For the first time since we went to Africa in 2016, Hanna and I fished an entire trip with nothing but travel rods. We brought two stubby rod tubes to Lake of the Woods last week, and used the multi-piece rods inside of them to conquer seven or eight different species of fish – everything from yellow perch to muskies. Smallmouths were our primary focus and we caught a near 25 pound limit on our third full day.

When we first visited the Amazon in 2011/2012, it was tough to find readily-available walk-the-dog topwaters larger than a Super Spook. That’s why we turned to various JDM hard baits like the Maria Miss Carna 140 and the Imakatsu Trairao when the fish would come up to eat but not crush our prop baits. Fortunately, in the ensuing decade manufacturers have heeded the call for more big dog walking topwaters.

We snuck into the arena before Swimbait Gathering 4 started to ask some of the builders, manufacturers, painters and swimbait hooligans what products made them proudest. We've got rods and boards, rats and bunnies, and all sorts of the good stuff.

Lure colors typically become popular for a reason – they catch fish. But what about “second tier” colors that are reasonably popular, but which may be regional in nature, or not considered must-have everywhere? Here are four fairly popular colors that I’ve bought in multiple styles but have rarely if ever been able to make work.

Plenty of fishing lures and color patterns get discontinued for good reason – they don’t work and/or they’re not popular – but that’s not always the case. For many of us, the fact that a favorite bait is suddenly unavailable somehow makes us think that it’s even more effective than ever before. Here are two colors I rely upon yet have trouble restocking.

Since The Gathering I’ve already gone back to the well, with another bait from 3-OH. I conferred with owner Dave Verzal and since then one of his Wide Load Wake Gills has somehow shown up at my house. This one’s painted by Justin Fleer of Oak Grove Custom Lures in the Summer Gill pattern and like the crappie I fully intend to turn this piece of art into a chew toy.

In 40+ years of fishing I’ve learned that the sport has only one steadfast rule: There are no absolutes. That means that you can NEVER say that something will NEVER work. As I looked through the new introductions from ICAST 2022, I saw quite a few that in the past I might have immediately condemned to the gimmick bin. Here are six products that I’ll put in the “TBD” category until someone kicks my ass with them.

I’m not new to spending lots of money on fishing tackle, but I’m new to the swimbait game and definitely a bit gun shy when it comes to dropping $100 (or substantially more on a single bait). Accordingly, I came up with a loose game plan in advance of the Swimbait Universe Gathering 4. I wanted to be flexible but smart, free-minded but not necessarily impulsive.

If you want to buy high-end or rare swimbaits and glidebaits, but don’t have a quality retailer anywhere near home — here’s an ever-growing list of online vendors who can make your big bait dreams come true.

I am definitely not a swimbait expert, but nevertheless I’ve accumulated more than my share of big baits. My first sweep of the boat, office and tackle cave produced a pretty heavy supply of lures. Then I found a bunch more and documented them as well. For better or for worse, the inventory didn’t stop there. Here is a set of soft lures that that deserve a bit more on-the-water testing.

At Lake of the Woods, we were fortunate to have the counsel of Elite Series champion Jeff Gustafson as well as our tremendous guide Reuben Giddins. I also had Hanna and Jennifer Combs in the boat. After catching a bunch of smaller smallmouths the first day on crankbaits, we took boats out in the evening after dinner and Jennifer discovered how much those fish wanted to kill any vibrating jig that got in their way.

In addition to being a Bassmaster Elite Series winner and now a four-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, Jeff Gustafson is also one of Canada’s most decorated anglers. He lives and guides on Lake of the Woods. With our trip there approaching, I called “Gussy,” who was kind enough to fill me in on some of the best baits to pack.

I lied last week when I said that I was done shopping for our trip to Lake of the Woods. Since then Pete and I celebrated our anniversary, and since we have everything that we need, we didn’t exchange gifts. Instead, we spent a day together, which included a few hours at a local outlet mall. We didn’t buy much, but I found a couple of really nice things that are perfect for the trip.

For a swimbait neophyte, I have many big baits in my stash. I recently collected all of the different such lures that I found and filmed a video explaining their backstories. I thought that would be the end of it until I added more at the Swimbait Universe Gathering. It turns out, however, that the video only told part of the story. It turns out that I have quite a few more.

Hanna is stocked up with new gear for our forthcoming trip to Ballard’s Black Island on Lake of the Woods. I couldn’t let her be all fancy and new while I dragged my raggedy old gear up north, so I got some of my own. I’m excited to test them out as we (hopefully) wear out the smallies, enjoy a shore lunch or sit around an evening campfire.

Despite the fact that we continue to identify more and more travel rods available in the US and abroad, there continues to be a massive search for the perfect three-, four- or five-piece swimbait stick. Fortunately there are still some companies making rods that you can throw into your luggage and be ready to sling the big baits. Here are three recent entrants.

I have been to Canada a few times: Toronto, Ontario, Lake St. Clair, and Montreal. Next up we are going to Ontario to fish at Ballard’s Black Island Lodge for walleye, musky, northern pike, smallmouth and more. I’ve been packing for weeks and I have three new items I am bringing. Let me know what you think.

Whether you’re heading across town or across the globe, packable quality gear is an asset for any angler. In the past, sometimes objects labeled “packable” or “travel” meant a diminution of performance, but increasingly you can get these items with no drop off in quality. Here are some ICAST 2022 introductions that are universal in nature.

Many boaters spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on accessories like high-tech graphs and shallow water anchors. Those definitely help you catch more fish, but they can't do your job if you don't get to the lake or river safely. Here are some simple and inexpensive products that'll make your boat safe on the roads, legal on the water, and looking much better for years to come.

As I started to prepare for Swimbait Universe’s Gathering IV, I decided to put together at least a very general shopping list. With many individual baits expected to cost somewhere in the low triple digits, I wanted to make sure that whatever I acquired was needed and likely to be used. With that in mind I took an inventory of the big baits I’ve acquired.