Romig Twins & Mack’s Lure Smile Blades
By Stan Fagerstrom
Delve into the history of a dedicated walleye fisherman from Umatilla, Oregon and it won’t be long before you’re seeing double.
The angler I’m talking about is Stan Romig (pictured right). What’s that got to do with seeing double? Let me explain. Stan, you see, has a twin brother named Steve. And Stan also has twin sons named Jason and Jerrad. I guarantee you the walleyes in the lakes all four of the Romigs have fished have had “double trouble” every time they’ve been on the water.
For years twins Jason and Jerrad always fished with their dad in walleye tournament competition. Jerrad, for example, fished with his dad in a walleye tournament at the Potholes in Washington in May. The two finished second in that tournament.
Later in May Stan’s son Jason fished with him in a tournament at Banks Lake. They took seventh place in that one.
Stan’s two sons have always wanted to fish together as a team. They got that opportunity this year. Stan helped his sons get their own boat. One of their first tournaments as a team was the 2004 Washington Governor’s Cup Tournament held in June at Kettle Falls.
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Jason and Jerrad Romig, twin brothers from Umatilla, OR, know what it takes to put walleye in the boat. They are pictured below receiving a check for more than $7,000, along with a trophy, for winning the Washington Governor's Cup contest staged at Kettle Falls in June. |
How’d they do? They won it! The pair walked away with a tad more than $7,000 after they weighed in 30.07-pounds during the 2-day event.
That kind of success doesn’t come easy. You have to have the right kind of presentation to put that many of those elusive boogers in the boat, especially when there’s all kinds of pressure from competing anglers.
I was curious as to just how they did it. I called them to find out. They give their father a good bit of the credit. They also have nothing but good to say about the Mack’s Lure products they used to help put their winning total together.
“Our dad is a good teacher,” Jason says. “I’m still pumping him for information.
One of the things the twins learned from their father was his high regard for Mack’s Lure Smile Blades. He taught his sons that these easy-turning blades have great versatility
He pointed out how walleye anglers using them can change their presentation in a heartbeat. He taught them how Smile Blades can be fished fast or extremely slow. Try slowing down to the same speed with a metal blade and it will flop onto the bottom mud.
Something else the senior Romig pointed out to his sons was that when used with a bottom bouncer and a Mack’s Lure USA bead chain swivel they could do a far more efficient job of fishing weedy water. They don’t foul up as easily as a metal blade. The twins also knew their dad had thrown most of his metal blades away once he realized the advantages Smile Blades gave him.
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Jason and Jerrad Romig used Mack's Lure Hot Wings (center) and chartreuse and laser Smile Blades to take their winning poundage at the Governor's Cup contest |
If you’re a walleye fisherman and you’re reading this column you’re probably as interested as I was in finding out exactly what the set up is the Romig twins used to walk away with their Governor’s Cup win. Listen up because I’m fixin’ to let you in on the details.
“We used a blue colored Mack’s Lure Hot Wings at the end of our main line,” Jason says. “We ran about 3-feet of 8-pound test leader down to our worm harness. We ran a small sized Smile Blade above eight beads onto the leader before attaching the worm harness.”
The Romig twins used two different Smile Blade colors to record their winning catch. Whenever it was cloudy was and there thunderstorms in the area they did their best on a chartreuse Smile Blade. When the sun was shining they had their best success with a new Smile Blade called the Laser.
The Lazer is a Smile Blade that changes in color depending on how the light hits it. This blade was developed at the request of Larry McClintock, operator of the Critter Gitter Fishing Tackle shop in Portland. McClintock is a dedicated walleye angler himself. This is the third time one of the Smile Blade colors he’s had a hand in developing has helped win a walleye tournament the first time they’ve been used.
These blades are presently available only at Critter Gitter Tacke. If you’re interested, and if I was heading out walleye fishing tomorrow I would be, you can contact McClintock at (503) 257-0553. He can also be reached via the Internet at lwmcclintock@comcast.net.
Jason Romig told me he and his brother selected the blue Hot Wings for use at the end of their line because of the numerous trout in the water they were fishing. “We thought the bluish flash given off by the Hot Wings might better resemble the bait fish,” Jason says. “We also figured using the Hot Wings would attract a little more attention.”
The results speak proved they were right. Their winning set up not only got the attention of the fish, it also created all kinds of interest among their competition.
“There was lots of interest in our rigging,” Jason says. “We weighed in 19.8-pounds the first day. The second day we had guys following us everywhere we went.”
How do twin brothers get along on the walleye tournament trail? I also asked Jason that question. “We get along very well,” he says. “I hate to admit it but my brother Jerrad is just as good a fisherman as I am.”
Stan Romig’s twin sons might have the Governor’s Cup to their credit, but I got the definite impression they still regard their dad as the family’s number one walleye specialist. For one thing their father has been fishing walleye now for almost two decades. He’s a serious student of the sport.
I’ve a strong hunch you’ll be hearing more about the Romig twins on down the line. If we do, undoubtedly dad will get some of the credit. And so will the Mack’s Lure products that are being employed by an ever-growing number of the nation’s successful walleye anglers.
You may not be fortunate enough to have Stan Romig show you his walleye secrets, but you can certainly get your hands on the lures he employs. You’ll find them listed right here in other sections of this Mack’s Lure web site. |