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Scaleprints.com – The 21st Century Way to Immortalize Your Catch

July 6, 2018 by ·

If we had to choose just one aspect of fishing that we enjoy above all the others it would have to be the story.

Yes, every caught fish has its own unique account behind it. It doesn’t have to be a personal best, have exceptional color or necessarily differentiated in some obvious way. It will still have a feature.

Of course, the exceptional fish are the ones whose tales we retell most often. Whether it be the first fish of a particular species, a true fish of a life time, a fish that demonstrated some very unusual behavior or a myriad of other circumstances that make it special to us, we tend not only to relive the experience but also to want some record of that specific event. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Conservation · Tagged:

The New Quantum Smoke S3 – A Serious Contender

June 28, 2018 by ·

We were introduced to Quantum’s newest line of casting reels at ICAST last year during the on the water event. There, we were able to use the new Smoke Series Three (S3) for a few minutes which resulted in a longer conversation with Michael Whitman regarding the complete re-engineering that these reels have undergone.

 

We knew after having cast with them for several minutes that while they shared certain characteristics with the models they are replacing, these were very few with upgrades evident from top to bottom.

We have used several Quantum products in the past beginning with the Classic Express from many years ago. From then through the introduction of the S3, there have been an array of real good reels but there have also been some that have missed the mark.

This new line however really shows the commitment that the company has made to up the ante so that there products once again deliver for anglers across the spectrum. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tackle Reviews · Tagged: , , , ,

Duo Realiz Shad 59MR – Small but Mighty Fine

June 23, 2018 by ·

Post spawn can be feast or famine. Some days, the fish will hit anything you throw in the water but more often than not, they can be down right finicky, with a severe case of lockjaw.

 

When this happens, anglers will go through lures at an accelerated rate trying to find what they will hit. We’ve got a suggestion for you that you may not have heard of. No, it isn’t a brand new lure but one that goes largely overlooked.

The Duo Realis Shad 59MR Crankbait. This little plug is what you would get if you were to cross a small squarebill with a tiny jerkbait. The shape is an elongated minnow with fairly flat sides, molded in gill plate detail, 3D eyes, a narrow tear drop shaped lip, very small split ring, a slender profile and two sticky sharp unspecified treble hooks.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tackle Reviews · Tagged: , , ,

The New Rapala Balsa Extreme BX Brat squarebill, exceptionally well mannered

June 18, 2018 by ·

Squarebills are a staple for us because of how versatile they are.

You can run the better ones through some seriously nasty stuff all the while banging them off every manner of obstruction including rock, wood, hard bottom, soft bottom and everything in between.

 

While some of us not only remember but still have our favorite real wood versions (yeah, showing my age here), there are a lot of anglers whose only exposure to these little gems has been the plastic versions that have dominated the market the last few decades.

Rapala has recently combined the best of both worlds with the introduction of the BX Brat. The Brat currently comes in two sizes. The BXB-3, which comes in at 2” – 3/8 oz and the BXB-6, which is also 2” – 3/8 oz. Both employ two size 6 VMC round bend short shank trebles that are sticky sharp out of the package.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tackle Reviews · Tagged: , , ,

The Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS – Beauty and the Beast

June 14, 2018 by ·

It’s mind boggling  to look back a couple of decades or more at the gear that was considered on the cutting edge and compare that to what is available these days.

Honestly, there hasn’t been a time where real, meaningful advances have come quicker than they do today.

 

As new introductions and competition demand better products from every corner, some companies have taken on these challenges with gusto and continue to push the envelope with each new upgrade.

Daiwa is one of those corporations that doesn’t seem to be content with sitting on their existing product line for any amount of time. Instead, they seem focused on raising the bar every chance they get.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tackle Reviews · Tagged: , ,

The Savage Gear 3D Fruck, Hmmm

June 7, 2018 by ·

With top-water season here in many parts of the country, you may be looking to add something a little bit different to your toolbox to throw at ‘em. Something that has a profile that the fish aren’t used to, an action that they aren’t conditioned to avoid, just something maybe a little bit weird.

 

If that’s the case, let us introduce you to the Savage Gear 3D Savage Fruck. Quite a mouthful so from here on out we’ll simply refer to this hollow body bait as the Fruck which is a melding of the words, “frog” and “duck”, and bingo … Fruck.

It was interesting to see just how many of the European manufacturers had in their line ups similar style lures. We really don’t know whether it’s due to the fact that so many of those same companies seem to produce products for pike and muskie. It could be that those species of fish more readily eat ducklings or that there aren’t as many frogs over there for forage or some other unknown reason. But the majority of them make a hollow body duckling imitator.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tackle Reviews · Tagged: , , ,

The Jackall Gavacho Frog – Right At Home in the Slop

May 16, 2018 by ·

With spring well on its way in the majority of the country, our thoughts — and I’m sure we’re not alone — are again turning toward fishing with a frog.

 

Yes, there are any number of frogs available to the angler these days but very few of them combine as much versatility as one that we obtained last season that has become a first stringer for us.

The Jackall Gavacho’s body is 2.75 inches long with the longest tail, in the center, adding another almost 3 inches. It weighs about 5/8. The body is streamlined in the front around the cupped mouth while getting wider in the rear to accommodate and very effectively hide the double hook. The material used is soft and easily collapses when a fish bites.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tackle Reviews · Tagged: , , ,

Favorite Fishing’s Phantom Spinning reel, hardly unnoticeable

April 17, 2018 by ·

We ran across a newer company last year that is producing rods and reels in the upper end of the value segment.

Favorite Fishing has a fairly expansive list of skews in both categories but the one that we’re going to focus on today is the Phantom Spinning Reel.

 

Let’s start by saying that as of this writing, these reels are only available on their website, but tacklewarehouse has begun to stock some of their rods. We’ve also seen a display of their products at Cabelas for those who are within range of one of their stores and would like to get a first hand look at them.

We obtained the PTM2000 spinning reel for our review process. This has 8 bearings + 1 roller bearing, 5.2:1 gear ratio, titanium nitride covered anti-twist line roller and spool lip, stainless steel main shaft, machined metal handle and an EVA knob all for $99.99 retail.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tackle Reviews · Tagged: , ,

Storm’s new Arashi Cover Pop – Big Mouth, Big Action

January 15, 2018 by ·

Popper’s are one genre of baits that don’t really get the kudos that they deserve.

These seemingly simple, chugging, blooping, walking, spitting, rattling baitfish imitators have caught fish for decades.

The trick for any new bait in this category is how to differentiate itself from the long list available to anglers in a way that will get you to try them.

The new Storm Arashi Cover Pop took on this challenge with specific performance characteristics in mind for their final production design.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tackle Reviews · Tagged: , , , ,

The new Terminator Walking Frog Jr. – The Goldilocks Frog

December 6, 2017 by ·

We anticipate frogging season every year and this year has been no exception  especially considering the number of new frogs available. It’s always interesting to see what changes the manufacturers come up with to make this genre of lures more productive.

 

Terminator followed their Walking Frog with the new Walking Frog Jr. A smaller, more compact hollow body frog that has borrowed all the best features from its larger sibling.

Jr. is 2-1/2 inches in length, 1/2 oz. as opposed to 3 inches, 11/16 oz. for the regular Walking Frog. It utilizes the same body proportions with the wide, deep head and narrow, shallow tail as the original. Jr. uses a slightly smaller VMC hook, the same round rubber leg strands and a down-sized version of the curved rear weight that sits flush with the body.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tackle Reviews · Tagged: , ,
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