Story & Photos
B A I TS
BY PETE ROBBINS
tphaeidytdootnh’trogwet
A
s tournament bass fishing’s exposure has
increased, and the payouts have gotten
correspondingly bigger, the “pro” in “pro
angler” has come to signify promotional more often than professional .
The pros have become walking billboards,
and most are acutely aware of the
precarious nature of sponsorships.
Accordingly, many won’t mention
products that aren’t made by
their corporate sponsors. They’ll
call them “prototypes” or the
tournament report will mention an
“unnamed crankbait,” but they won’t give
a shout-out to anyone who’s not paying their bills.
Of course the truth of the matter is that few
pros can get by with just their sponsors’ baits. No
company can cover everything they need, and if they
want to win tournaments they have to use what
works best. I was fortunate to catch up with a few top
pros who were willing to discuss non-sponsor baits
that they don’t leave home without.
50
PAUL MUELLER: OLD SCHOOL WIGGLE WART
The original Wiggle Wart is known as an
Ozarks staple, and while two-time
Bassmaster Classic qualifier
Paul Mueller has used it
successfully, he’s also had
success with it close to his
Connecticut home
and on highland
reservoirs like
Dale Hollow.
“It’s one
of the best
springtime,
pre-spawn
crankbaits there
is,” he said. “I use it when the water is from 48- to 58-degrees, but ideally it’ll be 52 to 56. There’s a reason why they’re going for $50-70 on eBay.”
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