Jigs and Bigs

Every fall, bass anglers hear the same advice: FIND THE SHAD. FOLLOW THE BAIT.Great advice...What if your lake doesn't have shad?That's exactly where we're going in Episode 341.Kai Ludden, aka Kai the Fish Guy, returns to Jigs & Bigs as our guest co-host, and this time we're digging into fall bass fishing in northern lakes, ponds and rivers where shad aren't the primary forage...or aren't there at all.Instead of blindly applying the standard fall playbook, we're looking at what bass are actually feeding on: yellow perch, bluegill and other sunfish, minnows, young-of-year forage, crayfish and whatever else your particular ecosystem provides.And Kai brings something especially valuable to this conversation. With his background studying freshwater fish and fish behavior, we get beyond “throw this bait in October” and start asking why these fish and their forage are behaving the way they are.We get into how different forage species respond to changing water temperatures, daylight, vegetation and habitat; what those movements can mean for bass location; and why you shouldn't assume every baitfish in the lake got the same September memo.Because here's the problem:You can't follow a migration your lake doesn't have.On Just the Tip, we build a practical fall-fishing approach around identifying the forage that's actually in YOUR water and following the clues those species provide.Then on Broke on the Boat, we're asking what you really need to change in your tackle when the forage isn't shad. Can you adapt the baits you already own through size, color, profile and presentation? And if you're actually going to spend money to better match the hatch, where does that money make sense?Plus, Kai catches us up on his Massachusetts freshwater pin quest, including the grind that produced his 31½-inch lake trout, we talk tournament fishing, fall fishing, listener questions, and naturally wander into some of the usual Jigs & Bigs bullshit along the way. 341 captions 341 captionsListen on Spotify:Jigs & Bigs on SpotifyFrostbuddy Universal CanSupport the show while grabbing your Frostbuddy:Shop FrostbuddyDark Horse TackleSave $5 on orders of $30+ with code JNB5Shop Dark Horse TackleArk RodsSave 10% with code JIGSANDBIGSShop Ark RodsOmnia FishingSave 15% on your first order with code JIGS&BIGSFIRSTShop Omnia FishingBassdashSave 15% with code JIGANDBIGSShop BassdashBluBlocker SunglassesFree shipping on orders over $50 while supporting Jigs & Bigs:Shop BluBlockerChill Steel PipesSave $20 with code jigsandbigsShop Chill Steel Pipes📞 JIGS & BIGS HOTLINE: (413) 324-8519Call or text us with your fishing questions, stories, hot takes, or questionable life decisions. You might end up on the show.Fish the forage that's actually there. Not the forage the internet told you should be there.🎧 SUPPORT JIGS & BIGS

How much of the way you fish comes from what YOU have actually learned… and how much came from somebody telling you what should work?Fishing reports. YouTube. Tournament results. Facebook groups. Dock talk. Your buddies. Pros. Influencers. We consume an insane amount of fishing information, and none of that is necessarily a bad thing.The problem starts when somebody else's experience becomes more important than the evidence you've gathered yourself.This week on Jigs & Bigs, Bobby, Joe and Mike dig into something we're calling borrowed confidence.Somebody crushes them on a bait, so you buy it. Somebody says they're deep, so you run deep. A tournament gets won offshore, and suddenly everybody's offshore.But none of that information knows exactly what's happening where you're standing, on your water, at that moment.Information should influence your decisions. It shouldn't make them for you.🎣 JUST THE TIP: We break down what real fishing confidence actually looks like, why confidence and stubbornness aren't the same thing, and why becoming a better angler means learning to trust your own observations while still being willing to let the fish prove you wrong.💸 BROKE ON THE BOAT: Can you actually buy confidence? Sometimes a bad day sends us straight to the tackle shop looking for the bait, rod, reel, electronics or latest piece of gear that's finally going to “fix” our fishing.And man… that dopamine hit feels fantastic.But did you actually solve anything?Plus, we get into our weeks on the water, listener interaction in the Livewell, some laughs, some bullshit, and the usual detours that make Jigs & Bigs what it is.Learn from everybody.Listen to good information.Pay attention to the evidence.Then make your own fucking decision.Don't borrow confidence. Build it.Listen on Spotify:Jigs & Bigs on SpotifyFrostbuddy Universal CanShop FrostbuddyDark Horse Tackle — Save $5 on $30+ with code JNB5Shop Dark Horse TackleARK Rods — Save 10% with code JIGSANDBIGSShop ARK RodsOmnia Fishing — Save 15% on your first order with code JIGS&BIGSFIRSTShop Omnia FishingBassdash — Save 15% with code JIGANDBIGSShop BassdashBluBlocker Sunglasses — Free shipping on orders over $50 + your purchase supports J&BShop BluBlockerChill Steel Pipes — Save $20 with code jigsandbigsShop Chill Steel PipesTHE BIG IDEA:🎣 SUPPORT JIGS & BIGS

You can always make more money. But you can’t make more Saturdays.Fishing time is limited — and sometimes the difference between a frustrating day and an incredible one is recognizing a 20-minute window before it disappears.This week on Jigs & Bigs, Bobby, Joe and Mike dig into how anglers can get better at recognizing when something on the water has changed. Wind picks up. Clouds roll in. Bait starts moving. Current changes. You get one bite…then another.Did a window just open?We talk about why your original plan shouldn’t outrank the information the fish are giving you, why tournament anglers can get burned by fishing memories from practice, and why sometimes the smartest thing you can do when the fish start talking is stop fucking around and fish.Then on Broke on the Boat, we look at something more expensive than tackle:Your time.For the tournament angler, wasting 30 minutes can cost placement, points or money. For the weekend warrior who might only get a few legitimate fishing days each month, wasting a Saturday can hurt even more.Plus, we hit the Livewell, talk tournament fishing, tackle some listener questions, and get into the usual Jigs & Bigs bullshit along the way.How to recognize a feeding window while it’s happeningWhy “one fish is just a fish — two is the beginning of a pattern”When to abandon the original planFishing current conditions instead of fishing memoriesThe real cost of wasted fishing timeMaking limited time on the water countTournament talk with MikeListener questions from the LivewellThe takeaway:You can't control when the window opens.You can't control how long it stays open.But you can be ready when it happens.Recognize it. Fish it. Learn from it. Don’t waste the fucking window.Listen on Spotify:Jigs & Bigs on SpotifyFrostbuddy Universal CanShop FrostbuddyDark Horse Tackle — Save $5 on $30+ with code JNB5Shop Dark Horse TackleARK Rods — Save 10% with code JIGSANDBIGSShop ARK RodsOmnia Fishing — Save 15% on your first order with code JIGS&BIGSFIRSTShop Omnia FishingBassdash — Save 15% with code JIGANDBIGSShop BassdashBluBlocker Sunglasses — Free shipping on orders over $50 + your purchase supports J&BShop BluBlockerChill Steel Pipes — Save $20 with code jigsandbigsShop Chill Steel PipesEP. 339 — You Can’t Make More Saturdays is the one I'd run with. The title → artwork → 12-second cold open gives you a really cohesive package without simply repeating “Don’t Waste the Window” three different ways.🎣 THIS WEEK:🎧 LISTEN & SUPPORT JIGS & BIGS

The calendar says fall. The fish may disagree.This week on Jigs & Bigs, Bobby digs into the fall transition and why anglers get into trouble when they start fishing the date instead of the conditions in front of them.On Just the Tip, we break down how to recognize the real signs of a seasonal shift — water temperature trends, forage movement, vegetation changes, bird activity, fish location and more — and why one clue by itself doesn’t mean much.One fish is just a fish. Two is the beginning of a pattern.Then on Broke on the Boat, we talk about the fall tackle trap: why changing conditions don’t automatically mean you need a whole new pile of gear, and how to make smarter adjustments before reaching for the credit card.Plus: fishing recaps, Livewell input from the Jigheads, some absolutely ridiculous stories, and the usual Jigs & Bigs chaos.The big takeaway this week:The calendar tells you what season it is. The water tells you how to fish it.Fish the clues. Not the calendar.Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/5SUDfILeZLzptlxBmTwlVw?si=iEEHLO_cRxKSO24R22kszQFrostbuddy Universal Canhttps://frostbuddy.com/?sca_ref=3436768.DwvUUmWjW2Dark Horse Tackle — $5 off $30+ with code JNB5https://darkhorsetackle.com/?sca_ref=4963595.Ulm8078KDdArk Rods — 10% off with code JIGSANDBIGShttps://arkrods.com/?dt_id=2466796Omnia Fishing — 15% off your first order with code JIGS&BIGSFIRSThttps://www.omniafishing.comBassdash — 15% off with code JIGANDBIGShttps://www.bassdash.comBluBlocker Sunglasses — Free shipping on orders over $50 and your purchase supports the showhttps://www.blublocker.com/?sca_ref=11001626.MPCibvl7cfqYqcChill Steel Pipes — $20 off with code jigsandbigshttps://chill.store/jigsandbigs

“HEY! YOU CAN’T FISH HERE!”Okay… but can you?Episode 337 of Jigs & Bigs dives into one of those situations almost every angler will eventually encounter: you’re fishing water you believe you have every legal right to be on, and a property or dock owner tells you otherwise.This week’s Just the Tip is all about knowing before you go.Public water vs. private property. Private docks. Legal access. Navigable water. Fishing from a boat vs. wading vs. standing on the bank. Sportsman’s rights and interference laws. And what happens when somebody hangs a NO FISHING sign somewhere that might not actually give them the authority to tell you not to fish?The complicated answer?It depends.We look at examples from around the country to demonstrate just how dramatically access and angler-protection laws can differ—and why something Bobby said on a podcast or some jabroni confidently posted on Facebook should never replace doing your own homework.And if a confrontation does happen?Knowing your rights doesn’t mean you have to exercise them at maximum volume.We talk de-escalation, respecting property owners, knowing when to walk away, and even when it might make sense to call the game warden yourself.Just remember:Calling the warden isn’t calling in reinforcements. You’re calling in a referee—and the referee can throw a flag on YOU.Then on Broke on the Boat, we're talking CHEAP INSURANCE—the inexpensive purchases and simple maintenance that can keep a tiny problem from becoming an expensive one.Because spending twelve bucks to protect a $300 rod isn't expensive.Replacing the $300 rod because you wouldn't spend twelve bucks?Now you're Broke on the Boat.Plus Joe and Bobby get into the usual fishing stories, bullshit, listener interaction and everything else that makes J&B… J&B.🎧 Listen to the Jigs & Bigs Podcast on Spotify:Jigs & Bigs on Spotify🧊🥶 Frostbuddy Universal Can:Shop Frostbuddy💰 $5 off $30 or more at Dark Horse Tackle with code JNB5 at checkout!Shop Dark Horse Tackle💰 10% off your order at Ark Rods! Use code JIGSANDBIGS at checkout!Shop Ark Rods💰 15% off your first order at Omnia Fishing using code JIGS&BIGSFIRST at checkout!Shop Omnia Fishing💰 Jigs & Bigs listeners get 15% off at Bassdash with code JIGANDBIGS!Shop Bassdash😎 Protect your eyes with BluBlocker Sunglasses! Free shipping on orders over $50—and your purchase helps support the show.Shop BluBlocker🥶🎣😗 Upgrade your fish-whistle game with $20 off at Chill Steel Pipes! Dual-wall steel insulated fish whistle? Yes, please. Use code jigsandbigs at checkout!Shop Chill Steel PipesKnow your water. Know your rights. Know their rights. And don't be an asshole.