Wrangler Rugged Wear® and
Wrangler ProGear® Outdoor Pro Tips

Woo's Upside-Down Worm

When bass are hitting short, Bass Classic champion Woo Daves fishes the upside-down worm. He inserts a 2/0 off-set hook about two inches down from the tail of a trick worm. He inserts a nail down the head of the worm so it swims head-first. "This is a great technique after the spawn and in clearer waters," said the Wrangler Rugged Wear® pro staffer.

Calling Spring Turkeys

Spring turkey hunters should strive to master all kinds of calls but, novices, here's a word of advice from Wrangler ProGear® advisor Ron Schara, host of TV's “Backroads with Ron and Raven.” Schara said novices should first master slate and box calls and tackle difficult mouth and diaphragm calls later. He said novices using mouth calls often call too loudly or out of rhythm, and that puts the wise old gobbler on alert.

Floating Jug Finds Eddies

As fishing hotspots go, river eddies reign supreme. “Forage and predator fish like to use the slow-moving and reverse current pools to rest and feed," said Wrangler Rugged Wear® pro Larry Bozka. But how do you spot those eddies? Bozka lets a floating milk jug lead the way on his downstream river drifts. When the jug circles or comes to a stop it is telling you it has found a river eddy. Typically, it will be along oxbows and steep channel bends. Start casting. Don't forget to retrieve your plastic jug from the water when you leave the river.

Scout Spring for Fall Bucks

Spring is a great time to get ready for the fall deer season. Scouting and planning now will help score a big buck later, reports outdoor writer Ron Tussel, a member of the Wrangler ProGear® pro staff. Here's Tussel's big buck strategy. He explores in the early spring and looks for shed antlers. That tells him where bucks survived the winter. Then he maps out a plan for planting and placing nutrients and mineral supplements in the fall. Regulations vary by state and county so be sure it's legal where you plan to hunt.

Finessing the Drop-Shot Knot

Here's an easy drop-shot rig used by Woo Daves, the hall of famer and Bass Classic champion. Woo ties the worm hook about 14 inches up the line with a palomar knot then puts the line hook-eye one more time so the hook stands out from the line. He knots a 3/8-ounce weight to the end of the line. He attaches a finesse worm to the hook and lowers the rig until he feels the sinker hit the bottom. Periodically he imparts a very slight jerk to the plastic worm. The Wrangler Rugged Wear® professional notes, “this rig makes it more likely the worm will be noticed and remain in the strike zone.”

Spring Cannibal Bass

Spawned-out largemouth bass are rightfully known as finicky fish with peculiar traits. Wrangler Rugged Wear® staffer Larry Bozka reminds us one of those peculiar traits is cannibalism. "Yes, it's a cruel fact of nature, but lunkers will turn on their offspring,” said Bozka. “Anglers can take advantage of this after the spawn by fishing small crank baits in baby bass color patterns."

Big Walleyes on the Shore

Some spring anglers know you don't need a boat to catch a big walleye. Outdoor writer and TV host Ron Tussel of the Wrangler Rugged Wear® Outdoor Advisory Team reports that in the northeast big spring walleyes will move in under cover of darkness and cruise the warmest shallows for food. That makes them just a casting distance away to shoreline anglers who know where to fish. Anglers work shorelines with the wind blowing from the opposite shoreline. This means warm surface water is on their side. They fish rocky points that reach out to slightly deeper water. Big walleyes will cruise back and forth around these points.

Work Large Lures Slowly in the Spring

World bass champion Woo Daves tells anglers to fish big lures slowly in the spring for big bass. “Springtime usually brings a lot of off-colored water, so large baits and blades really produce,” said Daves, a member of the Wrangler Rugged Wear® Outdoor Advisory Team.