Today’s historical photo, Iovino’s Shaking, takes us back to 1989 and features then 51-year-old Don Iovino talking about his doodling technique, which the author describes as, “not a good ol’ boy’s approach.” It appeared not out west, but instead, in the Paducah Sun (KY). A few interesting excerpts from the detailed story include;
> “Doodling, a specific attack pioneered by Iovino, involves fishing a small plastic worm on very light line with a shaking action imparted by the angler. It is often conducted in water far deeper than that in which conventional plastic worms usually find themselves.”
> “‘There [are] three ways to doodle,’ Iovino said. ‘First, there’s straight down – jigging. The second is on the sink – shaking the worm as it falls after the cast. The third is the doodle slide. After casting, you shake it, pull and stop, then shake it again and start over. The doodle slide is for deep, lateral movement.”
> “He rigs his small worm, rigged weedless ‘Texas-style’ on a 1/0 Gary Klein Weapon Hook, with an 8mm glass bead between the head of the worm and a 3/16-ounce slip sinker.”
> “To keep in touch with the worm in water as deep as 70 feet, Iovino uses 6-pound Trilene XT clear line, spooling it on a casting reel which is mated to a special Phoenix Rod Co. graphite casting stick with an extremely quick tip action. The rig lets him cast the small offering effectively, yet continue to feel and control it at extreme depths.”
> “The worms, made in natural, opaque colors, come packed in sea salt. The salt eats pores into the plastic, and these serve to carry the taste of crystallized salt to the fish. The pores also hold SparklScale Fish Formula scent attractant which Iovino recommends and packs with doodling kits he markets.”
> “Initially thought of as a western gambit, doodling now seems poised to become established – particularly by tournament fishermen – wherever bass get finicky.”
