Barret Duncan Blog

How understanding leverage and blank recovery speed will double your landing percentage on tournament day. In my thirty-plus years of fishing southern reservoirs and river ledges, I have seen thousands of fish lost within ten feet of the boat. Nine times out of ten, the angler turns to his partner and grunts: "She just didn’t have it choked," or "My drag was too tight." Most of the time, neither of those excuses is true. What really happened is that the angler brought a knife to a gunfight—or more specifically, they brought a jig rod to a crankbait fight. There is a dead-simple rule of thumb that separates weekend casters from consistent tournament sticks: your lure's hook configuration dictates your rod action, while the cover you fish dictates your rod power. Ignore that geometry, and you are simply giving the fish all the leverage. 1. Single Hooks Demand Fast Actions & Real Backbone When you tie on a jig, a Texas rig, a spinnerbait, or a hollow-body frog...

  Most anglers skip this. Then wonder why they're losing fish. I spent twenty-two years as a diesel mechanic. Long hours, dirty hands, problems that needed fixing right the first time because there was no second chance once the truck rolled out of the bay. Fishing got me through all of it. Weekend mornings on the Tennessee River before anyone else was awake. The kind of quiet that a shop floor never gives you. But here's what that career taught me that most fishing guides won't tell you: preparation is everything. A mechanic who skips the checklist loses an engine. An angler who skips the setup loses fish. Same principle, different stakes. This is exactly how I prepare my rod before every trip. Not the gear I buy — what I actually do with it before the first cast. Step 1 — Check the Line Before You Leave the Driveway Not at the water. At home, the night before. Run your thumb and forefinger down the first ten feet of line slowly. You're feeling for two things: nicks a...