By Keith Bartlett

 

My journey as an author and writer has been filled with new experiences and adventures. Promoting my book, writing stories about fishing and doing related research has helped improve my writing and angling skills while creating opportunities to make new friends. As an author, the work I enjoy most is book signings because of the interesting people I meet and things I learn from them. Occasionally, fate will creep into what would otherwise be a chance encounter and one such meeting has evolved into a special friendship and business relationship.

Not long after my book was published in 2011, I attended an open house at a local fishing tackle shop in Bristol, VA to sign and sell books. The little shop was packed with vendors and customers when I arrived and soon found space at a table to set up. As I set out books and other materials, a soft-spoken man beside me extended his hand and introduced himself as Rodney Williams. While we exchanged greetings, I noticed he had a fly-tying vise set up with thread, hair, rubber skirt material and other supplies. But the jigs lying on the table in front of him grabbed my attention like a topwater strike. “Where did you get these jigs?” I asked while inspecting one with bulging eyes. “I make those jigs,” he replied and began telling me about his lure company’s history and products. As we talked, I picked up one of my books, flipped to a page in the “Summer Fishing” chapter, handed him the open book and pointed to a picture. “These are your jigs in my book,” I said as he looked closely at the picture, then also with bulging eyes. When he looked up smiling I said, “Mister Williams, I’ve been looking for you for a long time.” That was the beginning of what has become a close and trusted friendship.

 

There’s a feature story in the summer chapter of my book called “Smallmouth Bass in South Holston Lake” that describes how to fish the lake for smallmouths at night using black lights, fluorescent fishing line and small jigs. South Holston Lake is the setting but only because it allowed me to describe the lake, its nature, access points and other details of interest for visiting anglers. It’s also one of the top smallmouth bass fisheries in the South. The rest of the information provided in the story including how to find fish, recommended rod and line combinations, best methods of presentation, and other details were learned on various lakes across the southeast but with one exception; my first choice in jigs. At the time I wrote my book Rodney Williams was making R&S Smallmouth Jigs part-time at his home in Gray, TN with limited distribution through local sources, primarily close to South Holston Lake, so they were very difficult to find. When I did find a few in sizes and colors I needed, often unpackaged and dumped in a small plastic container, I bought them all because there was no reliable source for replacements. After meeting Rodney Williams that day in Bristol, my worries about having the right jigs for smallmouth bass fishing disappeared.

 

But a jig is a jig is a jig, right? Not in my world. I’m as picky about choosing lures as most tournament professionals. I look at lures, actually all fishing tackle, as tools designed for particular jobs. I don’t tie on a lure or pick up a rod and reel combo because it’s a favorite but choose tackle because it’s the best choice for creating the presentation needed based on species, water depth and conditions. When presenting a crawfish profile to smallmouth bass there are specific attributes to look for in a jig. A small jig with a stand-up head and matching trailer resting on bottom looks much like a threatened crawfish in a defensive posture; a realistic profile that feeding bass often see. The Arky head used on R&S Smallmouth Jigs is among the best in stand-up designs. Sharp, premium hooks, an effective weed guard, quality-made construction and a selection of natural colors in the correct sizes rounds out my list of requirements and describes the R&S Smallmouth Jigs precisely. I’ve enjoyed consistent success using them over the years, including a few tournament wins, and have taught many friends how to fish with them. Of all the kinds of fishing I enjoy each year, more friends and family come to stay with me and fish using R&S Smallmouth Jigs at night with black lights for reservoir smallmouth bass than all others. They are that effective, and it is that enjoyable to fish with them.

Over time, R&S Bait Company owner Rodney Williams and I have become good friends. Visits to his home to replenish jig inventories evolved into reunions to catch up on business, family news and new fishing experiences. He invited me to attend the East Tennessee Fishing Show in Knoxville, TN in 2013 and again in 2014 to sign and sell books in their booth and help sell their line of fine fishing products, primarily their Arky Weedless Smallmouth Jigs. I was grateful for the opportunity and enjoyed recommending R&S jigs to the angling public. It’s fun to promote and sell fishing products you use and believe in to people who share your passion for catching fish so we sold out of smallmouth jigs early at both shows. Furthermore, the feedback we received from visiting anglers was complementary and sometimes entertaining. One morning, a gentleman elbowed his way to the front of our booth and openly gave thanks R&S was back for the 2014 show. With increasing animation, he explained his success with the smallmouth jigs, how he’d lost his R&S contact information, and searched everywhere for replacements. I thought for a moment he was going to cry. A middle-school-age young man helping in another vendor’s booth came by one afternoon and bought a couple smallmouth jigs to try. The next morning before the show opened he ran straight to our booth and to tell us he’d gone to the river in downtown Knoxville and caught one of his largest smallmouth bass ever on one of his new R&S jigs. It’s always a joy to share in the excitement and success of our angling youth. Endorsements like those can’t be topped.

 

R&S Bait Company has expanded their product line and is now ready to offer their fishing lures and accessories to the angling public on a grand scale. Rodney Williams has recently retired after thirty-seven years in law enforcement and is devoting his energy fulltime to manufacturing and selling hand-crafted lures and other fine fishing products. Their new Web site, rsbait.com, displays their line of products, company history, instructional videos, photo gallery and a few stories from my Blog. The Arky Weedless Smallmouth Jig will continue to be R&S’s showcase product but they also offer a selection of other jigs, swimbait heads, weighted hooks, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits and all are made with the same attention to detail and high-quality workmanship. Their newly designed swimbait head with stainless-steel screwlock has already attracted the attention of top tournament anglers. To compliment their line of hand-crafted products, R&S is also offering some carefully selected lures produced by other manufacturers including P60 and P70 Pop-R’s, Luck E Strike blade baits, Zoom soft plastics, a new line of swimming jigs from Snow Spin and Basstrix Swimbaits, perhaps the top selling swimbait on the planet. Fly-tying materials such as thread and craft hair are also available so there are products at rsbait.com for anglers with various interests.

 

The item in their premier product listing that I’m most proud to announce is copies of my book, The Weekend Angler’s Guide To Good Fishing. I was flattered when Rodney asked if he could offer my book as one of the products selected for their new Web site. It’s an honor to be associated with an honest, family-owned and operated small business that is committed to providing top-quality products and services. Their Web site was designed and produced by my good friend and frequent fishing partner Andy Barnes with The Possible Zone in Kingsport, TN, also a local small business, that specializes in online marketing, branding, web design, even boat wraps and graphics; a service of special interest to serious tournament anglers. I think you’ll find the R&S Web site attractive, well designed and user friendly; comparable to many leading industry manufacturers. So if you’ve considered buying a copy of my book, you can now add one to your shopping cart when ordering products from R&S Bait Company. I highly recommend you try their Weedless Arky Smallmouth Jigs in your favorite smallmouth waters. And don’t overlook the Zoom Tiny Chunk trailers for the jigs or their selection of lead heads designed for almost any method of presentation with soft plastics. If you see something of interest on the site but have a question about hook size, other colors or custom work, contact information is provided so you can get an answer directly from Rodney Williams. Whether you fish for bass, stripers, walleyes or panfish, R&S Bait Company offers products to help you catch them. Welcome a new small business to the fishing tackle industry by visiting their Web site and placing an order. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with their selection, workmanship and services.

 

Be safe and good fishing!

 

Editor's Note: Bartlett, a 1971 graduate of Bridgeport High School, is a published author with the book “The Weekend Angler’s Guide to Good Fishing.” The book is available for purchase at The Country Peddler in Bridgeport. Follow his fishing exploits on his Blog at http://theweekendanglersguidetogoodfishing.wordpress.com/or contact him at theweekendangler1@gmail.com.