Hanna Robbins and Jennifer Combs with a cooler full of crappie from Lake Sam Rayburn

The Outdoor Gear We Recommend

We may have a little bit of a hoarding problem. Good gear need not be expensive, but it has to improve the experience in some way. Whether it’s the right rod, a certain bait, or the world’s best rainsuit, we’ll give unfiltered opinions on what we use and why we use it.


No tackle shop on earth provides more specialized gear for bass than Tackle Warehouse. If you want it, they've got it in stock — whether it's a proven winner or the newest items on the market — and their service is exceptional.

Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Are Oysters a Bass-phrodesiac?

I enjoy a lot of seafood, but I draw the line at oysters, clams and mussels. Some people find them to be tasty, and others are convinced that oysters are an aphrodisiac, but to me they seem like wads of phlegm. Nevertheless I’m not going to rain on your parade if they’re your jam. Also, an oyster-colored lure is sometimes great.

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Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

The Hunt for Mexico’s Next Great Big Bass Snack

As we pack for our annual May/June trip to Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, I always throw in a few “experimental” baits in the hope that I’ll be able find a new tool that becomes a consistent part of my repertoire – and fools more than a few big fish.

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Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

The Best Strike King 10XD Colors for Lake El Salto

I am convinced that while a 10XD isn’t always the best crankbait choice El Salto, there are times when it will produce more and bigger fish than any other. It gets deep in a hurry, has a larger profile, and seems to trigger bites consistently. Here are my 5 confidence colors.

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Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

A Dozen Articles About Crankbaiting in Mexico

If you go bass fishing in Mexico and you’re not fully prepared to throw big crankbaits, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage. Here are a dozen articles that will help you dial in your gear and your approach when the bass are eating a big plug.

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Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

K.I.S.S. – May/June 2023 El Salto Techniques and Patterns

Fishing on our May/June 2023 trip to El Salto was very good, with solid numbers and a higher percentage of 5-pound and larger fish than just about any prior visit. That doesn’t mean the fishing was wide open, though. I’d say that of the hundreds of bass our group caught, 40% were on crankbaits, 40% were on some form of soft plastics, and 20% came on something else.

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Gear Hanna Robbins Gear Hanna Robbins

My June El Salto Lures: Back To the Basics

We’re headed back to Lake El Salto this June and I’m going back to the basics. On several of my last trips I decided that I wanted to try a bunch of new baits and I wasn’t going to stop fishing with a particular bait until it caught a fish. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. Now it’s time to go all-in on five lures that I feel are a sure thing.

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Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Best Ultra-Deep Diving Crankbaits for Offshore Mexican Bass

One of my favorite parts of heading to Mexico in May and June is the opportunity to load the boat with big, deep-diving crankbaits. When fish gang up on offshore structure at El Salto and Picachos, there’s no better way to fire up the school and keep them biting than a big diving plug. By “ultra-deep,” I mean something that’ll consistently get down past 20 feet.

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