I'm Mike Gomez — Christian founder of BaitIQ and occasional Aura Angler (more on that in a second). I built this because of how lost I was when I first picked up a rod.
When I started fishing, I had no boat, no mentor, and no idea what to tie on. I spent more hours watching YouTube than I spent at the water — trying to compress what experienced anglers learn in years of trial and error. BaitIQ is what I wish I'd had: something that reads the conditions for you and just tells you what to throw, so you can fish instead of study.
If you're starting out, struggling on unfamiliar water, or just tired of guessing — this is built for you.
About "The Aura Angler."
That's the third-person voice the book is written in. A slightly more theatrical version of me — the one who "has spoken," "has thoughts," and occasionally shows up on the blog when the mood is right. The Aura Angler narrates the book. Regular Mike runs the app, fills the tackle box, and answers your emails. Same guy, different volume.
What's in the suite.
The App — BaitIQ
Live on the iPhone App Store. Live bite scores for your location, AI spot analysis from a photo, bait recommendations weighted by real 2025 tournament data, and a cloud-synced catch journal. Free to start, $9.99/month or $79.99/year for Pro. Download on the App Store →
The Book — The Bass Playbook
49 pages. Five parts. The complete system the app is built on — mode-matching, the seven high-percentage spots, the cold-front playbook, the master water-temperature chart. $19, instant PDF, lifetime updates. Read more →
The Blog — Field Notes
Tournament breakdowns. Gear takes. Seasonal patterns. New posts as I have something worth saying — never filler. Read the latest →
The Gear — Mike's Tackle Armory
The exact rods, reels, lines, and lures I actually fish. Organized by category, no padding. Affiliate links rolling out now — same recommendations either way. See the gear →
What I won't do.
- Real data, cited. Every tournament number in the book or app has a source. Linked. Updated. Not made up.
- No fake gear pumping. I don't recommend things I don't fish. The Tackle Armory is what's actually in my locker.
- No tracking, no ads, no data sales. The app doesn't sell your data. The newsletter doesn't get shared. I barely look at my own analytics.
- 30-day no-questions refund on the book. If it doesn't make you measurably better, email me. I refund. No forms.
Find me.
Brand content (app updates, tutorials, drops) goes out under @baitiq. Personal stuff (catches, days on the water, the occasional take) goes out under @mike__gomez. Best way to reach me direct is email — mike@baitiq.dev.
Pick the one that fits your fishing.
The app does the thinking. The book teaches the system. The blog is where I think out loud. Start anywhere.