Ep. 35: Joe Gaeta of Performance Tackle on Wall Fishing & Tournament Bass

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

Performance Tackle’s Joe Gaeta joined Episode 35, recorded live on March 19, 2024, for a wall fishing and tournament breakdown. Joe fishes the Long Beach breakwall consistently and has the A-rig experience to back it up — including a session where he lost his five-hook rig in the rocks and had to knock it free with a bait knocker before straightening the hooks out and fishing it again.

In This Episode

• A-rig at the Long Beach breakwall — Joe runs a five-hook Performance Tackle A-rig at the wall and has calico eating it on the outside. The rig snagged, he cleared it with a bait knocker, straightened hooks, and kept fishing. The heavy-tackle mindset required for wall fishing with big rigs
• Jerkbait rods for the wall — Joe’s rod setup: Performance Tackle CRS 74 XF for jerkbaits at the wall. Multiple ChatterBait rods as well for different sizes. The wall requires rod versatility more than most harbors because you’re covering so many different presentations
• Tournament breakdown — upcoming calico tournament at the wall, mid-May to late June, with a 2-3K payout. Sponsors including Lateral Vision and Rees Lures. The spotty handicap format: spotty counts as a point bonus to keep the event accessible for anglers who don’t have calico access
• Wall Bangers night tournament — Joe fished the Wall Bangers night tournament and the Port-wide coastal tournament. The Port open for night fishing and the difference in how calico and sand bass behave after dark at the wall versus during the day
• Freshwater to saltwater transition mindset — Joe describes coming back to saltwater after a period of freshwater bass fishing and being surprised by how similar the structure logic is. Same run-and-burn approach, same jerkbait retrieves, just adjusted for salt and tide
• Performance Tackle inventory — gear for spotty anglers, calico anglers, and offshore guys all in one shop. Joe’s point: if you fish SoCal, Performance Tackle has what you need. Marc Higashi’s shop in Los Alamitos has been a community anchor for 28 years

Beyond the Rod & Reel with Performance Tackle

The A-rig story is worth retelling just for the mental image: Joe’s five-hook rig buried in the rocks, a bait knocker deployed, hooks straightened mid-session, right back in the water. That’s wall fishing. You lose gear to the rocks. If you’re not comfortable with that, you’re not casting where the fish are. The wall takes baits. That’s the cost of the ticket.

The tournament breakdown is useful context for anyone thinking about getting into competitive SoCal inshore fishing. The spotty handicap format is a smart design — it keeps the event inclusive for anglers who fish the harbor rather than requiring calico access to be competitive. That format reflects the community-first approach that runs through most of these events.

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