It’s lucky that Mark Weldon is a “doc” because there is something seriously wrong with him.
When asked about his favorite fishing rod to use, he scratched his head and laughed.
“Well, there is a big joke about me and my crappie-fishing rods,” Weldon said. “I have about 250 of them. I have a three-tiered shelf in my garage where I keep them all.
“Hey, I know something is wrong with me, but that is just my thing. I just like to try them all.”
If he only got to take one set of rods with him, however, he’d go with his old, 10-foot Todd Huckabee rods with the Carolina sliding reel seats.
He said those rods are light but have a ton of backbone.
Weldon’s favorite reel is a Pinnacle Tiny Deadbolt reel, which he favors because they are small and you can switch from left to right retrieve if somebody else is using them.
He buys 3,000-yard spools of Stren Hi Vis Gold line online.
Weldon’s favorite lures change with lakes and conditions, but he said he always uses a pink-headed jig.
Favorite plastic trailer colors include popsicle, electric chicken and blue thunder.
His advice to new fishermen when picking colors?
“If you get overwhelmed by all the choices, find out what others are catching on and try that,” Weldon said. “If you can’t do that, just throw something with pink or chartreuse. That will work.”
Most important, though, is finding areas that hold fish. That takes time, but learning hotspot locations is critical to success.
“I’d rather be throwing the wrong bait in the right spot than the right bait in the wrong spot.” Well said.
