What got me started throwing "big baits" was a guy I drew in the old Miller's night tournament on Don Pedro, over 20 years ago. He threw and ripped these giant salt water plugs on saltwater rods. At first I thought he was crazy! but he caught a limit of 5-7 lbers, pretty big fish back then. After that tournament I bought myself some of the same plugs he was throwing and started hooking a lot of 5-7 lb fish. Took those plugs up to Trinity Lake for 2 weeks the next spring and hooked a 9.5 lber, my biggest fish yet. I got all kinds of strange looks throwing those big saltwater Rapalas. Not really swimbaits, but that's what got me started.

My first "Real" swimbait was a Castaic Hard Bait Trout. I either bought it in 1993 or 94, $79.99. First trip out with my eighty dollar swimbait a 10 lber crushes it. I remember shaking real bad trying to land the fish, I was so afraid of being broke off! didn't really care about the fish, I just didn't want to loose my prized bait. Those first Castaic baits to this day still have some of the sickest paint jobs. Those baits were way ahead of their time.