While the bulk of the Upper Midwest is in a deep freeze, YouTuber Matt Nelson offers us a tantalizing taste of the season to come in this video where he chases smallmouth bass with a Nikko Hellgrammite 4.25” magma.
Bass love hellgrammites; kayak anglers love fishing ASMR
Hellgrammites are found throughout eastern North America and are the aquatic larvae of eastern dobsonflies. They’re often said to look somewhat like centipedes— very appealing to your average juicy little smallmouth bass.
Much like the bass eats up a hellgrammite, Nelson is truly keeping the northern kayak anglers fed this winter by rolling out his signature relaxing summer fishing videos throughout the ice fishing season. Nelson’s video style encompasses the barebones spirit of kayak fishing. In the world of rigs so expensive they could be a small bass boat, Nelson’s stripped down AMSR fishing style video with no-frills narration and strategy sharing makes for an especially compelling watch. It feels like you’re out on the water with him.
In the video, Nelson takes us up river to find the best bass action. He clips his kayak onto his belt to stand and fish shallow eddies and riffles, finding an idyllic corner of the river that could only be accessed by kayak anglers.
“Looks awfully fishy,” said Nelson before hooking smallie after smallie.
A small mouth bass arched through the air, caught on the Hellgrammite lure, while Nelson shared with the viewer what strategies have been working for him lately and what hasn’t.
“I had a blast out here today,” said Nelson at the end of the video. “I hope you guys enjoyed it, thanks for coming along with me again. I’ll see you next time.”
