Wacky Wormin' Big Fall Smallies!

It's a cold fall day but the action is hot on the river and the fish can't say no to the wacky worm! I'm fishing for smallmouth bass on this trip but find some hungry largemouth and northern pike too!
Gear used on this trip:
Lure: Yum Dinger tin foil color amzn.to/3tWOpt6
Clear Heat Shrink: shorturl.at/axNTW
Rod: St Croix BassX 6'8" M XF amzn.to/495RwPQ
Reel: Daiwa Zillion SV TW G amzn.to/3F6TCCc
Line: Power Pro Super Slick V2 15lb amzn.to/3rRI6qp
Leader: Daiwa J-Fluoro 12lb amzn.to/3SqD0wb

[@bobrich1950]

Saturday morning in Chicagoland. My options at 9:00 AM are a well known midwest fishing show on Comcast, or NDYakAngler with Matt. Matt is so in tune with what most of us "average " folks here are about that for me , the choice is obvious. Thanks for these videos Matt. I think for many of us, our Saturday's would be incomplete without them to jump start our day.

[@deadpanfish]

Or you could go fishing.

[@bobrich1950]

@@deadpanfish Exactly. But the obvious point here is that this channel is better than any other fishing show i have ever watched. Period.

[@joeschmo9838]

@@deadpanfish This would be my option #1 then tv. But winter is unfortunately settling in on us in the Chicago/Milwaukee areas and TV seems to be becoming the go-to. I'll fish until the temps are in the 30's then it's a no. They're calling for snow (although less than an inch) for us Tuesday :(

[@harrygrimley4352]

​@@joeschmo9838same here in central mn this was recorded just before the temps dropped obviously.

[@PC-gs7pv]

Lol Chicagoland here as well, and always look forward to following along on a fishing adventure with Matt. Always learn something and get to see what it’s like actually catching bass on a kayak, as opposed to BGs and Perch lol *_*

[@xmk_ski]

You, sir, are the Bob Ross of fishing KZbin. Every video is so calming and enjoyable. Your voice is smooth and reassuring. You have a gentle excitement when you catch monsters that’s just so pleasant. Thank you

[@richardmcnamara8530]

NOT Bob Ross!

[@richardmcnamara8530]

Bob can't fish!!

[@Agile47509chicken]

Who else instantly recognized this stretch of river from his “how I fish a stretch of river” video a few years back?

[@donkaros8106]

That was a good day with the smallies

[@umoua9125]

Can you give a location? Would like to try shore fishing with my son here

[@paulwildum802]

Hard to watch your videos without feeling jealous about the gorgeous areas you fish and the quality of smallies.

[@paullevine1813]

Paul, You are not alone & i have been to Minnesota years ago with a friend who's folks live out that way & it way the best two weeks of fishing i ever had . He's lucky he grew up there & knows from all his years there so many great spots to fish even when he's not in the Kayak he still manages to find these spillways that hold monster fish . We should be kinds jealous but in a good way . One thing i like about Matt is he gets to do this all year as we have seen many of his ice fishing vids & it's a year round fish a thon out there ,yea we are jealous as hell LOL 🐟 A true blue fisherman he has no reason to be as obnoxious as many fishing vids so he just does what he loves as do we only we may not be as lucky to be around so many great places to fish.

[@the2060ish]

Heard the Loons calling the birds chipping and NDYakAngler screaming.😱 👍 The Pike was the best part. 👍👍

[@Grand-Massive]

The wacky worm is the first and only lure I found that actually gave me confidence. I've probably caught ten times more bass on the wacky rig than all other techniques/lures combined.

[@VirginianFishinDominion]

Same here! Just recently started using a weightless fluke fishing it similar to the waky rig and has seemed to be working well so far this fall

[@adbrooks95]

I always use a weightless Texas rigged senko. Caught my PB that way.

[@laualie9155]

Love the wacky! I've had similar good results on my medium and larger rivers with a weighted tube too, either Texas rigged or the stupid tube.

[@Jnf458]

Really? So weightless like in the video? I have zero confidence when throwing wacky worm or any soft plastic really.

[@billk8817]

I do like a wacky but I have also caught on Carolina rigged with a pegged bullet sinker and 8" of leader ending in a red or purple plastic.

[@richardmcnamara8530]

I have fished streams and lakes for years, 70 yrs old, never have I seen so many places where there were no fisherman but Matt! How does this happen? He is a great fisherman,

[@davidporter7694]

Truly appreciate your respect of your catches by your kind release, and how you protect them before measuring… exemplary

[@stldavid]

You're so nonchalant. This is an EPIC day of fishing! Bunch of great fish. And the Daiwa Zillion reel is a steal for the price.

[@cmargheimable]

Your channel seriously lowers my blood pressure. It’s entertaining but also helps me sleep while giving me motivation to get out there. Thank you, and keep ‘em coming

[@brianathern9154]

Love the wacky worm rig its been a game changer for me. I hacked your idea and bought some heat shrink tubing and rigged a handful. After only using 3 worms all day of 2 colors I'm sold. The next move was to be showing and teaching my fishing buddies. You can teach an old dog new tricks Matt. Thanks again for taking us along brother. Blessings

[@rickbrown7067]

Hi Matt, Hope you are doing well after that storm creamed ND. Keep up the great content. Take care

[@andreasn6242]

"Howdy everyone" words I love to hear once a week haha. I need to watch vicariously I have been getting skunked left and right lately.

[@christinerogers5331]

WOW, Matt, you really WACKED THEM GOOD with that Tin Foil Wacky Worm. What an awesome day of fishing on a beautiful river, thanks for taking us along!

[@jman3ification]

Tinfoil is my favorite worm color!!

[@biggworm]

You have the absolutely best video footage of all the fishing channels I watch. You have your camera mounted perfectly. Thank you !

[@deadpanfish]

He uses a hat mount. Many youtubers use the chest mount.

[@redbeard6606]

Fishing trips like that are the ones you wish would never end. Man thats another great day on the water.

[@thesportsguy3609]

That was an awesome day of fishing.

[@FJBMAGAPatriotUSA1]

Smashing your thumb while going fishing… MUCH BETTER than a day at the office!💪🏼😎

[@thatfishingnoob]

Wooo!!!!!!!!!!! Great adventure sir! Thanks for bringing us along.

[@patribble]

You have talked about your heat-shrink wacky rig set-up a number of times, and I think this is the most detail you’ve ever given. Commenters are usually left asking how you do it. Would you consider making a one-off video showing exactly how you do it? That would be awesome, and then we could just point the newbies in the direction of that instructional video.

[@ndyakangler]

Yes I’ll probably make a quick video this winter on that. There’s a few tricks, spraying Yum juice on the brass rod so the heat shrink comes off, removing the original scent from the worms so I can superglue the bands etc

[@rascaligan8122]

Thanks Matt! Always happy to see the videos.

[@alanw73]

I used to use a similar combo for wacky worms, but I switched to spinning reel. I think it works much better than a baitcaster with light baits like a wacky worm.

[@josiahberens9077]

The ex fast tip on that rod combined with a reel with a lightweight spool is what is making it work for him. A bait caster will typically not do great with light baits, but his setup works well

[@ndyakangler]

The casting setup I use is geared more for light lures and it will fire that unweighted worm out as far or farther than any spinning setup I own. The issue I would always eventually run into wacky working on a spinning reel is I’m reeling a somewhat slack line and it would lead to a birds nest when I go to cast at some point. I also get a better feel/better sensitivity on a casting setup just from the nature of the way they’re designed. Your line attaches directly to a more central solid part of the reel compared to spinning gear, which transfers those small taps better to the rod where they’re felt by my hands.

[@PC-gs7pv]

Always a great calming and educational watch!

[@tmkayakfishing8236]

Love Saturday mornings!

[@harrygrimley4352]

This was awesome. Thanks for sharing this with us

[@Larry77777]

Hey Matt: About your setup, I use the spinning version of that BASS X 6'8" MXF rod. Works well for a variety of presentations: jerkbaits including floating Bomber (size 0 snap) and other treble hook baits including topwater poppers and Spooks. OR... flukes and Fat Ika (EWG rigged weightless) Senkos, other plastic worms, craws, creatures.

[@ronmixson7637]

Another great video. Thanks Matt for taking us along. Your videos are the best!!!! Love all your videos.

[@martinsigala4619]

Keep doing what you’re doing !! 🎣

[@DragonGP]

I'm glad you unraveled the mystery of the black thumbnail for us, I'd been curious about that. 😁

[@josephabeytajosephabeyta9305]

Thanks for taking us with you

[@BrodyBradshaw]

That is a great idea with the shrink tubing! Love you videos👍

[@richardmcnamara8530]

I am watching this video for a second time, you are crushing em! I need to try the whacky worm! "See ya next time" Richard in Hamburg NY, right on lake Erie...

[@markg1490]

As always, an excellent video!

[@TripEfishing]

Awesome video brother! I’m headed to Minnesota soon and I’m super excited to get my hands on some of these smallie’s!!

[@Jnf458]

Great stuff as always! Also thanks for posting the links.

[@christophershelton1735]

This is my absolute favorite fishing channel. I subscribe to probably 12-15 different channels. Thanks for your awesome vids.

[@robertbutcher4201]

Love the wacky worm, its so effective. Great action and video as always!!!

[@MWM92688]

Your video are pure gold my friend, nice work, and thanks for the great entertainment!!🎣

[@GillsNReelsFishing]

Awesome first fish for the day! Heck of a way to start.

[@Schnazola]

You get a lot of Top Dead Center hookups!!! You're the best, Matt.

[@topwaterwes2339]

I feel ya Matt. Being in northeast Mn it's been 50 degrees steady lately with wicked winds. Lower 30s today with light dusting of snow. I miss that summer weather daily. Lol

[@victorsimonsen921]

the thumbnail story gave me a shiver up and down my body how painful !!! another great video thanks for sharing.

[@BLitZ_2944]

I waited all week for a new video, keep up the work man

[@antoniomora1255]

Nice cloudy day before the cold weather finally sets in. The fishing was most entertaining! And with those pike and largemouth for variety too!. Two weeks ago I had my last warm weather fish. I finally caught a 1,4 kg bass on a rat lure. It was my first fish ever on that lure. With almost total absence of daylight I thought I had accidentally hooked a carp. Such was the powerful fight that bass offered. The perfect end to my bass season. I was delighted. Also a most instructive video. You provide all the details of the heat shrink tube which I really appreciate.

[@greggdsciotto8952]

"Ya want seconds?" LMAO!😅 Another great video Matt, thanks.

[@coloradohrfishinadventures6028]

Football season brings football shaped smallies & largies!! Solid fish for that day 💪

[@crazy88909]

Another great video. Was going to go fishing today but couldn;t. Coping by watching NDYakAngler.

[@truebalsamhogs]

Well done. Thank you.

[@Elroy5150]

Another Fantastic video!

[@southsideronnie]

I think I have caught 3 fish in my life. I have the worst luck or absolutely no skill. My brother can find a piece of fishing line on a dock that has a hook on it, attach a grasshopper and have a fish in a minute. So it's great for me to watch your videos. And you almost always catch some really nice fish! Thank you so much for sharing!!

[@bigfah2506]

Keep it simple. Don’t think to much about color or what they want. If you’re bass fishing then senko in green pumpkin/watermelon or blk/blue.

[@laualie9155]

I didn't start fishing until well into my 40s when it was clear my then 6 year old needed to fish. Now I'm hooked but he's moved on. Couldn't catch a thing when I started. Like anything it's trial and error, you gotta enjoy just being on the water and putting in the time. I have about 3 set ups and the wacky figures heavy in the rotation. I catch more than enough to stay happy. Keep casting!

[@brady8257]

The most important thing to remember is 90 percent of the fish are in 10 percent of the water. Find what the fish want to eat and you’ll find the fish.

[@snakeeyes9246]

I've been fishing since I was 2 (now 22, been doing it for 20+ years), and while I've easily caught thousands, maybe tens of thousands of fish and dozens of species, I often have rough stretches of nothing. A lot of my success lately has come from watching tutorials on KZbin. Trust me. There are some species that I have been trying to catch for over 10 years with no success.

[@laualie9155]

It's wacky time! Love all the vids but always smile when I see a wacky excursion. I use the same set up, tho with slightly cheaper equipment. 😊

[@ndyakangler]

I forgot my rods at home the other day and had to stop in at Walmart for a $65 Ozark Trail combo. I was actually pretty impressed with it! The rod was a little whippy compared to my more expensive one but it tossed a light jig plenty far and handled some nice smallies!

[@oakdogfu]

Put together a big pan of enchiladas for the kids. New granddaughter born last week, Natylee Ray! Now for some “me” time ON THE WATER SLAMMIN’ SMALLIES.

[@wbarney59]

You, seamoney and Elias are the best fisherman on the tubeski

[@CarnivoreJourney0609]

The wacky worm mustache. Love it!

[@nickrosch6984]

Great video!

[@FishWithAJ]

Howdy from the UK, great vid as always

[@TheBebe666]

Another long one...awesome

[@minimibudjetti]

Fall has turned early winter here in Finland. Northern lakes are already frozen and people are doing ice-fishing even 100 miles south from Arctic Circle. In southern part of Finland it's now almost this years last possibility for open-water fishing.

[@ndyakangler]

It won’t be long here! It’s been below freezing the last several days.

[@badlyniceness2315]

Beastmaster…the series! You all know the mind of a bass..spoooky…

[@corley-vance5836]

Awesome video!

[@joeschmo9838]

I live in SE Wisconsin and like to fish if it's warm enough even in winter (~40* bass is open year round catch and release for us now) good to know the whacky dingers still get 'em. Smallmouth definitely love when I toss my dinger whacky in the summer for 'em LOL

[@Mbeieler77]

Saturday morning gold! 👍

[@lemieuxtraining1]

Hey Matt, thanks for the amazing content. My wife and I watch your videos religiously, we love your calmness and how you teach. You inspired us to get on our paddleboards and fish, since then we’ve both been getting better at catching numbers and quality fish. Quick question, what is the hook you’re using for your wacky setup? Thanks and keep it up, your friends from Montreal, Quebec Canada.

[@DavidSmith-zr3nd]

I spent the day in the marsh fishing below New Orleans. Wish the water had been this calm

[@Sid_Vivacious]

Down here in San Antonio Texas and we're still at 86°. Ugly humidity down here. But come Monday, we'll be catching that front you guys up there already received! Lows in the 40s highs in the 50s... Come on come on come on!!! 🤣

[@AbbyNormill]

Thanks for all your videos, and thanks for not saying "Let's go!" every time you hook a fish.

[@RobChristensen]

So therapeutic.

[@snakeplissken2130]

"Gave him the 'ol Wacky Worm Moustache" That was amazing.

[@turboboy0]

i already put most of my regualr rods away for the season. the only regular rod i have in the truck now is the 5.5' med/light with a ac2000 baitcaster, 30lb braid and 4/0 circle hook. the rest (4 more) are all telescoping rods with reels. all have braid and circle hooks too. i mainly target catfish and carp.

[@ndyakangler]

I kind of made the same mistake, had to take all my rods out to haul the family around and realized I forgot my rods as soon as I pulled up to the launch my next trip out. I ended up going to the closest Walmart and got their cheapest half decent casting combo so I didn’t have to spend a few hours driving back home.

[@RippinLipsOutdoorz]

Great video

[@andrewillomitzer3711]

Those might be the thickest bass I've seen on your channel since I've been watching LOL

[@htuckey]

Thank you!

[@jonathanmorrissey7748]

Matt next spring we need to get you down here to Tennessee to play with some of our brown fish.

[@doclew28]

Yooooooo... first fish is LITERALLY a FOOTBALL... 😮😮🏈🏈😂😂😂

[@henrykelsey5569]

At this point I'm thinking tin foil ned rig seeing is believing 😮

[@roberthowe5315]

Wow that first small mouth was a nice football

[@wbarney59]

Thanks Matt

[@DanKoning777]

Switching things up on us Matt-now the last fish of the day is the biggest. 😄 Also, I wonder if the smallies hadn't migrated further downstream yet b/c of the temps. If the temps in your area have been above average like they have been here in MI, the fish may think it's still mid September. Good stuff as always. God bless.

[@ndyakangler]

It has stayed a bit warmer later this year, at least the water temps have. By now the smallies are probably stacked in their fall spots though we’ve got snow on the ground now.

[@svens8674]

The bass jump at 19:00 is the best bass jump I've ever seen on video

[@dariya6729]

Like your videos. As I know there overpopulation of smallmouth bass in Minnesota.

[@Dunkaroooss]

Perfect video I haven’t watched it but yeah

[@jeffreypolanofsky4146]

done the same thing in my door.... lol . hurts at first.......

[@jamesmcdermott6934]

What a fish to call the day on!!! Way to git em like you usually do!

[@micahherman373]

Getting chilly.

[@garybarrere7552]

I had several smashed nails over the years. I had one that hurt so bad I went to the emergency room at midnight, learn a neat trick from that doctor. He took a large paper clip heated it till it glowed, then just touched the black spot burned just enough to get through the nail and spurt all the blood spurted out and the pain went away immediately. I have used this several times since.

[@brady8257]

I use the point of an exacto knife like a drill bit. The sharp tip cuts through the fingernail pretty easily.

[@garybarrere7552]

I tried the point of a hook hurt to bad too much pressure, the hot paper clip was like a knife through butter

[@TheJaymon1962]

Excellent

[@predwards8941]

Tin foil dinger is absolute MONEY

[@frankiejerardenno2678]

Good to see you again ❤fisherman🎉,would you ever keep a monster?

[@ndyakangler]

I’d probably get a replica made. Most places I fish smallies they’re catch and release only.

[@frankiejerardenno2678]

@ndyakangler cool just you should enter fishing derby for musky!🤟🏾🤎✌🏽

[@rolandgdean]

Use the busted thumbnail as a thumbnail for one of your videos...lol. Great content as usual Matt...thanks again for sharing your passion.

[@STONERCREEK1]

I wonder if the curse words coming out of his mouth after slamming his thumb in the door were as peaceful and Bob Ross like as the fishing narration? Lol

[@andybales7318]

Another option for the senkos/dingers/stik-o's, etc...buy a few original chatterbaits (cheaper model) & take the skirts off...slide 1 of those stickbaits on it. Very good action, as the stickbaits shake constantly...bet a chartreuse dinger on the skirtless chatterbait would smash the smallies!

[@blue_ridge_on_the_fly4174]

You gotta try the lunkerhunt hellgrammite. It’s a game changer for me in East Tenn.

[@johnkrusewicz6279]

gave him the ol" wacky worm mustache

[@christophershelton1735]

Wind always blows in southwest Oklahoma. Gets on my last nerve. Lol

[@slabslayer258]

if you burn hole in your mail when it fills with blood from smashing it it helps it not stain or stay discolored that long . You may have done this , but it not it is painless an like a magic trick from the pressure relief when that blood blows out the hole

[@mikecollins2476]

I don't care what anyone says yum dingers are still the best senkos they're durable they fall good and they're heavy enough to cast pretty far weightless. I've had Yamamotos break just from casting. For $8 a bag you'd think they'd be a little more durable. Too much salt.

[@eric1richards]

Have you tried a drop shot, whacky rig? I tried that recently and did pretty well with it.

[@MrOttotattoo]

So much different looking only 200 miles north of. We are covered in snow .

[@ndyakangler]

This footage is a week or two old. We have snow on the ground now.

[@Pitbull31957]

Hello from North Carolina. Enjoy your videos. My favorite fishing technique is using the Wacky Worm. Thanks for not adding annoying background music to your videos. Channels that add loud / annoying music to their videos take quality away from their content in my opinion.