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

What’s Your Favorite Firetiger?

The color pattern known as “Firetiger” means different things to different people. Check out 12 different companies’ versions and you might find one you like better than all the rest.

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Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

What They Bitin’? – El Salto June 2024

On our recently completed trip to El Salto I kept my lure selections remarkably simple. I’d bet that 80% of my casts and an equal percentage of my fish came on just 5-6 baits in a handful of colors. That’s because I’ve calmed down a little bit and don’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel, and also because the bass were somewhat picky.

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Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Bass Boat Saver Keeps Your Fiberglass in Peak Condition

I’m pretty sure that I bought my first bottle of Bass Boat Saver in 1998, and six boats later it’s still my preferred product. It removes grime and bugs and all sorts of debris with a minimum of elbow grease, smells good, and it’s affordable. Last year I started using their Black Label Ceramic Shield.

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Pete Robbins Pete Robbins

My Starting Lineup – El Salto -- June 2024

If all goes according to plan, 24 hours from now we’ll be arriving at Anglers Inn Lake El Salto. I’m sure that my guide will have his own favorite lures, so I’ll heed his lure suggestions — but if left to my own devices, here’s what I’d be likely to tie on preceding that first short session.

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Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Hanna’s New 300-Sized Cranking Reel

After using it to catch hundreds of Mexican largemouth bass, it was finally time to retire Hanna’s trusty cranking reel. Prior to leaving for El Salto, Mr. Romance here surprised her with a Lew's Super Duty 300 LFS Casting Reel.

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Pete’s El Salto Clothing Selection – June 2024

Pete has carefully selected every piece of apparel he needs for a week of fishing in Mexico – trying to minimize the quantity to maximize how much tackle he can pack. Surprisingly he has packed mix and match pieces that all go together, including antimicrobial underwear, comfortable shoes and a just-in-case rain jacket.

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Hanna’s Tackle Warehouse Choices for El Salto in June

Normally I have Pete purchase all of our lures. I buy the groceries, he buys the tackle, those are our jobs. This time I wanted to make sure I had exactly what I wanted for our upcoming trip to Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, so I fired up my (our?) credit card and made my first Tackle Warehouse order.

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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

Lucky Craft Options for Lobinas Mexicanas

The swimbait world has made the price tags on most Lucky Craft lures seem downright quaint. I still recall cringing when I spent $15 on my first Pointer 78. Now I have a box of them and I’m particularly keen to throw high-end lures when I’m giant hunting at El Salto or Picachos in Mexico. Here are four options.

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Gear Pete Robbins Gear Pete Robbins

Top-Of-The-Line Baitcasting Reels for Bass

While there are plenty of great baitcasting reels for far less cash, if you’re the type of bass angler who needs to know that he or she has the best that money can buy, there are plenty that fit the bill. Here are nine you might consider.

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Spinnerbaits with Red Kicker Blades

Recently we published an interview with OT Fears in which he talked about when and where to fish a spinnerbait with a fluorescent red or fluorescent orange kicker blade. It’s a presentation that was either developed or popularized in his home state of Oklahoma, but it works all over.

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Mission Accomplished: Yellowfin Tuna on Bass Tackle

I was a little bit nervous about bringing bass tackle to Panama. Even though I was prepared to sacrifice the gear to the tuna gods, I simply wasn’t sure how it would hold up in the heat of battle. I’m thrilled with how the experience turned out.

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Have You Tried Sinking Braided Line? (Updated June 2024)

A main line of braid coupled with a fluorocarbon leader on a spinning rod provides multiple advantages – both in terms of performance and economy. Most braids float. I know that some anglers don’t like that in certain scenarios. To combat that, several manufacturers have produced sinking braids.

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Walkin’ the Tightrope

Chicago’s Ryan Whitacre is best known for his bulked-up finesse jigs, but at a recent trade show it was his tough-as-nails little spinnerbait that caught my eye.

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Return of the STI Pupfish

The STI Pupfish is one of the most coveted topwater lures, but like many things from Vegas, they eventually went bust. Until recently, if you wanted to buy one you had to eBay, but now Jason St. Mary of Phoney Frogs has his own updated version of this legendary walk-the-dog surface lure.

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