Elite Series rookie Kyle Patrick is attached at the hip to his arsenal of Douglas Rods — here are four that have played a heavy role in his professional success so far.

As we built our booth in anticipation of our first trade show, we needed to find a waterproof, dustproof and uncrushable storage box to preserve valuables between events. We found the perfect vessel in Yeti’s 60 GoBox Gear Case.

Daiwa’s three-piece Ardito travel rod combines premium components with a reasonable price tag. They excelled for us in Africa on tigerfish.

If you think that telescoping rods are merely for amateurs and beginners, check out the Procyon series from Daiwa. They’re high quality with a reasonable price.

I’m addicted to thinking about glide baits and might want/need to add a few more. Which of these three should be next? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

The Rat-L-Trap and Red Eye Shad are proven winners in the lipless crankbait genre, but they’re not the only game in town. I have dozens and dozens more, including some that have produced big catches around the country.

While I’m not an expert in bass fishing history, I’m old enough to remember some things about the sport that have become inexplicably forgotten or passe. During my childhood, the “grape” patterns were a big deal, not just the classic “black grape” but also lesser known shades like Scuppernong.

Imagine you get to the Seychelles or Costa Rica or Baja and the outfit you've chartered has crappy rods not up to the task of subduing your quarry. Toting a full-sized rod tube is also often a pain in the butt. Daiwa offers a solution -- travel rods built to take on the beefiest brawlers in the ocean.

Zoom’s Super Chunk is my go-to in a wide variety of situations when bass want something with a lot of action. Consistent with Zoom’s history, it comes in a ton of colors, but if you want to get started with a limited budget, here are five that’ll cover most situations.

It might be a stretch to say that swim jigs changed my life, but once I bought into them, I caught tons of fish that had previously ignored or evaded me. Here’s a one-on-one with Dan Brovarney, the man responsible for that improvement.

Japan’s latest and hottest new bass craze may have a scatalogical name, but it’s super effective. If you think the Senko is the greatest bait ever — and there’s a strong argument for that — see if this stubbier, heavier version gives it a run for its money.

When it comes to NSFW ribald humor, our raucous Australian friends have a leg up on just about every American fishing tackle manufacturer except for Andre Moore. Check out the newest lure scent from Shads Lures — I’m not sure they could get away with that here.

We love catching mahi. Apparently lots of other species like to chase, capture and consume them, too, because the tackle ecosphere is loaded with hyper-realistic trolling lures.

On your next trip to Lake El Salto or Lake Picachos, I’d strongly recommend bringing no fewer than five reels. Chris Martin of Daiwa offered us up information on reels that excel for flipping, cranking and swimbaiting that are also value propositions.

If you’re not careful, the sharp butt of a heavy fishing rod could scar, sterilize or deflower you. That’s why I’m always happy to see a Cush-It when I step onto a boat headed out in search of big fish.

We’re headed back to Grand Lake for the big Oklahoma impoundment’s third time hosting the Bassmaster Classic. The tournament will be a month later. Nevertheless if you need a refresher course on what won the last two times, check out the following lures. No matter where you fish during the prespawn, they might help you sack a few extra bass.

It came from the musky world, but the Whopper Plopper and its progeny have made bass fishing substantially more exciting. What are your favorite colors in this category?

Most travel rods are made to handle a number of circumstances, none of them particularly well. Daiwa wants to change that in their US market, and one clear sign is their new Ardito Muskie Travel Rods. They’re two 8’5”, five-section sticks made of premium components.

Texans are as serious about Rat-L-Traps as they are about barbecue, deer hunting and Friday Night Lights. Veteran pro James Niggemeyer leads us through his “Trap” choices for big bass.

If you’re looking for a big blueback herring imitator — or just a chop-style glide bait that you can fish faster than the others — check out the Clutch Darter. NPFL pro has more experience with it than just about anyone and can fill you in on the details.