Carl Schmidt is a tackle specialist at Fisherman's Landing. He likes to fish just about anywhere, and this year he entered the saltwater bass contest in San Diego Bay determined to get a good place among the winners. He placed 11th, higher than the other anglers from his organization.

Several weeks prior to the contest Carl showed me his secret weapon. "It looks like a dredge," I remarked. "Yeah," he agreed. "It's an Alabama rig. But you can't show any pictures of it until after the contest." "Okay," I said, "I won"t." But the contest is over now, and here's a peek at Carl's secret bass weapon. Notice that he has the best part hidden, anyway.