The Shallow Water Bait Modification You’ve Never Seen

My dad uses the same bass lure on almost every fishing trip, from the first trip after ice-out to our last trip before the water freezes. But over the years, he’s made some unusual modifications to keep catching bass with it—even when the original bait is too deep-running for the shallow grass we fish.

The bait is a 4-inch Rapala BX Minnow in Gold Shiner. First, there’s the original version straight out of the box. Then there’s his beat-up homemade “Bill Free,” which runs just below the surface. And now there’s Bill Free 2.0, with the bill filed down to a tiny stub.

I call it precision hillbilly engineering.

In this video, I’ll show you the original bait, how my dad modified it, why he uses different versions throughout the fishing season, and what the newest version looks like in action.

The best part? We’ve caught bass on this bait throughout the open-water season, from spring through fall.

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