Month: April 2025

Fluorocarbon Leaders Are Like Discovering Fire

Today's one-two punch when out fishing is using braided line tied to fluorocarbon leaders. You have the best of both worlds. Those two worlds are the strength and smaller diameters of braid, tied to leaders that fish cannot see. Fluorocarbon is significantly more durable and resistant to wear and tear, making it ideal for fishing around rocks, vegetation, and other obstacles. On sunny days and in shallow clear water, fishing with fluorocarbon leaders has increased my hookup ratio.

I fish a lot in kelp forests off the left coast of California. When fly lining anchovies or sardines, they tend to swim straight towards the kelp and down. Fish hear the bait splash into the water and look up. This is where the fluorocarbon has an advantage with its low visibility. Breezing fish like yellowtail inhale live baits and take off like a rocket through the kelp. Here is where the braided line becomes your best friend. Braid saws through the kelp like a sharp knife. Clearly, this configuration has solved two problems, and both lines provide better assurance against line breakage.

Baits For Fishing With Fluorocarbon Leaders

Fluorocarbon fishing line suits a variety of lures, particularly those that anglers use in clear water or when they employ finesse techniques. It's effective for lures like jigs, soft plastics (especially when Texas-rigged), crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and various finesse rigs like drop shots, wacky rigs, Ned rigs, and Neko rigs. While manufacturers often tout fluorocarbon fishing line as nearly invisible to fish, it's not entirely "invisible." It's less visible than monofilament because its refractive index is closer to that of water. However, factors like light conditions, water clarity, and the fish's perspective can all influence how visible the line appears to them. Anglers often favor fluorocarbon for its near-invisibility in clear water and when targeting line-shy species because it is less visible than monofilament.

Depending on who you ask, fluorocarbon is the best option when tying Carolina rigs. There are many perturbations of this rig, but the one commonality is that they are drug across the bottom. The toughness of fluorocarbon resists chipping, scratching, etc., from foreign objects while being transparent in shallow water. Anglers use the Carolina rig for live and plastic baits in freshwater or saltwater, cut, and plastic baits in freshwater or saltwater.

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Carolina BBQ Sauce

Growing up, I was never a fan of Mustard. I only ate it at my parents' insistence. What did happen is I tried a Carolina BBQ sauce on a pulled pork slider. It was like I had discovered fire or the wheel. The sauce was tangy because of the vinegar, and a bit spicy. That experience was enough to make me dig deeper. After researching the history and recipes for this Carolina BBQ sauce, I created Flaming Fiend.

Much to my surprise, many of my friends like me had never tried a mustard-based sauce. They like it now, and it's always a hit among family and friends. What makes it unique is its heavy reliance on vinegar, particularly apple cider vinegar, which gives it a tangy and acidic flavor. It's super-tangy and acidic with the natural spiciness of yellow mustard as well as added spices and flavors. This blend complements slow-cooked pork especially.

This sauce is not traditional, being mustard-based but it depends where you are from. We have added a few twists and turns that differentiate ours from others. One of the significant differences is the absence of additives, preservatives, or flavor enhancers. Using natural ingredients is also one of our claims to fame. If you read labels on store-bought sauces, what you see are ingredients, many of which you can't pronounce. Our research says that these ingredients are easy to make, extend the shelf life, and make products cheaper.

Our Carolina BBQ Sauce Ingredients

  • Mustard
  • Brown Sugar
  • White Sugar
  • Cider Vinegar
  • Chili Powder
  • Black Pepper
  • Water
  • White Pepper
  • Cayenne Pepper (30)
  • Soy Sauce
  • Real Butter
  • Rich Hickory Flavoring
  • Packed in 16oz Bottles

Most people can enjoy Flaming Fiend, despite its slight heat.. If I do say so myself, this sauce is good. Care was taken to ensure seasonings in this sauce do not overpower the meat you're using it on. This is a problem with many sauces you find in the market. The sauces are blended to taste a certain way, rather than complementing the food.

I like this sauce best on pork. Ribs and pulled pork are where I use this sauce the most. That's not to say you can't use it on other meats, we have, but it's like a cold drink on a hot day. Click the button below and see the sauces we have created. They are additive and preservative-free, and cost comparable to what you find in stores. Refrigeration is recommended after opening.

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"Life's Good When You're Cookin Wit' Gus"

Bent Sombrero for Awesome Mexican Dishes

Mexican cuisine encompasses the cooking traditions and styles of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Mexican cuisine's ingredients and methods originated with the first agricultural communities, such as the Olmec and Maya, who domesticated maize, developed the standard nixtamalization process, and established their foodways. Mexican food has a reputation for being very spicy, but it has a wide range of flavors, and while many spices are used for cooking, not all are spicy. Many dishes also have subtle flavors. Many dishes also have subtle flavors. To encompass the spices used to prepare Mexican dishes, we have blended "Bent Sombrero".

Chile en nogada, maize, tamales, pozole, mezcal, pan de muerto, and cóctel de camarón Mole sauce, which has dozens of varieties across the Republic, is seen as a symbol of Mexicanidad and is considered Mexico's national dish. Having grown up in Southern California, I've had the opportunity to enjoy all the traditional Mexican dishes above. Bent Sombrero can be used to make them all and then some. Traditional and non-traditional dishes will be served in the upcoming Cinco De Mayo holiday. Adding Bent Sombrero to your spice rack is just a point-and-click away.

This spice blend is made to be spicy, so our recommendation is to use it sparingly until you understand the heat index. Use too much and you'll know it. It's an awesome seasoning containing the appropriate amounts of seasonings you'll find in top shelf Mexican dishes.

Bent Sombrero Ingredients:

  • Chipotle Chili Powder
  • Hungarian Paprika
  • Sea Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • White Pepper
  • Cayenne Pepper (90 SHU)
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder
  • Dried Serrano Peppers
  • Dried Green Peppers
  • Dried Red Pepper
  • Coriander Powder
  • Chili Powder
  • Cumin
  • Mekrur Lime Powder

One of our favorite uses for Bent Sombrero Mexican Seasoning is when making chicken tacos. We mostly use thigh meat, and the end result is nothing left over. We use this sparingly because it does not require a lot of this seasoning, so we recommend the medium bottle unless you’re a food service establishment. Most of our commercial customers are food trucks, so you may have had our seasoning without knowing it.

Because we use no additives, preservatives, or flavor enhancers, we recommend you add a mortar and pestle like the ones you find in our tools section. This allows you to grind the seasoning, should it clump. Bent Sombrero is available in three sizes. Click the button below and it will take you to where you can review this magnificent seasoning.

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"Life's Good When You're Cookin Wit' Gus"

Ten Years and We’re Just Getting Started

One of the first things we were taught in Business School is that upon launch, don't celebrate too long. You should instead plan for the exit from the business you just created. One prevailing assumption is that there will be others providing services like marketing and product fulfilment. Each organization is tasked with the success of the product, relieving development to create something new. Because we launched desirable products, it was incumbent upon us to continue providing what the market wanted. Making an already successful product better should be at the top of the "things to do" list. We have been successful because our challenge to build solutions instead of products was correct. This has resulted in ten years moving forward.

Our food products are created and sold under the banner "Cookin Wit' Gus", and have been on the market for just north of ten years. Consumers are increasingly drawn to spices for both flavor and perceived health benefits. With a growing interest in global flavors and authentic ingredients, leading to a rise in demand for whole spices and healthy spice blends. We have succeeded in part because there's a growing preference for products with clear origins, single-origin sourcing, and natural/organic production. Consumers have also become more "label conscious". The next time you're in a store, view the contents of blended spice products. On those product labels, you will see ingredients clearly man-made, representing additives and preservatives whose purpose is to extend shelf life.

Our "Ten Years Moving Forward" Strategy

  • Use Quality Products
  • Be Honest With Consumers
  • Stand Behind Your Product
  • Do What You Say
  • When Wrong, Make It Right
  • Make It Right Anyway

When creating our rubs, it was understood that without anti-coagulants, these products would harden well before the end of their shelf life. Pre-sales and marketing addressed this so that consumers understood and bought into what they were purchasing. What you get is a product that's complementary to the food and aromatic to the senses. While some may debate the role of additives and preservatives, you can't debate natural products. Our sauces and seasonings are just different, and guests who taste these products always ask, "What did you use to prepare that dish?".

At the end of the day, hinging success on additive and preservative-free products was understood and accepted. Many consumers gave little thought to what was actually in commercially available spice blends. Most just went along using what they were taught. Those who bought into the concept of using natural products continue to be repeat customers. Ten years moving forward, we're working on the next ten.

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"Life's Good When You're Cookin Wit' Gus"

Assist Hooks

Designers create Assist hooks, often used with jigs, to hang freely and to be lighter than the jig. This configuration increases the hook-up rate by getting into the fish's mouth before it even reaches the jig. These hooks are frequently used for vertical jigging with heavy jigs. The beauty of fishing with assist hooks is they can help reduce fish mortality. It also increases the chances of a safe release

With the Assist hook, no matter where the point penetrates, the hook is securely fastened to the jig. Finally, the assistant offers a smaller probability of pricking in the gills and thus injuring the fish. Compared to the single hook, the assist again has advantages. Of the two most common assist hooks, the single and the double are the most common.

As single ones, which means that every assist hook end up on its own solid ring. Or the double with a single solid ring that has two assist hooks hanging from it. You can use both types but two single assist hooks in one solid ring perform better. This is because of increased joint ability, meaning that they move more freely! Inline singles have the eye in the same plane as (in line with) the hook point. That way they'll hang perfectly in line with the lure, not at a right angle to it. Many experts contend that the ratio of fish landed to fish hooked is better with singles than trebles.

Rigging Assist Hooks

Assist Hooks are rigged with a line or chord that inherently has a strength that will absorb the hit. Common materials including Kevlar and Dyneema that are woven and are available in a variety of strengths and thicknesses to pair with hooks. Monofilament should NEVER be used to make assist hooks because they could be rubbed against structure and you just lost a beautiful jig.

The size hook on the Assist Hook in the Image is a 4/0 and it would not be difficult to imagine a 5/0 on it as well. The hooks I normally use are Live Bait Hook with an eye that is straight up and down with the shank and not inclined. Not to sound corny but fishing with assist hooks can be addictive because larger fish are more inclined to inhale the jig. Hookup rates are increased so you have a better shot at catching the largest fish of the day and winning the jackpot.

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