So You Want to be a Pro Staffer

Fishermen today live in a world surrounded with Social Media.  This has made it very easy for fisherman to show off their catch, communicate with other fishermen and provide helpful information to other fishermen.  However the most important thing Social Media has provided is a much better chance to get noticed by companies that want people to promote their products.  If you are looking to get added onto a company’s Pro Staff the first thing that folks need to understand is these companies are looking for Promotional (Pro) Staff and not Professional Fishermen.  Professional Fishermen make their living fishing, where Promotional Staff have normal 40 hour a week jobs or go to school, but on the side they promote the fishing products they use.  In most cases Pro Staffers do not get paid to promote products, but they do receive discounts and in some cases free products to test and promote.  A good Promotional Staff program is very important to these companies as it is a great method of advertising their products.  It is also a great opportunity for fishermen that want to start getting involved in the fishing industry while getting some discounts on the tackle they use to fish.  Also those really good Pro Staffers that promote products very well and also do very well in tournament fishing stand a chance to move up to the next level.

So how does someone go about getting selected to a company’s Pro Staff?  Getting noticed is the biggest hurdle for a fisherman looking to get selected by a company.  There are many ways to get noticed and in today’s world of Social Media it has become much easier.  Now I’m not telling you that you can get a Facebook Page, Twitter Account or a National Pro Staff Account and you will selected for a Pro Staff.  No I’m telling you that the tools are there for you to use, if you use them right.  Remember you are posting to get noticed not only by companies, but other fishermen.  If other fishermen aren’t following you and liking your posts chances are neither are tackle companies. There are two ways to be noticed, in a good manner and in a bad manner.  To get noticed in a good manner is the goal so here are some Do’s and Don’ts that will help in your Social Media Posts:

Do’s
 1 – Always have a very good profile with a very good picture of yourself, with a good fish you caught if possible.  Make sure you put a lot of information in your profile about your fishing and your goals for fishing in the future.  Make sure to list any fishing accomplishment you have.

2 – Post good pictures of yourself and your catch whenever and as much as possible.

3 – Post good pictures of the baits you use and how you use them.  The same goes for your rods and reels.  Always explain why you use or like your tackle.

4 – Make sure to always give details of your catch.  Make sure to include what bait, rod, reel and line that were used to make the catch.  It is also helpful for you to talk about the method you used to catch your fish.

5 – Always reply to comments on your posts and try to answer any questions that are asked.  Even if the comment doesn’t set well with you take the higher ground in your reply.

6 - You need to be proactive and research the company and products you plan on promoting.  Be knowledgeable so you can make the best post possible and also be able to answer any questions that may be asked about the company and their products.  You want people to believe you know what you are talking about and not give them any information that turns out to be wrong.  Giving wrong or bad information looks bad for both you and the company you are promoting.

7 – Post helpful tips as much as possible.  A lot of folks are out there that like the help very much.

8 – Post questions that will draw a lot of answers from folks.  Reply to everyone that answers you.

9 – Follow back most of the people that follow you.  The reason I say most is there will always be some folks that follow you, that for some reason give you a bad feeling or have something offensive in their profile.

Don’ts

1 – Posting pictures of bleeding bass is never taken well by all folks.  I know that we all deep hook a fish from time to time, but be sure to wash off the blood before taking a picture. 

2 – I’m not against anyone keeping a few bass from time to time for the dinner table, but there are a lot of folks out there that are totally against bass being kept for any reason.  Posting pictures of a cleaning table or cooler with a bunch of dead bass is not going to go over well.  Take your picture before the bass are dead.

3 – Begging for likes or follows is a real turnoff for a lot of folks.  If your posts are good they will get likes on their own and people will start to follow you.  Keep working at making your posts better until they are getting likes.

4 – Posts that have anything that could be considered offensive are a No, No!  Remember you are trying to get the attention of as many people as you can.

5 – Never get into an argument on a post thread.  It is better not to comment at all if you cannot make some type of positive comment.

Now that you see the types of things you should or shouldn’t post let’s talk about making contact with companies.  There are a lot of different ways to make contact with companies.  You can Email them or Direct Message them but when you do make sure to include links to all your Social Media accounts.  However the best way these days to contact companies that are looking for Promotional Staff is through National Pro Staff. 

National Pro Staff or NPS is pretty new to Social Media, but it has taken some giant leaps in a short time.  Not only are there every day fishermen on NPS but also there are some Professional Fishermen, Promotional Staff Fishermen and most importantly there are many companies from the Fishing Industry that are on NPS.  Companies looking for Promotional Staff even make “Calls” on there so people can apply.  Applying to a company making a call for Pro Staff is not free, it will cost you $20.00.  That means you have to have your NPS Profile and Resume up to date with as much information about you as possible.  Make sure that both your Profile and Resume are appealing and only include truthful information.

You are Selected……Now What:

Each of the companies is somewhat different with their Pro Staff programs.  However for the most part there will be a contract or agreement you will have to sign.  Make sure that you read over these contracts or agreements very good.  Don’t enter into a contract or agreement that you know you cannot fulfill as it doesn’t help you or the company.  In fact if you don’t fulfill your part of a contract or agreement that could put a black mark against you and limit your chance for being selected to other Pro Staffs.

Don’t Be a Patch Pirate!

Being a “Patch Pirate” means you are just looking to add “Patches” or “Logos” to your shirt and you don’t use the products or promote for the companies.  If you know you are not going to actually use or promote a company’s products then don’t apply to be on their Pro Staff.  Only apply to companies you personally believe have great products that you actually use.  By doing this it makes promoting those products very easy.  If you are using them in your every day fishing, then getting pictures and making Social Media posts about them is so much easier and believable!  The other thing is you don't want to get on the staff of more companies that you can effectively promote.  If you are spread too thin then it doesn't benefit you or the company.

There is so much more that I know I’m not covering.  However anyone that has a question that I’ve not answered here can comment on this article, send me an email or direct message me on any of my Social Media accounts.  I really hope that this has been helpful to many of you, and you have a better understanding of this process.

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!

You can follow me on:
Twitter - @BHOAdventures 
FaceBook - Derek Herring Fishing 

National Pro Staff - Derek Herring Fishing
YouTube - Derek Herring Fishing 
Blog - Derek Herring Fishing 

Also check out the great folks that help make my fishing adventures possible and the tackle I use and trust. 
Ardent Outdoors
Bandit Lures 
Santone Lures
Creme Lures 
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants
Lazyman Hooks
K-9 Fishing Products
New Pro Products
Thrasher Sports Apparel
Stealth Rod Holders

RAH Tackle CL50 Classic Baitcaster

I grew up fishing those old Ambassadeur Baitcasters that were the best of the best many moons ago.  Remember back when they were made in Sweden and were they best quality reel being made.  Well maybe some of you don't remember back that far, but believe me they were the best.  Today like many other reels they aren't made in Sweden and well their quality is lacking in my opinion.  I still own some of those older reels and they still work today because they were well made.  I've also owned a couple of their newer reels, and a few of them don't work any more because they aren't made as well.  Heck when you look at the new ones in the store they just don't feel well made to me.  Now like most folks I prefer a smaller reel for bass fishing, but I still prefer those classic big round reels for other types of fishing, like catfish fishing.  So I've been on the look out for a new type or brand of reel for my catfish fishing and you know what I might have just found the ticket.  That happens to be a RAH Tackle CL50 Classic Round Baitcaster.

I was lucky enough to follow RAH Tackle on Twitter and saw their post for a deal on a CL50 plus 550 yards of braid for $59.99.  I liked how it looked like the ole Ambassadeur 6500 and decided to give it a try and boy am I glad I did!  The CL50 not only looks like the old 6500 but it feels a lot like those reels I grew to love many years ago.  Now this is a no thrills reel just like the Ambassadeurs of old.  There isn't any magnetic anti-backlash or other fancy add on items.  What the CL50 is is a tough well built reel.  Now I haven't put it through years of use yet but just the way it feels I can tell this isn't one of those cheaply made reels that don't hold up to tough fish and fishing.  I was very surprised when I opened the box when it arrived.  I really though for the price it wouldn't be up to my expectations but I was wrong.  Out of the box it feels like a well made reel.  The crank was smooth and everything worked as it was supposed to work.  Needless to say I was a bit excited and I quickly had it on a rod and spooled with the line provided.  I was then out in the yard casting to see how she felt and she passed that initial test with flying colors.  To tell you the truth I wanted to go fishing with it that very day, but as with life and tournament fishing I had to wait for 4 weeks to get the chance to take her to the water.

Now I'd love to show you a picture of a monster catfish I caught using the CL50 but the biggest I could get to bite on the first trip was a good eating size 2.5 pounder.  I did catch a few this size and my wife did break out the hot grease for them.  The CL50 performed as I would expect and I don't have one bad thing to say.  It casts very smooth, but remember you have to cast this reel there are no aids to help you.  I made some very long cast with a Slip Bobber setup into the wind without a backlash, but like I said I cut my eye teeth on reels like these.  The drag on the CL50 is extremely smooth and far better than I would have expected.  In fact the drag is far better than those original Ambassadeurs I loved so much.  The 5.2:1 retrieve ratio is perfect for catfish fishing and I'm sure it will be perfect for other types of fishing as well.  The CL50 will hold 190 yards of 20lb Mono so she will hold well over 200 of 60lb braid, meaning you should have plenty of line to fight even the biggest and meanest freshwater fish in the world.  Now I'm not going to guess on if the CL50 will hold up to use in Saltwater but I'm thinking with the proper care and cleaning after use it could be good for that as well.

In closing I'm going to give the RAH Tackle CL50 two thumbs up from my point of view and what I like in a reel for catfish fishing.  I will also say I can actually see this reel being used for Muskie or Northern Pike up north and doing very well, and likely a lot better than the other reels like it on the market today.  The $59.99 price tag that includes 550 yards of 60lb braid is well below that of like name brand reels making this a super deal in my opinion.

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing.

You can follow me on:
Twitter - @BHOAdventures 
FaceBook - Derek Herring Fishing 
YouTube - Derek Herring Fishing 
Blog - Derek Herring Fishing 

Also check out the great folks that help make my fishing adventures possible and the tackle I use and trust. 
Ardent Outdoors
Bandit Lures 
Santone Lures
Creme Lures 
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants
Lazyman Hooks
K-9 Fishing Products
New Pro Products
Thrasher Sports Apparel
Stealth Rod Holders

Never Give Up, Never Surrender!!

The events of this past weekend's tournament is the inspiration of this article as well as a video that is being passed around on social media.  I can't take credit for the title as it came for an old Tim Allan movie "Galaxy Quest", but it really is a good motto to remember when bass fishing. Not all tournament or even all fishing trips are perfect.  This past weekend during the Bayou Bassin' League Tournament on Halls Bayou the control cable to the trolling motor broke pretty early in the day.  Some folks might have called it quits, but we didn't.  It took some time to figure out I couldn't fix it to work right so I "Redneck Engineered" a solution that kept us fishing.  It was lucky for me this was a team tournament as I had my hands full controlling the boat with the rigged steering system that consisted of a pair of channel locks, three screwdrivers and a bunch of duct tape.  With it being a team tournament, my teammate John Fitch had the lion share of the fishing to do.  John really did more than his part to put fish in the boat.  I on the other hand was distracted with
trying to keep the boat positioned and that took one of my hands when ever the trolling motor was running.  So I missed and lost some fish that might have made a difference in the final outcome of the tournament.  However when a lot of guys would have given up completely, we hung in there and weighed in a limit for 4th place.

Being prepared for adversity is the first step to making sure you can keep fishing when things like this happen.  The first thing you need to do is keep some tools, plastic tie straps, spare fuses, wire nuts and above all some duct tape in your boat at all times.  You never know when those items come in handy and will bail you out and keep you fishing.  It is also a great idea to keep a first aid kit on board your boat as well.  You never know when you or someone on your boat will get cut or get hooked by a lure.  Of course you will also need to have all the required safety equipment in your boat.  It is required for a reason and you should check it regularly to make sure everything is in good working order. Believe me it won't be any fun if one of those items are needed but it doesn't work correctly.  In fact it might save a life one day!!

Another very important thing is everyone in the boat needs to have their life vests on at all time the big engine is running.  Even more important is for the  person operating the boat to always have the kill switch hooked to his/her life vest.  At the speeds we travel in our bass boats, even the smaller aluminum bass boats, things happen fast and in a blink of an eye you can be in big trouble.  If someone gets thrown from the boat, especially the operator, the life vest will protect you in more ways than one, and that kill switch will make sure the boat doesn't come back and run over you.  Also the kill switch will keep the boat near you so you can get back on board. Getting back on the boat quickly is very important if someone is injured or it is cold out.

In closing remember that "Never give up, Never Surrender" really means to be ready at all times for anything bad to happen.  So be ready if things go bad, but also give yourself peace of mind knowing that you are ready!

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing.

You can follow me on:
Twitter - @BHOAdventures 
FaceBook - Derek Herring Fishing 
YouTube - Derek Herring Fishing 
Blog - Derek Herring Fishing 

Also check out the great folks that help make my fishing adventures possible and the tackle I use and trust. 
Ardent Outdoors
Bandit Lures 
Santone Lures
Creme Lures 
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants
Lazyman Hooks
K-9 Fishing Products
New Pro Products
Thrasher Sports Apparel
Stealth Rod Holders

Square Bills - A Useful Tool

As you may have guessed from reading my blog, I'm a Jig Fisherman first and foremost.  I fish jigs all year in a lot of different conditions and methods and I've become what I think is very successful. However as good as I might be at fishing jigs, I do have many other tools available in my tackle box for those times when I can't pay a bass to hit jig.  One of those tools in my box are Square Bill crank baits.  The Square Bill is a very useful tool that every bass fisherman should have in their tackle box.  Not only are they very effective at catching bass, but they are also a very useful tool in locating bass willing to bite. In fact Square Bills are able to locate bass that not even the fanciest fish finder will locate. Sometimes, and this is especially true in the bayous, it can be very tricky locating bass.  The bayous, as well as other bodies of water, have lots of spots and structure that look really promising, but not all of them will be holding fish, or fish that are willing to bite. A good Square Bill can be used to cover a lot of water and help you find those hidden bass that are willing to bite.

Locating Bass - On the bayous or even on lakes I'll pick out a likely spot that looks "Fishy" and then attack it with a Square Bill. On the bayou this may be a stretch bank that may be up to half a mile in length.  Using a Square Bill I can move down that part of the bayou pretty quickly and cover a lot of water in a short amount of time.  If there are bass there willing to bite I'm very confident that one will eat my Square Bill.  Sometimes there will be bass in a location that are not very active or they just aren't actively feeding.  This is when a Square Bill really shines as they tend to trigger strikes even from bass that are not actively feeding.  Once you catch one or two of these bass then you can go back and fish that area slower with a jig or worm and catch even more and sometimes the bigger bass.  Then there are days that once your Square Bill triggers that first bass to strike the whole group of bass will fire up and you will get many more bass that are willing to eat your Square Bill. I will generally fish an area with the Square Bill as long as there are bass willing to eat it.  Once they stop then I go back with the worm or jig to see if I can tease a few more into the boat.

How to Fish – You want to throw your Square Bill where it will be hitting some type of structure. Be it lay down timber, rocks or around old pilings you want it to be making contact with some type of cover. Square Bills are designed to bounce or deflect off of cover without getting snagged. Sure you are going to get one snagged from time to time, but that happens with even the most weedless baits. The point I’m trying to make is a Square Bill is most effective when it is bouncing off of some type of structure. That bounce or deflection is what triggers a lot of your strikes, even in bass that aren’t actively feeding. So throw it in there and bounce it off of that cover. As far as the retrieve goes I vary it a lot depending on how deep the structure is I’m fishing and also the clarity of the water. I generally crank the bait fast enough so it is hitting the structure to cause the deflection action. Every time it hits something and deflects I tend to pause the bait for a second before continuing my retrieve. That pause will get you more strikes than you could ever imagine. When the water is clear I will start out really burning the bait in the cover, making it deflect off of the structure very radically. If I’m not getting any strikes then I’ll slow it down some until I find what is triggering the bass into striking. Now when the water is cloudy or even muddy I’ll do just the opposite. I start out just fast enough for the bait to be hitting the structure and I don't want the bait to deflect as much.  The bass will be very tight to the cover and won't chase something very far.  The deflection and pause are still important but you want it to happen as close to the cover as possible.  If moving the bait really slow isn't working then I will speed up until I find what the bass want.

Picking your Color – I’m of the old school and always try to “Match the Hatch” when it comes to picking colors. What this means is I want my color to match the baitfish as close as possible in the body of water I'm fishing.  Sure all bodies of water have multiple types of baitfish, but generally speaking there is one that bass will be predominately feeding on during different times of the year. In the late Fall and Winter my first choice would be a Crawfish pattern. In the Spring or Summer I’m likely to fish some kind of Shad pattern. Now if the Bluegill are spawning I’ll go to a Bluegill, Sunfish or Perch pattern. I will be the first to admit matching the hatch doesn’t always work.  That is the reason for all those colors and patterns of Square Bills that don’t come

close to matching anything in nature. Some of these wild off the wall color patterns for some reason trigger something in the bass that make them strike. Also when the water is cloudy or muddy you will need to pick a color pattern the bass can see better. If they can’t see your bait then they likely aren’t going to eat it.

To Rattle or not to Rattle - Personally I prefer to have Square Bills with rattle chambers. I’m also picky on how those rattles sound. I believe a bait with rattles will get you many more strikes than a bait without rattles. Bass can hear the rattles and feel the vibrations coming from your bait long before they can see your bait. If they can hear and feel something coming then they will be waiting on it, and when it deflects off that branch they are under or the rock they are beside, Boom they eat it without even thinking. Now when the water is off colored or muddy those rattles are even that much more important.  The bass' vision is affected by the condition of the water so they use the sound of the rattling to locate your bait. For me having rattles in my Square Bills is a must!!

The Best Brand - The question of which is the best brand of Square Bill on the market will cause all kinds of heated discussions.  All fishermen have their opinions on which is the best and that is what they use. I am not trying to say mine are better than yours.  I'm just going to tell you what and why I like my preferred brand. My brand of choice is Bandit Lures and has been since the early 80s.  Yes I'm currently on the Bandit Pro Staff, but that only happened in the last year, I've been using their baits for 30 years.  I believe that Bandits have the best Wobble and Rattle chambers of any crankbaits I've fished in my 50 plus years.  As far as Square Bills go Bandit gives you three different models to choose from, the Foot Loose that dives to 1.5 feet, the 100 Series that dives to 5 feet and also their Flat Maxx Shallow that gives you a different profile in a bait that dives to 5 feet.  Then Bandit Lures has a unbelievable selection of colors and patterns to choose from.  Now I'm sure, there are other companies out there with good baits, but once I find something that works I stick with it, and Bandits have been working for me for a very long time.

In closing I'd like to say I hope this article has provided you with some helpful information.  Square Bills are a great tool to have in your tackle box and I hope you will use them and they will locate those hidden bass for you as well as they do for me.  

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing.

You can follow me on:
Twitter - @BHOAdventures

FaceBook - Derek Herring Fishing

YouTube - Derek Herring Fishing

Blog - Derek Herring Fishing

Also check out the great folks that help make my fishing adventures possible and the tackle I use and trust.

Ardent Outdoors

Bandit Lures

Santone Lures

Creme Lures

Dunamis Rods

Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants

Lazyman Hooks

New Pro Products 

Thrasher Sports Apparel

Stealth Rod Holders