"If I simply want to catch fish in summer, I'm pulling my little spinner rigs," says veteran guide Tony Roach. Growing up with a family of mega-talented anglers, Roach learned early that if he wanted to catch more than sloppy seconds, he'd have to get sneaky with his own set of tricks. Chief among them was a small spinner rig tipped with live bait. More often than not, Roach's approach delivers the goods-a fact to which I can readily attest.

"In summer, I like to tie my own multi-species rigs," Roach states. "Start with a three to six-foot leader of 6-pound test mono. Snell on a single #6 Super-Glo Attractor Hook. Slide on three or four 4mm beads, a clevis and a #2 Baitfish-Image Colorado blade. In dirty water, I like Northland's Golden Shiner pattern. For clear lakes, the Yellow Perch pattern is a winner."

In weeds, Roach runs a bullet sinker. Over clean bottom he prefers a Northland Slip-Bouncer, which lets him troll faster without losing the ability to feed line to biting fish. He tips the rig with a medium leech and simply starts cruising along the structure using his bow-mount electric motor. When the leech needs replacing, a Frabill Leech Tote is always at hand, and quickly coughs up a volunteer.