Nuts, Bolts, and More for Smallies

Trombly’s Methods

Mike Trombly of Perrysburg, Ohio, has quietly become one of the most successful tournament fishermen in the North, pocketing over $150,000 in tournament earnings in the last two years, largely by fishing tube-jigs. Trombly’s back-to-back Stren wins had a few common characteristics: a tube played a key role, and a few key bass were caught shallow.

“I use a 90-degree-bend jig hook in my tubes most of the time,” he reports. “But when fishing shallow, I usually switch to one with a 60-degree-bend hook.” He makes it clear that it’s simply a matter of presentation. “I can catch them on a 90-degree hook; that’s not the problem. But the 60-degree eye helps the tube swim a little better in shallower water. With the rod I use, I don’t have a problem losing fish.”

Trombly’s rod is the key to his arsenal. “It’s a G. Loomis SJR902 blank that’s 71⁄2 feet long and medium action. When I load up on a fish, the rod about folds in half. From that point on, my reel does all the work. I don’t worry whether or not I get a good hook-set. If I keep pressure on the fish with that rod loaded up, I’ll drive the hook home while fighting the fish.”

Both Trombley’s rod and hook are lighter than Clapper’s. “The hook is a lighter wire Matzuo 3/0. Again, I use the 60-degree bend in water shallower than 10 feet, and the 90-degree bend in deeper water. I pour my own custom aspirin heads, generally selecting jigs weighing 1/4 to 1/2 ounce depending on how rough the lake conditions are.”

Clearly, choices of equipment, particularly rod, line, and jig, are critical to successful tube fishing. It’s apparent that the key to not losing fish is to get the hook in but to avoid tearing a large hole in the fish’s mouth. A 3/0 hook seems to accomplish this well, whether it’s stout and driven home on the hook-set by a powerful rod, or a lighter wire hook that’s pressured into the fish. Clapper and Trombly manufacture jigheads to their own exact specifications, as none is commercially available with their favorite hooks. For those experts, it’s that specific.

For me, 2008 means another year spent on the Great Lakes refining tackle and methods best suited for the unique challenges of big-water smallmouths. I’ll continue to report my findings. Maybe by switching hooks, I’ll be able to recount tournament victories rather than near misses. I sure hope so. I’m getting tired of my friends winning all my money.

*Joe Balog, Harrison Turnpike, Michigan, is a tournament veteran on northern lakes and won the 2001 FLW Stren Series Championship. He has contributed articles to In-Fisherman and Bass Guide.