For those of you not particularly obsessed with mail-order swimbaits and JDM lures, you might not yet be aware of Carolina Fishing Tackle in Mooresville, NC, close to Lake Norman. Owner Doyle Myrick has not only assembled an incredible selection of hard-to-find gear at reasonable prices, but he also seems to get a lot of the good stuff first. I’ve yet to visit his store, but I inspected his selection at the last Greenville Bassmaster Classic, and I fully intend to make a detour the next time I’m headed down I-77 or I-85.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, snakeheads are in many of our waters to stay, and if we’re not careful they’ll continue to spread. During this time of COVID-19 shutdowns and extreme cautiousness, they can provide a taste of exotic species at a time when most of us are unable or unwilling to go to where. I was reminded of this when I hooked my first snakehead of the year on Friday May 8th while chasing bass. The bite should only get better as the weather warms up.

I know that the one-piece purists among you will shudder, because I used to be one of you, but I’ve started to come around and I’ve amassed a selection of travel rods, but most of them are pretty generic in terms of action: 6- to 7-foot medium action spinning rods, and 6’6” to 7’6” medium-heavy baitcasters. This is the first one that has a specific purpose, in this case throwing big baits. It might not handle true giants like the Mother Chaser, but it’ll handle anything up to about 4 ounces exceptionally.