UNIQUE PRODUCTS THAT REALLY WORK!
Part 1
By "The Bass Coach"(Roger Lee Brown)
rlbrown@capital.net
Throughout many years of bass fishing I have seen so many different products that have been introduced to the bassin’ industry that I lost count years ago. Some products have been exceptional, some good, some just okay, and some not so good, and with the industry being in the multi-billion dollar bracket there are literally thousands of products on today’s market, and out of these "thousands of products" there are just about a handful that I surely wouldn’t be without, mostly because they have proven themselves time and time again to gain the "Exceptional" reputation they so richly deserve.
I would like to talk about some of these unique products that I have stumbled onto over the years, especially the ones that have proven themselves to be in the "Select"
category when it comes to bass fishing. But first let me explain a bit about my product sponsorships and how I promote them. When I agree to a product sponsorship from a certain company I have to really accept the quality, performance, and dependability of their products before I can agree to promote them, the reason for this is because I have to teach the students that enroll at my 3-day bass fishing school as well as my bass charter clients how to use these products and why I use them, but let’s not forget the most important part, "A Great Product Will Sell Itself!"
PLASTIC BAITS
Now, the first type of product we will talk about is plastic baits. Over the years I have used selected plastic baits from many different companies and found that some of the companies may have a bait or two that might work well, but as a whole I would find myself shopping other companies to get the different designs, colors, sizes, textures, etc. that I really needed. (Boy, talk about your inconvenience right?)
Well, we don’t have to be inconvenienced any more because I found (2) companies
that supply just about everything a serious angler needs to fill his or her plastic bait shopping list, and in all honesty I’d have to say that "Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits" and "Bud’z Fishing’ Way’z Inc." (who produce the original Bobby Garland Gitzits) offer by far the best selection and quality in plastic baits that you will find on today’s vast market.
FISHING RODS
With all the different rod manufacturers world wide there are some really fine fishing rods on today’s market. I’ve used most all of them and I can see a lot of good features in most of these, but, the particular rods that I use (manufactured by Lamiglas) I find to be in the "Exceptional" catagory. I use Lamiglas Rods for many reasons such as; durability, strength, feel, comfort, quality, appearance, and selection and best of all, the Lamiglas Company has just about every type of fishing rod you will ever need for bass fishing.
PLASTIC RATTLES
When fishing with "Rattles" or "Glass & Brass" or any of these combinations with a Texas Rig, Carolina Rig, Tubes, etc. you will usually find that when fishing thick weeds, grass, moss, etc. the vegetation usually gets wrapped around your tackle (hooks, baits, swivels, and especially glass or brass beads!) and the whole purpose of the "Ticking Sound" is not what it should be, right?
I found a company called H & H Plastic Rattles that has taken care of this problem. The company makes a sealed rattle for all the rigs mentioned as well as rattles for jigs, spinnerbaits, tubes, worms, and!!! they make these in color assortments to match your baits.
Now, by placing the sealed Carolina Rig Rattle on your line and working the thick stuff, no matter how much vegetation gets on it, it’ll still make that ticking sound. After using Glass & Brass for so many years with all the frustrations that go with them, now I just simply put on a H & H Plastic Rattle made especially for Carolina Rigs and let me say, "Boy, do they work great!"
LURE RETRIEVERS
I used to own a lure retriever that consisted of a heavy weight with little handles sticking off of it and a line attached to it. Now, when the wind came up (like it usually does) it was almost impossible to direct the boat and try to send this contraption down to retrieve my lure, sound familiar?
I found a company that makes this retrieving thing simple! "Easy Retriever" is the name of it and it couldn’t be easier to use. You just slip the clip on your line and down it goes, and most of the time it will knock your lure free from whatever obstruction it got hung up on. The best thing about this item is the cost!.... for a fraction of what I paid for the one with the string retriever you can actually purchase a package of (3) Easy Retrievers. A great time and money saver!
SCENTBOXES
I know you’ll love this one! When a angler uses a fish formula (or attractant) it is usually applied by squirting, pouring, or in the case of the jelly substances, rubbing and spreading it on the bait. I know from past experience that when you spray or pour this formula on a bait, some goes on your boat, yourself, and mostly in the water, right? These formulas are not good for the carpet or the finish of a boat. The average angler usually goes through several bottles of formula in the course of a season (especially if he or she uses it all the time.)
I have found a company that makes what they call a "Scentbox". It is a plastic box with the ability to hold usually 1/2 of a bottle of formula at a time and will last longer that you would usually go through about 5 bottles of formula, but, the best thing about this Scentbox is that you don’t spill, spray, pour, or spread the formula on your carpet, boat, hands, or anything but the bait itself. You just simply grab the line right in front of the bait, lift the lid, place the bait onto the box, close the box, open it back up and make your cast. The Scentbox is truly one of the best products I have ever used!, in fact, 95% of my 3-Day Bass Fishing School students and Bass Charter clients have purchased these Scentboxes after using mine. The cost is about what you would pay for about 2 or 3 bottles of formula but you will save money because you won’t go through near as much formula as you have in the past.
FISH FORMULAS
While being on the subject of the Scentbox, I found a certain Fish Formula (or Attractant) that works better than any I’ve ever used in the past! This stuff is so good that I’ve even doubled my setting ability with Jig & Pig combos using it, and if you have ever fished this type of bait you can understand what I mean, but not only Jig & Pig baits, this formula can be used on all artificial types of baits. The company’s name is "Scientific Bass Products, Inc." and they make what they call "Kick’n Bass" fish formula. Not only do they make a product for just bass, but they make a Kick’n Trout and Kick’n Catfish as well. Now, the nice part about the bass formulas is that they make a few different scents for bass such as Garlic, Crawfish, and a Anise Shad formula that really helps fish to hold on to your baits. As a pro angler, I know that a few extra seconds of a fish holding on to a bait can really make the difference between catching the fish or not!
Until next time, Take Care & God Bless (Always!)....
"The Bass Coach" Roger Lee Brown
www.capital.net/~rlbrown
www.fishing-boating.com/basscoach
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