Mike Bucca, a Georgia fishing guide and Pro Staff Director for Triple Fish,  introduced me to this new fishing line.  I have been very impressed with the X-Rated line so far.  It demonstrates good abrasion resistance, memory is manageable and it is very strong line for a co-polymer.  While fishing a FLW Series tournament on the California Delta as a Co-Angler, I hung a Senko in a piece of structure while using 20# line. I proceeded to attempt break it off so my Pro-Angler wouldn't have to go back to get me unhooked.  He finally looked back to see what I was doing.  I was actually dragging the boat backwards while he was on the trolling motor.  His remark was, "what the heck kind of line are you using back there?"  It is on all of my rods, now.

Bill Dee makes some of the finest spinnerbaits I have ever seen. The array of blade, skirt, and head painting schemes is amazing. He also produces a line of hard baits, that I haven't had the opportunity to try, but have heard great reports. Bill is able to create the perfect bait to use on your perfect custom rod. Visit his site and gaze upon all the possibilities. If you haven't fished with a Mini-Me, (small frame / heavy weight spinnerbait...an ideal bait to burn over deep water "spots") you owe it to yourself to tie one on the end of your line and hang on!  Service is excellent and he is one heck of a nice guy!

Ken Kross has a winner with his fish attractant. It sticks to plastics, hard baits, your hands, boat, and the sandwich you brought for lunch...better get garlic! Visit his web site and see why his attractant is different than the rest.

Dan Warme has done a great job of producing instructional videos, aimed at teaching us the techniques of different fishing strategies. You will find vidoes of Flipping with Dee Thomas, Split-Shotting with Dick Trask, using Tube Baits with the Garland brothers, and How the Pros Use Sonar, just to name a few. These videos have been a great help to my fishing efforts and I would highly recommend them to anyone that desires to learn more about these techniques. Check Dan's website for the complete line of videos that he has available.

Angler's Workshop is where I obtain the majority of my rod building supplies.  Jim Britt and his staff make every effort to insure that I have your rod components as quickly as possible.  If you are a fly fisherman and tie your own flies, they have an excellent selection of fly tying supplies, too. 

This internet site sells a nice variety of rod building components including guides and blanks by Batson Enterprises. 

 

Tim Tucker was  killed in a motor vehicle accident, on July 16, 2007.  He shared his love and knowledge of fishing in many ways.  He will be greatly missed in the bass fishing community.

Undoubtedly, if you are a bass angler and read bass publications, you know who Tim Tucker is.  What you may not know, is that he has a website that caters to the ardent bass angler.  You will find a wealth of information in the form of videos, audio tapes, books and if you are really serious, his Pro Angling Insider.  Check out his site and I'm sure that he has something that you will find of interest.

If you want a smokin' boat...see Jimmy at American Northwest Outdoors.  He is the NorthWest distributor for BassCat boats.  He spends a lot of time beneath the cowling, as he is a certified marine mechanic for Mercury Marine.  He carries baits in his shop and you'll always find a smile and fish tale, when you drop in.

Visit this website to see their complete line of watercraft. One thing you won't find on their site is the vast array of baits. One of the finest Lucky Craft selections in our area. Stop by and visit with Terry and Neil.

TriState Marine

TriState Marine handles some quality boats, such as , Champion, Triton and Stratos. They also has a wide variety of tackle to choose from.  They carry a wide selection of  plastic baits. Bet you don't have the hot bait they bit on last weekend. Check with the guys at Tri-State Marine, perhaps they will have some of those "secret" baits for you!

St. Croix is one of the leaders in the manufacture of fishing rod blanks. I typically utilize their Avid Series and Legend Elite Series of blanks. They are light in weight, strong, and makes a rod that is a pleasure to fish with. Visit their site and take a look at the blanks they have to offer. If you have questions or see something you'd like to have built, please let me know.

GLoomis has long been known for providing the ultimate in fishing rod design. These rods continue to be in great demand. Due to blank production delays, the waiting period for a blank can range from 30-90 days. I'm able to contact distributors and check their inventory for a blank that you may have in mind. Visit the GLoomis site for their line of rods. They don't list their blanks on the site. If you find a rod that meets your needs, contact me and I'll let you know if that rod is available as a blank.
In November of 2001, the GLX blanks were no longer available to custom rod builders and the colors of the GL2, GL3 and IMX blanks changed. They are once again available as blanks on a limited basis.  Let me know if you have any questions regarding availability of a particular blank.

Lamiglas has been a producer of quality, moderately priced rods for many years. I have primarily used their steelhead blanks, as they are quite popular in this area. They also make an excellent salmon rod. They have a great selection of blanks, so check out their site and see if there is a rod you'd like to add to your arsenal.  One rod not to miss out on if you throw frogs is the IMC 906T / 966T blanks.  They are rated 3/8-2 1/2 oz.  The softer tip will throw the frog then the power in the butt will engage to move the big fish out of the heavy mats.

I'm really excited about these blanks.  I have built some for my personal use and continue to expand my Rogue arsenal.  This is a relatively new rod company that has a great product.  The blanks are light and quite durable.
 
Their  MB series will cover most any application the bass angler may encounter.  The BB 796 blank (Jr. Swimbait blank) is a great choice for the smaller swimbaits, such as the Mission Fish.  I used this rod on the CA Delta while fishing the FLW Western Series tournament and I can say that I never lost a fish.  That same blank also works well for large crankbaits such as the DD22 and Bagley baits.  The BB 807 is likely the best all-round swimbait blank available.  For the big plastics, the BB 807 would be the ticket.

If you are in the market for a fly rod, why not get one of the best.  Sage has a reputation for producing some of the finest blanks for a multitude of applications ranging from brook trout, steelhead, or tarpon.  They offer standard two-piece blanks or travel rods.  Take a look and see if one of their blanks, custom built, could be your dream rod.

RL Winston has been building quality fly rods for many years.  Check out their website to see if one of their fly rod blanks satisfies your need to do battle with a spunky mountain trout or a manic steelhead.

I believe that Bassdozer is one of the most informative fishing sites on the web. Russ Comeau has put together one of the most complete link pages that you would wish to find. Check out his site and be ready for a ton of "how to" articles.

Lucky Craft is a bait that I believe in, even though they are not a sponsor.  It is the jerkbait that I reach for, if I need to put fish in the boat.  They cast like a bullet and suspend very well.  If I'm particular to a bait in the pre-spawn, it would be a Staysee 90, ver. 2.  My favorite color is gold / black back, but this does vary depending on water conditions.  A Suspend Dot may need to be added, depending on water temperature.  I've started collecting their crankbaits (CB 350) and lipless crankbaits (LV-500), so I should have an opinion on them in the future.  If they produce anything like the jerkbaits, I'll be improving my fish catching abilities, considerably.

I have just started using these baits and I've been impressed with their softness.  I've primarily used the Spanky as a drop shot bait but realize that it would work well for a shaky head bait, too.  The softness of the plastic allows the bait to move with just the slightest rod tip movement.  The color schemes are impressive, as well.  I'd encourage you to visit Stephen's website and take a look at his baits.I

This is a new product for me.  I've just ordered my first tool.  I have always tried to release the fish as healthy as possible.  Recent studies had shown that it may take up to four months for a hook to deteriorate sufficiently for the fish to dislodge it.  With the D-Barb tool, you can remove all of your hooks, including the super line hooks.  I would encourage you visit their website and see if this is a tool that will work for you.

Mattlures

When you are looking for a kicker fish to win that tournament or fishing for the fish of a life-time, consider using a Mattlures swimbait!

While fishing the FLW Series Tournament this year on the California Delta, I was able to sample swimbait fishing at its finest.  I used the Mission Fish during the tournament to catch some of my largest fish.  My first day's weight put me in 16th place with 15-4.  Unfortunately, that didn't hold up throughout the tournament.  That is fishing.  The Mission Fish was rigged weedless, which was essential when running the lure through the grass.  Each fish I caught had the bait deep in its mouth, thinking that they had just gobbled dinner!

When you are looking for components that will make a striking appearance on your next custom rod, consider the exotic burl cork that Andy Dear offers.  (My favorite is the Laguna)  He also supplies the custom rod builders with tools to make the building process easier.  He also produces ThreadMaster, a two-part epoxy finish that I use exclusively to protect the guide wraps.  It is non-yellowing and really makes the thread work appear magnified.  He will be expanding those products in the near future.  For a list of the suppliers that carry Andy's products, visit his website.

Tom Kirkman publishes RodMaker as a way of dispersing information to custom rod builders. He is one of the leaders in our craft and his knowledge regarding rod building is emmense. He has also authored a book for the beginning rod builder. Whether you are a beginning rod builder, a seasoned veteran or just interested in the technical side of rod building, visit his site. I'm sure you will learn something.