The question this obsession begs to be asked is, why? I guess it is because I (and I’m sure many of you as well) am searching for the perfect bait. What if company X’s new jig out-fishes my other 25 jigs and I miss the boat? The reality of the situation is that there are so many baits on the market that today’s angler has a hard time deciding where to spend their hard earned tackle dollars. Luremakers have exploded in the last 20 years, expanding from maybe a couple dozen major manufacturers to well over 100 from several different countries.

In talking to other bass fishermen over the years, I have been asked some format of the following question numerous times; I am trying to learn technique “X”, which is the best bait brand to use? It always left me a little cautious, as I can only speak to what I know and use whereas another guy would have a completely different answer. All this does is lead us to another question (pretty existential huh…) what things should we be looking for in a lure company?

I was able to enlist Elite Series Pro Dave Wolak in my search for the qualities of a good tackle company and he was able to shed some light on this admittedly confusing subject. Wolak has been in the cast-for-cash business for a while and was more than willing to talk tackle for a while with me.

Dave has a pretty unique perspective on the tackle manufacturer business as he had already been very successful on the tour when he inked a contract with Jackall Lures in 2009. Being that he wasn’t dependent on the sponsorship dollars to compete, he was able to really analyze the pros and cons of his potential bait sponsors before choosing the one he felt offered the best product line.

When asked what sets a company like Jackall apart from competitors in the industry, Dave was quick to rave about how “Jackall isn’t just a tackle company, they design entire fishing concepts”. A good example of that is the recently en vogue Flick-shake, which is not just a bait but part of a concept, designed to work in concert with a specialized wacky-jighead and a subtle shake-fall retrieve.

Another example is the new I-motion concept released in 2011 that evolved from Jackall bait designer Seiji Kato spending hours watching the way baitfish swim and resulted in both a hard and soft bait system that mimics an unaware baitfish just cruising along without a care in the world.

Although the concept-technique-bait design system was a major player in what drew Wolak to Jackall, it wasn’t the only thing and there are also several other qualities Jackall lures have that Dave thinks all anglers should look for when they are choosing a bait company.

•Quality of Components: “Jackall puts incredibly sharp hooks and high quality split rings on all their baits, I don’t ever have to change the hooks out before tying one on and have never had one break or bend through normal circumstances”.

•Their hardbaits don’t require any tuning: “It’s so nice to be able to take a crankbait straight out of the package and never have to worry about its action or whether it will run true”.

•They have great “guts”: “All the hardbaits have an internal weighting system that makes them cast far and accurately, even into a wind”.

•Unique Shapes: “Their plastics aren’t just another copy of someone else’s bait, look a the subtle curves on the Flick shake or the Sasuteki Craw, there isn’t a bait out there that is shaped exactly like them and those curves on the Flick shake really give it an action that is totally unique”.

•Packaging: “It may not mean much to some, but I love the fact that their Ammonite Shad comes in individual clamshell packaging, I never worry about one that is bent or misshapen when it comes out of the package”.

Though some of these things are not necessarily unique to Jackall lures, Wolak believes their sum can be the difference between a middle of the pack finish and a huge payday. He explains that while most lures out there will catch fish, it’s the extra couple bites in key situations that high quality baits pay off. “How many times have you been running down the bank, pitching to whatever and you see a log sticking out somewhere that you weren’t prepared for. It’s nice to know that when I pitch my crankbait to that log in a hurry, it’s not going to snag on itself, or roll a weird way. That one cast may be the 5lber that bumps you from competing to contending”.

Its certainly true for most of us that price is one of the first things we look at when deciding what baits to buy, and like many other high end luremakers, Jackall lures are not the cheapest on the shelf. Wolak counters the price argument by describing how most fishermen don’t think about the actual cost of the baits they fish. “If I buy a 5 dollar crankbait, but have to replace the hooks and split rings immediately, did I figure that into my cost? Or what if I have to buy 5 to get one that runs the way I want it to, these are all costs that people don’t always take into account that really make price less of an issue”.

Another cost to someone that fishes at the highest competition levels is time. All tournament fishermen are fighting a constant battle against the clock on tournament day and Wolak is no exception. “If I have to stop fishing in the middle of a day to retune a crankbait, or replace a swimbait I put on with a kinked tail from bad packaging, that could potentially cost me a fish which equals money. With Jackall, I have been able to maximize my fishing time”.

It is important to note that though Dave dotes on Jackall lures and recommends them to any and all anglers looking to get some of the highest quality lures made, many of the qualities he talks about can be found in other manufacturer’s product lines as well. It goes without saying that no bait will catch a fish if there isn’t one around and fancy tackle and $300 rods are no guarantee of tournament success, but if you are having a hard time sorting through the suddenly cluttered tackle landscape you may want to take some of these qualities into consideration when looking to re-stock your tackle supply this winter. If you’ve got the high standards and competitive edge like Dave Wolak, you may find yourself with some Jackall lures in your tackle box.

By TJ Maglio

davewolak.com

jackall-lures.com

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Here are the top-six 2011 observations in order of overall personal impression:

1. The flying birdcage apparatus…aka umbrella rig….was by far the most widely and overused lure of the event by far. Just about every angler I witnessed was bombing the thing relentlessly. It was not only casted at targets, but it was launched in every concievable direction known to man. It truly was unbelievable to witness. One guy and his parter were even just drifting down the middle of a large cove/creek over 50 ft of water bombing away! It goes to show how impressionable victories at the Tour level can be! My buddy and I even went to a local lake the next Monday and only saw one other bass boat out that day….and guess what he was throwing??…Yep, the birdcage. I guess that is a good thing too because it generates overall interest in the sport and gets people outdoors fishing.
2. Nearly 200 teams/boats showed up. A great turnout to see, and very good in terms of overall involvement of the kids and adults alike, especially during a tough economic time.
3. Lots of boat wraps and clownsuits on folks I never heard of. I may be out of the loop of the local/regional scene and popularity contest, and I hate to get anyone p.o.’ed by this statement, but please don’t wrap your boat or wear a clownsuit/jersey for no compensation what-so-ever. Just…..just don’t do it!
4. People want to fish this time of the year! Nearly 200 boats is one case in point! There are not a lot of larger tournaments this time of the year but the ones that do occur usually are showcased in grand fashion. The most popular recent example is the FLW Open Guntersville event and Everstart Championship KY Lake in which the winners introduced an exciting new way/style and time of the year to sack big bags. I personally think the tackle manufacturers need this too. It is a great time to sell new types of tackle in mass just prior to Christmas, and it’s not the same old lures as the spring tournaments make the retailers commonly exploit.
5. Team tournaments are great in many ways. Friends get out together with a common goal and also get to split costs. It is great for friends, family members or forming entirely new relationships while experiencing the great outdoors. The dynamics of a team effort have a story in itself for TV or any media, and I could see the team concept in professional bass fishing gaining some ground in the near future again. It won’t be the entirety of the wave of the future, but it will have its place just like Batman and Robin vs lonely old Superman.
6. Petsmart is having a sale on birdcages this weekend to celebrate the first American state when listing the states of the US in alphabetical order. Minimum order of 6, maximum of 25.  Parrots not included! This offer is for a limited time only and parental discretion is advised.

Peace….-dw

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Jigs probably account for more fish every year across the country every year than everything but plastic worms. There just seems to be something about the leadhead jig, the stranded skirt and a plastic or pork trailer that drives fish wild.

Along with the quantity of fish fooled, jigs tend to account for a larger than average sized fish as well. Big, underslung jawed, portly bass seem to especially like a jig. They can catch bass around docks, in grass, in rocks, around wood, offshore shallow and in the middle of the water column.

There are also about a katrillion models of jigs. Football jigs, roundball jigs, Arkie jigs, finesse jigs, Mop jigs, grass jigs, swim jigs, Flipping jigs, standup jigs – and the list goes on… and on… In a world where simplifying is preached by the pros, what does one do to minimize the thousands of pounds of lead one would have to carry in their boat?

Wake Forest, N.C. pro Dave Wolak has an answer.

“I started working on a jig a few years ago that would do multiple things,” he said. “A friend of mine and I were going to make one for ourselves; but then I found the Fin-tech Title SHot Jig, and I had one jig that could do multiple things.”

Most Everything
Wolak said that the Title SHot jig has given him a whole new world of versatility in one product. “It’s not a jig I can use for absolutely everything,” he said. “But, I can Flip with it around wood and grass, and I can use it as the baddest swim jig on the water.”

The key to Wolak’s passion for the Title SHot is in the design. The Title SHot features a keeled jighead molded around a bait keeper and a wide gap hook. The bait keeper has a plastic retainer system molded onto a short piece of flexible wire. This allows an angler to slide a jig skirt on the retainer, and still insert the keeper into the head of a soft plastic trailer.

This design ends up giving the angler the look of a jig and the effectiveness of a Texas Rigged soft plastic. Wolak said that to make it supremely efficient, he must open the hookpoint a few degrees. “It really helps put the hook directly into the bass’ mouth when I set the hook,” he said. “But, it still allows me to rig the bait weedless.”

In Grass
The effectiveness of a Punching Rig is unquestioned. Anglers have learned to present soft plastics with a heavy tungsten sinker through matted grass, and the results have been outstanding. Wolak prefers a jig, because the jig has more appeal to large bass.

“For years all we had was a tungsten bullet sinker and soft plastic, until I discovered the Title SHot,” he said. “Now there are skirts you can use with your big tungsten weights, but this comes through the grass much cleaner because of the shape of the head; it just slides though.”

Armed with his 7’6” Pinnacle Perfecta Flippin’ Stick, and 7.3:1 Pinnacle Optimus reel and 50-pound-test Sunline FX2 Braid, Wolak looks for complex grass mats that have two or more types of grass and presents the lure to the fish underneath with a 3/4 to one-ounce Title Shot.

In Wood
He also feels very comfortable with the rig in and around wood cover. He uses the same setup in heavy wood, but typically switches to 20 to 25-pound Sunline Shooter Fluorocarbon around wood and docks. In lighter wood and trees, he turns to a scaled down presentation with a Title SHot Shorty jig and a Finesse skirt with the front of the skirt trimmed short with spinning tackle. He turns to the 7’ medium-heavy Pinnacle Perfecta and Producer spinning gear with 10 to 12-pound Sunline FC Sniper Fluorocarbon.

This combination helped produce his win this past fall in the FLW Tour Open on Lake Champlain. “We got a major cold front that came through, and the bass left the grass and moved into adjacent wood cover,” he said. “I made the adjustment and was able to put heavy bags together to move from a top contender to the victory circle on the final two days of the event.

I was just presenting the jig softly around the deeper wood, and working it through the branches; they really ate it,” he said. “I had the pattern all to myself, and was able to run it all over the lake.”

Swimming Marshmallow
Wolak has also found the lure to be his best swim jig. He likes to use a White Lazer colored 1/4-ounce Title SHot, add a skirt and an action trailer as a swim jig. “I call it my Marshmallow Jig because it looks like a giant Stay-Puft man coming through the water,” he said. “But, the head design allows me to bring it through cover like no other jig I’ve ever seen. The fact that it is Texas rigged, and the keel shaped head design help it come through cover where bass don’t usually see jig – they crush it.”

Deep Brush
He also uses it as a deep brush jig. Again, because it crawls through cover so well, he can make long casts over deep submerged trees and scrape it through them with fewer hang-ups than other jigs. He said that he has used that approach each time he has fished at Lake Amistad, and his best finishes at the lake have come in part because of his use of the Title Shot.

Dave Wolak

Arguably, the two most common pains associated with bass fishing long hours are lower back pain and forearm pain.  I tackled the forearm pain in the last two years, specifically called lateral epicondylitis otherwise known as tennis elbow. Interestingly enough, roughly only 5% of these lateral epicondylitis injuries are associated with tennis.  Whether you are a physician, therapist, plumber or outboard mechanic it bothers us all similarly and it comes down to simple physics in how it occurs.  The physics of the injury stem from the anatomy of the tendons of all your forearm extensor muscles narrowing down to one common tendon, then crossing the top of your elbow briefly before attaching to the humerus(the upper arm bone) on a bony prominence called the lateral epicondyle.  With simple physics in mind, it’s just the common pull point that becomes the culprit of pain in most cases.  There have been several notable names in fishing that have publicly overcome a serious version of this through surgery, ie. Dustin Wilks, Luke Clausen…ect.

Looking at the slightly more advanced physics gave me the ability to recognize the dynamics of all the “forces” that we encounter as fishermen while on the water.  Therefore I must site one of the most recognizable laws of physics by Isaac Newton: an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.  Let’s say that the object at motion (or rest) is the fishing lure.  In order for us to accelerate or decelerate the lure we are using, a lot goes into it!   Casting, pitching, flipping, braking our cast, reeling, twitching, setting the hook, fighting fish, boat flipping fish,….the endless stream of forces we apply to that lure through our arm then the rod then the line are countless….and they are all unbalanced. Even deadsticking a bait requires us utilizing our forearm muscles against the forces of gravity and the weight of the fishing rod/reel.  The muscles of our forearm take the brunt of this and most importantly the zone that is effected is the attachment at the lateral epicondyle on the elbow.

Therefore, as humans we find easier ways.  I don’t mean sitting on the Bill Dance seat and trolling across the lake aimlessly and when a fish bites an electric wench reels them in…although for some that is what it may mean.   What I mean is we either consciously or subconsciously do things to avoid the reoccurance of pain. Consciously we do things like trying to better balance our fishing rod/reel setup or make it lighter weight-wise, avoid lures and fishing styles that would exacerbate the problems, or simply not go fishing as often.  We also consciously apply ice, stretch before use, functionally warm up before use, massage the problematic areas before and after use, take NSAIDS to decrease inflammation, even exercise to strengthen the area.  Then sometimes comes the cortisone shots by your doctor. All highly recommended by anyone with any knowledge of treating acute muscle/joint injuries, but really not preventative.  The subconscious is where we sometimes create further problems.   If you are not subconsciously applying the forces to that lure the correct anatomical way because of an injury or pain, then somewhere else is picking up the slack and all that leads to other problems in the form of shoulder, neck or back pain.  Without getting into that, the message is to not band-aid the problem because it will lead to other problems down the road.  The solution that worked for me is slightly multi-faceted because it used a conglomerate of conventional methods, but really not that difficult to understand now that I have encountered it and keyed on one valuable component.  In my opinion, the key component(the tennis elbow strap) simply slightly changes the physics of the forearm extensor tendons and allows healing to take place.  If pulling from one angle is repeatedly causing inflammation and problems, then slightly change the angle and apply a little pressure like the pressing on the frets of a guitar….. and add a little time….. and you have a recipe for hope, healing and success.  The pressure part is otherwise known as “counterforce bracing”, which is referenced in the article I link to on the bottom of this document.  That is theorized as: the pressure on a string at a certain location lessens the pressure on the same string more distal to it (like fingers pressing on the frets of a guitar).  I was doing a little of both, pressure and angle changing.  So I have just a slightly different spin on it.  The biggest factor is the element of time, and proper healing takes time and letting the strap do its thing.

A little side note worthy of discussion: The extent of the injury one may have should always be taken into account. Recently I read about some great fishermen like Stephen Browning and Edwin Evers have gotten Platelet Infusion Therapy which in a nutshell is a nonsurgical procedure that uses the injection of your own blood to heal injured tendons.  This is an unbelieveable advancement in medicine but should be looked at only as a later option for a pretty severe injury and is not necessarily preventative.   So the method that I am going to discuss would be contemplated well before the point of extreme pain.

The origin of my personal injury was from numerous tournaments and the associated practice periods on bodies of water that have tons of fish catches. Also the methods/styles of fishing were kind of tough on the human body, ie ripping a crankbait/rattlebait out of the grass, snapping a heavy jig out of the grass…ect.    Sounds like fun, but we as anglers are athletes and putting 2 tournaments 2 weeks in a row on fish factories like Pickwick and Guntersville is a recipe for injury disaster.   It may save some gas, but not medical bills.  It’s like CC Sabathia pitching two or three nine-inning games in a row with a pitch count of 1000 each game!  My condition was also exacerbated because I was training for a marathon on the side and really didn’t take into account that high-mileage running accounts for as many active arm swings as it does steps/strides.   This active arm swing with my thumb pointed up is really the same motion(with less weight) as jigging with a fishing rod in hand.   No breaks, meant no time for healing.  Also, two things that additionally scared me was the fact that I knew the more pain I had over a duration of time meant that more scar tissue was forming causing more permanent damage.  So always be aware of your other(other than your tennis) everyday activities and how they effect your condition.

I was doing all the right things like rest, ice, massage and anti-inflammatories and nothing worked.  The stubborn yet educated sceptic that I am made me brush off the advice of my wife and her co-workers about the tennis elbow strap.  I also practiced with my 70 year old buddy Bean Lefebre at Lake Champlain and he wears tennis elbow straps for years when fishing and has completely alleviated the problems he once had.  I just couldn’t get what it actually does, and really found it difficult to find any solid information on the straps other then the coined phrase, “it alleviates arm pain associated with tennis elbow”.   Basically it was mostly taboo to me and other researchers, because extensive research cannot directly correlate a fix for all cases.   Well I am here to tell you as a opinionated professional fisherman who knows a bit about anatomy, that it works, maybe not for everyone but it did for me.  But you don’t just put the strap on and “Presto” it heals you.  You need to wear it during all fishing activities and and other rigorous exercise or motions that involve your arms, at least until you don’t have pain.  I wore it pretty tightly, yet comfortably, an inch or two away from(distal, toward my hand) the point of pain on my elbow.  I also felt it was important to have the raised pad on the inside of the strap pressing firmly on the body of the extensor muscles (location of the pad was key).  I went through several different brands and straps and the one that worked best for me is the Cramer Tennis Elbow Strap.  It is comfortable while fishing and serves its purpose.  This is a relatively thin (not wide, about 1.5 inches)) strap which allows for more motion in fishing and doesn’t hurt or bind up when you set the hook. I ironically bought it from the Sammons Preston catalog, a medical equipment catalog I used to order from frequently when I worked for a medical equipment store.  And for the record, I have no affiliation with any of this stuff so I am not selling you anything.

Lastly, in an attempt to tie this to the beginning of this rant I am on, what I feel this strap does is: by tightening around the body of the forearm muscle it slightly changes the angle of the tendon as it inserts to the bone at the lateral epicondyle, and adds pressure to the “string”.  This alternative route of the tendon in essence somewhat bypasses the original problematic route and “allows the area to heal” or “alleviates symptoms associated….yada yada” (sound familiar).  Therefore, all the forces you have to consciously and subconsciously apply to that lure via tendon and muscle are detoured in a relatively pain free route for a bit until further notice, yet still get the job done.  Again, some science to this but it is still my opinion/theory just like others say Vitamin C helps with cold prevention or fish don’t see flourocarbon line so you get more bites. Fortunately, doctors and therapists keep selling and recommending these straps so they must be working out there for others like me.  There are surely a lot of other neurological and musculoskeletal theories of what is going on with forearm straps and/or pressure to the muscle/tendon by taping and so forth, all of which are true to some extent.   Some have tested numerous subjects and have found results to be somewhat definitive, yet not totally conclusive.  The reality it that it works for a good bit of people to alleviate symptoms of lateral epicondylitis pain, but not all.  Also it should be used in conjunction with other modalities such as ice, massage and NSAIDs to aid in the road to overall recovery.  Most importantly, as I stated before, it can be used as a preventative measure to some extent as well if detected and addressed early on, but you have to stick with it…..all that hopefully gets us healed and back to fishing!   I am currently 100% forearm pain free in all fishing activities, running, weight lifting,….no pain!   Hope this helps you! Thanks for reading and take care….

dw

Here is a good link I found that also has some other related links in the response section at the bottom. I like the guitar string correlation:
http://www.mikereinold.com/2009/07/are-tennis-elbow-straps-effective.html

Please “Like” Dave Wolak at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dave-Wolak/101285766610839

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What’s one of the keys to a long career of healthy, pain-free fishing? According to Dr. House, the answer is “extension”.

When you cast, you are engaging flexor muscles to not only to whip the rod forward, but also to grip the rod and reel. Over time the flexors become excessively tight. “If you have really tight forearm flexors, your extensors are taking a beating”, says House.

Neglect these tight flexors at your own peril. As the flexor muscles become short and tight, they overpower the weaker extensors.  This is the essence of the “imbalance”.  If this imbalance gets too out of whack, the muscles can actually pinch the median nerve, resulting in pain or even numbness.

Overuse injuries from prolonged holding, repeated movements, and improper muscle balance can cause tendinopathy”, says House.  ”Tendinopathy” is basically the fancy term to describe injury and/or inflammation to the tendons. Conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow are examples of tendinopathy.

So where does “extension” come into play? Extension is how you fix it. Moving the arm and wrist into a position of extension stretches the flexor muscles and helps reorient the muscle fibers… which can become scarred and knotted up over time.  It’s not the only remedy, but it’s the one I will provide in this article.

An easy on the eyes visual of my favorite stretch. Do this to combat tight flexors.

The above stretch accomplishes the necessary extension of the forearm and wrist required to get the job done.  To accomplish this stretch, place your hand on a wall with a straightened arm.  Turn the hand down clockwise (for the right hand) or counter-clockwise (for the left arm) to intensify the stretch.  The goal is to press the palm into the wall.  The higher your hand is on the wall, the more intense the stretch will be.  Don’t overdo it and start slow.  Hold for at least 30 seconds.

Dr. House also believes that smaller more ergonomic reels go a long way towards preventing overuse injuries.

Thankfully, we have more ergonomic options today.

“The less spread there is in your grip, the more compact and natural your grip is, and the less stress you put on the thenar muscles [muscles along the thumb side of your hand]… The more stretch you have, the more tendency there is towards injury or failure. Everyone has more advantage at 2/3 muscle length than they do in a full stretch.” In other words, the easier it is to palm your reels, the better.  The older style round reels are the most problematic because they spread your grip out so much more, making the wrist and hand muscles more vulnerable.

Optimizing rod balance also goes a long way. In a recent conversation, Elite pro John Crews made one of the best analogies I’ve heard on the subject:

“It’s like sitting in the car with a three inch thick wallet stuffed in your back pocket, you’re going to sit crooked and get added pressure.  If you sit for 5-minutes, that might not be a big deal, but if you sit and drive for 10 hours like we fish 10 hours, you’re going to feel the effects of that.  I think it’s the same way with a rod and reel.  Constantly fighting the balance can cause undue stress eventually you pay the price.”

It’s all about longevity.  How many more casts can you make with that clunky old combo before your joints start begging you to stop? How many more before you start living off Goody’s powder just to get through the day? It’s only a matter of time before the athlete angler reaches a threshold of injury.  If you need help dealing with this, House is your man. Not the guy from the TV show. This guy…

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