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| It's the end of January and tournament season is just around the corner. Winter fishing has been outstanding and it's not over yet. Over the next few weeks I'll be discussing the preparation that I do through the winter to better prepare myself for the upcoming season. But first let's talk a little bit about rod and reel selection. Rod and reel selection may be the most important decision that you make next to the boat. Rod and reels can be quite costly, and if you are not happy with them you may have to try and sell them and try something else. My suggestion is spend as much as you can afford to, so that you can fish with best possible equipment. If you can afford $50, buy the best that you can find for $50. There are pros that sell their gear every year and you can really get some good deals on some great gear so ask around to find them. You may be surprised by my arsenal for it is rather small but effective. Seven bait casters and four spinning combos. I chose Falcon rods for all applications mainly because Bill Beck said this is what you need. My jerk bait rods double as a spoon rod and they are Cara mh 6'5" 8-17 lbs. test, 1/4 to 1/2 oz. I use a 6'10" Med Jig rod with a fast tip for jigs, square bills, chatter baits and spinner baits. 7'Mf for football jigs, Carolina rigs and flipping situations. All of my bait casting reels are the same, Daiwa Zillion 6.3:1 and all of my spinning combos are the same 7'Cara 6-14 lbs. test 3/16 to 5/8 oz. with symetre 2500 Fl Shimano's. This selection may be small by most pros standards but proved to be the most effective for me last year. I purchased everything from Bill Beck (his old stuff) and kept my fishing simple and that enable me to concentrate on catching fish which led to my first number one finish in the Heartland Pro-AM 2008. I use the same rod style and reels with the same gear ratio for one simple reason, they all feel the same and one tournament day it could take 15-20 minutes to get the feel of a different reel and that is time that you are not catching fish. People ask "How can you fish the same gear ratio for all application?" My answer is that you can always slow down, but you cannot speed up when you need to or have the cranking power that you may need if you are fishing a slower gear ratio. My experience has been to keep it simple and don't worry about having or not having a rod and reel combo for every lure combination. Spend a little more money for a few rods and you will enjoy the quality they offer especially when fighting really big bass. And remember that everyone here at Pig Sticker Bait Company is dedicated in helping you catch more fish. Till next time, Jason Baxter Get your fish on! |
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| This is the time of year when I make sure all my stuff is ready for the beating that I am going to go through during the tournament season, and maybe you can pick up on something that may save not only money but time as well when you are on the water. First, I have a buddy that takes my reels apart and cleans them (not only before but during as well) any malfunction that could result in a lost fish or worse valuable position and points, that could have been avoided. I always check the guides for cracks and chips and replace them with quality replacement parts anytime that I put on new line. I also clean my reel seats to avoid reels from becoming loose. Tackle maintenance: I can not stress this enough: I change all the hooks on my hard baits and discard or use for practice any single hooks that may have rust on them. I believe that I can only control so much and losing a fish due to mechanical failure or less than perfect hooks is inexcusable in my book. I believe that if I can control those factors by putting those odds in my favor, then when I do hook up with a bass I know that the chances of landing that bass are high. Lastly, I look at the tour schedule and based on what seasonal pattern I may be fishing will determine what baits I am going to need. Based on what I have success with in the past, may or may not be what I will have success with in the future. I am a jig fisherman and I know what trailers I like, jig size, jerk baits, cranks and etc. I will go ahead and purchase or restock everything that I may be using, for example, Paca Chunks in green pumpkin and water melon candy. I buy everything from Al at Pig Sticker Bait Company and if it is not on hand it is just a few days wait until it arrives. Now I probably go thru more bait than the average guy but buying early and with his prices saves me a ton of money rather than waiting and buying bait at a local bait shop at retail price. Just remember stay with things that have worked for you and keep your selection simple, For example, plastics in green pumpkin helps me catch fish on all the lakes that I go to, whether its Paca Chunk (my favorite) Speed Crawls or Brush Hogs among others I may not use them all at one place but I will not have any left towards the end of the year and trying to find what you need at a local tackle shop may be next to impossible when a big tournament is in town. Most of you know that myself and Al at Pig Sticker Bait are dedicated to your success. Both Al and myself will be at the tournaments to provide fishing information and tackle so look us up. Good Luck from all of us at Pig Sticker Bait Company - Jason Baxter |