July Tackle Warehouse Staff Picks

In July, bass are often hovering around deep structure and looking to feed on larger prey. The size, flash, and erratic movement of a big spoon often makes big bass react with an intense rip-the-rod-out-of-your-hands bite!

I usually fish a big spoon in the 25–35 foot depth range around structure like a timber line, rock pile, or brush pile. There are three retrieves I like best. The first and most common being jigging the spoon close to the bottom by simply lifting and dropping my rod tip. Second, I’ll lift the rod tip just enough so the spoon repeatedly makes contact with the bottom on the drop. Lastly, I’ll cast the spoon out to fish I’ve marked and burn it away from them once it has gotten their attention. I like to try all three and let the fish tell me which one they like best that day.

Stealth Smoke Shad is my favorite color in the Jackall Counter Back Spoon.

In summer 2025, a buddy and I were fishing a Tuesday-night tournament with a three-fish limit and had one bass left that we needed to cull. In the last few minutes before weigh in, I tossed the Jackall Counter Back and pulled up a 4.5 lb spot that put us at 12.80 lbs and helped us win the derb!

I typically throw the Counter Back on a 7’4” heavy moderate-fast Shimano Expride casting rod paired with a Shimano Curado 200 reel and 17 lb fluorocarbon line. This rod has the power to easily handle the spoon along with a softer action to keep the treble hook from easily ripping out.

The keeled body of the Big Gabot is more elongated (3 inches) compared to a traditional hollow-body frog, allowing it to easily walk and create a lot of surface disturbance without moving a great distance during retrieval. The double frog hook on the Big Gabot is extremely sharp, perfectly fits the full length of the body, and features a custom-designed bend that creates a wide gap for excellent hookup ratios. Lastly, the large ‘catamaran’ mouth of the Big Gabot spits tons of water with each twitch of the rod tip, even when fished over dense cover.

I like to throw the Big Gabot in the same places you’d normally fish a hollow-body frog, including shallow vegetation, matted cover, laydowns, shaded areas, and under overhangs. The elongated body of the Big Gabot allows it to skip efficiently, making it easy to slip into tight spots. The bait also works well in more open waters, as the mouth creates a splashing that helps call fish in.

I'm not very particular about frog color, but I often try to use something bright or solid that the fish can identify easily when fishing matted cover. Shadow Frog (black/blue) and Ama Gaeru (chartreuse belly) are my favorites, but I’ll also use a white or shad-colored frog if I feel like the fish are keyed in on small baitfish.

My biggest frog bass, an 8.78 pounder, came on the Big Gabot.

I like to fish the Big Gabot on a Dobyns Champion XP 736 with an 8.1:1 Tranx 200 casting reel. The Tranx has an extremely strong and rigid HAGANE body construction complemented by a 13 lb Cross Carbon drag system and X-Ship, providing tons of power to pull fish away from cover. The reel is spooled with straight 65 lb Maxcuatro braid, which has a thin diameter and smooth surface that allows it to flow off the spool freely for long-distance casting. The Big Gabot weighs 3/4oz, and I often throw the bait in and around nasty cover, so I never really fish it on anything less than 65 lb.

This is an extremely affordable and simple bait that I’ve used to catch a ton of bass over the years. It’s lightweight, compact, and comes fitted with a tri-wing prop that provides a lot of lift to easily keep the Buzz King on the surface during slow retrieves. The prop also burbles across the surface a bit more subtly than other buzzbaits, making this bait effective for pressured fish and/or calmer conditions.

One reason I love buzzbaits is because you can cover water faster and more easily than other topwaters like poppers, walking baits, and hollow frogs. I’ve had immense success steadily reeling the 1/8oz Buzz King at a slow or slow-moderate pace. I don’t rig mine with a trailer and don’t think I ever have! It works really well by itself.

I’m usually fishing a buzzbait in stained water, but I have also done well in clear water, especially in shade or during conditions with lower light and/or some surface ripple. The one downside to the Buzz King is the very minimal and basic color choices. With that said, the simple White color has been my top choice for most situations. You can always buy aftermarket banded-silicone skirts and slip one of those on if the stock skirt gets damaged or you'd prefer a slightly different look!

One bass that stands out to me was a 6+lber that absolutely smashed the 1/8oz Buzz King about 10 feet off my rod tip while bank fishing at a small South Florida lake. It was sick!

I’ve fished the 1/8oz Strike King Buzz King Buzzbait on several different rods, but two that really stand out to me are the Phenix Feather 7’1” medium-heavy and 7’0” G. Loomis Mag Bass MBR842C NRX+. Keep in mind the 1/8oz weight of the bait is just the head, so it’s a bit heavier with the other components factored in and throws easily on casting tackle.

I am not the biggest fan of ultra-fast gear ratios, so I always gravitate towards ratios in the 6 or 7 range. One of my absolute favorite reels at any price is the Shimano SLX 70 with the 7.2:1 gears. My line of choice is 20lb Power Pro Super8Slick V2 connected to a 12lb–15lb mono or copolymer leader. I guess the effectiveness of using a leader with the Buzz King is debateable, but the added stealth does give me added confidence.