A Lesson From Jay

A couple of years ago, about this time of year, I met Jay and his girlfriend at a fishing retail store I was working at. Jay had decided that it was time to get serious about fishing and had spent a lot of time talking to different pros about rods, reels and tackle. One of his first Shimano purchases was a Curado/Crucial combo - this was a perfect fit for the type of fishing he was into at the time. About a year later, Jay hired me for a day of fishing on Loughborough Lake and brought his gear - I'm talking different rod and reel combos, high end tackle and quality line like Power Pro. The purpose of our trip was to familiarize Jay with different techniques and try gear designed for specific fishing techniques. Needless to say, once he tried the Stradic/Crucial drop shot combo, he was hooked. This technique specific set-up floored Jay and he became and instant fan. Shortly after our trip, he sent me a text telling me that he bought a Sustain/Loomis drop shot set up and loved it. He said he didn't realize how important the right tools were when he first started researching what to buy. He has since become quite educated on the tools of fishing and has become a very loyal Shimano customer. The message here is, spend the time to match your gear with the type of fishing you like to do - and make informed purchases. When you meet a pro at a store or show this season, spend the time to learn about product. A good pro will try to match you with equipment that will make your fishing experience the best it can be - beware of those who simply sell you gear without trying to understand what you need and why.