Today’s Friday Finale historical photo dates back to 1990 and features one of first anglers you likely think of when talking tubes – Rich Tauber. Most recognized for his U.S. Open win back in 1982, he was becoming a fast-rising star in the West on major circuits prior to his Open victory. But what many might not remember is that he also fished the Bassmaster circuit, to the tune of nearly 90 events, mostly during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
It was during this time that he appeared in a couple articles in The Daily Oklahoman. One was for his finesse prowess, especially with a Gitzit, the original tube lure designed by Bobby Garland in the late 1970s. The other was for a fishing computer program you probably don’t remember.
Rich Tauber’s “Bass Champ” was a software package that ran on MS DOS computers (IBM or IBM compatible machines) and simulated a day-long fishing tournament under rules patterned after those used in the BASS events. Lake Stikapig was the fictional lake you were placed on, and you controlled a series of variables while fishing a tournament day.
You had your choice of such things as 20 different lure types in 32 color combinations. You could switch to “graph mode,” as well as cast, flip, or jig fish. You chose from 3 retrieve speeds, and two actions (steady or erratic).
On the fishing front, he was mostly known as a finesse fisherman, and the Gitzit was his bread-and-butter lure of choice. He preferred to fish the bait in clear water (visibility greater than 2 feet), the clearer the better. He also rigged the bait with a light jig head. He wanted the bait to either sway or spiral on the fall, and that was controlled by how you aligned the jighead within the tube body.
He preferred lighter weight jig heads, often as light as 1/16 oz., and fished the bait on a 6-ft rod with 8-pound line. In the article, he stated you should never try to feel the strike, suggesting it was not a lure you fish by feel. He also preferred short casts, and his two favorite colors were salt and pepper and pumpkin pepper.
