Wrangler Rugged Wear^® Fishing Tips

Summer 2010

Does your hand twitch?

Bassmaster Classic champion Woo Daves of the Wrangler Rugged Wear Outdoor Advisory Team says the best fishing comes from giving the lure the best action. “Remember the factory can only put so much action into it. It is up to you to make the lure produce,” said Daves. “Twitch the rod tip. Change speeds of retrieve. Work the lure erratically. If you’re catching fish you are working the lure. If you’re not catching fish the lure is working you.”

Step on lure to set reel drag

To set reel drag, Ron Schara of the Wrangler Rugged Wear Outdoor Advisory Team steps on his lure with one foot then applies pressure on the rod, adjusting it to a point where the line does not break but the rod is bent appropriately. “At that point, I usually back it off just a smidgeon to allow for quick moves by a big fish that could snap the line,” said Schara, host of the Outdoor Channel’s popular TV Show, “Backroads with Ron and Raven.”

Fish with hand sanitizer

Fish use sight and smell to locate their prey. Manufacturers realize this and sell tons of scent attractants. Ron Tussel, the Pennsylvania pro, tells anglers at his seminars to go the extra step and keep their hands clean when handling baits. Tussel, a member of the Wrangler Rugged Wear Outdoor Advisory Team, says common scents such as gas and oil associated with boating can contaminate the lure and put fish off by the offending smell.  A simple hand sanitizer kept onboard can help keep the hands clean and scent free.

Fish large lures for spring lunkers

Bassmaster Classic champion Woo Daves tells anglers to fish big lures slowly in the spring for big bass. “Springtime usually brings a lot of off-colored water, so large baits and blades really produce,” said Daves, a member of the Wrangler Rugged Wear Outdoor Advisory Team.

Think shallow for muskies, northerns

Dean Capra of the Wrangler Rugged Wear Outdoor Advisory Team is an expert at getting cold-water fish to bite. In cold northern lakes he fishes shallow areas because shallow water heats up sooner and fish are more active. This is sight fishing. When Capra sees a muskie or northern pike soaking up sunshine he will cast a soft plastic jerk bait close, but not too close. “Let the bait sit there for awhile; you’re basically dead sticking it,” he said.

(Don’t) Fish the calm side

Do you like to fish where it’s calm or rough? Anglers who fish the calm side of the lake in the spring are making a big mistake, according to Bassmaster Classic champion Woo Daves of the Wrangler Rugged Wear Outdoor Advisory Team. “You should fish the windy side in the spring,” said Daves. “This is where the warmest water will be, this is where the plankton will be stirred up, and this is where the bait fish will be, especially on windy points, banks and coves.”

Live bait hook placement

Good hook-placement gives live bait anglers an advantage. Larry Bozka, host of CoastalAnglers.com and a member of the Wrangler Rugged Wear Outdoor Advisory Team, inserts the hook above the backbone at the rear of the dorsal fin when fishing under a float. This gives the bait vertical support. But when he is bottom fishing Bozka runs the hook below the backbone and above the anal vent. This lets the hook serve as a “keel” to keep the bait upright.