Every Rico has a Story Intro

8/5/2011 – Story by Dan and Christina O’Sullivan

Starting today, Advanced Angler is going to be hosting a new Lobina Lures Rico contest for the summer and into the fall – Topwater Season.

The contest; called “Every Rico has a Story,” is built around allowing people to tell their tales about their experiences; good or bad, with their favorite Lobina Lures product. The Rico, which was originally brought to the United States by Lobina Lures with the collaboration of Rick Clunn and Norio Tanabe; has become one of the most prized fish catchers in many tackle boxes.

The object of the contest is to submit a story to us here at Advanced Angler telling us; in detail, your favorite experience with Lobina Lures’ Rico, Rio Rico or Rico Suave. Each week, we will go through the submissions and select our favorite one; which will run on Advanced Angler’s “Every Rico has a Story” blog on the site.

The author of that week’s winning story will receive a 20th Anniversary Lobina Lures Trio; one of each, Rico, Rio Rico and Rico Suave in Absolute color pattern with a 20th Anniversary logo on the back. Submit your story by emailing it to: media@advancedangler.com.

To kick things off, my wife Christina and I will come clean about an experience that we shared; not three or four months after we were married in 1997 on Folsom Lake one evening that involved my favorite Baby Bass Rico and a new Lightning Shad Rio Rico.

Background
I was doing a story for West Coast Bass News on throwing the Rico with Western Legend John Murray. While doing the story, Jennifer Duff, the owner of Lobina Lures sent me a Lightning Shad Rio Rico for taking pictures of the lure for supporting imagery in the article.

I was absolutely slack jawed to receive this lure, and along with it, one of the original Rico Suave lures. First of all; I’m a Rico nut, I love the Rico, and in topwater time, I always have one tied on. But, being in college when I first learned about them; it took me awhile to get one.

I had saved for three pay periods to get my first Rico; a beautiful Baby Bass job that I paid $25 plus tax for in 1993, and had since been able to add a Clown and Rainbow Trout colored version to may arsenal too. But, Baby Bass was, and probably still is, my first choice when throwing the Rico.

So, after finishing the article and the photos, Christina and I decide to go out to Folsom Lake for an evening outing in the evening during the week. It was warm and the bugs were out; perfect for Rico fishing. Other than that; I let her tell you the story.

Christina’s Rico Tale
It all started with Dan and I having an argument; “here throw the Lightning Shad Rio Rico that Jennifer sent me for photos with the story.” To which I responded; “no, I don’t want to throw the $25.00 lure, give me a cheap one.” But, Dan was emphatic (read as stubborn) “C’mon, its a little bit bigger, and you’ll like the distance you can get with it.” I kept saying, “no, I still don’t want to lose one of your “good” ones; just give me that cheap one over there. Then he got even more stubborn, as only my Irish husband can; “no, just throw it, it will be fine!” I again replied, “no, I don’t think so please give me something else.” Dan put his foot down. “Just throw the lure; here I’ve already tied it onto your rod!!”

So here we go, trolling along down the bank just left of the dam on Folsom Lake. We break away from the shoreline to toss the lures around some willow trees. I was throwing between the tree lines as Dan cast back toward the bank. Apparently Dan had made a long cast attempting to drop just in front of a log against the shore and overshot; catching his prized Baby Bass Rico onto the log itself.

He apparently wasn’t thinking much of anything but getting his favorite lure back and he kicked the trolling motor on high and took off toward the log just as I was attempting a long cast between a couple of the willow trees.

So, just as I was casting, the boat whips off to the right and my “expensive lure that I didn’t want to throw in the first place” veers to the right and catches 12 feet up in the 20 foot tall I was trying to cast past. Dan said, “It’s not a big deal,” and continues on to retrieve his lure, and then heads back over to pull mine off its branch where it is neatly perched like a little silver, red and black bird.

Now the fun really begins; it ain’t gonna budge, in fact, while he is violently shaking and sternly bending and pulling the rod to try and break the hooks free, my rod busts in half with a loud reverberating crack; and the bait is still buried in the tree. Fortunately, the line didn’t break, and he starts trying to pull the branch down with the line in hand. But, as he pulls, the boat just keeps getting pulled up under the tree.

So, to try to counter the pendulum action of the boat, we turn the trolling motor around, around I keep a heavy foot on the trolling motor as Dan continues to pull from the back of the front deck which is now being almost completely engulfed by willow tree branches.

Dan was pulling at the line trying to reach the branch, and just as he got his hand wrapped around the whippy wood of the tree, we hear a loud “Crack, Pop, Snap” followed by the sound of splitting lumber and one whole section of the forked tree trunk breaks off and falls bow to stern down the middle of the boat right between the both of us.

We just stood there looking at each other wide eyed in disbelief that one of us didn’t go for a swim.

Dan quickly removed the lure and we both worked together to roll the tree out of the boat. Now we only had the problem of about a 1/2- inch deep blanket of leaves and twigs covering the whole boat.

Dan said, no problem, let’s just get on plane and let them blow out as we drive back to the ramp . As we trolling motored out of the little pocket we were in, we started to giggle hysterically about our little problem, when we decided we had started a new “structure relocation program” on Folsom Lake.

“Yeah, that’s it,” we said. “There will just be better places for the bass to school up on next time.”

The end of this tale is almost as good, as we rocket off across the lake towards the launch ramp, Dan comfortably tucked behind his console, while I was getting pummeled with sheets of leaves, and darts of twigs.

He just said “whoops, hadn’t thought that through completely; sorry.” Oh well, just another great day on the water, and we still have both of those lures, and no, I won’t throw it ever again.

The moral of the story; you should never let your wife throw your prized lures!

So, tell us your favorite Rico tale, and we’ll share it with the rest of the readers here on Advanced Angler. You might just win a lure you can throw into a tree too. I’m sure the folks at Lobina would love to hear about that one too.

Don’t forget The author of each week’s winning story will receive a 20th Anniversary Lobina Lures Trio; one of each, Rico, Rio Rico and Rico Suave in Absolute color pattern with a 20th Anniversary logo on the back. Submit your story by emailing it to: media@advancedangler.com. And, don’t forget to tell your friends; that is unless you’re trying to keep the prizes for yourself!