Ep. 128: Andrew Navarro of Top Notch Leadheads on Custom Jigs, Surf Fishing & Freshwater Bass

Guests: Andrew Navarro (Top Notch Leadheads)

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

Top Notch Leadheads builder Andrew Navarro has been fishing and pouring custom jigs in Orange County for over seven years — and Ep. 128, recorded live on May 5, 2026, is built around surf fishing knowledge that only comes from that kind of repetition. Surf heads, trapper heads, corbina tactics from the sand, shad spawn strategy, and freshwater bass in public parks nobody else wants to fish.

In This Episode

• Drew’s surf head system: 3/8 oz as the default, adjusting up or down based on current and conditions, and why he hasn’t touched live bait in seven years
• Corbina retrieve: short bottom ticks behind incoming sets, staying planted in your zone rather than covering ground
• Trapper head design — internal wire harness that keeps a Keitech alive through multiple fish instead of blowing out the nose after one
• Tide window strategy: why high-to-low is the play and why Drew doesn’t move more than 50 yards once he’s set up
• Shad spawn breakdown: lipless crankbait first, sink it through the busting school to reach the bigger fish feeding underneath
• Freshwater bass in SoCal regional parks: big baits on water fish haven’t seen, and how that same read-and-adjust approach carries over from inshore

How to Actually Catch Corbina from the Sand

Drew’s approach is closer to ambush than coverage. He times his cast behind the incoming set, lets the bait hit bottom, and scurries it back with short ticks — matching the kick pattern of a sand crab trying to dig back into the sand. He picks his zone at high tide going out and barely moves. His logic: the fish have tails. They’ll find him if he’s in the right spot with the right profile.

Weight selection runs from 1/8 oz up to 1/2 oz depending on current, wind, and what’s visible. The 3/8 oz is the starting point because it’s castable and stays in contact with the bottom without getting buried. If it’s sloshing around, go heavier. If he can see corbina in close, drop down and put the bait right in front of them.

Why the Trapper Head Changes the Math on Soft Plastics

The trapper head came out of a specific frustration: screw locks wear out the nose of a Keitech after one or two fish, even when they don’t get bit. Drew wanted an internal wire harness — the same concept used in big swimbaits — that kept the bait free to kick without the head destroying it from the inside. Six spotted bay bass and three halibut on a single bait later, the design proved itself.

The downstream effect is more action, not just more durability. Because there’s no wire running through the body, the Keitech wobbles more freely than it does on a standard jig head. That matters in the harbor, and it matters in the freshwater parks where Drew has been throwing big baits at fish that have seen everything.

Why This Episode Matters

Surf fishing for corbina and perch doesn’t come up often on TOTW, and Drew brings the depth that only comes from seven years of doing the same thing and refusing to use bait. The setup is minimal — trout rod, 1,000-size reel, four- to six-pound test, one knot — and the results he’s putting up are hard to argue with.

The freshwater content runs the same thread. Drew fishes public parks the same way the harbor gets fished: find something the fish haven’t seen, commit to it, and let the session tell you what to change. If you’ve been thinking about expanding beyond inshore, this episode gives you a real starting point.

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