I want you all to know that Jonathan was EXTREMELY thorough throughout the entire selection process. He asked about style of fishing, colors, eyes, placement, left handed or right handed, cork, blanks, etc…. It was obvious that he had done this many times before, and I was very confident that he’d put his heart and soul into his work, just as he had done for some of our other SJB members.

When I went to meet Jonathan to pick up the new rod my jaw nearly hit the floor. The work that this guy puts into these custom rods is amazing and his work is nothing short of an artwork masterpiece. He makes each of his AMAZING patterns, some of which look like their moving, by weaving each thread one by one. You have to see one of these in person to appreciate his work as a camera can only do it so much justice. Below are some of the pictured I took of the rod that he created for me, which was ultimately dubbed The Black Hole on account of me requesting Raiders colors.

His website can be found here: http://www.twistedcustomrods.com/

And here is an excerpt from his website:

Why Buy a Custom Rod:Many people ask me what the advantages of a custom rod are and why should they spend more money on something that doesn’t have a $15 over the counter warranty. The list of reasons as to why custom rods are better is staggering and I will outline some of the most important issues that factory rods have that the custom rod solves:

The Spine: Essentially, the way a rod blank is manufactured is by sheets of graphite, fiberglass, or graphite and fiberglass are wound around a mandrel. This is then placed in an oven where it cures the glues used to hold everything together. After the curing process, the mandrel is removed and the blank is trimmed to length. Because the material is rolled on the mandrel there is more layers on one side than the other (think about it like a paper towel roll) and this causes the blank to want to bend a certain direction. When put under load, the blank will naturally rotate to the same orientation every time; this spot is called a rods “Spine”. I mark this location and then assemble the grips and guides in accordance to the spine. Wrapping the rod on the spine helps to reduce twisting and torque on the rod while under load and is something many major rod manufactures ($200+ rods) do not take the time to do.

Guide Placement: Every singe blank, even if they are the same model from the same manufacturer, made one right after the other will bend differently. Rod companies average the bends and find the guide placement that will work for the range of flex’s that come off of the assembly line. Every rod that I am wrapping for someone has the guides placed in specific locations for that particular blank. This will give you the optimum performance available from the rod.

Grip Length: Since every person’s body type is different the length of grip will be different for every person. Also, the type of application will determine how long the grips are. A rod made for fishing 100# line for tuna if being used in a harness is going to be a lot shorter than if I’m building the rod for someone who likes to fish the rail. Same logic applies to bass fishing. A lot of people like rods with a bit of a longer butt if they happen to be a larger person, or if they want a little more casting distance or leverage for pulling fish out of cover. This rod is made for YOU and I want it to fit you and to fit the applications in which you employ the rod.

Components: This encompasses the type of grip setup you want, what type of guides, what guide inserts (alconite, SiC, Silicone Nitride II, Zirconium, etc). Most factory produced rods come with decent quality components but if you spend a lot of time on the water or you just want the best that is available, a custom rod is the only way to go.

Making it yours: This is where your style can come out. I can match your favorite sports team, your college colors, your boat colors, or just your favorite colors when wrapping the rod. Since this is being made specifically for you, this is where you get to truly make it yours. You get to pick the color of the grips, the reel seat and gimbal (if building a saltwater rod with aluminum components), the thread, and the guide colors (when available).

Application Specific Rods: The rod I build you will be built for where you fish, how you fish, what you fish for, and what you fish with. You will not find a better rod available from the factory for where you fish than what I can build you.

This bait looks amazing on the top of the water. The Lunker Punker looks more like a real fish skimming across the surface of the water than to it’s comparisons by ten fold. I once witnessed seeing an Osprey eagle attempt to capture this bait off of the surface thinking it was a tasty trout. It’s action is unlike no other walk-the-dog top water bait that I have seen. It seems to add some spice to it’s walk by rolling on it’s sides when you yank down on your rod, then up righting itself once it stops it’s zig or zag. This action is what greatly contributes to the amount of disturbance that this lure can create while cruising across the top of the water. Rattles are not needed in this bait for it to capture the attention of any feeding fish that may be in the area. Fished fast or slow, this bait is a deadly weapon when pursuing the top water bite for hungry Blackie’s or aggressive Linsiders.

You may be curious about what rod to use when throwing the 4 ounce Lunker Punker or the smaller 3.5 ounce Lunker Punker Jr. I throw the 3.5 ounce Lunker Punker Jr. on a Kistler flipping stick(KFS76) which has a medium to fast tip and a semi-stout body. This rod works great with this bait and it only cost me $99.00! I have heard from others that the Dobyn’s 735c will also work when hucking the Junior around at your local waters. I was throwing the Junior on a Dobyn’s 736c when I bent out one of the hook holders while fighting a 10 pound striper. This lead me to begin using a lighter rod. Although, I would like to note that if the only heavy rod you have is a broom stick, use a 5 foot 20lb mono leader at the end of your braid to help cusion the stiffness of the rod.

I am sure that one of the Okuma Big Bait rod’s will also work for you as well. My buddy, Jerry “Jerbs” Smyth, throws the Lunker Punker Senior on his 7’6” Okuma Big Bait heavy rod and seems to not have any trouble making his bait walk properly across the top of the water.

When using this bait for the Linesiders, I have Spider Wire’s 65 pound braid tied to my high speed Curado 201 reel. I buy this line at Wal-Mart, it’s only $14.99 there. You did not hear the from me…Using a high speed reel is necessary to have just in case the biggies start swimming towards you after they are hooked. You always want a bend in your rod or the fish just might unbutton.

I have also followed the advice that I have read on other websites by replacing the split rings and hooks to insure that my fish do not bend out any of the hardware attached to the lure while hustling them in. I found me some 1/0 Owner 2x hooks and some 70lb split rings to replace the factory hardware. Although, I have read that you may want to put on the 4x hooks if you are using braid that is as strong as what I am using. You know what? Just loosen up the drag a little bit if you can’t find that size.

I mentioned above that I bent out one of the hook holders while fighting a fish. Thankfully, the other hooks were stuck firmly into the fish’s mouth and I was able to net it. I was hoping that Black Dog Bait Co. may be able to help me out with a replacement due to the high cost of the lure. I made two attempts to contact them via the contact form on their website to report the issue and received no response. I hope that this is not true for others out there who may have experienced any other problems with this bait. I assume that they may be too busy to address the issue. Luckily, Mel Cotton’s Sporting Goods replaced the bait at no cost. Thanks Glenn!

(Authors Note added 11/13/2008: Grant at Black Dog Baits stated that he attempted to contact me and I believe the email must have been lost. After getting a replacement from Mel’s, I bent the hook holder out again on another big fish the following week. I contacted Grant and he stated that they would repair the bait at no cost. All I had to do was sent it back to them.

Following this second incident, I brought back my drag quite a bit. I believe that my drag may have been too tight while using the 65lb braid. Be sure your drag is loose if you are using 4x hooks and 65 pound braid.)

I have yet to hook a Largemouth on the bait although I will definitely be throwing this bait at a local lake for the the Largies next year. The Lunker Punker from Black Dog Bait Company is a good investment to make if you like watching fish crush top water lures. This bait will never be left home when I am heading out for a trip and hopefully, this will be the bait I catch some personal bests on in the future.

The author with a California Delta Striped Bass caught on a Lunker Punker Jr.

An assortment of Huddleston's finest swimbaits.

Well, I’m not sure if I am 100% qualified to review the Huddleston Deluxe 8″ Trout, but since I’ve witnessed its potential first hand I guess that’s good enough. Not to mention, I’ve watched Butch Brown, like many of you out there, bring in absolute TOADS on this thing. And, I’ve thrown a few swimbaits in my time and there is nothing on this planet that is so life-like. Before I get into this review, please understand, that swimbait fishing is sort of like playing chess. You had better be patient, put in your time, and pay close attention to what the heck you’re doing.

The Huddleston Deluxe trout is one of the most sought after baits, especially around these parts. Once they made their way onto the Bassmaster circuit most bait shops had a hard time keeping up with demand. I would assume it’s because the quality is second to none. I mean really, the body, the paint, and the way this thing swims in the water make it the best swimbait I have ever laid eyes on. Every single Huddy I have owned has always swam true and straight. Just as my brother, and a bunch of the other Bassturdz about this thing and they too will attest that this is a great bait.

Click here for a close-up of the awesome detail.

Being that this bait is on the heavier side you are going to have to make sure you have the right setup. When I decided that I was going to commit to this thing I went out and bought a Byron Velvick Rogue Rod and a Daiwa Luna 300. It was a pretty steep investment but I had a few gist certificates that helped with the purchase. Then, after you have your setup complete, you need to learn how to “toss” throw these things. Thanks to our boy Jerbs and a quick day trip in his canoe, I learned how to use this thing pretty quick.

Huddleston has released a few other baits over the past year – a Shad and a 6″ Trout and I think there may be an albino version of the trout as well. I have the shad and the smaller trout but I haven’t had a chance to use them just yet. If they’re anything like their predecessor I’m sure we’ll all be happy campers.

Great bait and a reputable company. For more information click here.

About a month ago I was fishing with my brother and he had just told me the night before that he had bought a really nice bag from Wal-Mart. And the next day, while we were loading the Cretliner, I got a chance to look at it. This thing was nice, I mean REAL nice. It had eight large utility boxes, a built-in sunglass holder, and a small light for when you’re night fishing. I was dying to know how much he paid for it and when he told me I was shocked. Fifty bucks for this thing. WHAT! I paid nearly $70.00 for my Shimano bag that was more twice as small as the Okeechobee.

I just had to get one. The funny thing is that when Kevkc, my brother, and I were on the delta Kev liked it so much that he went and bought himself one a couple of days later. And today, I finally got out of the home office and headed to Wal-Mart. The first Wal-Mart I went to off of Blossom Hill was out. Bummer. I then made my way to the one off of Story and McLaughlin. I had my fingers crossed and lucky for me, they had one on the bottom shelf.

So after moving things around I can tell you this – this thing is awesome. And for the money it’s hard to beat. The boxes are huge and I can carry all of my stuff and then some. So if you’re in the market for a new tackle box you definitely have to give this one a look. I couldn’t find it in their online store and I’m not sure if they have a website or not so if you are REALLY interested then you should get into a store ASAP.

Nice bag, two thumbs up.

Note: My model is the T1200 Series

Before I headed to the delta to participate in the Future Pro tournament, I decided to give Cooch’s TNT Wadda Jig a try. In San Jose you can find them at Mel Cotton’s and they are usually well stocked. Anyhow, it was my first time using the Wadda jig, but hey, I was going to be fishign the delta and we all know what a stick Cooch is. I mean really, if this guy is killing it on the delta then he probably knows what he’s doing when he creates these things.

After opening the package I gave it a good look. I bought a few that had glitter on the heads with red eyes. Hooks were nice and strong – I’ve had problems with some of the Revenge hooks – and the skirt had plenty of girth. I also liked the red eyes, that gave it a stand out appearance that I think helped me hook quite a few fish during the tournament. The weed guard had plenty of strands and like I do on most of my jigs, I trimmed it to get a better hook set.

During the tournament, I threw this particular jig almost all day. I used one of my favorite trailers that didn’t really “match” the colors of the jig, but that’s the ticket sometimes. You have to take risks and change the game, and I did so that day by presenting a very unusual look. I caught more than ten fish on it that day and one of them was my new personal best (8.93 lbs).

Overall, I’d recommend this jig to anyone. Great design from a great fisherman who stands by his products.

Nice work, Cooch. See you on the delta.

Editors Note (07.19.08): I noticed that the black skirt loses its color rapidly and changes from black to gray, not sure why that’s happening. Another SJB Member and I were talking this afternoon and he too experienced the color change after one fishing trip. I plan on emailing Cooch about it.

I have never really done a product review so please, take it easy on me….. Everyone who has been hunting for big fish understands that the swimbait is the king of all kings and my first live look at a huddleston left me walking away scratching my head. Do bass really eat stuff this big? Well, simply put, yes. I’ve come to realize that bass are a lot like cichlids. When they are aggressive mode they will eat or attack just about anything that crosses their paths. If anyone has ever owned a fish tank you know exactly what I am talking about.

Let me take a brief stroll down memory lane for a long-winded analogy. As a kid I used to have a 125 gallon fish tank and I chose to raise South American cichlids. They were very aggressive and would eat anything I threw in the tank. They used to eat guppies, gold fish, night-crawlers, spiders, crickets, roaches, hot dogs, and if they were nesting you could forget about it. In fact, I would sometimes walk in to my room and turn on the light only to find an adult fish missing. We all know that bass can act like that sometimes but not all the time. Which is why it’s important to use life like lures at times and this is where the Spinrtrix Blade Runner and Basstrix Minnow Paddle Tail come into play.

I’ll be the first to admit that the first time I heard of this thing was while I was watching Bassmasters. Then a couple of weeks later my brother told me he was using it and caught some quality fish. We went out fishing one day and he even showed me the action on this thing. When it’s gliding through the water it says one thing, “Eat me.” The action is awesome and the tail moves back and forth in a very natural fluid motion enticing bass to strike.

The very first time I used it at one of our favorite South Bay hot spots I caught two really nice bass. They pounced on it and the set feels very much like a crank bait (at least to me). The other thing I like about this is the hook placement. Being that the hook is on top you are able to navigate it through vegetation fairly easily. When I was using it, the weeds were just starting to appear and it cruised right through with no problems. After catching those two nice fish I lost the lure when it snapped off my line. Maybe my fault, I should have used a palomar knot.

There are two components to this bait. The Spintrix Blade Runner (photo above) an the Basstrix Paddle Tail which comes in a variety of different patterns (photo right).

I’ve heard from several sources that you can also texas rig or drop-shot the tails but I haven’t tried it myself. My only gripe with this bait is its durability. It’s almost as though every fish you lose a tail – kind of a bummer. I guess it’s the small price you pay for perfection. I hear local shops are having a tough time stocking these guys so keep an eye out next time you are in your local bait and tackle shop.

Overall: Thumbs Up

Disclaimer: I am not a pro bass fisherman nor do I claim to be. I am simply stating my own opinion and this is one I think everyone should try out. If anyone out there is interested in writing articles for SJB please email me. I sure could use the help.

Marce

The only time I have ever fished on the water was from a boat. It was either an aluminum boat, fishing boat, wakeboarding boat, houseboat – I think you get the picture. That was up until this past weekend when I had a chance to christen the pontoon I purchased on Craigslist last week. It’s an eight foot Bucks Bag pontoon and since I have never tubed before I can’t really compare the two but what I can do is share with you is my very first tooning experience.

The Purchase

When I was looking for a pontoon I took several factors into account. First off, I wanted something that was affordable. I was a Craigslist mad man for a few weeks. There were a couple that I called but since I wasn’t ready they were quickly snatched up by other buyers. Then I saw this Bucks Bag and since my brother had told me a while back that they make a great toon I was on it. I was looking every day hoping that the items that I had listed on eBay would sell so I could buy it. Just when I was ready the item disappeared from Craigslist but I still had the number and I called. The rest is history.

The Breakdown

When I purchased it we had to take off the pontoons to fit it in my Yukon. It was actually pretty easy and letting the air out was the simple press of a button. The one thing I did notice though is that the frame will not break down all that easy. It’s connected by the bolts in the seat but luck for me it fit and I didn’t have to take out any screws. My wife had left some items from mother’s day so room was tight but it still made it.

Putting everything back together was just as easy as it came apart. It was a little difficult getting the back straps on because of the custom built aluminum platform. Other then that it was back in working order in a matter of minutes.

The Transport

I emptied out the Yukon in preparation for my Sunday Almaden Reservoir trip. I removed our car seats and rear seats and folded the back row down. I was hoping that I didn’t have to break it down and I was leery of placing it on the roof with straps. I was lucky. It fit like a glove, literally. No space left on each side. It was as though the truck was designed for this thing. Awesome.

The Maiden Voyage.

Rowing was pretty easy to pick up but what I liked most about it was knowing that I was now able to fish all of the places where they didn’t allow boats. It was also nice to see how easy it was to maneuver and how high I sat up on the water. If I wanted to I could have kept my feet up on the stirrups and not get wet but I chose to go with some Force Fins and some waders (Review on the Force Fins later). The whole experience was pretty darn cool. I managed to pull in a five pound bass that day – good sign.

Anyhow, I’d like to make a suggestion. If you don’t have a tube or toon then get one. You can find great deals on eBay and Craigslist and if you can’t afford it at the moment, save for it. It’s a great experience especially when you are with friends. There are plenty of lakes in our area that do not allow boats: Uvas, Perc Ponds, Lexington, Chesbro, Coyote (Due to Lake Level), Almaden, and Stevens Creek. That means less pressure and in most cases bigger fish.

Good luck! Now it’s time to add some accessories.

Marce

I guess you can say that my Dad received the best Father’s Day gift last year – A brand new Crestliner with some electronic goodies to go with it. My Mom approached my brother and I with the idea last year and being that he and I enjoy spending time on the water I feel we were both on the same page from the start. We wanted a boat that was versatile and could be used in a variety of different environments and could also act as a “family” boat when needed. We did tons of research – I looked at the Trackers, Lunds, Ranger, and couple of no-namers. I checked out the construction quality, warranties, and motors and in the end – I felt the Crestliner was right for us. We all did and luckily we located one at Salinas Valley Marine.

Since we’ve almost had the boat for a year, I thought it was time to give my

100% honest opinion on the Mirage. First off, I really like the design – the storage is great and the configurable bench seat is a must have in a smaller boat like the 1700. The only issue I have with the seat, is that it had a design flaw. When the bench seat was flipped over, it rubbed against the sidewall and tore the vinyl. Our dealer made some metal brackets to cover up the sides and protect the sidewall. This should have been addressed by Crestliner at the factory. The instrumentation is nice and we added a Lowrance fishfinder and GPS module at the driver’s console and bow. Since most boats come with nothing but the standard gauges you usually have to spring for the good stuff. Some manufacturers offer packages but you can usually negotiate the boat price down and buy the stuff yourself later and still save money. We also added a boat charger and Minn Kota trolling motor. We added the 55lb thrust model (per the dealer suggestion) and I wish we would have gone with something with more thrust and voltage. It does also have a livewell and rod locker. We rarely use the rod locker but I do like the fact that they made it accessible if the bench seat is up or down. This was well thought out so they get a plus on

that one. We also chose to go with the vinyl type flooring instead of the traditional astro-turf like material. It’s user friendly and cleans real easily. The seats are comfortable and they remove with the click of a button. You have the option to buy additional seats but with the bench seat already installed I don’t really see a need to purchase them. The boat did not come with a boat cover so I went online to boatcovers.com and they had our particular model on file. You just choose your engine model size (115 4-Stroke in our case) and location of your trolling motor and they take care of the rest. It’s fits like a glove and was delivered in roughly 10 business days. Overall, we are extremely pleased with the boat. It does have it’s quirks (see below) but it handles very well and the craftsmanship is some of the best out there.

Model: 2005 Crestliner 1700 mirage

Pros: The boat handles various types of water great. The workmanship on the aluminum hull is near perfection and the interior is nicely designed as well. Does not have that “cheap” feeling when you grab and shake the console or windshield. It’s a very sturdy nicely designed watercraft and could be one of the top in its class.

Cons: Bench seat tore the sidewall vinyl. Steering seems to be a little on the stiff side. Moving from neutral to forward sometimes seems like it’s grinds into gear. May need some adjustments from the dealer. Livewell pump went out on us while in the delta.

Dealer: Salinas Valley Marine – These guys are pretty good. They have been responsive to our needs but I do wish they would have recommended a larger trolling motor. Like I said, the 55lb gets us moving around but something with a little more power would be optimum.