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Podcast by a Panhandle Surf Angler for all anglers of any level. We will talk weekly to guests that are anglers and also industry professionals. I want you to walk away from this podcast with some knowledge either refreshed or new for you to become a better angler. Though it will start in the Panhandle of Florida, it will be around the entire United States so we can all learn something about fishing in different regions.
Speaker 1 (00:00:01):
This episode of Finding D most surf fishing is being brought to you by Ds, custom tackle the Delaware guys, y'all know I love them. Ds custom tackle has been doing great things in the market with floats, hooks, rigs, teasers, you name it. They've got some of that great stuff. Something about the Sand flea float has been quite hot and a green little one, I don't know what it is, but certain things like that in this area, they're going really well. And it's not just Florida. His stuff, their stuff is doing great in Texas, California, the West coast, the entire East Coast, up and down, I have seen so many good posts on that. So go on over diaz custom tackle.com, take a look at the website, and if you need stuff, get it ordered. You're not gonna be sad.
Speaker 1 (00:01:14):
Hello all of you. Awesome people. Hope you're doing well. Wherever you are. If you're watching the show on YouTube, you can see I'm wearing a sweatshirt because we finally have, uh, fall, I guess in Florida. I, I, I think that's what I want to call it. I don't know. It actually broke the 60 degree barrier. So all you in the Northeast and in the northern zones that are like 60, that's shorts weather. Yes, yes. But in Florida, that's, uh, that's stranger danger weather. We, we we're not used to that here, but hope thing, hopefully the fishing has been great for you. This turn of the time is normally when the fish turn on, and that's just a lot of fun. This week we are taking the digital bus. Yeah, we're not taking the plane. We're taking the bus. We're just hopping one state over. We're going to Alabama and we're gonna be talking with FC Fish. Go. There's something cool kind of brewing on this. Uh, Matt's gonna come on. He is gonna talk to us all about it, and it's been an interesting product to see. So I'm hoping that you guys are gonna pick something up from it. I know we're going to, we got a lot of things to talk about. So, without further ado, Matt, welcome to the show, man. Good to have you here.
Speaker 2 (00:02:16):
Hey, thanks, Brian. Glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:02:19):
So this is, I mean, like I was saying in the intro, man, you came outta nowhere swinging all of a sudden it's like, what is this bait? What is, who is this guy? I mean, we're, we're gonna nail into it, into the show a little bit, but let, let's just, let's kick with that one before we get into the podcast. Questions. Where'd you come from, man? Talk to us about this.
Speaker 2 (00:02:38):
Yeah, so, uh, I, I live in Birmingham, uh, Alabama, so actually in pal little south of, uh, the Birmingham Metro. But, uh, the story with FC Fish co kind of starts from, uh, my family always in my, in my life, having a beach house in Mexico Beach, Florida, uh, which is, you know, affectionately known as the, the Forgotten Coast. And that's where FC Fish co comes from. It's not initials for anybody, it stands for Forgotten Coast. And, uh, as we were kinda making labels and whatnot, uh, forgotten coast just seemed really big, and it, and it seemed kind of too much in your face, like exactly what it is. So we thought FC kind of left it a little nebulous. Uh, so people might say, well, what, what does that stand for? Um, so, you know, all that to say, uh, this all came out of just really an idea that, you know, came to me one day when I was surf fishing down in, uh, Mexico Beach.
Speaker 2 (00:03:32):
And, uh, you know, I'd been fishing, uh, with a lot of the different, uh, you know, artificial, like the, the fish fights and fish gum and, and, and some of the other, uh, gulps and all that. And then using, you know, sand fleas and, uh, real shrimp. And I gotta thinking about with some real shrimp. I had, you know, fresh frozen shrimp and, you know, if you want to get it out there and not kayak it out, you know, you had to sling it so hard and we were losing 'em. And, you know, it just wasn't a, wasn't a good setup that day. And I don't know if the shrimp was just kind of a little looser than what we had expected, but I was thinking to myself, I was like, you know what? I feel like I heard a long time ago when I was a kid, my granddad and some of his friends talking about just salting some shrimp, um, just to preserve it a little longer and maybe just tighten it up.
Speaker 2 (00:04:18):
So I, I was like, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna try that. And, uh, you know, there, there's a whole lot more that goes into the process, uh, than just, you know, salt. But that's kind of the impetus for it was just, it just peaked my curiosity. And I think that, uh, you know, necessity is the, is the, the mother of all invention on that . So, you know, the fact, the fact that we continued to just, you know, either lose it on a cast or like one little bump and it was gone, I was like, there's gotta be a better way. Um, and I, I'm kind of a traditionalist and a lot of different things that I do. Um, so I, I really wanted something that was an authentic, you know, protein, whether, whether that was shrimp or, or some other type of, you know, real natural bait that we could just come up with a way to preserve it.
Speaker 2 (00:05:03):
So through a little bit of trial and error, not nearly as much as I thought maybe it would be, uh, I came up with something that worked and me and my dad were using it and a couple of his neighbors and, and things of that nature. And before you knew it, it was about two, three weekends in of making this stuff. And we were catching the heck out of 'em. And, you know, as, as it goes with surf fishing, you've got people that are experts and, and have all the gear and all of that. And then you have the folks that are just down for the weekend. Um, and some of the weekenders, you know, just kept coming by 'cause they had poles in the water and they're like, well, what are you guys using? And we started showing 'em, and they were like, can we, can we have some? So I, you know, I just gave it to 'em and we got thinking about it. We were like, I mean, just this weekend, not even really advertising, no, no, nothing. And it was really a beta product at the time. I mean, people were catching with it. They were having a good time. Uh, so that's, that's kind of where it came from, from is just sort of an idea this summer that just came to me.
Speaker 1 (00:06:02):
That's cool, man. I mean, it's funny how that stuff happens, isn't it? It's like, huh, yeah. Guess, guess this is what we're doing now.
Speaker 2 (00:06:09):
.
Speaker 1 (00:06:10):
Uh, very cool. So now that we've done that, let's get, let's just get back, dial back. We're gonna start at the beginning. I had to ask questions about the opener there, man. It's like, it's just feeling you gotta do it. Yeah. Alright, so tell us your story and what got you into fishing.
Speaker 2 (00:06:27):
Yeah, so, um, you know, I'm in my early forties and my whole life to some capacity. Fishing's always been a part of it. Um, you know, my family, starting with my grandparents on my mother's side, they, they built a house in Mexico Beach in the early seventies, so that had always been, you know, their house. And now my parents live in that house, so we, we had always just kind of been down there. So, you know, in the summertimes growing up and, you know, just really anytime I got a chance, I was down there and my granddad was the avid fisherman. Now that my dad's retired, he's down there and he's, he's fishing a lot. So I feel like in the last couple years, especially kind of when COVID happened, uh, and I'm an educator by, by day trade. So, uh, I, I work in public ed K 12, but then I'm also a professor at a couple different universities.
Speaker 2 (00:07:15):
So, uh, this isn't, this isn't my, my gig, you know, right now, you know, for, uh, you know, my, my day job per se, not yet, but not yet . But with, but with, uh, I would say kind of like around that COVID time when we were out of schools and, you know, everybody was kind of quarantined. I mean, what, what a better place to be than, you know, on the beach where, you know, you can kind of quarantine, especially down there, you know, you, even on a busy weekend, you're 50, 75 yards from your nearest neighbor. So, uh, that's kind of where, you know, my, my interest in really getting into what I consider to be more in depth fishing and really trying to understand it more than just the experience of throwing, throwing out some bait and seeing what's on the end of it. So I, I feel like in the last couple years I've sort of become more of just a student of, you know, how, how, how do you maximize your, your efforts when you do fish, what works, you know, just some of the, the research piece that goes into it. But that's kind of, it's always been part of my life. Uh, but like I said, I just really enjoy, you know, fishing and, and what really brought this product was just how happy and excited people got about it. And there's a couple features that I think are really cool and, and really pretty unique, um, that, that we're really proud of with FC Fish co.
Speaker 1 (00:08:35):
Nice. And thank you for your, for your service. I will say that because I do say that to educators. Y'all, y'all got it. I could do a whole podcast on that. We're not gonna, but thank you for all that you do to help continue with that. I know it's not an easy, and then I, I love talking to teachers because in a way, in this game, especially with fishing, I always say the people that are serious about Phish we're constant students. Mm-hmm . I mean, you're just, if you're not a constant student, you're not changing. You're, you're just gonna be one of the ones that just sit in your ways. And you're probably, I mean, you might be successful, but if you were a student you could probably be more successful. But that's just me, I don't know. Weird, but, alright, moving into the next one. What is your favorite thing about fishing?
Speaker 2 (00:09:20):
Uh, you know, I, I will fish alone, but I prefer not to. And I think it's just either, whether it's with my dad or, or friends or even with my own two boys. Uh, I have a, a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old boy, um, that also like to fish. I mean, I think it's the, the experience of spending time. Um, I do believe very wholeheartedly that fishing is not catching, um, you know, we certainly want to have tight lines and, and we wanna pull 'em in. But I think, you know, for me, that's what separates a lot of us from , some others in that, you know, we, we don't just look at it as, man, I, I didn't have anything post worthy today. I fished for seven hours today and I only caught, you know, one little whiting or whatever, . And I didn't do well. Uh, I think anytime we try to match wits with a, an animal that has the brain and the size of a, a peanut, uh, if we lose, you know, shame on us.
Speaker 2 (00:10:14):
So I, I think, you know, with, with that piece of it, I just kind of, I just enjoy the experience. I like being outside. I, you know, I think, you know, with my career, I, you know, I've always kind of been inside a building and, and doing, doing good work there. But I think just, you know, getting out, being in nature, you know, I can put whatever things are on my mind or, you know, whatever things are coming down the road just, just aside for a little while. And it's kind of my, it's kind of my tranquility that I try to, you know, make time for. Um, so that, that's probably what I'd say I love most about fishing is just the time I get to spend with the people I care about.
Speaker 1 (00:10:51):
Nice man. Very important for sure. Is there a bucket list fish that Matt wants to catch?
Speaker 2 (00:10:57):
Oh, man. You know, so I've always kind of been a surf fishing guy, um, but as FC Fish Co is, uh, you know, kind of, kind of sprung out of say nowhere, but just, you know, as we've gotten more and more exposure, I've been just, you know, exposed to a whole lot more different types of fish and, and different ways of doing that. Um, you know, I'd like to get on a boat and go catch some, uh, a mahi one day. I, I don't, I don't know. I mean that, that to me, just every time I see that fish, um, I just think AI or something, like, they just look so incredible to me. Uh, and I know they're putting, putting up a good fight and, and I've got, you know, friends and, and acquaintances that I know have, have targeted that and do that. But that's, I would say for me, I mean, one day as we continue to evolve into, uh, you know, being able to do more and more just on the personal side of, you know, being able to fish, I'd say that'd probably be a dream catch for me is a, you know, good, good mahi,
Speaker 1 (00:11:57):
They're fun. I can't wait to, I'm in the same boat, man. I'm like, yeah, let's go. Let's go mahi fishing. Come on. . Along the same lines, we're moving into the, the next part of that. Is there a place that you're like, oh man, I gotta fish there someday?
Speaker 2 (00:12:14):
Um, you know, I, I definitely would say right now it would probably be around the Corpus Christi area, down around the Padre Island National Seashore. Uh, we, we've, our company's done a lot of business with a lot of really good folks down there. Um, one thing that's different about Florida and Texas that I've noticed, and there are some parts of Florida where you can drive your vehicle on the beach and you can kind of do your overland and, you know, stay the weekend and all that. Where I am, uh, you know, where most of my fishing Athens of Bay County, you can't do that. Um, so I, I think for me, I would just want to do one of those, you know, kinda maybe couple days, days and nights where we're sort of doing the camping deal and, you know, fishing and, and just really connecting with some of those folks that I see, you know, pulling in some pretty impressive fish on a consistent basis.
Speaker 2 (00:13:04):
But even more so than that, just connecting with some of those folks down there that I know through business transactions and I know through social media, but just that tribe that they kind of have down there. Um, and that's the biggest thing I've noticed with FC Fish O and us continuing to, you know, branch out is in pockets of places across the country or even within a state. This guy knows this guy and that guy's connected with this guy and this girl knows this person and all that. So I, I've really learned to, you know, appreciate that piece that I think is pretty unique to, to the fishing community. Um, you know, and not that, and I've never been one that I, and I've never had like a honey hole that nobody knew about, but I, I feel like my personality is not the kind that would be like stingy about that. Um, and I feel like that's what I, that's the vibe I kind of get down there is, Hey, there's fish down here for everybody. So it's not this, this is our territory or anything like that. But as far as just the location, I, I'd just say some good surf fishing down in the, the Pens area of Corpus Christi
Speaker 1 (00:14:08):
Had a couple episodes outta there. And I gotta say Texas sounds kind of fun.
Speaker 2 (00:14:13):
It does.
Speaker 1 (00:14:14):
I mean, I know I can name one real quick one. I, I've had four or five great episodes outta Texas, but like Nick Meyer from Breakaway, uh, he was telling me a lot about it and it was, it sounds like a very busy time when you get there, but he's like, dude, there's so much shore. It's not like that. You guys are a little bit more stacked up there in Florida and those pieces down here, I don't like it. I'm gonna drive a mile. It's not gonna be a big deal. Right. Okay. Final one in this category, and then we'll start moving into the knowledge pieces. Uh, can you share a memorable fish surf fishing story? Include any unexpected catches or challenging fishing situations?
Speaker 2 (00:14:57):
Hmm. Man, that's a good one. I mean, there, there are a lot of different scenarios and different ways we could go with this. Um, you know, uh, let's see, as far as like challenging situations, uh, you know, I think it's a fun, fun type deal. But with my boys, uh, you know, they're nine years old and 12 currently, so we've been fishing basically, you know, their entire lives. And anytime that you get, uh, you know, your surf, your surf gear set up, no matter how far along or how much gap we give in between multiple polls, uh, it never fails. We'll get, you know, some big catch that will run across everybody's line, and of course it's the youngest child and all of that. So, um, I think the last time, uh, we had a, I think it was the summer, maybe around June or July, we had a couple different scenarios where we, the bite had been really slow and, you know, it was almost one of those check the bait kind of deals, uh, as we were going.
Speaker 2 (00:15:52):
But, uh, I think we got two Pompano on two different poles and, uh, a black tip shark on another. And they were all just kind of cross tip, you know, all the lines like, it, it intentionally braided itself. So here I am with a 9-year-old and the 12-year-old, and they're going nuts 'cause there's a shark and they're screaming shark, you know, and it's like, we're on the beach, let's don't do that. Uh, you know, just, just all those things. Uh, so, you know, I don't, I don't know that I'm as professional a fisherman enough to really have like the big like Moby dick story, but just from like, a challenging catch, but also like a memory that, that I'll always have is just kind of me and my boys, you know, being down there and just again, man, just that face that a kid makes and even a, a grownup that, you know, really maybe hadn't caught a whole lot of fish in their life. Just that light up, man. I mean, it, it's priceless. You can't put a tag on it. And that's what with Fc Fish Co, I mean, we're a business, obviously, we, we gotta, you know, sell our product. But at the same time, I mean, that's important to us that it evoked that kind of euphoria and that, that that happiness that only, you know, that that bend on the line can give you,
Speaker 1 (00:16:56):
Oh, there's nothing better than the smile. I don't know what it is that there's something glowing about that catch smile. It's, it's just a different one. And it's, it's a good one.
Speaker 2 (00:17:05):
It's, it's
Speaker 1 (00:17:07):
. Alright, so now let's move into the fishing tips, tricks and knowledge piece here. Um, basically, you know, just tell us what you can, what, what, you know, what works for you. 'cause that's the thing, this show is all about helping people catch fish, enjoy, learn, start from the beginning. Even the seasoned anglers, we all learned from each other, because if not, then we're not really helping at all. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:17:27):
. Yeah. You know, and, and to that point, I think that's one of the things that when we were kind of toying with the idea of like, do we just make this for our own, you know, our own consumption or maybe a few friends, or do we try to like, come in, maybe launch something? Was this, I just felt like I had a confidence about it, even though I'd never like created a product or done anything like this. I had a confidence about it because it was phishing. And what I mean by that is , I mean, even the professionals and, and, and the guys that, you know, uh, do this for a living, they're still catching fish. Um, so I think there was just the kind of that back door open for me, like that, hey, I feel like we're as qualified as anybody else to sell what we're selling because we utilize it, it works for us. Um, so, you know, from, from that end of things, I, I just think that we, uh, we really try to just make sure that we're putting a good product out there.
Speaker 1 (00:18:19):
That's good on you, man. I mean, seriously, the fact that, you know, that you're trying to do something in that regard, I dare I say it, but I will, it, it means that you and I get three of these, it means you give a. And that's, no, we have two. Uh, you actually are trying, you know, that's, that's key because we've seen too many times in this industry, you know, somebody will pop up outta nowhere and it's a here today, gone tomorrow, you know, it's a quick hit to make a couple dollars and then go from there. But just even in that statement alone, it shows that, you know, you're like, yeah, hey, there's, I still want this to work. I want this to be a thing, but I want it to work for everybody. So, yeah, good on you,
Speaker 2 (00:18:56):
Man. I appreciate that. But that just, that's super important to me. And with, with some, some business propositions and whatnot, like just people reaching out, like, Hey, we've got a marina, you know, or, you know, we've got, you know, access to this peer where we celebrate and all this kind of stuff. We, we've, we've intentionally kept it just, just us producing it, just simply because we know we're not to the point where, personally we want to be in a position where, uh, it's just everywhere and we're manufacturing. Like we, we wanna manufacture obviously, 'cause we have to get product out there, but we make everything by hand. I mean, like, if the color's not right, it's, it's going in the side maybe for us to use later or something, you know, personally, I mean, we're not sending out junk. Um, and that's one of the things that I think super important is, hey, if this thing takes off, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (00:19:45):
If it just manages to, you know, keep us afloat or we can continue to put product out there, we're gonna do that as well. So, um, I think we, I'm very blessed in that, you know, I have another professional career, so if this, if this takes off, that's great. If it doesn't, that's fine too. But FC FICO is not gonna necessarily go away just because we hadn't reached a metric on a, you know, a financial sheet, uh, just because it's so important to us. And, you know, when it, when it comes to our product, I mean, we use very, very, uh, you know, uh, special products. We're not just using just crap you find anywhere. Um, you know, we, everything that we use has a purpose from either a consistency standpoint, a a product standpoint, a durability standpoint, and even down to our packaging, we're working on some, some cool things to maximize what this bait can do for the professional fishermen or just the weekender. Um, and I would definitely wanna talk about a little bit about that at some point about where we see this working in a variety of different needs in the fishing community.
Speaker 1 (00:20:51):
Oh, that's gonna happen. , we're there's no hidden stuff here. No, no, no, sir. Well, that being said, you actually hooked it up here because now it's been 20 minutes and everyone knows on this show in 20 minutes you should be checking your bait because you're not gonna catch fish on credit. No, no, you're not. Bring that in. Double check it, get it all set up, because maybe you need to change it up and move to a different little spot. Maybe a different float. We'll see here. But yeah, let's do that.
Speaker 1 (00:21:21):
This paycheck is being brought to you by Kids Can Fish head on over to the website. Kids can fish.net and take a look at all the great things that they're doing here. You can see through the website, they've got all the information right here. They are a state and federal recognized 5 0 1 C3 charitable foundation. All the camps and clinics all get funded back in to the organization to help these kids go out and go fish. If you also want information on the running of the Bulls tournament, it'll be updated right here up on top. And if you want to learn more about the entire team, you can take a look at the pro staff links and learn all about Caroline, their partners, how to get in touch with them. And the photo gallery is always great. If you'd like to help them further, you can do one more.
Speaker 1 (00:22:00):
You can go over to Promar Ahi and take a look at that website, and you can buy into the cast net. This is the specialized one. This is the one that you hear a lot about. Caroline has talked a lot about it. And a per, uh, portion of the proceeds go back into Kids Can Fish. They have the three foot, the four foot, and the five foot. All these things are great. And it all, again, it all goes back into the Kids Can Fish Foundation to help these kids continue to do great things with these camps. Keep your ears open. 'cause there's gonna be a lot more things coming from them. It's always great and always great to be a part of it. So now that we're starting out here, let's talk about it. How do you plan your fishing trips?
Speaker 2 (00:22:42):
Um, well, I think, you know, the main thing is, is what I do is I check the weather. Um, then I check a lot of the different, you know, uh, fishing reports. Um, and thankfully I have pretty much where I'm fishing, you know, on a consistent basis. I've got friends and family that are down there full-time that I can say, Hey man, how's the bike been? You know, how, you know, has it been slow? Has it been mornings? Has it been afternoon? I mean, I think, you know, there, there are a lot of different factors that go into it, but I think anytime I'm going fishing, I wanna kind of know the conditions. If I'm somewhere I'm not familiar, uh, you know, hopefully I'm with someone that is, I think that that's a big deal. Uh, kind of respecting people that are locals is a big deal for me.
Speaker 2 (00:23:23):
Um, you know, so learning what I can from them, uh, you know, you know, I, I used to play a lot of golf and, and, you know, I felt like guys that played on a certain course all the time just kind of knew where every bounce was and you know, where to lay up on a, on a green and things of that nature where I think the same applies in, in, in the fishing game. So, you know, there, there are certain things that I think are pretty universal, but for me, again, being an experienced guy, uh, it's about the memory for me. So I wanna make sure that I'm posturing myself with the good people and and knowledgeable people. But, uh, I think a lot of times it's just the conditions and, and what to be prepared for. For me, there's nothing worse than going down and being cold, you know, you know, not, not taking a big enough jacket or, or, or not really knowing how windy some place is gonna be. Um, so just that kind of stuff. I mean, I can have fun fishing anywhere, um, but for me, just to, you know, to be most successful and, and make it the best time, I think just really trying to do my research and due diligence on wherever that might be.
Speaker 1 (00:24:25):
Good call. I like it. How do you select your spot once you've, uh, decided all right, we're here.
Speaker 2 (00:24:30):
Well, uh, obviously I think if you can kind of see from afar or even higher up, uh, thankfully the way that I walk down to the beach from our house where I fish on a consistent basis, you can kind of see the lay of the, the water or the floor anyway, if the water's clear. I'm looking for those sort of tr uh, troughs or kind of over a ridge. Um, and on a clear day down there, we can, we can see it. Uh, but I do believe in that kind of stuff. And, um, I'm big on the wind, obviously, uh, you know, down in, down in the forgotten coast, and I don't know if this is accurate, but one of the things that a lot of the old heads used to say is, wind from the East, you catch the least. And, uh, you know, I feel like anytime that we're getting wind from the east down there, they're pretty spot on. You know, you can fish, but you're probably not gonna catch a whole lot. So, uh, that, that southern, southern wind from the West is really, uh, what I'm looking for. And if we can get some of that down there, a lot of times we get some really, really good, really good, uh, catches. Uh, you know, not, not going out too far.
Speaker 1 (00:25:30):
Yep. Yeah. Wind's a, wind's a beast on this side. I think it's anywhere really. I mean, it just depends on where you're at. I mean, for us, I know, you know, if I got a full value, I still think in Marine Corps terms for shooting, if I got a full value East West, I'm not having a good day. Gimme something out of the south. Okay. South and north, those are my favorite days. Went and North, not so much. But yeah, win win plays a big factor and you really gotta pay attention. And thankfully we got so many apps now you can kind of get an idea of where it's coming from, when it's coming from. That's
Speaker 2 (00:25:58):
Right, that's right.
Speaker 1 (00:25:59):
But you started, you, you actually opened up into the next question real nicely there when you started talking about looking at seeing troughs and those pieces. Uh, how would you say surf anglers can read the beach to interpret the conditions and identify, okay, that's probably gonna be a good spot? Nah, it's probably not. Or how to see kind of a school of fish?
Speaker 2 (00:26:19):
Yeah, I, you know, I think for me the biggest thing is, you know, obviously we are a kind of a tourist attraction down there. So on some weekends and, you know, uh, different times of the year you may get a little bit more traffic. So for me, and I know this name wouldn't be the same kind of problem or issue to look at, like if you were out at pens, but for me, I'm looking at like, all right, where, where are these condos or houses that, that have a lot of cars? Like, I don't want wanna be set up with them because I, I'm not a super early guy. I'm, I'm more of an afternoon, uh, the four o'clock bite for me is kind of where it is. I mean, like, that's the joke around our house. It's like, alright, we've got about eight minutes and it's gonna start because it's just something about 4:00 PM central standard time that that really kicks off.
Speaker 2 (00:26:58):
So as far as for me, uh, personally, I mean, I think I try to be as respectful of my space and what I'm trying to do and not hinder, you know, other people. And, and also knowing that, you know, at any time I could pull in any type of shark, be in a black tip or bonnet head or anything. And, you know, I don't wanna freak out people. I know that that's, they live out there, but for some people this first time, you know, I try to really just be mindful of that kind of stuff. But, you know, as far as just, you know, how I would recommend people do that is, you know, if you get down that afternoon before you're gonna go fishing, just kind of go down and just walk around, check it out, see where maybe some other guys are fishing.
Speaker 2 (00:27:35):
I mean, do you know, look, look and see, uh, what kind of flag they're flying on their, on their beach cart, you know, do they look local? You know, that kind of stuff. So, um, you know, I, again, I don't, I'm not a real, you know, uh, technical guy on, on a lot of things. I'm more of a gut guy, you know, just kinda like, uh, it feels right. Uh, so I, I would just say, I mean, just using the best, the best data sources you have based on your experience or the experience of others, just to determine, you know, where, where it would be. But I will say this, I've never caught a fish when I didn't have a hook in the water. So I, I do try to at least maximize my time with, you know, a a wet hook rather than just all the things that, you know, at, at certain times. I don't know if any of it is any more than just kinda, you know, uh, anyone's getting best guess.
Speaker 1 (00:28:25):
Okay, makes sense. And yeah, I am a, I am a huge supporter of the Sunset Bite. I, I, I, sorry y'all, I don't like getting up for sunrise. The only time I'll do it's for tournaments, . Other than that, you're gonna catch me at sunrise and into the darkness. That's alright. Y'all can have the rest of the day. That's, that's okay. I'll take that one. Um, well let's talk into that piece then. 'cause so it kind of transitions nicely. So you're set up now, uh, you, you've picked your spot, all those are good. Where are you sending your cast? How are you casting and where, where are you putting that line at?
Speaker 2 (00:28:59):
That's a great point. Um, it, it really depends on what it is we're, we're targeting that day. I mean, if we're just kind of out there just trying to get it out and trying to ca I mean, I I would say for us, I mean, a good day is, is is a, you know, legal, legal size, pompano something in the slot. Um, you know, where, where we are. Um, I'm, I'm kind of one of those, I go a little bit higher than the knee. Um, not quite waist high and, you know, sling out. I know a lot of people throw from the beach and, and things of that nature. But I'm a, I'm kind of a, you know, almost waist high guy. And for me, I can just kind of tell where the, the waves are breaking and where some of the curls are of where I'd kind of like to drop that.
Speaker 2 (00:29:39):
Uh, we, we aren't as deep out as far as where some of the troughs and, uh, you know, some of the, the areas where we know the fish kind of hang. You don't have to go as far as maybe you do some of these other places. We will occasionally, you know, uh, kayak out and just drop, drop a few things, try to drop 'em on the backside of a, uh, sandbar or something of that nature. But, uh, for the most part, we're just gonna be straight casting off the beach. Um, you know, maybe a hundred yards, 125 yards. So I'm not a big, a big slinger of, you know, one of these like long distance guys. But I will say I use the Sputnik weights, uh, and I haven't always, but talking with Chip Brundage and, and the, uh, the, uh, what's, what's the,
Speaker 1 (00:30:33):
The sinker
Speaker 2 (00:30:33):
Guy? The sinker guy, that's why I wanna say Sputnik guy, but the sinker guy, I mean,
Speaker 1 (00:30:39):
It fits both, so Yeah. But you have the sinker guy.
Speaker 2 (00:30:41):
. Yeah. Um, so I gotta talking to him a couple months ago when we first started out, he was just reaching out and, uh, we gotta talking about different weights. And I had really, and I had seen him, but I never used them. But, uh, for me, they're really a good two ounce on that, as is all I need. Um, where F Fish co that's one of the cool things is with our product, uh, it would not be to the point in the segment where, where we're talking about the specifics, but I will say whether you're throwing out 30 yards or you're, you're slinging it, you know, to the moon, you're not gonna throw FC fish, cove salt strike off your hook. Uh, that is probably our biggest selling point right now is our durability. That aside from not requiring any, any refrigeration, so, um, I would say a good piece of salt strike with a Sputnik and about a hundred, 125 yards out, that's, that's magical where I am usually,
Speaker 1 (00:31:38):
Uh, now I'm looking forward to seeing how far I can launch this stuff. So that's, that's a cool piece. All right, well you nailed into that one. So you took care of the next two questions. So I guess I'll just have to, to, to roll down there. Um, have you noticed, and this is also works with your bait, so let's talk about that. And you've also talked about, uh, fish bites and fish gum earlier on there, Uhhuh . Uh, have you noticed that, uh, some effective, what are some effective bait and lure and bait choices? Oh my gosh, I can't speak English today. What are some effective bait choices for Spearfish with yours? And, uh, have you noticed that it re uh, brings in a certain species at all?
Speaker 2 (00:32:16):
Um, yeah, well, that, that's, that's a, a multifaceted, uh, answer there. When we get to the species. Uh, you know, we kind of went into this thing, like I said, where I am, Pompano is kind of king, so we're, we went in with that as being our focus. Um, but because we've, you know, sold all over the country, we've called all kinds of things, uh, we've been blown away that people have been catching, uh, fish in fresh water with it. That was never, that was never part of the plan. Uh, we always kind of thought theoretically it could work. Um, so we had some people testing it, but as far as like species and whatnot, we haven't found anything. And we intentionally spent a couple weekends and it, uh, it was just terrible. We had to fish all weekend. Um, but my dad and I, for a couple weeks when we first started, were really putting this stuff to the test in that we were trying to catch anything from pin fish to catfish, to, you know, anything that would bite.
Speaker 2 (00:33:16):
And, and what we found was we pretty much caught everything that weekend on the salt strike. Uh, we caught a Pompano. It wasn't, it was, it wasn't in the slot, so we had to put back, but, uh, catfish, you know, had sail cat, we had, uh, Whiting, uh, black Sea Bass, never caught one of those before. We caught one of those off of some jetties, um, lady Fish, blue Runner. Um, we've caught a, uh, stingray on it before Black tip, so it's pretty utilitarian. Um, as far as what, you know, what it brings in. And like I said, I, I'll be glad to talk a little bit about, uh, some of our, you know, guys up north maybe in like in Ohio and some of the things they've, they've caught.
Speaker 1 (00:34:02):
Okay, dang, there's a lot of good stuff there. I thought I was like half hot. I was like, there's gonna be more there. There's gotta be . And I was like, oh, nope, that's a pause. That's a move on . Uh, okay, so I guess we can tie these ones in then. You've done a little bit there with moving around. I mean, you come down to the Forgotten coast a lot, so you, uh, you do have a spot there, but if you were to go say, oh, I don't know, like, you're gonna go to pins, what do you, uh, what would you do if you're going to a new spot to set yourself up for success?
Speaker 2 (00:34:34):
Um, I think it goes back to again, trying to just really get into the local scene. Um, you know, I, and not be like, I'm trying to encroach on your, your spot, but like, I'm trying to learn, I'm trying to get glean one little thing from you that I could possibly take back to where I, I'm, uh, you know, because I think, you know, everybody sort of has a home base if you're kind of like me. Um, so with those opportunities to, you know, fish somewhere else or even bring in a, you know, a new species, that, that's really appealing to me. Uh, just kind of going back to the other question, uh, previously, um, you know, just the different number of rigs that are out there. I mean, I, I've always traditionally kind of fished with and had success with just the double drop.
Speaker 2 (00:35:18):
Um, and that kinda led us as far as product design, the coloring that comes on most of your Pompano rigs, your double drops, those high res oranges, pinks, you know, greens, things of that nature. That kinda led us to thinking a little bit more outside of the box of, hey, we don't want to just have a salted shrimp or a preserved shrimp that's just naked and there. And there's definitely a market for that as well. But we wanted to capitalize on, Hey, have you noticed that we'll still get bumps even when we don't think there's any kind bait on there? Um, and, and I think they're bumping those, those high res, uh, floats and, and things of that nature. So for us, that was a big deal, uh, you know, coming up with, you know, the different colors and, and just talking with people about how to do that. So I think, you know, anytime I'm in a new place and you know, it is new, it's, it's trying to figure out what they normally catch. You know, how they do it, and you know, what, what transferrable knowledge can I take from this experience and then roll into somewhere else or share with somebody else?
Speaker 1 (00:36:24):
Well, it's good you brought it up and I know you're looking at the jars here. So let's bring, let's, let's pull up a couple colors here, because we have seen on numerous different channels on YouTube how many times a fish will hit the float and spit it out, like that's not food. And then we've seen people come up with the float hooks and that stuff, but youth coming, you, you're, you're taking the best of both worlds there and combining it into a bait. So go ahead. Lemme see some of these colors here.
Speaker 2 (00:36:46):
Yeah, so, um, this is our standard FC fish co salt strike. So lemme just, and we're working on some, uh, professional packaging. Uh, this is just kind of stuff that, that we do just to, you know, make sure people know what it is. But this is actually a, it's a, a six ounce size can, but you get four ounces of product in each can. Um, and what that equates to, we have actually increased the size of our shrimp. So, um, that was one of the feedback from some of our testers is, man, we love the stuff, it works, but it's a little small. So to begin with, we were using, you know, uh, I'd say probably one inch in terms of the whole piece of shrimp to begin with, whereas now we're using a whole lot bigger piece. So in this can of four, four ounces, you're getting approximately 14 to 15 pieces.
Speaker 2 (00:37:37):
Um, and we do sell this retail for 14.99. Um, and, you know, to get 14 pieces of fully preserved, no, no preservatives needed, uh, you know, actual shrimp that is pliable. Um, and I'll put it on a hook and stuff for you in a little bit, uh, that we feel like that's a very reasonable pro uh, price. Um, one of the things that we've noticed, and, and I've kind of, kind of feel like, and, and I don't know if this is a global statement, but we didn't want to be in a situation with FC Fish co with our salt strike that people were having to make a business decision about buying bait. Like we, we want people to feel like, Hey, this is a good value for what we're getting. I think sometimes, uh, the way that it's presented and the, and because it is so unique, it might look like, man, you only get 14 pieces, that's 14 fish, basically in a can.
Speaker 2 (00:38:33):
Because what I mean by that, that is if you're not catching, you can do a bait check, but you're, the salt strike is still going to be on there. Uh, even with the pin fish and some of the smaller fish that chip away at our product, we still find we very rarely find ourselves, uh, fishing on credits. So, um, you know, as far as how we come up with colors and all that, our main color, and it does, it does sort of fluctuate because of our process. Uh, no batch is actually, you know, ever the same. We do replicate how we do it, but just with some of the coloring and anytime you're dealing with a pro, you know, a an actual protein, it's kind like steaks. You know, you could have 10, 10 T-bones, but they look you like 10 different T-bone. It's the same deal with, with our salt strike.
Speaker 2 (00:39:17):
Um, but our main colors, we have the pink, um, we have a yellow, we have a blue with some purple. That one seems, this has been our surprise. This was just kind of a, Hey, let's try it out. But this has been one of our most effective baits. Um, and then green, I will say, I don't do really well with green personally, but this does really well with a lot of our customers. So I think that, um, that's the other thing is I've learned in this is, it in business isn't about what I like or what works for me, it's about what's working for my customers. So what we try to do, we do sell, uh, cans, you know, where you can just get blue or you could just get pink. But by far our biggest, uh, seller has been a variety can. Uh, and basically what we do is we just equally distribute, you know, 14 to 15 of these, uh, you know, and, and, and try to equally, uh, put in the, you know, different colors just because we're not convinced that one color is really better than any other color.
Speaker 2 (00:40:19):
We, we do think that there are some that are a little more of a tendency to do well in certain conditions in certain locations, but they all work. Um, we've noticed water clarity really doesn't seem to play that much, I mean, as much as it would with any fishing. I mean, like, if it's just terrible conditions, it doesn't matter what you got out there, you don't catch anything. But, uh, water clarity and even, uh, where I think we have a, a real corner on the market, like some of the, you know, the big guys and, and guys that we kind of wanna emulate, like the fish fights and the fish gum, uh, you know, they, they are, they're getting, you know, uh, a good product out there that that stays on the line. Uh, so with this, what what we feel like is we have a really utilitarian product that can be used by a variety of people.
Speaker 2 (00:41:11):
So we've got some folks that are pro staff type people that, you know, we're fishing on teams or they're fishing, you know, every day. Um, but what, what I think also makes this special is if you're that guy and you have all the gear and, and, and you're, you're, you're a professional, this will work for you because it's, it's good bait and it does what it needs to. I feel like our niche when we really take off is gonna be those families where, you know, fishing is something they wanted to do, but you know, for whatever reason, that's not something that the parents grew up doing or, or aren't uber comfortable with. So I, you know, I kind of did a little action research. I've got, you know, some friends, uh, you know, that have access to, you know, like bait and tackle shops and, and things of that nature.
Speaker 2 (00:41:57):
But down in Mexico Beach, I went down to the, the marina, uh, to the, uh, bait bait shop there. I know the owner and, and the manager, but I, it was showing them the product. And as I was sitting there, you had, obviously the guys are coming in that are, you know, they're buying 50 pounds of cigar mins and, you know, they're doing their thing offshore and, and all that. But then you'd have this mom and dad with a, you know, an 11-year-old and a 6-year-old, and they're coming in and they're buying the, the full combo reel, you know, three of 'em at whatever it is. You know, they, they came down with nothing. Probably don't know anything other than you throw bait in the water and it bins, this is gonna be a great product for them because I just, I've just seen families come in and it's not just there.
Speaker 2 (00:42:44):
I'm sure it's everywhere, and they're like, Hey, we want to fish, or, or whatever. And it's like, yeah, all our baits back there in the, in the back and it's, you know, it's in a freezer or it's live way wells and you got all these rigs on the walls and it looks like you're going into surgery at a hospital and all that. I know that can be very, you know, unnerving for some, for some novice people. I think if you put this kind of stuff, you know, easily accessible, you know, at a register or whatever, this gives those folks that maybe they're not those professionals, uh, something that they can have fun with and catch fish with, you know, in a day trip or, or maybe a weekend trip and whatever they don't use, they can just seal it, is screw the cam back together and, uh, put it in their tackle box, the truck, their toolbox.
Speaker 2 (00:43:28):
Uh, it won't go bad. Uh, we often get the question of, well, how long does it last? We're such a new company that, that's kind of a loaded question because we, we still have some of our beta product that was not preserved in the, the fashion that we do currently. And it's still the same texture, color, smell as it was, you know, almost eight, nine months ago. So, and that was, that's hanging in a, in a sort of a, uh, a building that is climate controlled, but not like your house. Um, so that's pretty impressive in that it's not, it's not vacuum sealed. This stuff's not even in a can. It's in a Ziploc bag with a thumbtack to threw it with a date on it. Um, that's kind of, that was important to us, is that with each batch, we keep a sample of it just to kind of see how it progresses as far as any breakdown.
Speaker 2 (00:44:19):
Um, and we, we've not seen any now that if you leave it in the back of your truck and it's booming sun on it, then that will break it down. We, we have seen that direct sunlight seems to be the, the kryptonite for it, if there is one. So you do have to be a little mindful of, you know, where you're storing it, even on the beach on really hot days. You don't wanna leave it out in the sun, but you wouldn't wanna leave any of your other stuff out either. But the cool thing about this is, unlike your shrimp or your squid or anything, it's not gonna turn on you in 12 hours, 24 hours. I mean, this, this is pretty much plug and play. It's as close to just, you know, putting it on a hook as you're gonna get.
Speaker 1 (00:44:58):
Cool. I like it. Now, before we go into the bait check here, 'cause it's time, let's see those fingers, because that's something else that's fun here. You grabbed the bait and I saw you, I saw you.
Speaker 2 (00:45:09):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:45:09):
Scraping it off.
Speaker 2 (00:45:11):
Yeah, nothing,
Speaker 1 (00:45:12):
Nothing. Look at that. Folks there didn't stain it didn't stain.
Speaker 2 (00:45:17):
It does have a glitter on it. Um, and that sticks with
Speaker 1 (00:45:21):
It. Oh, trouble.
Speaker 2 (00:45:22):
So there's a little bit, oh
Speaker 1 (00:45:23):
No, no, not glitter. Oh, my wife think went out
Speaker 2 (00:45:28):
, but it takes right off. So, okay, I'm clean handed again. I'm smelling it. I mean, and this, this batch right here, this is probably a month old. Okay? So I'm not gonna taste it 'cause it is raw shrimp, but please
Speaker 1 (00:45:41):
Don't do that.
Speaker 2 (00:45:42):
But, uh, it is, it's legit. There's,
Speaker 1 (00:45:44):
There's certain lines we don't cross on this show. That's, that's one of them. ,
Speaker 2 (00:45:50):
And I'll say Brian, uh, on our, on our can, one of the first things that says is, uh, not, not consumption
Speaker 1 (00:45:58):
Good. That's, that's a good safety feature right there.
Speaker 2 (00:46:02):
Does, I mean, I get a lot of commentary on Facebook of it looks like candy. I want to eat it, it looks like gummy bears or whatever. And it does, but it, it's wash around.
Speaker 1 (00:46:10):
No people know. No, it's bait. It's bait. Leave it alone. Right? Uh, right. Well we're gonna rock into our next ba check here and hopefully you all caught a bunch of fish. That's the key. We want you to catch a ton of fish and be living the good life there. And if you haven't, now it's time to move. Maybe you need to, maybe it's just not there for you today. That's okay. Move down to another spot. Go catch more fish. That's the key. But hey, you gotta check it to make sure you're not fishing on credit.
Speaker 1 (00:46:42):
This paycheck is being brought to you by the sinker guy. Y'all know. I love it. Go over to the sinker guy.com and take a look at everything that chip's got going on in the Sinker Guy garage. Lots of fun stuff in this website, y'all. I mean, you can get lost in it really, if you gotta take a look, you just, uh, get right to the homepage here. It's got a little couple of things to talk about, but we go into the good stuff, we get into the garage, into the shop. Neat sinkers, it's in his name. It's got you covered there. The Bruno rig, the Uno rig, and the fishing mortician rig. We all love those. But if you need other supporting gear, he's got you covered with that. Bait, floats, oh, fishing line. So many different things. Any kind of other supporting gear, there's a lot on the website. So again, go over to the sinker guide.com, take a look, get your order in today, extremely fast shipping, superb customer service and chip's gonna make sure you're taken care of every time. That's just how he does it. Sinker guy.com get your order into.
Speaker 1 (00:47:35):
I always love chip's stuff. Uh, it's, I actually just reposted an article I did when I was, uh, testing sinkers for casting distance and, uh, yeah, sputniks go a lot further than certain weights. People, uh, don't realize how it's always good there. Alright, so we've started going into that and let's talk, let's get into the technicalities here with the bait. What are some unique challenges and opportunities in designing this for the dynamic and varied conditions of surf fishing?
Speaker 2 (00:47:59):
Yeah, so one of the things I will say about our product is every, uh, every piece of salt strike is food quality grade shrimp. So, uh, I don't, I don't operate with, you know, bait that we've caught or that somebody else caught, you know, live. And, and then we're doing that. So we're buying, you know, uh, basically shrimp that you could eat. And one of the reasons for that is when I first started into this and we started talking to different, you know, uh, marinas or, or, or, or tackle shops and whatnot. That was one of the first questions I got asked in Florida is, where do you get the shrimp? And I didn't really understand that to begin with. 'cause I was just, you know, I just kind of made this stuff on a lark and there are so many rules and regulations about where shrimp is harvested and who can do that and all that.
Speaker 2 (00:48:42):
So not only am I not in a position to be, you know, catching my own shrimp anyway, but what we, what we believe is if we do that, we're always above board. We can always give a consistent product. Uh, and we can always work with a consistent, uh, you know, size. Uh, because for us, the process is contingent on the different sizes of the protein that we're preserving. Uh, so now, and I'll be making some updates to our website in the next day or so, FC Fisco is really kind of consolidating now to only really doing the salt stripe bait, which is our, our shrimp. We did have a few other products. Um, we had our Surf Strong rigs, which are very much like, you know, a lot of the other Pompano rigs that you'd see out there. And what we kind of found was, you know, that's pretty, pretty much a saturated market.
Speaker 2 (00:49:35):
There are a lot of people that are making those, and we don't know that ours are really any better than anybody else's from a, you know, from a, a material standpoint or a design standpoint. So we just kind of decided, you know what, we'll still make those because we enjoy making them, and we'll throw 'em in on a pack that people order of Salt strike. But that's not gonna be like a line item that we're gonna continue to carry as a, as a retailer. And the same with our swamp thing, uh, freshwater bait. So I didn't talk about that yet, and I'm not even bringing any, 'cause we're kind of getting out of that as well. And not because it didn't work, just because we, we've seen such an uptick in what Salt strike's doing. We just really can't, we we're small enough outfit that we can't run three or four items, uh, items.
Speaker 2 (00:50:17):
And really we think this is our winner. Uh, we know it works and, and we know people are interested in it. But just to, just to talk a little bit about the salt, the, the, uh, swamp thing. Swamp thing was originated as, because I'm in Alabama and, you know, we have the Gulf Shores areas in Orange Beach and all that, but primarily the people that I know and, and, and, and work with around here, they're freshwater guys. And, uh, you know, really tried to kind of find something that was exclusive to water. We, we came up with Swamp Thing and it, it's a combination of chicken and chicken livers that were also preserved very similarly to, uh, salt Strike. But the cool thing about it, just like with the shrimp, the chicken never requires refrigeration after our process. So, um, it sells, it works, but again, it is just like, where do we want to put our eggs?
Speaker 2 (00:51:07):
And we just haven't, as a, as a company, we haven't gotten to the point that we feel like that's a, a really good use of our time or energy. Uh, we wanna spend most of that on our salt strike because we want to get that out to more and more people. Uh, we do offer a money back guarantee on, on that. 'cause I've had some skeptics, um, you know, and there's obviously you comp out product to people too, but, you know, I've had people reach out and say, Hey, you know, what does this do? What if it doesn't work? Or whatever. And I'm like, Hey, listen, just, just get some, if you, if it doesn't do what you think it's supposed to have done or what we said it was going to do, listen, I'll cut, I'll cut your money back to you. Like, I, I really, it's important to me.
Speaker 2 (00:51:48):
And also we believe in our product that much. So I want people to have peace of mind when they buy it. That, hey, we're not a one and done. If it, you know, you know, if there was something wrong with it or, or you know, whatever the case may be, will it give your money back or, or give you another can of it? So we're, we're not in the doing people wrong just to make a buck. Uh, you know, and I think in this world we live in nowadays, that's one of the sacred things that us small business people can do is is put product and people over the bottom line. So I think that's, that's what we're trying to do and, and trying to maximize what we think is gonna put the most smiles on people's face. And that's the, that's our salt strike shrimp.
Speaker 1 (00:52:27):
Good stuff. Good call. So you've been playing a lot with the dynamic or with, you know, creating here. So how do you balance innovation with proven design principles?
Speaker 2 (00:52:37):
Man, that, that's, that's a good one because, and I'll tell you, with Salt Strike to begin with, uh, I was, I kind of got into this when it got to coloring. I'm just a little bit about me. I'm a, I'm a big music head. I love, I love, uh, all types of music, but I'm really into the Grateful Dead and have been pretty much my whole life. So, uh, anything that's like, you know, high color, you know, neons or, uh, even tie dyes, we, we, I've always been drawn to that. So our first salt strike bait we made was sort of a, a, a tie-dyed shrimp that was preserved, but the coloration was, was tie-dyed. And we called it Grateful Bait. Um, you know, we, we may get back into that one day or something, but we, we just, uh, we just kind of of said, you know what, this is cool.
Speaker 2 (00:53:26):
This is sort of self-serving, but does, is this gonna work? It is, does a tie-dye shrimp, you know, that's blue, red and, and and yellow? Is that gonna do? And that's where I think to your point, functionality versus like creative outlet kind of kicks in. Um, you know, for the first couple months it was all basically what we wanted to do and what looked cool and, you know, what do we think would work? Now we know what does work, but, uh, you know, just again, keeping my ear to the grindstone, whether that's with people, you know, in, in face-to-face conversations or even social media. I mean, there's so many awesome, awesome people that I follow on social media that have given me either directly or indirectly really good advice about what they're u using. Um, you know, cliff Gardner is, is a friend of mine, uh, through, through our business and he does the green get 'em rigs. Uh, so he's all into green stuff, and I think he catches really, you know, he catches his share with, with his own product. But, you know, just, just things like that where you're not stealing an idea necessarily, but you're just seeing, Hey, these guys are having some success with certain colors. Let's, let's really maximize that.
Speaker 1 (00:54:37):
I always say, cliff could catch a Pompano in a freshwater pond, the man the hell of an angler,
Speaker 2 (00:54:41):
Right? So, yeah, just guys like that, you know, I just think that just being observant and just trying to figure out, you know, what works best, uh, is important. But, uh, back to the practicality versus like creativity. Um, we know that the size of shrimp we're working with now fits a variety of markets. And the small ones, they were great for like smaller Pompano rigs, a smaller size hook. But if you got anything bigger than, you know, if you got into anything that was a little bit larger than the smallest ones, and I get kind of confused on all the au au this and ought that, but, uh, we did know that the, uh, we did know that our shrimp to begin with was a little smaller than what it could be. What we found with our, our larger product now is similar to like a fish gum or fish bites.
Speaker 2 (00:55:33):
And I'm not making a comparison between the two. I'm just saying you can break these or cut these with your knife or scissors into smaller pieces, kinda like a, like a bite. Um, and as you can see, the coloring is all the way through. Um, you know, so our, our process is there, but we just found that you can put this whole big old thing on a big old circle hook if you want to, or you can use smaller pieces. Um, and we've used it to cap things like sand fleece, um, you know, or things that are likely to fly off of a hook on a big cast. We may cap it with some of our s salt strike if we're not just using that exclusively that day. And that kind of helps with it not flying off, or that's been our experience.
Speaker 1 (00:56:15):
Oh, that's good. I was gonna say, yeah, when I get it, uh, I won't be using a whole piece. I, I cut down to the thumbnail. I use chunks, so I was like, oh, 14 shrimp. No problem. Yeah, that just gave me, I'm not doing math, but yeah, that gave me a bunch of bait to use, so, uh, yeah. That's good. Smart. I like it. I, I'm glad that you added into that. Well, you talked about color. Let's continue on with that. How do you approach color selection for bait to ensure that they're attractive to the, any target species in the fishing environment?
Speaker 2 (00:56:42):
Um, you know, I, I've, I've tried to do as much research, you know, on my own virtually, you know, through the internet and whatnot, and not just, you know, Google searching, but like really honing in on some of these folks that really know what they're talking about. And I think we've arrived at these four colors being really, really dynamic. Um, you know, I do think that this couple, coupled with a really good rig that has some high res, um, you know, uh, colors, I think the two work in tandem, um, you know, uh, surf psychos, uh, Jim Price, he, he's the guy that makes the, he makes those, uh, sandfly, uh, hooks and, and some of the rigs that you could almost use them without bait. We've had some really good success with using his product with our salt strike because the float and the little, you know, imitation sandfly or shrimp is so lifelike that it's almost like a combo.
Speaker 2 (00:57:37):
I think it's just like, it must be a buffet for a, a fish that, that comes along. So, um, again, I don't know of, of all our colors that we do produce, if there's one that works any better, we just know we haven't found one that doesn't work. Um, and a lot of times we're using multiple poles and multiple colors just to kind of research and develop. So if the bite is on, we've seen that, we catch with all of them, um, you know, now does that mean that there's not some trophy fish that passed it by Abso I mean, it could be. I, I don't know. But if the bite is, if the bite is happening, we've found that our, our, our four main colors have really yielded, yielded multiple species. And, and so have our testers, uh, from North Carolina down to Florida. We did, we've got quite a few folks that fish our product in Jacksonville. Um, uh, John Avalos with the Bass Patrol Nation is a, a really good friend of ours and really has been really good to our company. When we were in the rig business, he was, uh, he, he was supplying us with the hooks from Victory Hooks, who is a, a, a sponsor of his. Um, but as I said, we're kind of getting outta that business, but we've seen that down in, uh, Jacksonville, especially on some of the piers we've really hauled in some really nice fish with the salt strike.
Speaker 1 (00:59:00):
Nice. That's really cool. Hey, proof in the pudding, right? That, that's where it rolls. Well, you talk about r and d and, uh, experimenting. Let's talk about that. What role does experimentation play in your design process, and how do you test and refine your bait for optimizing the performance?
Speaker 2 (00:59:16):
That's a great question. Uh, and I would say out of all of it, that that's probably where we spent the most time because we knew we had a, an innovative idea. We knew we had something that, in theory, when you're dealing with a shrimp, which is probably the most utilitarian, you know, bait out there in the saltwater world, if you ask me, uh, we knew we had something good, but we needed to make sure of what it was we wanted to do. So we knew we wanted to catch fish. We knew we wanted to have a durability, kind of like an artificial, um, and we wanted to also have something that wasn't gonna spoil. Uh, we had no idea that we'd be able to preserve it to the degree that it stays as long as it as it has. But I mean, when you talk about research and development, we have done some pretty pretty, uh, I won't say innovative, but almost crazy things just to, just to see, I mean, from taking it out to a, with a 30, uh, Zev, code 33, just little , you know, enclosed rig and going out in the road of, of my neighborhood and just slamming this stuff on the concrete just to see if it'll come off, uh, you know, slinging it as far as I can in dry, you know, just in dry in a field, just trying to see can we sling it off?
Speaker 2 (01:00:30):
Uh, you know, going down to the beach, going down to the jetties and like slamming that stuff on the rocks, dragging it across, you know, when there's a lot of wake and just stuff like that, just to, just to see like, how durable is this stuff really. Um, and we've been super impressed, uh, with, with how well it stays on. And because of the certain, you know, steps we put in to just test it on our own, we were able to kind of evolve and, and just say, Hey, you know, it needs to, it, it needs to be a little more preserved, you know, or, or maybe it doesn't need to be so preserved. Some of our earlier product was a little bit drier. Um, one thing I do wanna mention about our product, so as you can see it, it does have the, you know, it does, it is coated with salt, uh, on the back end.
Speaker 2 (01:01:19):
And it does have a, a glitter component. But what, what we're, what we also find is that when you put it, you know, it's, it's, it's just, it's flexible and imp pliable now, but when you put it in water, and I'll, I'll grab some at our next little break and show you what it looks like when it comes outta water, it almost completely changes form in that it becomes slick and very liquid fluid looking, if that makes sense. It almost has a shiny hue. It goes from almost a mat to a gloss. And we were real worried that, hey, once all the, the salt and the other preservatives and stuff get off of it, like, how well is this stuff gonna stand up? But again, like I was saying, you can cut it even in, in the middle of the protein. It is just as preserved as the outside.
Speaker 1 (01:02:06):
That's smart. Well, hey, you're lucky it's been an hour, so you can actually go grab that stuff. So go right ahead, go grab that water and we'll do this, this next paycheck. Hey, it's the last one of the show, so hopefully, you know, you've got it all. Everything's been great. Life is good. You're golden. You have nothing to complain about. And if not, eh, hopefully you went to a different beach. It's been good times so far. So you just gotta keep it going. This is your final paycheck of the episode. Remember, keep going.
Speaker 1 (01:02:40):
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Speaker 1 (01:03:22):
There's really nothing bad. But if you need rigs, he's got you covered. He got you with es lures and other hand tied rigs, hooks, other gear. He's got it all through here. As you can see, 15 pages worth of stuff, sand spikes and bait, all good things all the way through if you're into the firearm and tactical side. Oh, he is. Got you covered there. Ninja tactical, lots of good pieces of gear in here. As you scroll through, you're gonna find something you need. I know it always good stuff. Ninja tactical va.com. That's the website. Go on over. Get your order in today. All right, now that we got the water, now it's gonna get real. Show us what you got.
Speaker 2 (01:04:00):
All right, so, and I'm gonna use two different cans here. So I've got, I'm gonna use a blue and I'm gonna use a green now when I put it in the water and I'll, I'll pick it up where you can see it. Um, when, when you put it in, you know, this water obviously is still, I know there's some glare. Um, so it's not gonna have the same effect that you would have if you know it was in the, in the ocean. But I'm gonna drop a couple pieces in here and we can get it out in just a second. Um, just to show you guys what it, that's enough,
Speaker 1 (01:04:30):
Man dig. Don't, don't use the whole bag. You're good. .
Speaker 2 (01:04:34):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (01:04:36):
I mean, I'm all for showing how far we can stack the cuff here, but man, you got a product. Don't, don't just throw it all in. Let's see what,
Speaker 2 (01:04:43):
Yeah, that's true. This is true. I get excited when I start talking about the
Speaker 1 (01:04:47):
Sales. I can tell, which actually, you know, that's a good sign at least that you're, you know, you can tell it's not fake. You can tell you're not, you know, on a TV show that we won't name 'cause I don't want to get sued, you know, but you can tell that you care about it. So
Speaker 2 (01:04:59):
It's all, yeah. Yeah. We, we very much do. So as you can see, when, when you, when you wet it, it gets sort of a, a, a shiny hue to it. This is a darker color. This is just sort of a prototype, what we're throwing in. Um, but you know, we, we've seen so much success with so many of our products that, you know, we're always trying to evolve it a little bit. Let me get you another piece here. This one, this blue looks really good. Um, shake some of that off. But you can see it goes from that sort of callous salty to a, a real clear, you know, shiny. And you can see you still have your glitter. So, uh, you know, I get questions about that too. Well, why do you just throw glitter on it or whatever? Well, we throw glitter on it because it sticks to it.
Speaker 2 (01:05:45):
And we think that that shine also has something to do with it. We may be totally wrong, I don't know. But I think that's the other thing about fishing. Does anyone really know? Um, I think you just kind of have to get out there and, and try out new things. So with a product like this that's been, um, you know, not on the market long, we're still learning as much about it as, as our customers. So they give us good feedback. Here's that green again. Um, and as you can see, I mean, it really does, you know, become very, you know, shiny. Um, when it comes to the flexibility, I'm gonna put one on a hook real quick for you. So I've just got a, just a regular hook here, and I'm gonna hook it here up at the top and then back through the bottom if I'm using a whole piece. Um, and you can see it's, it's not hard at all to hook that bad boy up. We do recommend people wetting it before they put it on the hook. You don't have to, it just, we've just found it does a little bit better. So
Speaker 1 (01:06:52):
I think you re r and d, it comes in, in that way. You know what makes works. That's the key. All you, you're still under the same category, so let's keep it going. How do you address the challenge of creating scent that's both realistic and durable, given the potential for salt water and the rough conditions of those waves beating it up?
Speaker 2 (01:07:08):
Yeah, that's a, that's a really good question. So, our initial product did not have anything but the natural scent that came with it. Um, one thing we found about our salt strike is whatever, whatever condition, whatever, you know, uh, smell, uh, the product has when we begin our preservation process, is what it will continue to have for the duration of the product. So, meaning if we let, and we did this research and development when it came to thawing, you know, a frozen product. Do, do we let it thaw on its own? Do we, you know, figure in, uh, you know, water in it and all of these things? So we've kind of got a process now of how we develop, uh, you know, our process. And it, it really does, it really does help as, as far as just that durability and, and being able to, uh, make a consistent product for people.
Speaker 1 (01:08:00):
Good. Yeah, that's great work right there. Have you encountered any unexpected insights or discoveries in your journey as a bait maker that have influenced the design?
Speaker 2 (01:08:09):
Um, I would say definitely, uh, making it larger. That was the biggest thing. And that was just listening to our people. You know, we, we had gotten our product out and, you know, for guys that said, Hey, listen, we're not just gonna, we're like, we're legit gonna test your product and we're gonna do a review of it, or we're gonna do a, a box opening. Like, rich Logan, I know you know Rich 'cause I saw him on here. He, he's been great for me. He, he really has helped coach me kind of through the social media process about how to like, do our product. But he was one of the very first ones that was like, Hey man, I love what you're doing. It looks really cool. Get me some and let me do a review of it. But let me also preface it with, if it's a piece of crap, we're gonna say it's a piece of crap.
Speaker 2 (01:08:49):
And, uh, I was like, amen to that because that's what we want. Again, we're not trying to sell you on one can of this and get our $15 and, and right off in the sunset. We want repeat customers. And that's what we've had off actually is, um, you know, you obviously you're gonna have new customers 'cause we're new product, but the number of pro, the amount of product we've been able to sell in the last three, four months, probably 70% of that comes from the same people repeat customers. Um, so we know that it's working. Um, we don't get orders back to back because even a can of this, no matter how hard you're fishing, it, you're not gonna use the whole can in a day, um, even with multiple people. So we do realize that, uh, we, we, we try not to do like the Crocs model and, you know, I don't know if I can talk about Crocs here, but we don't wanna make something that's so good that nobody ever has to buy it again either.
Speaker 2 (01:09:42):
So, uh, you know, there there's a piece of it where we want it to, to meet its need, but we're also not trying to make a piece of beef jerky just to say it'll last for two years. Uh, you know, we do realize, we do realize that it's bait and it's gonna be used, but we do think that's a, a major feature, not only for consumers, but if we do ever get into the retail end of it, um, not having to put it in a freezer, not having to check a date. I mean, we'll put a born on date on it, but as far as like an expiration date, we, we don't have that data right now to say, uh, but we do feel good about saying it's gonna last as long as you're gonna keep it
Speaker 1 (01:10:18):
Good stuff. Rich is a hell of an angler and he's doing great things on social media. I've very much so enjoyed interviewing him.
Speaker 2 (01:10:24):
Yeah, he, he, like I said, it is been so cool to have so many different people that have taken of their time or their, their platform or, or whatever. Same with you, Brian. I mean to, you know, I was, I was giddy to, to be able to get on a show like yours, uh, with the following and, and the caliber of angular that you all attract. Uh, this, this is big time for FC Fish Company. I want you to know that. So we're, we're a small timer. You know, we, our our, our job is not to encroach on anybody else's piece of the pie. We just think we offer something that's pretty unique that kind of stands in the gap of artificial and all natural and kind and kind of brings both of those worlds together in a durable product that'll last.
Speaker 1 (01:11:10):
Hey, bridging is key, especially in this game. I mean, we every, yeah. Dare I say it, what the hell? Let's cause some feather rough run. You know, you got people that are die hard artificial and die hard, live it. And finding the middle ground is just a pain in the. Yeah. But I mean, you know, being able to do it, it's, it's a risk. But if it's a win, there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, whoa, whoa, people are gonna catch fish. Oh no. How dare I,
Speaker 2 (01:11:38):
Right? Yeah. And I guess for me, I've never gotten caught up in the whole, this one's better than that one. Or, you know, I never went, we never got into this thinking we have to mastermind a gap bait that serves a piece of both of those markets. We just said, Hey man, what will help some shrimp stay on a little longer? And that's, that's kind of how we arrived at it. And like I said, I mean, our, our goal is to make friends in this business, uh, you know, to partner with people. Uh, we think there's money to be made for everyone, and we think there's fish to be caught for everyone. So we're, we're not the kind that come in and we know we're the new kid on the block and, and we just appreciate a, a, you know, a place at the table.
Speaker 2 (01:12:17):
We, we have been, uh, you know, uh, reached out to on several occasions about, Hey, we'd like to get this in a, in a, in a bait shop or taco shop or, or whatever. And we're just not there yet. Um, not that we couldn't be, we just, it's more of a choice for us that we just wanna make sure that we've gotten the very best product where it is. And there's still some tweaks that we're, that we're working out before we, we get to that point. And I really just don't wanna lose autonomy of our product and, you know, how we market it, who we market it to. Um, I, I like the notion that it's a little exclusive and that every batch is a small batch. Um, you know, we're, we're not mass producing this in some factory somewhere, but we are making enough of it to where we can, we can fill orders across the country too, so we can, we have the capability to increase pretty considerably with what we're just doing right now.
Speaker 2 (01:13:14):
And as long as it's manageable and we're having a good time with it, that's what we want. Um, you know, for me it's big to, uh, have something that we created, um, you know, so for my boys and, and our family, something we can be proud of. Um, you know, uh, we, we don't like just giving our, you know, swag, our hats, shirts, or, you know, product just to anybody. Um, you know, we want to, we want to put it in the hands of people that care about fishing, do it for the right reasons, you know, are not hoarding all the information to themselves. You know, these guys are taking kids out and, and, and, you know, just doing community stuff. Man, that fires us up because that's what we're all about anyway. I mean, from my professional background, I mean, we've always been about helping people, specifically kids, and, and we think this is a product that, you know, has some legs to be able to help some organizations like you've referenced in, in this podcast where, you know, some of our nonprofits that can get kids out there 'cause we just gotta get 'em out there and not on those video games all the time.
Speaker 2 (01:14:20):
I mean, I see it in my own house all the time. And, uh, for folks that don't have somebody at home that's already doing that, uh, you know, it's great to have organizations like, you know, kids can fish, you know, to be able to, you know, expand it so that it's not a lost art. That's a biggie for me. Um, you know, forgotten Coast is not only a geograph geographic place, but the notion of being forgotten is important to me in that so much about fishing, you know, can easily be forgotten with all of the new technology and all the hype. Um, so for us, keeping it simple, you know, it's a very simple product. It's not a, an overly scientific method that we use, but we want to pay homage to kinda damage the traditional piece of, of fishing. Uh, but give it a new twist.
Speaker 1 (01:15:14):
Yeah. Getting the kids out. 'cause we've already got the addiction, uh, captain Dave Hanson, uh, I'll, you know, that's one thing that Captain Dave really, uh, hammered home for me one time. He is like, you've already got the addiction. Give it to them. They need it. You know, we're, and we're all really just, we're just training the next generation to take over for us. 'cause we're not gonna be here forever. And you know, hopefully we pass down some fun stuff that they can pass on to theirs. And we, we got that and then it's fun on the podcast. 'cause now it's a forever thing. So they'll always have something to go back and go, well my great grandfather, he talked about fishing and this is how they did it back in the 2000 range. You know, , it's like, yeah, that's how we did it. You guys. New technology. Oh boy, I love these kids. Um, alright, let's talk about some wins here. Uh, you've had this out, you've had it beta tested, you've had it product testing. You know, you got people now that you are like, all right, we got something here. Have the brand, any particular memorable success stories or super catches that you're like, dude, that was awesome.
Speaker 2 (01:16:15):
Um, you know, and I'm not just saying it 'cause we're on the show. I think this right here has been kind of a, just being able to be invited and, and be part of something like this has been a big step for us. Uh, you know, because we're just a small, a small group of, you know, uh, just a little family business that is just excited to have, like I said, a, a, a seat at the table. But, you know, I think as far as like big wins, it is just been some of the connections that we've had, um, you know, with either people that wanted to help promote and get our, our product out there or give us genuine feedback on, hey, this, this worked okay, but this, you know, we used to have an issue with our product staining. All right, so to begin with, you know, the coloring would come off on your fingers, which, you know, we're clean now.
Speaker 2 (01:17:03):
I got a little, just a little tag. Um, but it was, it was like, it was just dyed product or something to begin with. So I think that, you know, just, just having really good people that weren't trying to, you know, be ugly about it, but just saying, Hey man, you got a really cool thing here, but your, your color sucks. Or, Hey, uh, you, you got a really good thing here and we're catching something, but it's, it's too small. Um, I think that we're, we're using every opportunity in a quality platform to engage with people that we share common values with as it relates to what we're doing. Um, you know, like I said, I, I want to be to the 0.1 day when I walk into a place that maybe if, if our product is sold or they're using it somewhere that we can be proud of it and don't have to run from 'em and answer questions about why doesn't it do or whatever.
Speaker 2 (01:17:56):
I mean, we, we want to be as straight up with it and, and, you know, the, the same product that I would give to my dad or, or use with me and my own boys, or my next door neighbor or whomever, that's the same product we're gonna be sending out to San Diego. Um, and, and that's important to us that there's not the for sale or, or this is our retail, but this is the good stuff. It's all our best, very, very best product. And I do, I do say, um, you know, it is an evolution. So if you bought from us early, or you were a tester from us, you know, early on, come back to it. Because what we have now compared to what we started with in, you know, June and July is light years ahead. We, my my wife mentioned to me the other day, 'cause I was, I was talking about just, you know, where we are, where the company was going and all that.
Speaker 2 (01:18:44):
And she's like, Matt, you do realize you, y'all just started this in June of this year, right? And I was like, man, you know, I didn't even think about that. I mean, and we kind of missed, you know, the spring season and all of that. And I know that, you know, there are a lot of folks that are really ramping up right now and we've been sending out product, you know, the last couple of days. But, uh, we've just been really proud of where we've come as far as just getting our product out there and continuing to evolve our product to something that really, really hits to what it is we want to do. And that's fine. Success with catching fish, let's bring people together without cell phones and do something and, and what better than fishing.
Speaker 1 (01:19:26):
Definitely. And when this airs, uh, like we talked about, it's gonna air, uh, in December timeframe, I have the oddest feeling that this bait's gonna do something special in winter. Water. Call me, call me crazy. I'm gonna go ahead and, uh, I'm gonna put a, I'm gonna put a Vegas bet on that one.
Speaker 2 (01:19:46):
Well, we, we have seen, uh, indications of that being a trend. I'll, I'll say that. Um, you know, you know what, you know, and you know it because of your experiences or what you've read or, or who you've talked to. And this whole company has opened up a whole nother, you know, lens for me about how people fish, people that fish year round, you know, different conditions in different, different parts of the country and things of that nature. So, you know, I've always been a, you know, a spring early fall, you know, when it gets into that under 50, I'm, I'm kind of out, you know, or, or have been and, uh, you know, uh, I, I've just found that there are lots of people that are catching more fish now than they were, you know, a couple months ago. And that, that really excites me.
Speaker 2 (01:20:28):
Um, and I think that we're getting into what excites me is I know I'm putting product in people's hands that know something about fishing. So we've kind of moved away from weekend Charlie and, and, and Cindy, you know, that are just down on vacation and want to throw out something and see what they catch. Folks that are catching, catching are fishing in these conditions. They're not out there just see, hey, let's throw one out, see what we can do. I mean, they know something about it. So we're really, we're really excited about the feedback we're getting with this new and improved if, if, if that, if that's the word, uh, for it right now. But a a much, much more user-friendly and much more effective product now a couple of months later.
Speaker 1 (01:21:12):
Oh, you guys are doing good things there. Um, are there any future directions or innovations you're excited to explore in this realm?
Speaker 2 (01:21:21):
Um, you know, I think, like I said, we, we just want to continue to build our network. Um, you know, we're not into millions of followers necessarily. We are, we're into, you know, good quality followers. So I think, you know, the next endeavor for us is we, we intend on remaining a quasi small business where we're, we're handling those operations. So I think the, the challenge for us is probably gonna be finding that balance between, you know, being able to put product out for people, but also keep it manageable where we're not having to turn it over to somebody to, to, to make it happen. So, you know, that, I would say that's probably our next step. We feel really good about our product and procedure to make the product right now. There'll be a few tweaks and we're, and like I said, we're still dinking around with different coloring options and all that, but primarily we're on the same thing. So I, if, if to answer that question would just one, one thing. I would say probably just our, just our co uh, just our knowledge base of who knows who we are and what we have. And I think this is a great opportunity for us to, you know, show the world essentially what our product is and, and you know, how they can get it
Speaker 1 (01:22:34):
Perfection all across. All right. Well, let's get you into the closing questions and get you outta here. Back to your day. Do you have for, for beginners, uh, someone's just starting out in the surf fishing, what's one piece of advice you'd give them to set 'em on the right path?
Speaker 2 (01:22:47):
Um, I would say unlike any other fishing, to me, it's whatever comes by in so many different ways. So you can't get caught up with what are you targeting so much as what's out there. I think, you know, we can get real if you, especially if you spend a lot of time on socials, you know, these people, it's like, well, how do they, they know they're gonna catch this fish. And, and I know there are certain things that go with d different types of fishing and what you're targeting, but when you're just straight surf fishing, in my opinion, you never know what's gonna come by. You never know what's gonna be hungry. You never know. So my biggest thing is get a, get a hook in a water, keep that thing, load it up with some salt strike or whatever you're using, and just be patient, um, catchings not fishing.
Speaker 2 (01:23:28):
Um, that, that's kind of our, uh, sort of motto at my house. Um, and our, our slogan at FC Fish Co is, we didn't catch your first fish, but we can help you with you're next. And that, that's kind of where we are, is we, we realize, hey, we're coming into this thing late. We're dealing with a lot of people that already have the addiction. They already have the sickness, right, Brian. So we're just trying to give them another option or give something that's really palatable, affordable, and user-friendly to people that maybe are trying to get into this and just maybe have been a little bit apprehensive of, you know, all of the things that are out there.
Speaker 1 (01:24:02):
Good stuff, man. Uh, before we wrap up, do you have any final thoughts, tips that you'd like to share with listeners who are interested in fishing for the, you know, getting into fishing and then also into trying out, uh, the bait?
Speaker 2 (01:24:17):
Uh, yeah. Uh, you know, as far as just advice to anybody that's new, like I said, I I would just say get out there, you know, find a, find a place, make a plan. Um, you know, if you know somebody that does a little fishing, you'd be surprised at how many people will go if you invite 'em, especially if they think that you're new to it and you can, they can be your person that you're teaching things to. I mean, I, I don't know about everyone else, but that kind of stuff excites me. Not that I know anything more than anybody else, but just to be able to say, Hey, man, isn't this fun? You know, he, you didn't know this is how you do it. I, I'll never forget Chip, just to go back to Sinker guy, when we first started out, he called me and, uh, we were chatting and he said, Hey man, I'm just gonna be real honest with you. You do something that bothers me. And I said, oh man, okay, uh, what? And he said, it's your rigs. He said, they're good rigs. He said, and you're using good product and all that. He said, but you know, you're tying your hooks on backwards. Yeah,
Speaker 1 (01:25:14):
I knew it was gonna be the hook. I knew it. Chip chip's a very big proponent about the hooks.
Speaker 2 (01:25:19):
And I said, I had no idea. And he is like, oh, yeah. And he explained it to me and all that. So I did make the change and I did, I did catch, uh, some fish and, you know, even somebody that's been doing it my whole life, I mean, I don't know to what degree of success I, you know, I've had or whatever, but for somebody that's pretty comfortable in inefficient situation to have someone give me some, you know, pretty direct, you know, feedback like that, that, that was awesome for me. Um, because it, it said, Hey man, this guy gives enough craps right now to mention this to some dude he doesn't know, doesn't know how I'm gonna react to that, doesn't do anything. Frankly, he didn't give a crap because he's, he's chip. But for me, I was like, man, this dude, this is, this is valuable man.
Speaker 2 (01:26:01):
This, this is valuable information. And I've found that I do that with people, you know, my buddy John Avalos and some of the others are rich, you know, I'm asking them questions because not only are their species and, and maybe fishing styles a little different than what I do and, and what I've been exposed to. But I know that that can be taught to new people, whether that's kids or even even grownups. But I just, my advice would be, man, if, if you wanna go fishing, reach out to somebody, you know, that does. Um, if you, if you don't have anybody like that and you just want to get some basics, reach out to somebody on social media and just see, uh, you know, by and large, we're one of the most friendly, friendly tribes I've found. Um, and we're always looking for more, you know, more people to get into it with. So I, I, that would be my advice to a to a new person just getting into it.
Speaker 1 (01:26:50):
Good advice, man. Absolutely. Where can listeners find more about the bait content? What's the websites and all the other socials they be linked back to?
Speaker 2 (01:26:58):
Yeah, so our website is fc fish co.com. Um, and you can buy product direct there. Uh, we are on social, uh, social media, we're on Facebook, we're on Instagram, and we're on TikTok. Um, our largest following by far is Facebook, but that's just where we spend our most of our time. I, I don't know that, I don't know that any one of them is any better for our brand. We just, we just chose that one to begin with because we just saw more interaction with actual Fisher phishing people and not just people that like the funny video or whatever. So, uh, but our, uh, Facebook is at FC Fish co. Same with, um, Instagram as well.
Speaker 1 (01:27:42):
Perfect. Thank you so much. And like I said, everybody that will be linked back on all these stuff for the web website or for, uh, over to his website, so wow, I can't even talk. It'll be linked back on finding you most surf phishing.com. It'll also be linked on the social medias where you heard this episode from. You'll be able to find it back through that, and if you have questions, you can always reach out to both of us. Yeah, absolutely. You've heard what the names are. Hey, what website was that? Yeah, we got you covered. Alright, final question. We'll get you outta here, Matt, what's next for you?
Speaker 2 (01:28:11):
Uh, you know, just continuing to grow our brand. I think that's a big piece. I think whether we're talking about fish and bait or any other product branding is so important. Um, you know, having something we can stand by and I think the best way to do that is to continue to pump out good product, continue to, you know, reach out to people and also be, you know, uh, approachable to our customers. You know, if you, if you shoot us a, if you follow us on our, our, uh, any of our socials or go to our website and fill out a, uh, uh, fill out a, a form to be, you know, on our mailing list, we're gonna get back to you. We're checking all of our own socials and all that stuff. So if you send us a instant message and, and, and we see it, we're gonna get back to you.
Speaker 2 (01:28:55):
And it will, it'll be me or one of our other folks that, that does help with that. But, um, I think for us is just, you know, holding, holding course of what we know works, knowing what people want, and just trying to really market that and get that out more. I, I don't know that we're like, I, like I already mentioned on this, we, we've kind of downsized from, you know, some things that we felt like were more of just of a distraction of our core business than, than anything else. So we, we'd really like to just expand our brand. Um, you know, as you catch more fish with salt strike, more people buy hats, more people buy shirts, all, all the things. So, um, again, we, whether it's our, whether it's our, uh, salt strike bait or any of our swag that we sell, we're selling it at a point basically that we're trying to just cover our costs on it.
Speaker 2 (01:29:45):
You know, we're, we're not trying to just get rich on things and, you know, I took a lot of inspiration from the salt, salt life stickers, you know, that we've seen for the last two decades around. Uh, and I've always thought, you know, what is that? You know, it's an idea, but it, it's, it's a really good branding job. Is, is, is what that that company's done. So if we can couple a really good product with, uh, some really good branding, we, we feel really good about that. And, uh, our, our social media presence got us here today and, uh, you know, it's made us somewhat relevant in this, in this market and we just really appreciate everybody that we've talked about on the show and everybody that, you know, we, we didn't mention, but you know, who you are that have helped us get to this point so far.
Speaker 1 (01:30:28):
Well, great stuff. I look forward to seeing the innovation in the future and you guys are doing great things. Thank you so much for coming on the show, talking about it, sharing your knowledge, and, uh, I, I look forward to seeing and speaking with you more in the future.
Speaker 2 (01:30:40):
Brian, thank you again for, for having us and, and we, any, if there's anything we can do for you or any of your partners, just let us know.
Speaker 1 (01:30:48):
Will do. Alright Matt. Thanks. We'll talk to you soon. Alright.
Speaker 1 (01:30:53):
Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I hope this episode's been educational for you. It has been for me. It's pretty interesting stuff there. Uh, I am very excited to see how this goes and where it runs. As you can see, Matt's good people talking good. And you can tell he gives, uh, he cares a lot about it. So even listening to finding demo, most surf phishing, if this episode help you, don't forget to share it out to somebody. That's the way we help each other as we all grow from each other. That's the big goal of this show. It always has been. It always will be. I want you to catch more fish and I want you to be able to do it wherever you go. Wouldn, no matter what part of the world you're in, I just want you to catch fish again. You listen to finding demo surf fishing. I'm outta here.