TODAY'S COLA catch was not too short of 8 pounds.

UPDATED, 4 p.m. Tuesday–Anybody can make a lucky cast, and I admit to those all the time. But following up on the theme of yesterday’s cola 4.8 Flick-Shake performance, we put the little worm back on display and the oily little shaker came through again. The result, this one at an even 7 pounds, 8 ounces.

While the world of bass lures, colors, scents and configurations is fraught with contradictions, sometimes it’s still okay to hang on to what works. That’s the way I think about the cola-colored Flick-Shakes (but also watermelon pepper) in the 4.8-size because they just get more bites.

Of course, this puzzles Jackall’s Curt Arakawa. He sees the sales numbers and the 5.8-inch size clearly outsells them all. Worse than that (on the stat sheet), (more…)

SENKOS TO DARTHEADS, the Excel 703 works

PRICE UPDATE…CHECK IT OUT: I think there are probably three key things to consider when choosing a spinning rod–and I’m not ashamed to say that one of those is price. So before I go on, I was first influenced to look at the Lamiglas Bass Excel series because I knew the brand and I liked the price (ON SPECIAL $109, retail).

Hey, a rod can only do so much despite the many claims in a game that began with the words, “You need a rod to cross their eyes when you set the hook.”  We’ve come a long way (more…)

INVISIBLE HARDWARE...

In a perfect world (with murky, shallow water) I would be busting limbs with 20-pound hi-viz line, a half-ounce spinnerbait and loving it. Unfortunately, most of my fishing is clear at the other end of the spectrum, trying to generate as many bites as possible from crystal water and a lot deeper than I’d prefer.

Depending on your definition or the range of parameters you choose to include, finesse fishing, (more…)

Click on to enlarge...

While I bet  I’m a few waypoints shy on some of the local lakes, with time on the water, I can make up some of that ground. On the other hand, what if I was forced to test totally new waters–against local talent–as a new touring pro? Wouldn’t it be great to have a tool that could speed up the learning curve?

Certainly, knowledge is power. And in the bass fishing game, knowledge is often a paycheck. That’s why a new product (more…)

Since the entry of swimbait fishing into the mainstream, the technical evolution has not only affected the individual lures, it has spilled over onto the tackle. Because of the very size and weight of the the varied lures, what was first a lot of incredibly heavy and uncastable chunks has matured into an array of sizes and weights that don’t require a pole vault pole to throw.

And thus the curse: one size no longer fits all. (more…)