Brooks Anderson. Remember the name. We've got a CAST Fam full of absolute hammers, and Brooks is all the way up there leading the charge! Brooks is up next. A lifelong angler who has developed and fine tuned his skills on clear water fisheries chasing highly pressured and fussy fish which will push your technical abilities and also determination to succeed on the water to the greater heights, and also teach you a thing or two about what you need tied on to catch them!
So logically, what do you do if you're in our shoes? Give Brooks the reigns to design the latest Echo and Prodigy color of course! Brooks knows what he's on about as well as anyone. He has tournament results, wise words and experience he's shared with guiding clients, and a whole bunch of epic catches to his name to back it up too. He's created 'Amethyst', and far out does it look epic! Let's pick his brain and learn everything about it, shall we...
CAST: What's up Brooks! Introduce yourself to the Fam. Let the people know where this passion for fishing all started and where you're at now.
BROOKS: I’ve grown up in Marietta, Georgia my entire life and pursued fishing since the young age of 7! I started my fishing journey in Pine Mountain, fishing small lakes in Callaway Gardens.
I am beyond thankful for the mentorship of Greg Kirkman in my early stages of fishing. He showed me the ropes and fundamentals. I continued to chase this passion through high school and college fishing, where tournament fishing became my primary focus. I am currently a full-time guide on Lake Lanier and get to share my passion for fishing everyday with new clients and impact their fishing journey no matter if they just started or a seasoned angler looking for technique specifics. I also compete in the Bassmaster Opens where I am chasing down a professional career that has been a dream ever since I could cast a rod.
Where do you fish and what is your favorite lake?
My favorite lake is Lanier. I have spent countless hours on this body of water, and it never fails to constantly intrigue me. Lanier offers a wide range of fishing opportunities from thrilling topwater blowups in the warmer months to technical finesse fishing in the winter. I attribute most of my success to growing up on Lanier due how well verse the fishery is!
What is your favorite style of fishing? Power or finesse or both.
I enjoy both power and finesse fishing and believe there is a time and scenario where each excel. My strengths would have to be finesse fishing in which I can utilizes my meticulous nature into presenting a bait perfectly. I spend much of my time on the water with a spinning rod in hand which fits into the Prodigy and Echo perfectly.
What makes Amethyst so special and why did you make it? How can this help other fishermen?
I designed the color Amethyst to excel in highly pressured bodies of water and herring lakes. The specific hue of purple I selected is something I’ve always wanted to see in a straight tail minnow bait or swimbait. It excels in both low light and sunny conditions; the bold purple will pop in low light and the translucent attributes shine on sunny slick days. Amethyst was designed to represent a natural reflection of a baitfish in clear water situations.
What are your favorite rigs or ways to fish an Amethyst Echo and Prodigy?
My favorite rigging options for the Echo and Prodigy are both on a tungsten Jighead. I can adjust the weight of my Jighead and fish these baits in any portion of the water column. I also have success with the Echo rigged on a hover rig and either reeled or strolled over fish close to the surface.
What is your setup for fishing these?
Rod: NRX+ 852S
Reel: Shimano Twin Power 3000XG
Line: CAST X12 Braid with 8-10lb Fluorocarbon Leader
Jighead: Queen Tackle LS Tungsten Jighead or a Ryugi Hover Shot Hook
Spill the juice on a sneaky way to use an Amethyst Echo or Prodigy.
A sneaky and overlooked way to fish these baits is by far with a hover shot hook for the echo and the “sneak rig” with the prodigy. I prefer these options when boat traffic and fishing pressure is high on the weekends. It allows these baits to be presented in a natural manner that separates yourself from everyone else on the water.
What advice would you give when fishing this Echo or Prodigy?
The biggest key I would give is to match the size of the forage they are eating. The Echo has sizes ranging from 2.75" to 7.2", which will cover any situation you are faced with on the water. I am constantly changing size jigheads and minnow sizes trying to dial in exactly what they are feeding on.
What makes being a part of the Cast Fam so special to you?
I have enjoyed being a part of the Cast family for a few key reasons. The first being the people everyone involved are genuine people that care deeply about fishing and creating something unique and special. I also value the aspect of having an influence on upcoming baits and ideas! It truly is a special group of people that share the same passion and want to create something for everyone to enjoy on the water.
Follow Brooks on instagram HERE
WATCH THE AMETHYST VIDEO HERE
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