David Teran, Team Eye Strike
Humble, Texas
IG @primeganchos
What do you like most about fishing? Catching fish! Seriously, it’s hard to pin point one thing I like most about fishing since it is complex. But what I enjoy is how it engages you to tune into the environment while completely disconnecting you to everything out side that scenario. One moment you’re completely at ease then you get a hard strike that has your rod bent over. Line is peeling off the reel. Next thing I know I’m in for a fight and I’m feeling a sense of adrenaline! I’ve learned to stay calm during a good fight, but I always get just as excited every time I catch a solid fish!
How did you start fishing? When I was about 7 years old I lived in Marlborough, Massachusetts for a short period of time with my dad. He wasn’t a fisherman but the crew he worked with use to go down to the lake behind the apartments we lived in. They would go just to hang out, drink beer and throw a line to see what bites. I’d tag along. The 1st “reel” I ever used was a Miller Lite bottle. Slinging balled up pieces of bread fishing for Perch. That nibbling sensation and hand lining a fish was exciting as a kid! A couple summers later my uncle took me fishing to a pier in Galveston, TX where I caught my 1st Red. I went with him every chance I got. I didn’t fish much in my teens since there wasn’t much of the influence or the ability to go out on my own. Early in my relationship I would take my girlfriend who is now my wife down to the beach. For years we fished the surf with dead shrimp and double drop leaders. 2008 is when I started to develop a passion for the sport while still learning to fish the surf with chunk baits. Through out this time I never believed how a piece of plastic on a hook could catch fish. I’d see guys on FB pages post pics of all these catches on lures and wondering how and the hell are they doing it. It was during this time period I saw the Trout Eye jig on an Instagram tag. They looked realistic and thought that might actually work. I ordered a bag and gave it a try. I caught my 1st Flounder on a Trout Eye and Chicken Boy. That was a complete game changer for me. The quality and quantity of fish wasn’t like anything I had ever experience before. Since then I’ve moved closer to the water making it more convenient to fish often.
What are your other interests? I like to ride motorcycles. I love the outdoors. So I enjoy activities like mountain biking and hiking through the woods. I like camping on the beach or any place with nice scenery for that matter. I also enjoy grilling since it involves cooking outside. I don’t do nearly as much of those activities since my biggest interest is fishing. Every chance of leisure I get I like to spend it on the water. I tend to make time for a good tequila and cigar. Another big interest of mine is photography which allows me to encapsulate all of the above.
What is your favorite Eye Strike product? If I could load my tackle box with just one jig Eye Strike offers it would have to be the 3/16th Redfish Eye in Pearl. Why? Because of its versatility. I can rig it on a smaller swim bait where the shank/gap placement is right in front of the tail. This helps when the fish are short striking the bait. Also it fits perfectly on the larger profiles in which I prefer to throw. The 3/16th is great weight for casting distance and also allows versatility on how I want to work the bait. I can jerk for a nice darting action. Wave it up and down finding the strike zone. Yet still light enough to rip it across the top. Plus that BIG eye ball in Pearl is just sexy! Rig it up on any soft plastic and that bait looks good enough to eat. Literally!
What do most people not know about you? Believe it or not but I’m allergic to fish. I love everything about fishing but fish do not love me. I can handle them, gut and clean them but if I ingest them I get extremely ill. So I don’t get to enjoy the fruits of my labor but I really enjoy prepping a fresh catch for my family and friends. Something else that many may not know about me is that I use to be a Bounty Hunter. Now that I think about it, fishing is a lot like bounty hunting. You can go an entire day without no action then suddenly… BAM! Got one! The excitement is momentary then you try again for the same thrill.
Anything else you’d like to add? My top 3 catches would be the Rooster, Tarpon and Peacock on artificial. I’ll take them any way or any where I can get them, but I would like to do it on light tackle in a foreign country. I recently caught the Rooster in Costa Rica WITH the Trout Eye jig. Now I’m looking forward to a trip for a Tarpon in Panama and the Peacock somewhere in the Amazon. Now that would be awesome!