Tackle Express Blog

Rockfish Basics & Essentials for Southern California Want to catch more rockfish in SoCal? Learn the must-have fishing gear, fishing equipment, and fishing supplies to target these deep-water favorites. From the best rods, reels, and rigs to pro tips on bait selection, we’ve got everything you need for a successful rockfishing trip.

As time passes however, I need to be on the water.  It’s what I love the most and it’s my passion in life.  I’ve been away too long and I have a trip planned for 3 days of big fish hunting at an untouched lake about 4 hours from here.  We’ve had some reports of some descent fish coming out and we plan to do some damage. 

We often get asked by customers in the shop, "should I go with a Penn Fathom 2 Speed or an Avet 2 Speed reel?" That is a tough question to answer because both are great reels and will hold up to tough fighting fish. My intention here is to review points that we consider are the five key features of each reel. This will hopefully give you a thorough comparison and help you choose the best reel for you.

Fishing live bait is one of the most productive and easiest ways to catch a variety of different fish in Southern California. Finding out which bait to fish, how to hook it, and how to fish it can be difficult for anglers to understand. 

After the fish have seen a few baits or been caught once or twice, they will become conditioned and therefore harder to catch. In those situations, it’s time to think outside the box. Here are three baits you may not have tried when targeting bass on beds.

The original, new-classic JackHammer and subtler StealthBlade, Hite explains, lie at opposite ends of the vibration spectrum. “A lot of anglers who throw the StealthBlade for the first time expect to feel the same deep thumping vibration of the original JackHammer. But the motivation behind the StealthBlade is almost the opposite—a tighter, higher frequency vibration that plays just as powerfully to bass in cool water, clear water and in high-pressure and bluebird sky situations. It’s a little like throwing a Shad Rap, whose tight vibration produces exceptional cool water bites.