Ep. 117: Mike Stembridge of Pearl Swimbaits on Bladed Jigs & the SoCal Swimbait Scene

Guest: Mike Stembridge (Pearl Swimbaits)

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

Mike Stembridge of Pearl Swimbaits joined for Episode 117, recorded live on February 3, 2026, right in the middle of Spotty Bowl week. The conversation covered 1 oz bladed jig presentation at the wall, what Mike’s been throwing in the harbor, and how the SoCal swimbait scene got to where it is, plus Daniel’s Spotty Bowl session recap before the cameras rolled.

In This Episode

• 1 oz bladed jig at the wall: how Mike verified the setup by watching Caesar fish it in the harbor before the Artemis charter trip
• Why the 1 oz head keeps the blade activated in deeper water while staying in the strike zone
• Spotty Bowl week recap: Daniel’s session in, conditions, and approach going into the competition
• Waterman’s Collective hosting their first live tournament that Saturday at Marina Shipyard
• Matros visit to Mike’s middle school fishing club: 30+ kids, rod demos, and what it takes to grow the next generation
• Bladed jig colorways coming: Spotty, Spotty Magic Mint, and Spotty Special, plus Mark from Performance Tackle’s color collabs
• 1.5 and 2 oz bladed jig heads coming: and what a 2 oz burn at the wall is going to look like

Why the 1oz Head Changes What the Bladed Jig Does Near the Bottom

The episode opened with Daniel already in Spotty Bowl mode. He’d gotten his session in early that morning, grabbed his coffee, and just went to be out in the sun. “Got my coffee and a pack of goldfish,” he said. “Just kidding. The crackers.” That kind of detail is why the show works. He wasn’t grinding. He was fishing.

Mike’s point on the 1 oz bladed jig was straightforward but easy to miss: lighter heads pick up higher in the water column and are harder to activate the blade on consistently. The 1 oz keeps everything lower and gives you that thump on every retrieve. He came into the Artemis trip already locked in on it after seeing Caesar working it in the harbor, bought some from Daniel, and caught two nice fish early on. When the setup is validated before the boat leaves the dock, that’s confidence fishing.

For a deeper breakdown of how head weight, blade activation, and bottom contact work together in SoCal harbor water, the bladed jig guide covers all three variables.

Growing the Next Generation of SoCal Anglers

The Spotty Bowl and community talk in this episode is worth its own mention. Mike runs a middle school fishing club, and Matros came through for a visit: 30-plus kids, rod demos, and the kind of hands-on introduction that turns a kid who’s curious about fishing into someone who actually fishes. That pipeline matters more than it gets credit for. Tournaments like Spotty Bowl and Waterman’s Collective’s first live event at Marina Shipyard build the competitive side of the scene, but a middle schooler getting a rod in their hands for the first time is what keeps the scene alive twenty years from now.

Why This Episode Matters

This episode is useful because it breaks down one of the easiest mistakes anglers make with bladed jigs: treating the bait like a straight moving lure instead of paying attention to what happens on the fall and near the bottom. The 1 oz conversation is the clearest version of that principle the show has delivered so far.

If you fish the wall, deeper harbor water, or any kind of hard structure, the takeaway is clear: weight, fall behavior, and bottom contact all matter. For related context, the bladed jig guide, SoCal structure fishing guide, and spotted bay bass guide all connect naturally to what Mike and the crew are working through here.

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