craw in Green/Orange

The Best Frog Fishing Colors For Big Bass!

• White for general purpose
• Black/Yellow for low light and muddy conditions
• Pink for really clear or really muddy conditions
• Natural Frog Color for weeds and lily pads
• Bluegill imitation color

Choose The Correct Jig Trailer!

• Twin Tail Grub - when dragging jigs like football
• Chunk style - when flipping
• Realistic Craw style - for rocky areas
• Beaver style - deep structure or docks
• Basic Craw style - for dirty water

Fishing Lure Colors Are Overrated!

• Natural Colors like Green Pumpkin or Watermelon or Brown - for clear water
• Bait fish Colors like Silver or Pearl or White - for any water, match the forage species
• Dark Colors like Purple or Black or Blue - for stained or dirty water
• Bright Colors like Orange or Chartreuse or Yellow - for when fish are being aggressive

Which Are Better? Craw or Beaver Style Baits For Texas Rigs?

• Craw for...
  • dirty water
  • heavy cover
  • when mimicking a craw
  • shallow water
• Beaver for...
  • clear water
  • sparse cover
  • when mimicking a fish
  • deep water

Lipless Crankbait Vs. Chatterbait

• Vibrating Jig when in heavy grass or wood or covering a lot of water
• Lipless when not dealing with thick cover or have clean bottoms or working deep

Tips For Fishing Lilly Pads

• Use braid
• Use a heavier action rod
• #1 Bait is a basic frog - not a popper
• Try Buzzbait
• Try Swimjig
• Try a hard body swimbait
• Try a texas rig worm

The Only 5 Crankbaits You Need! Model Type and Color!

• Square bill in Chartreuse/Blue back
• Flatside in orange/yellow craw
• Medium deep in purple/orange tiger
• Deep diving green/orange craw
• Super Deep diving in green shad