by Mike Carey, June 06, 2005

If one was to talk to most die-hard fishermen, eventually you may hear them say something like "I wish I could get paid to go fishing!" For most this is just a off-hand statement or a dream they articulate but never follow through on. But for some the desire to combine their passion with a livelihood drives them to find a way to make it work. Recently I had an opportunity to fish with just such a fellow, DJ LaRouche of West Coast Custom Tackle. He offered some interesting insights into the trials and tribulations of combining one’s passion with making a buck.

I can’t remember who contacted who first, DJ or me. I just remember seeing his web site posted, somewhere, and thinking "Nice looking product, good web site. I wonder if he’d be interested in getting some more exposure with WashingtonLakes.com readers? This was about a year ago. So we traded e-mails back and forth and ended up running a promotional give-away on the site last year. And in the course of our e-mails decided we’d have to get together sometime for a fishing trip. That sometime was now and I was interested to meet DJ, fish with him, and learn a little more about what it takes to run your own tackle business.

We arranged to fish lake Tapps, a lake I’d seen some nice reports on, and one that is a favorite of DJ’s. Tapps lake is gaining a reputation as a tiger muskie spot and for good reason. There have been some nice muskie reports and fish pictures on WashingtonLakes.com. That said, please catch and release these beautiful fish! DJ mentioned to me there may not be a restock of these fish into the lake, so what is there is it. Meanwhile, Tapps has a great smallmouth fishery, and a largemouth fishery that, while not what it once was, is still worth checking out. The lake is huge, with multiple channels and backwaters to explore. A must to-do before you go is to print out the topo map so you can start recording spots you find as you explore the lake. You won’t regret the effort you put into it. This lake has that many nocks and crannies.

We hit the water and were fishing by around 7:30am. DJ blew us down lake to a few of his favorite spots. He warns readers to watch out in the shallows as the lake has more than it’s share of stumps. This isn’t a bad thing though, as it tends to keep the healthy population of skiers at a safe distance as well.

DJ told me in between fishing that he had been fooling around with making tackle since he was a kid. He would find gear that interested him and begin to experiment, making "just what I wanted to use". So for DJ, his love of fishing sidelined him into the art of tackle design and manufacturing. A perfect fit - taking a hobby and turning it into something more. DJ grew up in Bridgeport. Which brings up two prime lakes - Rufus Woods and Banks. Can you imagine having those lakes to experiment and learn on? Well that’s just what DJ did - and very well, I might add. If you were fortunate enough to win some of his tackle last year or visit his web site and purchase some of his soft poured bait you know what I’m talking about. DJ started West Coast Custom Tackle in December of 2003. He told me the key to good hand poured baits is number one that they are soft. "A lot of what you buy in the stores is just too hard. A bass will hold on to a soft bait a little longer, giving you a better opportunity to set the hook into him". In addition, DJ adds scents to his pours (crawfish) and a healthy coating of salt to help retain the softness and flavor. He’s always experimenting with a new color or shape. "I’ve got most of the traditional shapes that bass anglers are familiar with. I keep looking for color combinations that may be new to the bass and when I find one I’ll add that to my product line. Color really can make a difference on a slow day", DJ commented. DJ can also pour custom colors so if you have a color combination you want to try he can help you with that as well.

As far as running a tackle business, DJ is optimistic. "I’ve got a good product and it’s just a matter of getting it out to the anglers to give it a try". DJ doesn’t have any wholesale distributors - yet. It’s something he may look at down the road, but for now word of mouth and his web site is his marketing strategy. It doesn’t hurt that his passion is his business, it helps to keep him motivated. That, and the frequent bass tournaments he and his fishing partner enter. Those tournements help keep DJ always inovating and searching for the perfect colors, shapes, and flavors for his soft baits.

A slow day - that’s what we were having until we put aside the crank baits, spinners, jigs, and other various hardware we had been using and switched over to the soft baits. "You just never know what they want - you’ve got to be willing to experiment" said DJ. This was after DJ moved us to a shallower spot on the lake. We He began tossing one of his creations, a Western Stick worm in a purple color. I’ll tell you what, we started hitting some nice fish for the next couple of hours. What a blast! I could get hooked on this bass fishing "stuff". We ended up catching a half dozen or so fish, largest was DJ’s 4.4 pound smallmouth. A real beauty!



DJ fights a nice fish...



and shows off a 4.4 lb lake Tapps smallmouth.

It was another fine day on the water for me. I enjoyed lake Tapps and DJ’s company - he really knows his bass. I encourage you to check out DJ’s web site and see what he’s got available. Give his soft baits a try, you won’t regret it.



A small sample of DJ's soft poured bass baits. Click on the link below to visit his site:

West Coast Custom Tackle