Tackle and Tacos - A Fishing Podcast

Jordan heads into Shell Lake in Washburn County completely blind — never set eyes on the water before launching. The good news? A full box inside the first hour. The challenge? Everything after that. In this solo tournament recap, Jordan breaks down the before (zero prep, pure confidence), the during (dangerous winds that had the trolling motor bouncing out of the water all day, finicky smallies on Livescope that just wouldn't commit), and the after (just under 12 pounds, winner at 15 flat, and a whole lot of lessons learned). Sometimes the fish show up early and the lake spends the rest of the day trying to humble you.

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Ken Duke has spent decades digging into the roots of bass fishing — the legends, the tournaments, the tackle, and the culture that shaped the sport into what it is today. In this episode, Ken joins us to share some of the most fascinating stories from bass fishing’s past, the iconic figures who defined the game, and why understanding where the sport came from makes you appreciate where it’s headed. Whether you’re a die-hard tournament angler or just love a good fish story, this one’s for the books.

Ken Duke | Bass After Dark Podcast

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This week on Tackle & Tacos, we’re sitting down with Danny Arbalo — the man behind Brazalo Custom Lures out of North Little Rock, Arkansas. Danny built Brazalo on a simple but powerful idea: make baits that actually perform on the water, not just look good in the package. We dig into the story of how Brazalo got started, how it recently blew up in the best way possible, and where Danny is taking the brand next.

Buzzbaits take center stage in this one. Danny breaks down what makes a great buzzbait, how he approaches lure development from concept to cast, and why small-batch, hand-poured craftsmanship matters in a world flooded with mass-produced tackle. If you’ve ever wondered what goes into building a tournament-proven bait from the ground up, this is the episode for you.

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In this solo episode, Jordan takes you along for the full ride — the prep, the grind, and the post-tournament breakdown from a recent bass tournament in Northern Wisconsin. With pre-spawn conditions throwing every angler a curveball, Jordan shares what he found in practice, what adjustments he made on tournament day, and what the results revealed about where the big females were actually hiding.

Jordan caught fish everywhere — shallow, deep, and everything in between — but couldn't locate the heavy pre-spawn females needed to compete at the top. He weighed in five fish for 8 lbs., while the winner brought 11+ lbs. to the scale. A humbling day on the water, but a great lesson in the unpredictability of the pre-spawn bite in Northern Wisconsin.

Whether you're a tournament angler or just love chasing bass in the spring, this episode is packed with honest on-the-water perspective and the kind of real-talk breakdown that makes you a better angler.

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Heath Murphy has forgotten more about bass boats than most people will ever know — and lucky for us, he remembered enough to spend an hour and a half breaking it all down. One of the former top dogs at Gambler Boats and a self-professed rod snob, Heath is now the brains behind Veracity Marine, where he's applying a lifetime obsession with performance and precision to the next chapter of all things boat.

In this one, Professor Heath takes us to Boat Building for Dummies school — breaking down the science of hull design, performance, and what actually makes a boat fast and fishable.

We get into the full Gambler story with total transparency and humility while remaining positive, what it takes to build something legendary, and why Heath can't help but engineer everything around him.

If you've ever wanted to understand what's actually happening under your hull, this is the episode for you.

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Tackle & Tacos – Tournament Recap: Lost Grove Lake

We went in with a game plan. We left with frozen hands and a 2nd place finish — and honestly, we'd do it all again.

Nate and Jordan headed to Lost Grove Lake in Eldridge, Iowa for what turned out to be one of the most brutal tournament days in Tackle & Tacos history. The wind was relentless, the cold was bone-deep, and by the time the scales closed, Jordan and Nate's hands were still aching 36 hours later. Yeah. It was that kind of day.

With conditions making any kind of targeted approach nearly impossible, the guys did what any self-respecting anglers do when the lake is fighting back — they junk fished the whole thing. A little of this, a little of that, covering water and staying scrappy until the pieces came together. And come together they did, because Nate and Jordan punched their way to a 2nd place finish despite everything Mother Nature threw at them.

If you caught the "before" episode, you heard the pregame. This is the aftermath. Tune in to hear how it all went down.

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Tackle & Tacos Fishing Podcast – Tournament Predictions Episode

We just wrapped up practice, the rods are still wet — now it's time to make our picks! In this episode, we're breaking down everything we saw on the water during practice and laying out our predictions heading into tournament day. Who's feeling confident? Who's second-guessing themselves? Tune in to find out!

We will record the AFTER as soon as the derb is done and let you know if our predictions here are anywhere near what went down.

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Tight lines and good tacos — see you on the water! 🌮🎣

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This week on Tackle and Tacos, we're sitting down with Michigan's own Chad "C.Pip" Pipkens — Former Bassmaster Elite Series pro, Current Opens Pro, 6x Bassmaster Classic qualifier, 2x Northern Open Angler of the Year, one of the sharpest smallmouth minds in the game, and easily the strongest angler on Earth as it relates to hair.

Chad opens up about life after the Elite Series, what it's really like stepping back to the qualifier circuit, and how he stays positive through the grind. Whether you're chasing tournament wins or just chasing fish on the weekends, C Pip's mindset and passion for the sport will have you fired up to get on the water.

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🎙️ Tackle and Tacos is your go-to fishing podcast for big fish, big laughs, and everything in between.

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If you enjoyed this episode, drop a like, leave a review, and share it with a fishing buddy. It means the world to us and helps the show grow. Tight lines! 🎣

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This week on Tackle and Tacos, we sit down with master lure designer

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Tackle and Tacos: A Fishing Podcast Episode 138 – I Want YOUR Help With Jig Fishing

Jig fishing has officially taken over my brain 🧠 — and in Episode 138, the tables are turned. Instead of breaking down this technique, I'm coming to YOU, the Tackle and Tacos community, with a simple ask: help me get better at jig fishing. What are your go-to jigs? Cheap finds that punch above their weight? Obscure brands the big box stores aren't carrying? I want to hear it all — if it's got a hook and a skirt, let's talk about it.

Drop your favorites in the comments or shoot me a message: the jig styles you swear by, the trailers you can't live without, your color picks for dirty water vs. clear, and whether you think price actually matters when it comes to jigs. This is a community episode — your tips might just end up on a future show. Let's figure this out together.

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