TackleTour Tournament Interview : Greg Gutierrez aka Double G

The Premise: TackleTour is going to hold a bass fishing tournament, but in keeping with our tradition, the gear is going to play an active roll in how the tourney is structured. In the past, we've been known concentrate our review seasons around specific techniques or types of baits. We're going to run our tournament in the same manner. Four days, four different themes, and our interest is to see how the pros go about selecting the gear they'll need to fish this tournament.

We sit down with Greg Gutierrez (aka Double G) to discuss his approach to the imaginary TackleTour tourney.

Hot Seat: In what is a continuing series, we're going to sit down with different pros and go through their tackle selections for each day of the tourney, one at a time. Today, we sit down with Greg Gutierrez, aka Double G, from California. Greg has fished the BASS ELITE and FLW circuits and is now mostly fishing circuits out west close to home. He is sponsored by Frenzy Baits, BassAngler Headquarters, Reaction Innovations, iRod and Lowrance.

Greg Gutierrez  has fished the BASS ELITE and FLW circuits and is well aware the demands on tackle during these pro circuits.

Day One: We're going to give the pros a technique they can use to search out active fish. You know what that means? Yup, it's time to tie one on, toss it out, and crank it up! Cranking is the name of the game on Day One and we want to know what a pro looks for in a good cranking rod, cranking reel, and their preference in cranking line.

Day one is all about cranking.

Double G: Well, there are a couple ways I can go. If I'm deep cranking, the rod been using the iRod Bama Rig Special (IRG7104AB). It just has a lot of length and it has a big backbone to launch big crankbaits. It's moderate enough to where I don't snap light line like ten or twelve pound test. I don't break it. I can move a lot of line without having to worry about it.

If I'm throwing smaller baits, square bills or something like that, I like an IRG704C. This rod has a lot of backbone but also a lot of play so it allows the lure to throw side to side. If I'm throwing lipless cranks, I like the IRG744C. It has just a little bit more length for longer casts and gives me leverage to snap the bait clear of any weeds.

In most cases I'm a big fan of braid, but for deep cranking I'm usually throwing ten or twelve pound fluorocarbon on a slower crankbait reel like the Revo Winch because it slows me down. Otherwise I think I'll be fishing a bait too fast. Conversely if I'm fishing square bills, I want something like a 7.0:1 reel where I cast it out, bring the bait to the zone, slow it down in that zone, and then once it's out, I'm burning the lure back because the rest is just wasted water.

Double G Cranks it up with the IRG7104AB.