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.

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.

After a few years where it seemed like manufacturers introduced only lower- or mid-range travel rods, there is a resurgence in models. In addition to the Dobyns Kaden travel rods, including models dedicated to swimbaits and crankbaits, other brands have picked up the pace.

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.

The iRod Magic Stick is my favorite rod for lures like chatterbaits, swim jigs and spinnerbaits. I pay retail and they’re a true value purchase.

While I spend plenty of money at Tackle Warehouse, you may be surprised to know that I put plenty of thought – bordering on agonizing obsession – into my orders. Here are five items that have made it into my cart multiple times but which have yet to make it to the “submit order” portion of the process.

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.

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.

Tackle companies keep on innovating. Tackle Warehouse is usually the first vendor to get the new gear and they certainly have the most comprehensive selection. I scour the “New Products” tab daily -- here are 6 new items that update our past articles.

This was the first Elite Series season I can recall where big gliders showed up in more than just a couple of derbies. There were also quite a few JDM products that gained a following. Most notable among them was the Deps Sakamata Shad.

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.

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.

When western tournament legend Gary Dobyns introduced his rods nearly two decades ago, he went all-in with technique-specific tools at a variety of price points. Recently he added some specialized travel rods in the Kaden Series.

As you step out of the van at Anglers Inn El Salto, the next steps are to collect your first of many secret recipe margaritas, follow your bags to your room, and quickly rig up some rods. You only get one first cast, and one first fish so I asked the members of our June group what they used to break the ice.

Reaction Innovations makes some groundbreaking and creatively-named fishing lures. Here are some of our favorites for catching big Mexican bass.

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.

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

As promised, ICAST 2024 offered plenty of products for forward facing sonar, none of which I’m likely to use as intended on our frequent trips to Mexico. Nevertheless, there were still some items that I will almost certainly purchase and pack when we next head to El Salto.

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.

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.