2013 Carnival Pictures

The first stop in the 2013 Choopy carnival tour is next week, 1/19/2013, at the Delaware Valley Surf Anglers Flea Market. I have been in the shop trying to crank out some lures in the colors that I think are pretty cool, and will be great fish catchers, so I hope you guys stop by and check out some of the stuff I am bringing on tour this winter.

You can find a listing of all the stops on the carnival tour here.

So without further adeiu, here are some pictures of the stuff I will be bringing to all of the flea markets. I don't know how long all of the colors will last, so as the saying goes, early bird gets the worm. See you all soon!

3" Pikes

Lil Barky

2013 Winter Flea Markets- UPDATED

2013 is almost here. How is this possible?!

Before I do a recap on 2012 on another blog, I want to quickly let you guys know when the Choopy carnival will be hitting the road for the 2013 winter flea markets/shows. There might be a couple more added, but here is what I have lined up for now:

January 19, 2013: Delaware Valley Surf Anglers Fishing Flea-Market
Time: 9am to 2 pm
Where: VE German Club: 130 Davisville Road, Warminster, PA

I will be bringing a lot of freshwater oriented stuff to this show since its a little bit more inland. I will definitely still have some saltwater oriented lures with me, but if you want the first dibs at some pretty cool freshwater colors and lures, this is the place to be.

The Needlefish Sink Test

I sometimes get questions about how fast my needlefish sink. I am never quite sure how to respond and I just make comparisons to other needlefish and my experiences. I know a lot of people consider them floaters or slow sinkers, and I have never really agreed with that. I think they plane to the surface fairly easily and quickly, which makes people think they don't sink much. I generally would call them moderate sinkers.

As a way to try and figure out some sort of classification for them, I decided to run a little bit of an experiment. I have a clear plastic tub that has 12" of water, some needlefish, a video camera and a stopwatch. I threw on my safety glasses and lab coat, and pretended I was a rocket scientist.

So here is the video of how they came out. They are in a controlled environment and all the wild cards of nature like waves, current, the velocity of how the lure lands from the cast, the momentum that is stopped from the friction of the lure hitting the surface, etc. are all ignored in this little test. So I don't necessarily see it as a true guide on how they fish.

So in case you missed it at the end of the video, here are the results:

Name	Sink Rate
5/8 oz. Needlefish	1.6 seconds per foot
1 1/2 oz. Needlefish	1.4 seconds per foot
2 oz. Needlefish	1.1 seconds per foot
1 oz. Stubby	1.0 seconds per foot
1 1/2 oz. Sinker Needlefish	0.8 seconds per foot

Custom Colors

Last week was pretty hectic, as it usually is around the holidays. I took some time off from the real job, had some family time for the holiday and hit the shop pretty hard. One of my "projects" was to paint a few custom 3 oz. Metal Lip Swimmer colors by request.

A few colors I had never thought much of before, a few I have seen on other builder's lures and of course a couple classics. Ever since RM Smith did a few black with chartreuse head danny's, I have been a fan of that color. I believe the chartreuse side with black dots was a Lefty Carr color that he often painted.

The color that I really was drawn to was the solid dark red. Dark enough to fish with confidence at night, but bright enough for it to fish well in low light conditions like dusk and dawn. I have always done well with yellow/red head colors at dusk, and I think the solid red will fish similarly well

As much as I sometimes think colors don't matter, I see a color like the dark red that makes me rethink colors all over again.

November Deliveries

Once we got power back in the shop, I sat in the paint booth and cranked out a few orders. Hopefully there are some cooperative fish still around to throw these lures at.

The Saltwater Edge
The Saltwater edge got a complete re-stock. They have the most expansive selection of Choopy products in their online store. Check out their inventory, I am sure there is something in stock that will fit just perfectly in your plug bag.

They also have a thread up in their forums for Choopy product reviews. Check it out and share your experiences with their customers.

RM Tackle
Keep your eyes peeled at RM Tackle for a restock of darters and needlefish. Hopefully the mail man will deliver them in the next day or so, and Ryan will add them to the store shortly after. I tried to get a broad selection of colors that were requested at the SOL forums and the Choopy Facebook page. One color I am pretty excited about is the bone 1 1/2 oz. Needlefish and 1 3/4 oz Darters I did. This will be a new color I fish a lot.

While the striped bass, bluefish and bonito's are starting to take all the headlines in the northeast world of fishing, there are some other species that are starting to wake up with the cooler water temperatures as well.

Pickerel, pike and musky! Watching these fish stalk and chase their prey is pretty awesome, and always plenty of fun to catch with top water baits.

Report (9/22)

We jumped in our favorite multi-colored jon boat and set out for a stringer of pan fish, pickerels and large mouth. After dropping a decent large mouth on lil Barky, I finally connected a few larry's with lil Barky. The largest was just shy of 2 lbs. The fishing slowed down a bit and I grabbed a 1 1/4 oz Danny to see if they needed a bit more enticement. First cast, just on the point of some weeds, a pickerel annihilated it. Two casts later at another weed clump, the same. I think there was another bite or two on the danny. Then I broke out the proto big barky and had a few fish explode on it, but didn't find the hooks.

Later that night, I got an email with some pictures. Pictures of some real fish...Musky! What a gorgeous fish that ate a 3" Pike. I was super excited to get this email, and could go on and on about how jealous I am, but I am going to let the picture do the talking instead. Congrats on a super fine catch!

Report (9/29) 

This past Saturday, I jumped in my jon boat and missed every large mouth I could, but did catch this pickerel on lil Barky. Thick enough that I had to put it on the scale. Not quite large enough to be a mongo, but at 2.6 lbs it was the probably the largest of the year for me.

Then the following day, I get an email with a picture of this 33" pike that was caught on a frog 3" Pike. That frog has caught some serious fish the past few years. It might be ready to retire. I am not sure if I can convince the uber talented angler though.

So two weekends in a row, I got shown up, using my lures! My pickerels couldn't hang with the superior catches of these fine anglers. Maybe next weekend I'll put something noteworthy together. I have some pretty high standards to top though...

Creature report! Creature report!

So last week I headed down to Virginia to fish some of my buddy Paul's water. He has been telling me to come down down for a while, so I finally invited myself down.

I was excited for this trip. Not a giddy like a child before Christmas, or a grown man about to get on a ferry to Block Island, but excited none the less. I heard a lot of good things about the water down there, and since I have resurrected my love for freshwater species, I thought this would be a great way to learn more, especially some structure that I don't fish or don't feel I am very good at. Plus I wanted to see what these snake heads were all about.

Day 1:

We hit Spot A with the hopes of finding snakeheads and largemouth. The sun was just popping and overcast. The perfect combination for an extended top water bite. In theory at least. Paul had a snakehead chase his frog, and i kept on casting with nothing to show. We move over to a creek channel and there were hickory shad everywhere. Hickory shad took over the area I think the LMB wanted to be staged in at the current tide. Then It started raining. Then it started thundering. Then it looked like a funnel cloud. Then we got off the water. If the bumpers didn't start, we might have found them in some other spots once the tide brought in more water. 

3 lb 2oz lil Barky eater

And I am to blame for the storms. every trip I plan, I bring some level of suck. Storms. Heavy seas. Crazy wind. I am the common denominator. While its all my fault, Paul should have know to tell me he was out of the country when I invited myself.

Spot B: While it was raining, we figured we should head over to another spot where Paul had some fish the previous week. When it looked like radar had us mostly safe, we through the kayaks in the water. I found a weed line and a fish with in a few casts on lil Barky. And then another fish that was a bit bigger. Hung out there for a bit with a few more bites, and decided to head into the creeks for the outgoing tide. Paul had one while we fished our way through. Some nice structure, but not really much bait. We headed back to the original weed line and had fish again. They were eating lil Barky, so I let them. I tried a few other things, but I really like fishing that bait. I think we both had 4 or 5 fish. I won the daily pool with a 3 lb 2 oz largemouth. No snake heads.

There was a boat stuck out in 12" of water and matted hydrilla, that I paddled a rope out to for Sea Tow. Paddling through 12" of hydrilla matted water, pulling a rope is not fun. But it did pay for dinner and some gas for the drive home. So mission accomplished I guess. Exhausted. We finished for the day.

Day 2

Paul's 4lb 6 oz largemouth

Spot C. After a little bit of sleep, we headed out and I was going to get a lesson in deep water fishing. After tying a rope around a rock for a makeshift anchor, we were off. Paul is clearly a good deep water fisherman. He understands the structure and how to attack it, and it showed with his 4 lb 6 oz. largemouth that was the first fish boated. It took me some fumbling, but I think I sorta got the hang of it. No bites for me though. I resisted the urge to go find some fish in shallower water, and did a good job for a while. Until I had to pull anchor to go retrieve a rattle trap from a rock. Then I sort of drifted there. I blame the wind. Still left there skunked.

Spot D: Smallies! I love these fish. I don't fish for them often, but I really love them. They hit like a train and have 5x the heart of a largemouth. It started out slow and we probably stayed in a few spots a bit longer than we should have. It all looked good, but they were not there, or not eating. I am usually pretty confident when fishing current and willing to fish quickly from spot to spot. Paul got the first on a popper. I finally got one on a shad rap and daily skunk was removed. As we drifted lower, we started to get some bites on tubes. Then we drifted to a set of rocks and we find them holding pretty good.A few on tubes and a few on lil Barky. Paul was beating up on them with his popper. I wore out my welcome, so I move across river and found a nice current break where I had the 3 lb 10 oz on lil Barky. These fish are so strong in current, and know exactly how to use it. They remind me a lot of tog. I caught another and decided to just sit for a few minutes and let my sun burnt feet cool off in the water.

3 lb 10 oz smallmouth on lil Barky

Final tally for the day. Paul had a couple largemouth with the daily pool for his 4 lb 6 oz. I am guessing we both had 12-18 smallmouth each.

I then had to recruit my former athletic self to go fetch my keys. (I am going to write about this more in a future series called "Ridiculously dumb things that happen on fishing trips".) Get read for some laughs.

We finally loaded up the trucks and I was back off to NJ.

Overall, the fishing could have been a bit better, but about average for most of our trips. Thanks to Paul for his hospitality and putting up with all the hi-jinx I bring on these trips. Dude really should have learned by now.

Welcome to the Reel Seat

I would like to welcome our newest dealer, The Reel Seat in Brielle, NJ. I just dropped off some needlefish to them. They now have a good selection of 1 1/2 oz and 2 oz needlefish, which are some of the most popular needlefish here in NJ. They will fish the sand, jetties and everything in between very well.

They asked me to do a color that I am pretty excited about. They wanted a goldish brown with a white belly. The color request reminded me of those pale sand eels that are tannish with a purplish hue on the side. So that's what I painted. I think that they came out pretty well. This is a totally new/custom color, so stop by their shop and check them out!

Early September 2012 Deliveries

3 lb 10 oz small mouth bass on lil Barky

I am back from a short fishing trip down in Virginia, and trying to catch up on a few things here. While down in VA, lil Barky was a superstar! It caught largemouth  bass to 3 lbs 2 oz. and this 3 lb 10 oz. smallie.

And that's the perfect segue way to let you know that Harborview Bait and Tackle in Stratford, CT just got an order of lil Barky's. Seriously, at the risk of sounding like a sleazy used car salesman, go check these out. They are putting together some really nice catches.

Also last week, The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, RI got their walls replenished with plenty of needlefish and darters. Its that time of year again, so get ready and don't be left behind when you crew is choopin it up and you aren't.

"I am nothing without my influences, I am nothing without my friends!"

I have a few things I have wanted to write about, but lacking the organization in my brain to clearly put it all together. So I reached out to the Choopy Lures Facebook page and asked for suggestions. I am glad I did because I got the great suggestion:

"Write about someone who made a difference in your life and craft as you were getting started as a plug maker."

I thought about it for a bit, and realized that it wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. So. you are now reading this after I started writing 3 days ago. I can't point to a single person, but I can walk you through my early years of lure building and some people that helped or influenced me along the way. 

Some early plug bodies

When I started building lures, I had barely started fishing again after a hiatus while I was in college. As graduate with a pile of bills and loans that had to be dealt with and living in Philadelphia. I had to live life on the cheap. The idea of spending 17 dollars on a Gibbs danny was kind of silly to me, when that was a tank of gas. I would certainly rather spend my cash on gas so I could go fishing, instead of on lures that collected dust when I couldn't afford to drive to the suds. I had two hands and a thirst for figuring things out, so spent my weeknights carving out poppers with an X-ACTO knife and a few prayers that I would keep all of my fingers.

In 1998, the internet was just gaining ground and while there were a few websites dedicated to striper fishing, lure building was rarely discussed. Since I was living in Philly, and did not grow up at the Jersey shore, I didn't have any roots in the local fishing community. I didn't have a lot of opportunities to talk lure building with anyone, or have a mentor / apprentice relationship where I could get some direction.

So for the first few months, I just made things up and tried my best to make something that sorta swam. In late 1998 or early 1999, I made friends with guzz on an internet message board. We shared a lot of emails about the lures we were working on. He was the first person that really helped me and we shared lots of emails filled with ideas with each other. He was a better builder than me, but we were both rather hungry for knowledge about lure building. I still stand to my opinion that the internet lure building craze never would have broken out the way it did if it wasn't for guzz. He was the heart  and soul of lure building at a critical part of its popularity. I can't say enough nice things about him. In case he is reading this: Hi guzz! We should fish again soon!!

Early Choopy Darter

I started to become a better fisherman, and bought a couple of Lex Lures swimmers and combined with my knowledge of Gibbs, I started to really put things together. They were both influential to me for a few reasons. Gibbs purely due to the way the small danny swam so seductively and was a great imitation for mullet that fall. Lex Lures because of how simple yet effective a lure could be. There were local builders like Bob Hahn, who made one of the more perfect needles for NJ and one of the best surfsters; and Billy McFadden, who made a plug that was everything a plug should be, and nothing it shouldn't.

Internet message boards lead me to find out about some other lure builders, most notably Mike Fixter, John Hab's. Fixter's completely blew me away. The pure size of some of his pikes were so entirely different than the way I fished in NJ. They really opened my eyes to the west coast striper fishery. And his needles would later catch a lot of fish for me. Plus Fixter's lures had a really great finish and made me focus on the finish of my lures more. For a long time I thought his lures were pretty much perfect, and you couldn't find a nicer person to talk to.

Choopy 1 1/2 oz  Swimmer Prototype

And speaking of needles, I must mention the KING, John Habs. I never really discussed lure building much with John, but his needlefish really opened my eyes on how to fish Rhode Island. Once I got the hang of fishing the boulder fields and current of Rhode Island, his lures made a ton of sense. I really respected how his lures were a representation of the water that they were created for. That idea really forced me to study not only a lures function, but also the general conditions and structure that was native to the builder. Whenever I bumped into John, he was always very kind to me and I was shocked he remembered who I was. To this day I always remind myself of his advice when the lure building boom was in full effect, "There's room for everybody". I miss how he would type in CAPS.

Looking back, its hard to believe there was so many builders and lures out there, that I didn't know about. And they were in my backyard! I don't think I knew about Lefty Carr for quite a few years. His influence on NJ lure building is overwhelming. Just check out the Asbury Park Fishing Club's flea market every spring. But that's the beauty of this hobby/business. New builders rise and you can see what makes them tick, and it forces you to think differently about what you are doing. I think R.M. Smith is a good example of that. He turned the world upside down with how well his lures function, and the amazing finishes he gives them. He has definitely made me think dozens of times how he paints a lure, and why I can't do it like he does!

First edition Choopy 1 1/2 oz Needlefish

Without a doubt, my biggest influences over the years have been a few friends that have given me advice, or told me to "make a plug that does....".  Without their encouragement I never would have had the confidence to sell my lures. There never would have been a Choopy Lures. They consistently listen to my complaints, give criticism and invaluable advice, and never once complained about my passive/aggressive nature when discussing lure building or the lure building business. I could write a lot more about them, but I will just say "Thanks" instead. You know who you are.



 

Hidden treasures

Last week I was digging through some boxes looking for some fine mesh to scale some 3" pikes I was painting. I cam across these little guys hidden in a box. I had forgotten all about them, and apparently never clear coated or finished them. So I clear coated them, ground down some lips and wired them this week. Now to go dig through more boxes looking for #6 and #8 hooks!

I am guessing I made these around 2000 or 2001. I was fishing golf course ponds quite a bit in the summer and was dragging my brother along. There was lots of juvenile bait around, and the fish were sometimes a bit finicky. I was having no problem fishing the early incarnations of the 3" pike (then nicknamed the choopy mini), and catching fish. My brother was fishing a lighter rod than I was, and the choopy mini was a bit heavy for his tackle, so I made these little swimmers for him. Apparently I made a little danny and pikie. As you can see, they are pretty small, about the size of two quarters. We were fishing pretty late at night, so the colors were dark. I don't remember much about how they swam, but I do remember my brother beating up on the largemouth's pretty good one night with them. Nothing huge, but a ton of action. I think the imitated the little minnows and other juvenile bait that comes to the surface at night, but I think they also imitated the bugs that were hatching or hanging out on the surface as well.

So now I got some new lures to play with. Time to refresh the memory on how these swam and see what I can catch with them. There are a couple spots with big long ears and bluegills, and I think that they might love these.

I should go digging through some other boxes and see what else I have stashed away!

Whats new?

I have a been lazy in writing here.

Early 4" Spook Prototype

But here is an update on some fun stuff about building plugs. Prototypes. I really enjoy making new plugs. Especially ones that are completely new to me. The past month or so, I have been fishing in the freshwater a lot. Its a world that I didn't quite understand and I am learning quite a bit about largemouth, smallmouth, pickerel and pike. I fished for them as a kid, but usually dismiss that experience as "just being a kid".

Any freshwater fishing that I have done has had the same approach as I fish for striped bass. Its one of the reasons that the 3" Pike makes a ton of sense to me, but confuses some largemouth fisherman. Have faith in it! It catches fish and has been one of my top producers this year.

Preliminary body's

After fishing buzzbaits a few mornings, I get why some largemouth fisherman are so confused. I am terribly uncomfortable fishing a lure fast, and they are uncomfortable fishing a lure so slow. Progress is being made here.

So one of the lures that I have been learning to fish is a Zara Spook. Its kind of the best of both methods of thinking. You actively fish the plug quickly, yet it stays in the water for a long time. I never really fished them before in the freshwater, and not in the saltwater, so it took me a while to level out the learning curve. I got the hang of it though and got more than a few fish to confirm.

5" Spook Prototypes ready for epoxy sealer

So of course, I had to enter my shop and try to figure out how to make one. Fortunately for me, a few friends gave me some basic guidelines on weight, size, length, etc. Then I hit the shop and make it happen.  I am four versions into making them, and after a lengthy testing session in the river, I have a few that are ready to be sealed and into the hands of a couple trusted friends.

I am working on 2 sizes. One is specifically for my friend's musky and largemouth fishing. Right now it is 5" long and 1.5 oz. He wanted it a bit larger, but I talked him down from a 8" and 3 oz. spook. He has been watching too many video's on YouTube about Califonia largemouth's. From initial testing, I think this is a good start and will be a bit more versatile. After some initial testing, we agreed that there is a place in the saltwater for this plug during the mullet and bunker migrations. His experience on the water next weekend will clue me in on if I have to start over, or build on what I have.

4" Spook Prototypes ready for epoxy sealer

The second size is about 4" long and will weigh about .75 oz. This one is more closely mimics a super spook jr. This one has been a bit more temperamental to figure out, but I think I am close. A few fish this morning blew up on it but missed the hooks, so I must be in the right area code.

So there's a few interesting things I am working on. They may end up being complete flops and end up in the bin of plugs to be thrown in the fire during the cold winter. They might end up catching a bunch of fish and you see them in your favorite tackle shop in the future. You never just know.

Next week I will clue you in on another new little plug that I have been working on that has been catching very well in the local lakes and ponds.

Don't forget your roots!

I made lots of goals for myself this year. One of them was to do more freshwater fishing. Once I started striper fishing, that is all I did. All my time was spent driving the 1 to 1.5 hours to the surf, maintaining gear, making plugs and occasionally sleeping. My freshwater fishing slowly stopped.

First I just freshwater fished when I was a little bored throughout the year. Then I just sneaked into golf courses in the middle of the summer. Then I realized I hadn't done it in a few years. So this year I decided to make more of an effort. I like doing it. So I should actually go do it!

Plus I got a little envious. The crew I fish with, they are all very well rounded fisherman. They can catch fish pretty much anywhere they go using a variety of techniques. Me, I can catch striped bass. Oh and the occasional fluke and bluefish. I swing wildly at tog.

I also realized that I wasn't actively engaged in conversations. I was a listener when the topic drifted away from striped bass. I asked the occasional question, but once the topic turned to drop shots, Carolina rigs, chatter baits, all that was way over my head.

So this past Sunday, I went to a local lake for 45 minutes and attempted to find my roots. While I left the bobber at home, I did bring a few baits and fumbled around. I tried to work on my casting accuracy, correctly rigging plastic worms on a hook. Total LMB 101, remedial style.

There were a lot of lilly pads, and some open water between them. I started with the Choopy 3" Pike to see if there was a top water bite. I had one fish swing and miss. Then fumbled around Texas rigging a worm and then got my first fish. Next I tested out a little popper I am working on, and they didn't respond. I moved to another spot on the lake and picked up another small largemouth on a worm.

There were bullfrogs singing their tune, and I saw a frog jump in off a bank, so I put my 3" Pike on. I always thought they were really good frog imitations from my golf course days. I made a good cast right off the bank and did my best retrieve to imitate a frog. Three cranks to get it to dig, the let it float back to the top. Did that 3 times and fish on. A few more casts and couldn't find any more frog eaters in the lake. I put a worm on again and pitched into some pilings, and had a fish with some weight on it, but I had slack in the line and missed it. A few more casts after that, and I called it quits.

So while Bassmaster won't be calling me anytime soon to see if I want a spot on the tour, I knocked some rust off, caught a few fish and enjoyed myself. I have a freshwater trip planned in a couple of weeks, I might only get out fished 30-1.

Surfside Bait and Tackle

I would like to welcome our newest dealer, Surfside Bait and Tackle in Long Branch, NJ. I dropped off some plugs yesterday, and will have a few more for him this weekend. He has an assortment of metal lip swimmers, 1 1/4 oz danny's and 3" pikes.

And speaking of this weekend, they moved their store a few weeks ago, and will be celebrating the opening of their new location on Saturday May 19, 2012. Here's the details:

Surfside Bait and Tackle
May 19, 2012
9:00-6:00
200 Ocean Blvd. North
Long Branch, NJ

Its right next to Seven Presidents Park, so its in a great location.  I'll be there for a bit on Saturday, so stop by and check out the new location and larger store.

If all that wasn't good enough... Commando Surfcasting will be there! I have been using my new Commando bag this year, and I am in serious love with it. Check out their awesome bags and gear, and then fill them up with some plugs! (used car dealer sales pitch over!)

See you there!

New Videos!

The weather is warming up, and so are the fish. Things seem to be moving along nicely here in along the east coast. Fill us in on your catches on Choopy Lures on our Facebook page.

This week I was able to get find some calm water and shoot some video of a few plugs swimming. Such an easy task is way more complicated than it seems it should. Find some calm water that is protected from the wind, some cloud cover so there isn't too much glare or reflection on the water, and finally a place where I can set up the tripod where it won't fal into the drink. Thats not too much to ask for, right?

So here is what I came up with. I hope it helps explains a few of the plugs a bit better.


3" Pike:

1 1/4 oz. Danny:

And then if you go over someone's bed, they might take a swat at you. 

Soon all of our plugs will look like this again

Its that time of year. We go to our favorite fishing shows and flea markets buying the lures and tackle that we think will catch our fish this year. Maybe its the lure that your buddy had and you didn't, while he outfished you 10-1. Maybe its the lure that you think will land your first trophy. But we all go table to table looking for the lures that are beautifully painted now, but will look entirely different at the end of the season.

Yesterday a gentleman stopped by the table at the Berkeley Striper Club's Flea Market. He had bought a squid 1 oz stubby needlefish a few years ago, and needed a couple more. He then showed me the needle he needed to replace. It was trashed. It was beautiful. Beat up in a way that only tides full of bluefish and bass can do. I imagined it was screaming for the calvary, because it couldn't take another tide of abuse.

While it was beat up bad with teeth marks and hook points, the finish held up perfectly. The paint and finish didn't peel or shatter one bit. I had a brief sense of pride that I provided a plug that held up to the abuse, just like it was supposed to. We had to take a picture, because nothing has stories and memories built into them like beat up plugs.

He showed me some pictures of his catches. Just a small sampling of the fish he caught:

I think I immediately became itchy. Its March. Its been a long winter in the shop. I am sure there are some fish waiting for the mudflats to warm up and to start digging for sandworms and slurping shrimp, but all out havoc is still weeks away though. I am sure all of our patience is starting to wear thin.

Choopy Lures @ RISAA- Larry's Tackle Shop

In my last post I mentioned that I would be at the Berkeley Striper Club's and Asbury Park Fishing Club's flea markets.

Well I am also happy to announce that I will be sending some special edition mackerel needlefish, darters and swimmers to Larry's Tackle Shop's booth at RISAA's The New England Saltwater Fishing Show on March 9-11, 2012. Stop by their booth and check them out. Here's a picture of them.

PS... There will also be some of those squid darters too!

A school of Choopy mackerels and squid!

Choopy Lures Spring Shows

So its that time of year again. Where we are busy changing hooks on plugs, tying teasers and flies, and most importantly, making lures! Its also that time where football is over, March madness hasn't kicked in yet, and the fishing still has a some time before the the backwaters start coming alive. Cabin fever time. It will get the best of you if you aren't careful and take the necessary precautions. I am here to help.

One of the best ways is to find your local fishing flea market. Rummage through bins of goodies looking for old tin or eel squids. Invent reasons for why you need to buy handfuls of pink sluggos and why it is the best color sluggo (no reason is necessary, it just is).

The flea markets are the the light at the end of winter's tunnel. Fish aren't popping on shrimp yet, but you know they will be soon.

Plus its always fun to watch the doors open and see everyone rush to their favorite vendors to pick up the plugs they need. Its like watching bluefish on peanuts.

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone this year. I have been busy making some pretty cool stuff (if I don't say so myself) and I always enjoy talking to people about fishing and plugs. I'll be at a few flea markets this year, Berkeley Striper Clubs and Asbury Park fishing Club's. Here's their info:

17th Annual Berkeley Striper Club Fisherman's Flea Market
Sunday, March 4, 2012
9:00AM - 2:00PM
Hugh J.Boyd Jr. Elementary School
1200 Bay Blvd. Seaside Heights, NJ

Asbury Park Fishing Club's 20th Annual Fishing Flea Market
Sunday March 11,  2012 
9:00AM - 2:00PM
Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ

I will also have something else in the works for you guys in New England. After I hit the spray booth this weekend, I'll clue you guys in.