by John Merwin

Among many thousands of fishing-related web sites, I’m always surprised at how few there are that have really solid, useful information. So I was happy to fall upon one such over the weekend from Anglers Resource, which is the sole North American distributor of Fuji rod components. If you’re about to buy a spinning or baitcasting rod, Anglers Resource is a must-read.

The section on five rod-buying tips is really excellent. They demonstrate how to match a spinning reel to a spinning rod, for example. Take the reel you plan on using with you when you go to a tackle shop. Then check to be sure the reel’s centerline axis matches the guide set-up on the rod you might buy. In the accompanying Anglers Resource photo, the match is marginal at best.

Importantly, the company is not touting any particular rods or brands. It’s just that the physical configurations of spinning reels and rods are widely varied. Some match well together. Some don’t. And the only way to get peak performance is to check that match before you buy. This is just as true if you’re planning on spending $50 as it is if the price tag were $500.

There’s lots of detail, also, about guide size and spacing on both spinning rods and baitcasters. Maybe more than you want to know. There are plenty of people who don’t care about this sort of thing. As in “Here’s my money. Just gimme a rod.” But there are plenty of others (like me) who obsess over the smallest details. For those, the Anglers Resource sections on static loading and guide spacing are truly enlightening.

by Joe Cermele

I can honestly say that the best part of shooting "Hook Shots" videos isn't catching fish, but getting to fish with new people. I have shared boats with guides and anglers for videos that I now consider friends, but I must confess that of all the shoots I've done none was more enjoyable than the one showcased below. A few weeks ago I got invited to join the Southern Regional High School Fishing Club from Manahawkin, NJ, on one of their field trips. See, every fall the junior and senior members get to go on an overnight offshore trip for tuna and swordfish. That beats even the best field trip I ever got to take in high school, and if such a club had existed at my school, I'd have surely been the president. There is nothing quite as inspiring to me as seeing young kids revved up to fish, and these kids were amped to the max. It was an honor to fish with them, and I hope I get the chance to do it again. Enjoy the show, and don't forget to take the latest Hook Shots Quiz for a chance to win a set of Rapala Pliers.

By Joe Cermele

In August, Connecticut angler Greg Myerson (below) brought a striped bass to the scale of a Westbrook tackle shop that pinned the needle at 81.8 pounds. It trumped the weight of the all-tackle world record set by Albert McReynolds in 1982 by more than two pounds. Of course, no record is legit until it's legit with the IGFA. Last Wednesday, the organization signed off on this record, and Myerson can now officially say he has landed what was easily one of the most coveted all-tackle records in saltwater fishing. So how does Albert McReynolds, who rode the record-fame train for almost 30 years, feel about it? 

By Joe Cermele