ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Matt Allen and Tim Little are well-known big-bass experts who own Tactical Bassin , a website and social media channels dedicated to educating the public about bass fishing .

y name is Matt , and I ’ m a tackle addict . You might be one , too .

When the boxes start stacking up inside the front door as tackle order after tackle order arrives at the house , you start wondering to yourself : Have I overdone it ? But it ’ s not until new tackle orders start arriving faster than you can put away previous orders that you know for sure – you ’ ve crossed the line . There ’ s no coming back . You ’ ve crossed over to the dark side .

Call it what you will . Perhaps you ’ re a gear head , or maybe you fancy yourself a “ tackle enthusiast ,” or maybe it ’ s time to admit you ’ re just a plain old tackle junkie , just like me .

I ’ ve long since faced the music . My name is Matt , and I ’ m no mere enthusiast .

When new baits hit the market , I buy them . When ICAST rolls around , I do everything I can to attend . New rods ? I ’ ve tried those . New reels ? I ’ ve probably already worn them out . It ’ s an obsession , but I love everything about it .

While this lifestyle isn ’ t for everyone ( or everyone ’ s wallet ), I long ago realized my love of all things fishing tackle serves a real purpose in the fishing industry and in my personal fishing journey .

There ’ s no shortcut on this path of discovery . We can ’ t just buy in to hype like we once could . There are too many brands making too many products , all announcing the release of a new rod , reel or lure that ’ s sure to be a “ game changer .”

If the fishing community is to actually know when something

special is brought to market , it requires shameless gear heads to find out . We need guys and gals who are willing to buy it all , try it all , and who actually know what they ’ re looking at when they do get their hands on it .

I ’ m willing to be that guy . I ’ ll fall on that sword . I ’ ll take one for the team , and when I find the gems , I ’ ll continue to shout it from the rooftops ( or your computer speakers ). I open my wallet day after day , week after week , in search of the next Senko , ChatterBait or A-Rig . You might call me crazy – and you may be right – but it sure is fun .

how i got here

To be clear , I wasn ’ t always this way . There was a time when I owned a couple Fenwick rods paired with more