Fishing Resources
The Tyler's Reel Fishing blog is your unfair advantage on the water. Every article delivers hard-earned tactics, gear that actually performs, and real fishing knowledge broken down so you can use it on your next trip. Beginner or seasoned angler, there's no fluff here — just the stuff that gets fish in the boat!
Best Summer Bass Lures: Top 5 Tips & Tricks
When summer heat pushes bass into deep water, the lures that worked in spring suddenly stop producing. Big offshore bass don't chase chatterbaits or wacky worms — they hold tight on brush piles, rock piles, deep grass lines, and ledges in 10 to 30+ feet of water, waiting for the right meal to drift past. This guide breaks down the five offshore lure categories that consistently catch summer bass, when to throw each one, and how to rig them for maximum effect.
When to Fish Topwater Frogs for Bass (Timing Guide)
The topwater frog is one of the most exciting lures in bass fishing — but unlike a Texas rig, chatterbait, or crankbait, it doesn't work twelve months a year. It's a warm-water technique, and picking the right windows can make the difference between an unforgettable bite and hours of wasted casts. This guide covers exactly when to start throwing a frog, when to stop, when to pick it over other top waters, and when to swap it for a subsurface lure instead.
Topwater Bass Lures: 3 Crucial Tips Before You Cast
Topwater bass fishing is the most exciting style of fishing on the planet — but most anglers have been lied to about which lures to throw, when to throw them, and what gear they actually need. This guide breaks down the three biggest topwater lies, explains how each topwater category actually wins, and gives you a simple three-question framework for picking the right topwater for any pond, lake, or river you fish.
Top 5 Pond Fishing Tips for Bass (Bank Fishing 101)
Pond fishing rewards the angler who thinks past lures and into fish behavior, water knowledge, and casting strategy. Sometimes blaming the fish is fair — they really can have off days. But most of the time, there's something you could have done as the angler to put yourself in the right spot at the right time with the right cast. This guide breaks down the top five pond fishing tips that consistently turn skunkings into solid days on the bank.
How to Fish a Ribbon Tail Worm for Summer Bass
Every summer, anglers reach for the same handful of skunk-buster lures — small worms, drop shots, Ned rigs, wacky rigs. They work. But they leave a huge category of summer bass fishing untouched: the big curly-tail worm. It's been catching bass for 50+ years, then got pushed aside by finesse trends, and now sits forgotten in most tackle boxes. Here's why that's a mistake, and how to fish it for some of the biggest summer bass of your year.
Topwater Frog Fishing Mistakes Every Angler Makes
A topwater frog bite is one of the most exciting things in bass fishing — but it's also one of the most frustrating when fish blow up on your bait and come off. Most of the time it's not bad luck. It's the same fixable mistake: the wrong rod, reel, and line for where frogs are supposed to be thrown. Here's how to stop leaving fish in the weeds.
How to Fish Creature Baits: Bass Fishing Masterclass
Creature baits are one of the most versatile lures in bass fishing — they work on a Texas rig, on the back of a jig, as a chatterbait trailer, and in everything from 6 inches of water to 30 feet deep. But most anglers who struggle with them are getting one or more of five fundamentals wrong. This masterclass fixes that.
How to Fish Grass for Bass: The Ultimate Guide
Bass live around grass. From 6 inches of water to 35 feet deep, aquatic vegetation is where bass eat, hide, and call home. But not all grass is the same — and knowing the difference between good grass and bad grass, shallow grass and deep grass, matters as much as the lure you tie on. This is a full breakdown of the science behind aquatic vegetation and exactly which lures to throw in each situation.
Chatterbait vs Spinnerbait: Which Is Better for Bass?
The spinnerbait and the chatterbait look similar, kind of sound similar, and get lumped into the same "reaction bait" bucket by most anglers — but they are not the same...
Hard vs Soft Swimbaits for Bass: Which Should You Throw?
Hard swimbaits like the Throwback Wake Walker LT produce multiple bites per outing and reward aggressive retrieves. Soft paddletail swimbaits like the CHR demand patience, the right lake, and serious...
Best Bass Fishing Lures: The One Lure I Trust Most
Most anglers don't take the drop shot seriously — we only throw it in extreme cold or heat. But I was wrong. Tournament pros are using drop shots year-round, and...
Spring Bass Fishing Masterclass: Pre-Spawn to Post-Spawn
Spring is the single best time to catch the biggest bass of your life — but only if you understand where the fish are in the spawn cycle and adjust...
February Bass Fishing Lures That Catch Fish Now
February bass fishing can swing from frustratingly slow to absolutely incredible — and the difference almost always comes down to one thing: water temperature. This guide organizes the best February...