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.

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.

Now is the time of year to throw the best cold water crankbait ever made and the winner has been the same for four decades – the Rapala Shad Rap. There may be another choice that does better in limited circumstances, but despite numerous swings at the champ no one has been able to thread the needle and consistently beat it.

I HATE the winter so I spend lots of time dreaming of warm-weather fishing travel — and want to make sure that I’ll be properly outfitted. The AFTCO women angling pros can lead you to the proper choices and colors.

I’m a sucker for new rods, but as my collection has grown to unfathomable numbers, I probably don’t need any more 7’ medium heavy baitcasters or 7’ medium action spinning rods. I’m more interested in specialty rods at the margins or aimed at very narrow purposes.

While I could probably get by with one or two pairs of polarized sunglasses for my varied fishing efforts, as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned that there are benefits to having specialized eyewear. I’ve added two more pairs that I have become consistently-chosen options and should continue to be so for the near future.

I continue to search for the best boxer briefs for fishing. It’s not such an easy task. Since last summer I’ve integrated three new winners into the rotation as several decomposing or underperforming options have been sent to the trash heap.

For well over two decades California pro Ish Monroe has epitomized the idea of being a big bass specialist. He loves to wield a flipping stick in and around the heaviest cover possible. He’s won hundreds of thousands of dollars with key Missile Baits in key colors.