On Dec. 2, I attended the annual Folsom Tackle Show in Atlantic City, N.J. Last year, the show was canceled due to COVID, but this year it was well attended by both buyers and sellers.
My friend Jerry Gomber, who is the director of development of Bimini Bay, the fishing tackle manufacturing end of Folsom, always has new products he has conjured up along with his very able partner in crime, sales manager Nick Cicero.
The first thing I asked Jerry was about fishing for tog at Indian River Inlet. I said the folks who had long rods with a soft tip seemed to do better than I did using a shorter rod with a harder tip. He walked over to his surf-fishing display and grabbed the Trophy II TSTSS1202H rod. It is 12 feet long and the tip is soft. It is also very light, so holding it while waiting for a tog to bite will not be a chore. Jerry suggested mounting a 6000 series reel filled with 40- or 50-pound braid with a 40- or 50-pound mono shock leader when fishing the inlet.
Next, I asked about the long-cast rods that some folks use to reach the fish holding way beyond the breakers. He showed me two surf rod models with a D in their numbers – TSTIISS 862D AND TSTIISS 1002D. The D stands for distance. He said these rods will send a metal lure way beyond the breakers to any false albacore or bluefish, or a bloodworm to those kingfish that often feed there. Match them to a 4000- or a 5000-surf spinning reel filled with braid.
Next, I went over to see my friend Tony Maja, who has a new version of the MOJO. He has rigged up a MOJO and one of his deadly bunker spoons in tandem. The bunker spoon is on a 12-foot mono leader, and the MOJO is on a 6-foot mono leader. That is two proven deadly lures on one line. He calls this the Mastic Magic MOJO.
Tony has a full line of MOJOs along with his bunker spoons. He designs and produces rods that will work perfectly with bunker spoons. He has reels that hold wire line that is the best way to present those spoons. Since bunker spoons swing in a wide arc, Tony has built rod holders that set the rods out away from the boat to keep the spoons from meeting in the middle.
One item that caught my eye, and we all know the lure has to catch the fisherman before it can catch a fish, was the Vudu. It is made of TPE plastic, and is very tough and very elastic.
Every model comes already rigged, because due to the toughness of the material, it is all but impossible to inset a hook. This is the same toughness that makes the lure impervious to the teeth of a bluefish or flounder.
Not only is the material tough and flexible, it is also very lifelike in appearance. The shrimp model almost looks good enough to eat.
In addition to the shrimp, they also produce the Vudu Vixen, 3-inches, quarter-ounce, and the Mambo Mullet, 3-1/2-inches, quarter-ounce, or 4.5 inches, half-ounce. They have nine new shrimp and mullet models in 1/16 and quarter-ounce weights for 2022.
You cannot mix these lures in the same container with other soft plastics. They do not get along. The result is a gooey, plastic soup.
The next lure that I saw and liked was the Berkley Magic Swimmer. It is a jointed lure that comes in five sizes from 9 inches and 4.4 ounces to 5 inches and three-quarter-ounce. While I couldn’t try it out in the water, the three joints should give it a swimming and life-like appearance. The colors are vivid and will draw fish in from far away.
I think the big 9-inch model would not only be great for big striped bass, but for those times when you can cast for tuna. It will sink just below the surface, looking like a wounded baitfish, and should draw strikes. The 2/0 hooks will hold anything you are likely to catch.
Tog jigs are one of the newer trends, and Blue Water Candy has come out with its idea of what one should look like. The Back Water Candy Taug Jig has a flatter bottom and thinner profile than most other tog jigs I have seen. It will lay flat on the bottom with the hook sitting parallel to the body, which should minimize snags. The Black Water Candy Taug Jigs come in sizes from a half- to 2-ounces and in a wide variety of colors.
I saw representatives from Lewes Harbour Marina and Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em at the show, so they should have the items mentioned above. If not, go to your trusty computer and look for them online.
-
Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
