American Hooker Tackle: Homemade Jigs, Fluke Spoons and Affordable Fishing Gear | NJMSP #158

oe Santiago and Kim Sorg welcome Rob Rizzo, owner of American Hooker Tackle, to Episode #158 of the NJ Multi Species Podcast.Rob explains how losing a pile of rigs during a fishing trip inspired him to begin pouring lead and making his own tackle. What started as a hobby eventually became a growing New Jersey fishing business producing tog jigs, fluke ball jigs, fluke spoons, sea bass jigs and hand-tied rigs.Rob discusses the challenges of choosing molds, hooks, weights, colors and materials while trying to keep fishing gear affordable. He also explains how to fish tog jigs, why anglers should carry multiple colors and sizes, and how UV finishes may appear differently underwater.As a deckhand aboard the Norma K III, Rob gets to test his products around experienced anglers and help children catch fish using tackle he created.Kim also tells the story of catching a 52-inch inshore bluefin tuna during a last-minute afternoon trip. Joe recaps an exhausting multispecies adventure with Chuck Many that produced an unexpected 24.5-inch brown trout.The episode also includes fishing reports, Multi Species Mayhem standings, upcoming NJ Multi Species events, Night Mayhem aboard The Gambler and the launch of new Comfort Colors apparel.Suffer for the Fish.