Tactical Weapons:

This is not the place for spinning gear. Fish a 7 to 8 foot fast-taper graphite rod. You want a smooth-casting, tough-cranking bass reel with a 5 or 6:1 ratio. Either the palming style or round style is fine. I rarely fish boilers with anything less than 15-20 pound test, sometimes using even 25-pound test.

Lock and Load: crank that drag tight. Zero give. Nada. We are not here to be sporting, that will come later. If you give the fish any line via a loose drag, it'll rock you--which is just as frustrating as popping one off due to a nick. Speaking of nicks, if in doubt, re-tie.

I prefer 5 and 6˝ inch Big Hammer™ swimbaits when boiler fishing. This is true reaction-bite fishing-they won't hesitate to eat a larger profile swimbait. A 3/4 oz. Hammer Head™ on the 5-inch size and a 1 oz. jig head for the 6-inch size is perfect. Most colors of Big Hammers™ will get bit in the boilers but you may want to tailor your offerings based on what boiler calicos mostly eat. Smelt, surfperch, crab, octopus, and shrimp are typical boiler forage-match your lure colors to them.

Be En Garde:

Be alert while fishing in boiler territory. Be ready to be bit on every cast. On every bite, treat it as if it's a big bass. If you don't, you'll be too late to react if it is a toad and you'll be broke off in a flash. Many big-fish bites seem like nothing because they completely engulf the lure and are charging at you.

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