Ep. 114: Trevor Otwell of Peak Baits on Building Resin Baits in Connecticut

Guest: Trevor Otwell (Peak Baits)

Hosts: Daniel Dahlin ([FISH]rx), El Charly, Luke Dean (Bait Slingers / Artemis Charters)

Episode 114, recorded live on January 13, 2026, covered resin bait building, wake bait retrieve speed, and the kind of tackle details that only come up when people are actually fishing these baits hard. Trevor Otwell of Peak Baits joined from Connecticut to talk about building the Summit crankbait, learning resin the hard way, and how a fishing injury pushed him into bait making full time.

In This Episode

• How Trevor got into resin bait building — from painting blanks after an injury to full custom bait production
• The Summit crankbait — a bait that floats, cranks down, and can also wake on a slow retrieve
• Why slowing down produces more bites on wake baits than most anglers expect
• The clip-to-clip debate — when clips help a bait move correctly and when they absolutely do not belong
• Peak Baits now carrying Bait Slingers product in Connecticut
• Tackle Cave USA soft opening in Huntington Beach and Daniel dropping off baits
• The first on-show reveal that the 8″ RX Slug is already in the water and catching fish
• Spotty Bowl kickoff details and what anglers should expect from the format

What the Clip Debate Was Really About

The clip conversation sounds chaotic on the surface, but there’s a real tackle principle underneath it. Daniel’s actual point is that clips can matter on moving baits because the pivot point changes how the bait swings and activates. On something like a bladed jig, that freedom can help the bait work the way it’s supposed to.

That does not mean clips belong on everything. Trevor and the crew make the distinction clear: using a clip where a bait needs free movement is different from throwing clips into every setup out of convenience. That kind of detail matters more than people think, especially on moving baits where small hardware changes affect action. The bladed jig guide gets into that same idea from the presentation side.

Trevor’s bait-building story also adds useful context. His progression from blanks to wood to clay to resin is really a story about finding a material that lets the design do what he wants it to do. That same trial-and-error mindset is what makes anglers better too — test, observe, adjust.

Why This Episode Matters

This episode matters because it connects lure building and lure fishing in a practical way. The same details that matter when making a bait — shape, balance, retrieve speed, pivot point — are the same details that determine whether it actually produces on the water.

If you fish moving baits, wake baits, or bladed jigs, the takeaway is simple: small hardware and presentation changes can completely change how a lure behaves. For related context, the bladed jig guide, spotted bay bass guide, and SoCal structure fishing guide all connect naturally to the ideas in this episode.

Watch the full episode on the Time On The Water YouTube channel. New episodes every Tuesday at 6 PM.