Collection: Pro Scoping Setups

Love it, or hate it, catching fish with forward imaging is evolving faster than any technique in the sport. From shakin’ a minnow, bombing a jerk bait, glide-baiting or throwing a jig… the techniques are evolving faster than AI. Want to get ahead of the trends, check out Alpha’s rods and gear designed for each technique.

(Note: Alpha’s biggest asset for researching new bass fishing techniques is the Bass Blaster. The information in every article is timely, direct and without sponsor bias. We highly recommend subscribing to the Blaster if you want to stay ahead of the newest trends and techniques.)

#1 Jighead Minnow fishing – Alpha Angler xHM ShAAkr 6’7” Medium Fast

The ShAAkr and the ShAAkrhead (our proprietary scope jighead) were designed together for the minnow. Everything from the short length to the xHM fast action blank were refined to throw a jighead on braid with a flouro-leader for suspended fish.

Alpha Angler ShAAkr

ShAAkr Review: Clear Lake Guide Service Owner : Ross England

“It’s refreshing to order and receive a product that performs as advertised! I placed my order last weekend and it arrived this Wednesday afternoon.

Not really sure about the sickle style hook (ShAAkrhead Jighead) but I stuck myself about 8 times trying to rig the danged thing. Found some shad and the first fish was a 12lb channel cat. The hook performed flawlessly. After checking my line and wiping off a little catfish snot I went back to probing the bait for the right kind of bite. It came in the form of a 7.25 largemouth that did its best to kick my fanny…it didn’t. So going forward I have a ton of confidence in your jighead.

Now the rod. Been a while since I used a rod that short. I come from the days of pistol grip 5 1/2’ glass rods (did I tell you I’m a dinosaur?) but your videos on the rod made sense. No problem outcasting my field of view. Way easier to pitch to the 20’ & 30’ targets I was marking. Super easy to skip my bait under piers/docks. Balanced perfectly with a Sustain 3000. The shorter length made it easier to keep working the bait closer to the boat. The rod loaded up during both fish fights with a smooth parabolic bend. I do not horse fish to the boat but felt I was in total control of the outcome on both fish due to the firm feel of the action.”

Minnow Summary: The ShAAkr is the perfect jighead minnow rod, with the ability to throw light weights, but the backbone to land 7lbers. Most of our anglers are using 10lb braid mainline with a 2500-3000 sized spinning reel. Leader size should be changed based on cover and water clarity. Many pros will use upto 17lb leader to keep the bait “floating” through the water column.

Minnow resources: https://bit.ly/AABlasterMinnow1 - Clear Lake Minnow Victory Setup (and more). ShAAKr Video = https://bit.ly/AAYTShAAkr

#2 Jerkbait Scoping – Alpha Angler 6’10” Medium Fast Slasher

Most utilized for the FFS in shallow water, this technique has rejuvenated the hard bait market. Knowing when and where to throw a jerkbait can be harder than knowing to use the Alpha Angler Slasher for the technique. Although our famous Slasher Jerkbait rod was designed before FFS was a huge factor, it’s updated “Low Drag Guide” system has improved casting accuracy. The blank has a unique parabolic action that combines power and fishing landing together. Biggest problem with with the Slasher, is you’ll need more than one.

Alpha Angler Slasher 2.0

Palaniuk’s Slasher Review Video

Jerkbait Summary: Most professional anglers are adding heavier hooks to their stock jerkbaits. This let's the bait sink down to the target faster, if necessary, and allows for more cover oriented presentations. When scoping with the jerkbait, anglers are targeting trees, brush piles and docks. To get fish away from this cover, upsize your line, hooks and grab the Slasher.

The Slasher handles the Megabass ITO line of baits, from standard all the way to the 110+2 models with ease. Another tip, most pros are using the Duo Realis Trebles on their jerkbaits, which we know from this Blaster article https://bit.ly/AABlasterJerkbait.

#3 - Glidebait Scoping - Alpha Angler 7'9" Wide Glide 2.0 XHeavy Fast

The glide gets big fish from cover, and provides the best chance at bigger scope fish. Even before FFS was prominent, the glide technique had a place in tournament fishing. If you only caught one fish a day on the glide, it's probably your biggest in the bag. Combine the ability to hunt big fish with FFS with the big bite power of the glide bait, and you've got the fastest growing segment of swimbait fishing. Like the Slasher, the Wide Glide was created before FFS was a player. Our 2.0 version comes with a bit longer handle for more accuracy in casting, and more protection from big hooksets. Also included, the new version has our "Low Drag Guide" system for longer and more accurate casts.

Alpha Angler Wide Glide 2.0

Palaniuk's Glide Video

Probably the best video for learning to work a bait, and how these fish react to it. Our 2nd video shows how Brandon uses FFS to make sure his bait it right above the cover to help generate bites!! Video Link Here