Chip Byrd is the first mate on Artemis. In addition to being a hell of a fisherman, Chip is well-traveled and innovative in his approach to cockpit work. The following is a list of tackle tips from Chip bag of tricks.
1. Cinching your knots with Bert Bees”Chip uses chapstick to lubricate his connections, cinching them tightly and securely. Using this approach, he can even connect 50-pound to 130-pound leader without use of a swivel. The knots pull down on themselves tightly and you dont have to worry about spitting on anyone or where the line has been before you put it in your mouth.
2. Teflon-coated pitch bait hooks”Fishing out of Charleston you dont get a blue marlin bite every day, but you always need a pitch bait ready. Rather than letting his pitch bait hooks deteriorate in the salt and spray, Chip coats them with spray on Teflon to keep them looking right and ready for action.
3. Epoxy Ballyhoo Arrow”Tired of your ballyhoo arrow slinging brain and eyeball on you? How many arrows have you accidentally dumped with your brine water, only to have them sink? Keep the arrows floating and free from goop by epoxying the ends, as shown.
4. When it comes to Dredges, dont Skimp on the Crimps”Chip runs heavy mono around the base of his dredges, connecting the ends via crimps. This way if you lose one arm, you dont lose the whole dredge. This tip is proof of the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
