I ALWAYS throw a mono leader to my braid when using a walking bait, especially with trebles. NEED that stretch! Increased my landing ratio ten times over!
Yep. Landed a 22lb striper last week on walking bait with 20lb braid to 12 lb mono leader. The rod matters as well. I use medium power fast action. The medium rod is flexible enough to keep em from throwing the lure. Fast action is better for walking the bait.
Glad you figured out what worked in the end. We were on the water Thursday and ran into some other kayak competitors by Putah doing their prefishing. We had a grind too; when I finally got a bass on a dropshot, it was pretty scrawny. Your bass could have eaten it 😂 Wishing you the best of luck!
Hitting the delta right now. Let’s hope we figure them out Greg. Also I bought a brand new kayak. The Old Town PDL 12 me first pedal kayak. I wanted to say thank you for the inspiration Greg. Wish me luck tight lines! Awesome video!
Hi Greg I've fished Berryessa for the past 35 years. If it's tough and I mean really tough fish 4lb test with your best finesse lure. Keep your drag really really soft and you will be surprised and hopefully win the tournament.
I'm no PRO, but learned from the guys on "TACTICAL BASSIN" the importance of using a 4-6 foot monofilament leader with an "Alberto" or "Bloodknot" when fishing topwater to allow some stretch to keep the fish hooked instead of straight braid. Tried it myself and it definately lands more fish and saves loosing lures if the braid digs into the spool during a hard cast, whereas straight braid could snap your lure off when it abruptly stops. Hope this helps Greg. Best wishes on your upcoming tournament, as always....keep up the great content sir. Tight lines.
I love walk the dog style baits this time of year. Especially pencil poppers and spook style baits. A little advice. When you see the bait dont just match the hatch but also try to match their cadence and speed. What I mean is that this time of year the bass are keyed in on biat fish and they're often shallow enough to see so you should observe their behavior and if the bait is more darty and fast find a bait that can be moved quickly with a tighter side-to-side action. If they're being slow and in shoals where they seem to be popping as they react then find a bait that has a wider sweeping walking that spits a little water as it moves. I fished the other day on my friends boat and we saw a ton of bait and both decided to use top water walking baits and couldn't catch them to save either of our lives but when I noticed the shad where in large bait balls and popping here and there but not darting erratically I tied on a Lucky Craft pencil style popper that I had sweeping side-to-side action and also spit out a little water as I worked it and I started slamming them. Just saying...
I really hope it rains a bunch in cali soon its horrible how many forest and lakes are being devastated. Thanks for all the content Greg the best on youtube for sure. God Bless and good luck with the next tournament.
I don’t mean to tell you what to do, but just some friendly advice! When your throwing top water treble hook oriented baits, try floro/mono even if it’s a leader! That straight braid is just pulling the hooks out of the mouth when you pull. Love your vids btw!!!
Hi Greg, following you from Australia. Thanks for all I have learnt from your vids. Got my first yak this week and did my first day on the water. Was fishing from a canoe but now have so much more control with a pedal yak. I gained so much incite from your channel on what to buy and what to carry. Look forward to your posts and wish your all the best.
@@jamesh7469 Hi James, all the USA brands are available in Australia, but they are at the top price, due to a bad exchange rate at the moment. We have a couple of local brands that are at a better price point. One day hope to upgrade to a Native.
I agree with the comment somewhere below: if it's open water and any hard topwater bait, put a 8 -10 foot mono leader, and you can go big...I like 20lb even with smaller baits - it floats, gives enough stretch and shock absorption to compensate for the braid because on the hook-set, you're moving that bait several feet with NO GIVE with braid...you can see they're eating it but the hooks are simply tearing out. Good luck!!!
Keep it bent and hold your rod in position do not let your rod straighten. Check your trebles for bad barbs maybe swap for owner STX. And don't be afraid to throw a walking bait straight out to open water away from the grass and bank. Keep killing it Greg.
What a fun video! Looks like you had a ton of fun on this trip despite the tough bite. I like the way you solve the puzzle. That problem solving always keeps me going back. I do it on the water and think about it at home. Your videos are always a great help.
On smaller bait you could try running 2 hooks instead of 3 but with a larger size. Or run a short shank hook that you can run 1 size bigger as long as they don’t foul up
Those big walking baits with straight braid.. just barely lean into em.. Those quick jerks will rip them hooks out.. can try bigger hooks too.. or a short mono leader so you got some givw
Spots here in Tx love topwater right now but they're mean as hell! The headshakes and jumping's like 1.5x more than a largie would, from my experience. They tend to come off my plopper way more than largemouth sadly. Thanks for the vid.
Greg. Change hook type, lure color, two spilt rings. It’s a start. Cannot believe the water level. Similar to our local bathtub, Castaic. It’s unbelievable. Thanks!!!!
I was having the same issue on topwaters a couple weeks ago. I had 10 bites in 1 hour and only hooked up 2 of them. I was using a regular sized 3/4 topwater. I switched to a evergreen SB777 which is tiny and have actually had a significantly better hookup.
Greg something that helps me from losing fish on walking baits is replacing the hooks with the Mustad KVD triple grips. Seems to keep them pinned a lot better.
Only thing I would do to when Im losing fish like that.....put some duo realis nano trebles on that thing--theres something about those hooks, the bend in them, the coating, they just pin the fish. the aaron martens gfinesse trebles from gama are the next best trebles--- and maybe use a softer rod, if you swap the trebles for gfinesse or nanos, you def want the softer rod; you dont need much, the fish will hook themselves. Bigger thicker hooks need more of a rod to penetrate properly.
Greg, I’ve ran into this problem before on my home pond, similar lake in here in central CA, highland reservoir, I went and changed to the popper an the hookup ratio went up tremendously. Just something to think about an try in practice. Good luck my brother, stay slaying 🤙🏻🎣.
I'd try fishing off of Main Points and possibly secondary points this time a year at a Reservoir like Berryessa. Or find some type of Structure off shore. and maybe try a Under Spin and or a little Spooning Action works Great In the Fall. Love your Content as Always Greg.😎👍
Love the vids man, ur vids rlly inspired me to give kayak fishing a go here in Australia. Ur vids always got a super positive and awesome vibe. Can’t wait to see where the channel goes in the future. Keep it up bro 😄
I've never seen you fish a fluke, you should try it. Working it fast enough can keep it on top. Whenever I work it fast and a fish blows up I just pause it if it misses it and they usually come back for it when it sinks.
This video was so crazy to watch, I was out Tuesday and had the EXACT same day. Top water bite in first 10 minutes, tried spinnerbaits, crankbaits, underspins and drop-shot and nothing. They weren’t on the bottom, all suspended. After hours of nothing I went to the small spook and was getting blow up after blow up, losing fish after fish. Went to a bigger spook and my hook up ratio went to 100%. Watching this video was like watching my entire day.
Hope they were still there on tourney day. Good job on figuring out a pattern for that day. Thought you might be fishing Clear Lake with no more tourneys and lite pressure there?
I thought you knew by now any slow stick bait works in Berryessa year round.... be it drop shot Texas Carolina it doesn’t matter. Pretty deep right now but you’ll slay em like always
Change the hooks. I know Berkeley is decent, but for a top water with trebles, you need all the help you can get to keep them pinned. I think part of the issue is you swing into them like you’re using a frog. Reel and pull to the side like a crank bait. Judging by the action of your rod that isn’t the issue
Awesome vid. Dude change out those hooks lol. I noticed using braid on topwater baits. I thumb my reels. Dont rely on my baitcasters drag. Mod fast rod as well.
Yeah buddy!!! Fresh cut and fresh vid? “Why is fishing so tough sometimes?” I ask myself that often haha. I also use that same dry bag. It was a 500 cast type of day huh? Glad it eventually picked up some. Best luck in the tournament Greg. Bring home a W!
I got two videos out on berry coming up. It’s definitely changed big time. Caught a fair amount on smaller baits. But these bass are moving non stop. They are staging of main lake points. That’s where I caught majority of em. Also that’s so odd I had the same issue with my drive it needed to be re-centered also. However I did technically drop that day.
I couldn’t really see how big the hooks were but maybe you could buy some bigger/sharper ones for tourney day and switch them out. Very strange that they kept coming off on the top water bait tho😂
Usually if im having trouble landing fish on braid i'll switch to mono. Not aure if its psycological or if the braid actually rips the hooks out but it seems to work either way 👍
I hope you did well man! I'm a huge fan of the Strike King sexy dawg Jr. They hit it like crazy and no hook up ratio. For some reason the teo treble hooks do so well.
in The Rite Fall Conditions You Cant a Walking Bait They Just Love Them in The Fall Walking Bait Popper Buzzbait All Are Good And Berryessa Water Level is Looking a Lot Better Then a Lot of Other Ca Lakes
I believe the reason you're losing fish is you're setting the hook like it is a frog. Give it a good hard lean to set the hook, like you would a crankbait or chatterbait. Also, you have braid, don't be afraid to just crank those fish in. Get them surfing the top, harder for them to rip off the trebles.👍
![Can we keep the streak alive? [Lake Berryessa Tournament]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ae_nLcm9jws/mqdefault.jpg)
This is Greg’s year at the YAk a Bass!!! I can feel it!
Let’s go Greg!!!
We're rooting for you Greg!
I ALWAYS throw a mono leader to my braid when using a walking bait, especially with trebles. NEED that stretch! Increased my landing ratio ten times over!
Me too, i think it the same way, straight braid is too stiff and with a hookset you lose all the bites
@@valentinoconti3894 lost a 20lb bag in a tournament with straight braid on my spook. NEVER AGAIN 😅
Yep. Landed a 22lb striper last week on walking bait with 20lb braid to 12 lb mono leader. The rod matters as well. I use medium power fast action. The medium rod is flexible enough to keep em from throwing the lure. Fast action is better for walking the bait.
that, and because it floats, fluoro will sometimes make topwater lures dive instead of walk or swim at the surface.
He does have a moderate rod which should help with straight braid, but I'd agree that mono probably would help
Glad you figured out what worked in the end. We were on the water Thursday and ran into some other kayak competitors by Putah doing their prefishing. We had a grind too; when I finally got a bass on a dropshot, it was pretty scrawny. Your bass could have eaten it 😂 Wishing you the best of luck!
Hitting the delta right now. Let’s hope we figure them out Greg. Also I bought a brand new kayak. The Old Town PDL 12 me first pedal kayak. I wanted to say thank you for the inspiration Greg. Wish me luck tight lines! Awesome video!
i was there the other day, poppin frog alone got me over 15 bass, good luck out there!
@@TheVoidNoob i have the old town 106 pdl its an awesome kayak i haven’t had any problems with it! enjoy your yak tight lines
Hope you crushed it out there 👊
The Delta is the spot hitting up Bethel Island
I've had good luck with a Fluke above grass when the bass are chasing shad 👍 another great video
Hi Greg I've fished Berryessa for the past 35 years. If it's tough and I mean really tough fish 4lb test with your best finesse lure. Keep your drag really really soft and you will be surprised and hopefully win the tournament.
I'm no PRO, but learned from the guys on "TACTICAL BASSIN" the importance of using a 4-6 foot monofilament leader with an "Alberto" or "Bloodknot" when fishing topwater to allow some stretch to keep the fish hooked instead of straight braid. Tried it myself and it definately lands more fish and saves loosing lures if the braid digs into the spool during a hard cast, whereas straight braid could snap your lure off when it abruptly stops. Hope this helps Greg. Best wishes on your upcoming tournament, as always....keep up the great content sir.
Tight lines.
I love walk the dog style baits this time of year. Especially pencil poppers and spook style baits. A little advice. When you see the bait dont just match the hatch but also try to match their cadence and speed. What I mean is that this time of year the bass are keyed in on biat fish and they're often shallow enough to see so you should observe their behavior and if the bait is more darty and fast find a bait that can be moved quickly with a tighter side-to-side action. If they're being slow and in shoals where they seem to be popping as they react then find a bait that has a wider sweeping walking that spits a little water as it moves. I fished the other day on my friends boat and we saw a ton of bait and both decided to use top water walking baits and couldn't catch them to save either of our lives but when I noticed the shad where in large bait balls and popping here and there but not darting erratically I tied on a Lucky Craft pencil style popper that I had sweeping side-to-side action and also spit out a little water as I worked it and I started slamming them. Just saying...
Those were some insane blowups! I lol when you caught that shad.
Man they were just launching themselves out of the water! That's a crazy bite. Can't wait to see the tourney vid. 👍
I really hope it rains a bunch in cali soon its horrible how many forest and lakes are being devastated. Thanks for all the content Greg the best on youtube for sure. God Bless and good luck with the next tournament.
I don’t mean to tell you what to do, but just some friendly advice! When your throwing top water treble hook oriented baits, try floro/mono even if it’s a leader! That straight braid is just pulling the hooks out of the mouth when you pull. Love your vids btw!!!
Looking for the new video where you crushed it at Berryessa. Congratulations🎉
Hi Greg, following you from Australia. Thanks for all I have learnt from your vids. Got my first yak this week and did my first day on the water. Was fishing from a canoe but now have so much more control with a pedal yak. I gained so much incite from your channel on what to buy and what to carry. Look forward to your posts and wish your all the best.
What brands are available in Aus?
@@jamesh7469 Hi James, all the USA brands are available in Australia, but they are at the top price, due to a bad exchange rate at the moment. We have a couple of local brands that are at a better price point. One day hope to upgrade to a Native.
Hey John, thanks for the comment. Glad to hear you're enjoying the yak life 🎣🚣🏼♂️
I agree with the comment somewhere below: if it's open water and any hard topwater bait, put a 8 -10 foot mono leader, and you can go big...I like 20lb even with smaller baits - it floats, gives enough stretch and shock absorption to compensate for the braid because on the hook-set, you're moving that bait several feet with NO GIVE with braid...you can see they're eating it but the hooks are simply tearing out. Good luck!!!
I use 30 pound braid and have a 15 pound mono leader when fishing spooks. Worked really well for me
I hope we get some rain soon! We need it! Thanks for the Sunday vid drop, Greg!
We got a bit of rain in these past few days in cen cal.
We are going to need a lot more to fill all the lakes in Cali!
I hope this is the wettest winter of all!
@@GregBlanchardFishing same, we desperately need it.
Keep it bent and hold your rod in position do not let your rod straighten. Check your trebles for bad barbs maybe swap for owner STX. And don't be afraid to throw a walking bait straight out to open water away from the grass and bank. Keep killing it Greg.
You figured them out brother!! Good luck. Can't wait for next video
Excited for the tournament.
Had to resub cause RUclips was playin games. Didn’t even know there was a new vid out. Good stuff
@11:11 Bruh....... That Blow Up Was Sick!
I've always killed it at Berryessa on a big TRD with the small Ned head. Never fails at Berryessa.
Always Inspirational Greg. Someday I'll show you fishing in Southeast California.
Great job. Be ready for the change.
What a fun video! Looks like you had a ton of fun on this trip despite the tough bite. I like the way you solve the puzzle. That problem solving always keeps me going back. I do it on the water and think about it at home. Your videos are always a great help.
A Spinnerbait in and above grass, I would check ✔ the hooks on that Spook... 🍺🎣
Great job finding them
Good to see ya back at berry. I’ve had so many epic days there. Still one of my favorite places to get a grand slam!!
Awesome fishery. Just a little off this year!
Cant wait till u catch something on the deps!
Good stuff! I like how you work the problem. Educational
Way to figure them out Greg, hope you do well in the tournament, best of luck
On smaller bait you could try running 2 hooks instead of 3 but with a larger size. Or run a short shank hook that you can run 1 size bigger as long as they don’t foul up
Those big walking baits with straight braid.. just barely lean into em.. Those quick jerks will rip them hooks out.. can try bigger hooks too.. or a short mono leader so you got some givw
Let’s go Greg! We wanna see you kick some ass at tourneys this year! Nice vid!
Spots here in Tx love topwater right now but they're mean as hell! The headshakes and jumping's like 1.5x more than a largie would, from my experience. They tend to come off my plopper way more than largemouth sadly. Thanks for the vid.
If you are losing a bunch of fish on a spook just downsize to the next one down. A color change can also do the trick sometimes.
I was going to mass, but now I’ll stay home and watch Greg’s video.
Greg. Change hook type, lure color, two spilt rings. It’s a start. Cannot believe the water level. Similar to our local bathtub, Castaic. It’s unbelievable. Thanks!!!!
You should use a leader and/or change out the hooks. Put a red hook on the front too
Go a size up on the hooks for your spook bait lure. Should have a better hook up and landing chance.
That’s my day at Berry every time.
Tough lake to crack.
Thanks G!
Just started the long haul to my spot, then I get surprised with a Greg video for the way!
I usually use a short mono leader to help absorb the shock and keep fish hooked.
I was having the same issue on topwaters a couple weeks ago. I had 10 bites in 1 hour and only hooked up 2 of them. I was using a regular sized 3/4 topwater. I switched to a evergreen SB777 which is tiny and have actually had a significantly better hookup.
Do you still throw the Berkeley flicker shad? You seemed to do well with that at Berryessa a couple years back
Ever thought about a little mono leader for your spooks? Works for me, just an idea. Thanks for sharing.
Try tying a foot of mono to your braid.might help with keeping them pinned.
I would definitely check out the hooks of that white topwater for sharpness. I'm thinking a changeout is in order.
Greg something that helps me from losing fish on walking baits is replacing the hooks with the Mustad KVD triple grips. Seems to keep them pinned a lot better.
Swap hooks and use a shock leader like mono. That’s a pretty fast action rod so it’ll do you justice to use mono leader. Even just a 4-6’ section
Ten hours - you are a beast!
ive had good luck there fishing 10-20 feet slow rolling a 5" trout swim bait.
Only thing I would do to when Im losing fish like that.....put some duo realis nano trebles on that thing--theres something about those hooks, the bend in them, the coating, they just pin the fish. the aaron martens gfinesse trebles from gama are the next best trebles--- and maybe use a softer rod, if you swap the trebles for gfinesse or nanos, you def want the softer rod; you dont need much, the fish will hook themselves. Bigger thicker hooks need more of a rod to penetrate properly.
Greg, I’ve ran into this problem before on my home pond, similar lake in here in central CA, highland reservoir, I went and changed to the popper an the hookup ratio went up tremendously. Just something to think about an try in practice. Good luck my brother, stay slaying 🤙🏻🎣.
switch to monofilament for topwater if you keep losing fish, the stretch will help keep them on
I'd try fishing off of Main Points and possibly secondary points this time a year at a Reservoir like Berryessa. Or find some type of Structure off shore. and maybe try a Under Spin and or a little Spooning Action works Great In the Fall. Love your Content as Always Greg.😎👍
Man I hope we get some rain so the water level will go up a bit. Coyote beach use to be my favorite spot to hang out with the family.
Mono leader puts some stretch in helps with them spitting the hook on lures that use treble hooks might not loose as many? Good luck bro keep it up!
Love the vids man, ur vids rlly inspired me to give kayak fishing a go here in Australia. Ur vids always got a super positive and awesome vibe. Can’t wait to see where the channel goes in the future. Keep it up bro 😄
Hey Greg try to switch the hooks out on the smaller top water
15:05 damn, you should've rigged that shad up and used it as live bait, might could've caught a monster on it
Beautiful river man..✌
I've never seen you fish a fluke, you should try it. Working it fast enough can keep it on top. Whenever I work it fast and a fish blows up I just pause it if it misses it and they usually come back for it when it sinks.
Belly weighted fluke fishing it near the top would work good
This video was so crazy to watch, I was out Tuesday and had the EXACT same day. Top water bite in first 10 minutes, tried spinnerbaits, crankbaits, underspins and drop-shot and nothing. They weren’t on the bottom, all suspended. After hours of nothing I went to the small spook and was getting blow up after blow up, losing fish after fish. Went to a bigger spook and my hook up ratio went to 100%. Watching this video was like watching my entire day.
Good luck in the upcoming tournament
Hope they were still there on tourney day. Good job on figuring out a pattern for that day. Thought you might be fishing Clear Lake with no more tourneys and lite pressure there?
I thought you knew by now any slow stick bait works in Berryessa year round.... be it drop shot Texas Carolina it doesn’t matter. Pretty deep right now but you’ll slay em like always
Try a mono leader. Straight braid with smaller trebles never really ends well... for me at least. Just a thought.
Change the hooks. I know Berkeley is decent, but for a top water with trebles, you need all the help you can get to keep them pinned.
I think part of the issue is you swing into them like you’re using a frog. Reel and pull to the side like a crank bait. Judging by the action of your rod that isn’t the issue
Man it’s nice to wake up and have a banger to watch🔥💪🏼
Try using 7'0 Medium power for topwater I had that same issue using a stiffer rod 😅 or tie on a 1 or 2 ft leader of mono
Nice video. Very creative. You worked hard on that. I am subscribed. 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Awesome vid. Dude change out those hooks lol. I noticed using braid on topwater baits. I thumb my reels. Dont rely on my baitcasters drag. Mod fast rod as well.
Coffees on let’s see if Greg is up. YES!
A wacky rig in that grass would slay em come tournament time
Top water is the funnest IMO the surprise is what does it for me especially when it’s king kong
thank you!
Greg you should try an keep your rod tip down when fighting fish with treble hook baits it works for me
Yeah buddy!!! Fresh cut and fresh vid? “Why is fishing so tough sometimes?” I ask myself that often haha. I also use that same dry bag.
It was a 500 cast type of day huh? Glad it eventually picked up some. Best luck in the tournament Greg. Bring home a W!
@Izzyrodthegod 🤨
Put a short leader in front of your walking bait, does wonders
I was wondering how the lake was lookin. Been a minute since I've been out there.
Good luck with the tournament. 👍🍻🍻
I got two videos out on berry coming up. It’s definitely changed big time. Caught a fair amount on smaller baits. But these bass are moving non stop. They are staging of main lake points. That’s where I caught majority of em.
Also that’s so odd I had the same issue with my drive it needed to be re-centered also. However I did technically drop that day.
Oh man can't wait for the tournament video.....the smaller bait do work maybe just need to change the hook brand
Hey Greg, what do you think about doing a video for all of your rod/reel setups soon?
I couldn’t really see how big the hooks were but maybe you could buy some bigger/sharper ones for tourney day and switch them out. Very strange that they kept coming off on the top water bait tho😂
Usually if im having trouble landing fish on braid i'll switch to mono. Not aure if its psycological or if the braid actually rips the hooks out but it seems to work either way 👍
Use 2 foot mono leader for shock absorber will help keep trebles pinned
Check your hooks. Upgrade hooks and split rings.
I hope you did well man! I'm a huge fan of the Strike King sexy dawg Jr. They hit it like crazy and no hook up ratio. For some reason the teo treble hooks do so well.
Gotta use some monofilament leader. Great video once again Greg.
in The Rite Fall Conditions You Cant a Walking Bait They Just Love Them in The Fall Walking Bait Popper Buzzbait All Are Good And Berryessa Water Level is Looking a Lot Better Then a Lot of Other Ca Lakes
U got to go to the afterbay there big bass in there
I would maybe change one of your hooks to a red one or one with a feather.
Try a shock leader man, straight braid could be the issue.
Keep them coming man love every second.. be out today doing some of the same !!
Where did you get those white navigation lights for the front of you boat and what’s the name of them
I died when I seen that fish jumped out like *splash* "sup greeeeg" *splash*
Fishing my last tournament of this season right now. Interlachen Florida
I believe the reason you're losing fish is you're setting the hook like it is a frog. Give it a good hard lean to set the hook, like you would a crankbait or chatterbait. Also, you have braid, don't be afraid to just crank those fish in. Get them surfing the top, harder for them to rip off the trebles.👍