Tbyo Koeki Terminal Tackle

We don’t often talk about the specialized tackle that is used to target toothy critters of both the fresh and salt-water varieties but we

Tbyo Koeki offers well constructed high quality products

recently found a company with some amazing products. Tbyo Koeki Co. out of Japan, is one of those who are making inroads by producing high quality products aimed at the needs of those anglers who relish catching these swimming mouths full of needles.

They produce tackle in test pound ratings that range from around 30 all the way up to 300 and then some. They feature a variety of materials including nylon coated wire leaders, heavy fluorocarbon leaders and solid titanium leaders, all with double-lock snaps and ball bearing swivels in a dizzying array of lengths to match your needs.

The Salt Water Test

We had a friend do a salt water test for us. We needed an expert to take the equipment through its paces in the ocean. After taking this out on a seven-day trip, in which he was fishing for everything from Tuna to Kings and in-between, he came back very pleased with the performance of this gear. During his trip, he didn’t see a single failure in the construction of the leaders either where the snaps are attached or where the swivels are attached on the other end.

Through repeated strikes and fights, the wire held its shape as did the other components in all the test pound classes and tying to the leaders, according to him, was a breeze.  To top it off, getting back took some real horse-trading.

The Workshop Test

With that information, we decided to give the destruction of these items a go utilizing some unusual methods. First up, the saw that comes standard on most Leatherman type tools.

Hey, when you’re dealing with titanium that is designed to stand up to rows of sharp teeth, why not? We put the leaders in a vice, got out the stop watch, and went to work! Yes, we were able to, with a great deal of effort and more time than we had anticipated, cut through the material. But that was focused pressure on one specific spot on the material. Would a fish be able to do that? I don’t think so, at least not to the degree we were!

After that I figured why not get out the heavy artillery in the form of wire cutters and see how they would stand up to that kind of abuse. Once again, I was able to achieve my objective of destroying the material but only with a lot more effort than I expected.

The bottom line is that the Tbyo Koeki terminal tackle is everything that it is advertised to be and then some. I do know that this will be my tackle of choice for pike, musky or any other water wolves. If you like fishing for these types of fish, or, if you do any salt-water fishing for fish with big nasty teeth, this equipment will not fail you.

See ya’ on the water …

Fisher’s Choice Baits By Timbuktu

It is very in often that I would use live bait. One of those times occurred pretty recently however, because a buddy of mine wanted to take his kids out for some pan fish action. Rather than try to teach 5 and 7 year olds how to fly fish, we opted for ultra-light tackle and some live bait—well, almost live bait.

We stumbled upon something that would take the place of live bait for us on this trip, and will take the place of live bait pretty much anytime I may need it in the future. [Read more…]

Fly Fishing Life Cycle Fly Kits

The fly fishing world can be a tough nut to crack. On top of equipment costs and learning to fly fish, you also have to deal with the elitists, the people who have their noses in the air and scoff anytime someone wants to try something new or maybe a little different. If you aren’t tossing hand-tied, dry flies to rising fish, then you have somehow violated some laws of fly fishing and are an outsider.

This is usually the attitude I get when I mention to someone a good option for beginner fly fisherman from Bass Pro Shops. Instead of trying to learn all of the different types of flies right away, why not try a life cycle kit that will give you the flies you need in every stage of their life? [Read more…]

Dirty Jigs Pivot Point Football Jig Head

In Package

Let’s look at a new piece of terminal tackle from the folks at Dirty Jigs called the Pivot Point Football Jig. A lot of us use football jigs this time of year for fishing deep and probing humps, islands or crawling down channels.

This new jig is designed to allow your soft plastic more freedom of movement by employing a second eye on the football with the hook attached to it. The two loops are on opposite sides of the jig head with the line tie being at 60 degrees and the other loop holding the eyelet of a Gamakatsu Superline Offset EWG Hook.    [Read more…]

Strike King Sexy Frog

The Sexy Frog in package

Today, let’s look at another new bait, the Strike King KVD Sexy Frog. This is one of the lures that was introduced at this years’ ICAST and is now available, right in time for the summer top-water season. In my opinion, one of the most exciting ways to catch bass is on top and this new lure was designed to fit that niche.   [Read more…]

Culprit Ultimate Topwater Shad

Culprit Topwater Shad In Package

Today we’re going to review another one of those “Duh” baits. Not “Duh” as in, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen, rather “Duh” as in why didn’t someone come up with this a long time ago?

Every good pitcher knows that if you want to make your fastball more effective, you need to develop a good change-up. The Culprit Ultimate Topwater Shad is to frog fishing what a change-up is to a fastball. A different look and different speed. [Read more…]

River2Sea Crystal Buzz

Crystal Buzz In Package

One of my favorite summer time baits is of course the buzzbait. I really enjoy catching bass on these lures and have tried just about every buzzer out there. Today’s review is on the River2Sea Crystal Buzz.

We have reviewed other products from this company and found each of them to be well-executed, thoughtful designs, not to mention they catch fish! With that in mind, I was eager to get my hands on the Crystal Buzz to see what it was like.  [Read more…]

Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow

Jerk Minnow In Package

Let’s take a look at another soft jerk bait from Big Bite Baits named the Jerk Minnow. This company has really come on strong the last couple of seasons with their soft plastics.

The Jerk Minnow was intriguing to us due to the fact that they have several unique color patterns as well as offering this bait in two sizes, both a 4 inch and 5 inch. [Read more…]

Strike King Caffeine Shad

Here at MVF, we really like to keep our reviews in line with the season, whatever that may be. With that in mind and the fact that it is now the first part of August, let’s take a look at the Strike King Perfect Plastic Caffeine Shad.

This is a 5” inch, soft plastic jerk bait that, like all the Perfect Plastic line, is loaded with salt as well as having the coffee scent. During the spring and summer months, soft plastic jerk baits are at their best and can be fished a number of ways. First, let’s look at the most traditional rigging for the Caffeine Shad.  [Read more…]

Leatherman 831102 Multi-Tool Review

[ReviewAZON asin=”B002KKB0AW” display=”inlinepost”] OK, so this isn’t technically “tackle” but it’s definitely worth a review. Having a good multi-tool I believe is very important for anyone into fishing, hunting, or the outdoors in general. I’ve always carried a Leatherman tool, and when I lost mine on the river, it was time for a new one.

I chose to get the 831102 Multi-Tool. [Read more…]