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

Why Are There Jigheads With No Hooks?

If you follow tackle trends carefully you may have noticed jigheads with no hooks. It seems counterintuitive. Nevertheless, there are some key reasons that you might purchase and employ this relatively new class of items.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

The Eight Craziest Swimbait Colors at Tackle Warehouse Right Now

If you don’t want to mess with drops or auction sites, you can increasingly find various high-end swimbaits from retail sellers. They’re generally available in pretty “vanilla” colors, but occasionally an oddball or three sneak through. Here are eight of the craziest colors available at Tackle Warehouse right now.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Skeet Reese’s Winning Baits

As we prepare to induct Skeet Reese into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame this week, he is to me iconic of what a true Hall of Famer should be – a multi-tool player. He excelled at many things, but most of all he was and is a tournament winner.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Hideki Maeda, ebay killer

If you’re a bass angler you may not know the name Hideki Maeda, but you definitely know his work. He’s developed some of the most storied topwaters in bass fishing history. I won’t name the “originals,” but in several key cases he’s managed to reclaim the molds or designs.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge Stays Connected with Mustad Hooks

One of the differences between our trips to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge and some other destinations is the wealth of different species to be caught – as many as 20, some of which require vastly different rods, reels, lines and lures. One consistent factor, however, is that Captain Shane Jarvis and his staff rely exclusively on Mustad hooks.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Prepping Your Tackle for Storage at Anglers Inn

If there are items that you know you’re likely to use on your next trip to Mexico it pays to keep a bag of gear in the Anglers Inn storage. We’ve done so for about a decade, and we’ve never had a problem of any sort. I just send a message before we travel and it’s waiting outside our room.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Celebrating Our 19th Anniversary with Special Gifts

We've been married 19 years and we have every material thing we need – and if we don’t we tend to buy it for ourselves. That makes purchasing anniversary gifts tough, because you want to do something special, but we’re also laser-focused on saving for retirement. Let me know if you think I handled the process well.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

My Latest Crock-O-Gator Buzzbait Order

I overlooked the Crock-O-Gator Head Knocker Buzzbait for about 20 years. That was a mistake and now I’m making up for lost time. Check out what I purchased from them with cold, hard cash to make sure I’ll have enough.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

PRADCO Lures That You Should Take to Mexico

Over the past several decades, PRADCO Outdoor Brands has purchased up quite a few iconic fishing tackle companies. You’ll find some selection of them at every tournament, in just about every angler’s boat. While I haven’t used a Jitterbug in decades, plenty of their offerings are still included on our frequent trips to Mexico.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

The Mayor of El Salto

The Crush City Mayor was winning tournaments for Rapala pros before it officially came to market. Several of the group members on our June 2024 trip to El Salto were tipped off that it was deadly in Mexico, too – not just for numbers of fish, but for true giants. When we got back,we made an order from Normark

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Let’s Go Surfing With Daiwa

While air travel with any rods these days is often a pain in the butt, serious surf anglers are particularly burdened. Their rods are often in the 10- to 11-foot range. There have also been a dearth of high-end travel surf rods. Daiwa aims to remedy that with their Ardito Series.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Lures I Associate With Rick Clunn’s Unmatched Career

Rick Clunn’s true distinguishing characteristics are his explorations into seasonal patterns and his inquiries into the mental side of the game. Nevertheless, as I look back on his career there are a number of lures that I associate directly with him.

Read More
Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Ott’s Hot Weather River Repertoire

Ott DeFoe does just about everything well on the water, but his calling card is river fishing. He excels in knowing when to abandon the “lake portion” of an impoundment. On several occasions he’s used a tunnel hull boat to get up there, but when wise to do so he’ll also go upstream in his fiberglass Nitro.

Read More