In-demand multi-species guide Tony Roach is looking forward to catching fish this year on VMC® hooks, jigs and spoons. Having grown increasingly impressed with VMC’s expanding product portfolio, he recently signed on to use and promote VMC tackle on the ice and in open water.
“The VMC brand has been growing by leaps and bounds in the fishing industry and coming out with a lot of super-innovative ideas and tackle and really cutting-edge stuff over the last four to five seasons, not just for open water, but for ice as well,” says Roach, a longtime Rapala Pro. “I’ve seen a lot of the new concepts – including some things that aren’t even out yet – and I’m just super-jacked. I’m really, really excited.”
VMC is a Rapala Respected Brand. As such, the marketing team at Rapala USA knows Roach well and was excited to bring him aboard at VMC as well.
“Having worked with Tony for many years and seeing what he brings to the table, on and off the water, adding the VMC brand and product line was an obvious addition to our relationship with Tony,” says Dan Quinn Rapala USA’s Field Promotions Manager. “He is one of the most skilled multi-species anglers, hardest workers and nicest guys I’ve ever met. And those qualities line up perfectly with the Rapala/VMC pro staff. Tony will be a big part of our pro staff and marketing strategies through both soft- and hard-water seasons for decades to come.”
As a heavily booked multi-species, all-season guide on Minnesota’s Mille Lacs Lake, Roach will benefit all year from VMC’s comprehensive line-up of hooks, jigs, spoons and terminal tackle,
“I’m tasked with chasing panfish to big pike, smallmouths to walleyes, crappies to bluegills and perch,” Roach says. “So I fish with a lot of different techniques throughout the course of the season, especially summer and winter. So VMC just fits perfectly in my wheelhouse – everything from walleye and bass jigs to tungsten weights, to Tokyo Rigs, to ice-fishing spoons and jigs. Everything is just quality to the n-th degree.”
VMC spoons and jigs will be key components in Roach’s ice-fishing arsenal this winter.
“I can’t wait to fish VMC on ice,” he says. “They offer the most comprehensive coverage of everything I need as a guide and as a multi-species angler. Whether its walleyes, perch or panfish, everything I target in the winter is covered.”
In addition to Rapala Jigging Raps and Rippin’ Raps, which he’s long relied on to ice many winter walleyes, Roach knows spoons are productive ‘eye attractors as well. VMC’s comprehensive line-up of ice-fishing spoons, he says, includes “the best representation of every type of spoon that I need.”
“From a Flutter Spoon to a Tingler Spoon, from a Rattle Spoon to a Tumbler Spoon, the whole gamut of spoons is covered very nicely,” he explains.
Following are descriptions of several VMC spoons and jigs Roach will use this winter to catch walleyes and panfish.
Tingler Spoon
The Tingler Spoon’s large, thin body flutters slowly and seductively on the fall, attracting fish from a distance and triggering them to strike with its mesmerizing, wounded baitfish action.
While most spoons cover only the small-diameter water column directly under the hole, a Tingler Spoon flutters out to the side, into previously un-fished territory. You can then work it back towards your hole using short hops, giving fish a new look. They’re available in three sizes: 1/16, 1/8, and 3/16 oz.
Tumbler Spoon
The Tumbler Spoon’s unique “knuckle bend” creates a slow-tumbling action that entices even the most finicky of neutral to negative fish. A small, metallic attractor blade imparts additional flash and sound when it collides with the spoon and hooks. Tumbler Spoons are available in three sizes: 1/12, 1/8 oz.
Flash Champ Spoon
Constructed of heavy-duty brass, the Flash Champ Spoon is designed to get down to the action quickly. The secret to its erratic action is its beveled edges and tapered design, which give it an erratic, fluttering movement that no fish can resist. It’s offered in four sizes: 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 oz.
Rattle Spoon
Reach for a VMC Rattle Spoon when you need to call fish in from a distance. Bounce it off of sand, rocks or mud on the bottom to agitate fish into hitting.
Rattle Spoons feature a specially designed resonance chamber made of heavy-duty brass and multiple beads allows anglers to make a racket with just a subtle jig stroke, while still delivering action to the lure. They are available in three sizes: 1/16, 1/8, and 1/4 oz.
Tear Drop Jig
Tie on a Tear Drop Jig when fishing live bait under a float, dead stick, or tip up. The jig’s wide profile and tear-drop shape, mimics baitfish and other aquatic food.
When predators are looking for a meal – but unwilling to chase a lively, untethered shiner, fathead or chub – a Tear Drop Jig will pin your bait in the strike zone. These jigs come in three sizes: 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 oz.
Minnow Jig
VMC’s Minnow Jig can “do your dirty work,” digging its heavy head into the bottom to stir up big biters. In open water, twitch it to create a subtle rocking and dancing action.
Available in three sizes (1/16, 1/8, 1/4 oz.), the Minnow Jig features a feathered tail with flash fibers to further enhance its life-like action. No matter the situation, no matter the fish, you can tie on a Minnow Jig.
Pug Bug Jig
The Pug Bug Jig features the wide-gap hook panfish anglers been searching for. The VMC-exclusive hook is specifically designed to fish the bigger soft-body baits favored by successful panfish anglers and the big fish they pursue.
With its wide profile, the Pug Bug creates an enhanced sonar return, making it easier to monitor in deep water with lower sensitivity gain settings. Available in three sizes (1/64, 1/32, and 1/16 oz.), the Pug Bug will maximize your hook-up percentage.
Larvae Jig
VMC’s Larvae Jig, the ice fisherman’s fix for ultra-finicky panfish, comes rigged and ready to go right out of the package. Fish it as-is when fish are eating tiny insects and invertebrates; add eurolarva when they want a slightly larger profile and more motion.
Tie on a Larvae Jig when clear water, intense fishing pressure or cold-front conditions have the fish in a funk. Larvae Jigs comes in three sizes: 1/200, 1/100, 1/50 oz.
Wax Tail Jig
Pre-rigged with a Trigger X Wax Tail soft bait, the Wax Tail Jig is a deadly combination for weedline-hugging bluegill and open-basin crappie. Slowly twitch a Waxtail Jig in place when the fish are in a finicky mood. Its subtle action turns lookers into biters.
Waxtail Jigs come in four sizes: 1/100, 1/50, 1/32 oz. Fish the 1/32nd-ounce jig when fish are keying on larger prey. Drop down to the 1/100th oz. size when the bite gets tough, or the fish are feeding on micro-invertebrates.
Want to fish with Tony? roachsguideservice.com