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By Pete Robbins

February 3, 2012

Alabama pro Randy Howell may only be 38 years old, with his boyish face and slender build making him look even younger, but he’s a mature 38. A seasoned 38. An experienced 38. The upcoming Red River Bassmaster Classic will be his tenth entry in bass fishing’s biggest event and he’s hoping that big show experience and Red River lessons will allow him to break through with his first Classic win.

He’s had four tour-level shots at the Red and the results have been decidedly mixed. The best of the bunch was a 17^th place finish in an FLW Tour event in 2000. He strung together strong but not stellar limits of 9-06 and 9-15 to achieve that result. At the following year’s FLW he bombed with 1-11 on the first day before coming back with 12-05 the next day, but it wasn’t enough to leap anywhere near the top of the leader board and he finished 79^th overall. That same year on the BASS side he finished 36^th in a field of 155.

By Mark Fong

January 26, 2012

Ever since its introduction, the Gary Yamamoto Flappin' Hog has been putting bass in the boat for anglers around the globe.  Available in two sizes, 3.75” and 4.5”, the Flappin' Hog is a great crawfish imitation.  It is an incredibly versatile bait that can be rigged in many different ways and fished under a wide range of conditions.

The Flappin' Hog makes an excellent jig trailer on the back of a stout flippin' jig or as a complement to a lite wire structure jig.  It fishes equally well on the business end of a Carolina Rig or as a punch bait.  It is because of this versatility and the fact that I can rely on the Flappin' Hog to get bit, that it has earned a place in my arsenal.