'Yak Fish

Most kayak anglers I know are into conservation and stewardship just as much as they are with fishing. The news at night tells us about agencies prohibiting the use of lead splitshot and other small lead weights. Sometimes you just have to ask yourself, why use lead?

A couple years ago, Micah Carrick asked himself that same question.

Green Tackle, his answer, is the greatest, environmentally friendly online retailers of lead free tackle, biodegradable plastic baits, and other choice gear. You’ll find find a variety of gear for the fly angler, the surf fishers, trollers, all anglers will find something that will make their tackle box just a bit more kind to waterfowl and the environment. Micah and the folks at Green Tackle actually use the gear they sell – so you know it works.

So what are my favorite things? Well, I’ll start with the BioLine. BioLine degrades in approximately 5 years. That means the line that you snagged up, wrapped around a branch, will be gone in just a few seasons. That’s much better than your standard monofilament which will hang on the tree for hundreds of years. BioLine seems to have a refraction index similar to fluorocarbon and seems to just disappear in the water. Until recently I’ve had just one rod with BioLine, and I realized it was the BioLine that made that rod so hot when trolling for trout. I now have it on several reels, and some extra for leader material.

I’m also a huge fan of the UltraSteel weights. They make a sharper sound than lead, giving you a better attraction to bass as the weight clacks against a bead in a carolina rig. If you’re carolina rigging, you may as well pick up some TriggerX Worms too! TriggerX worms are phthalate-free unlike most other soft baits. They’re also packed with pheromones to help you find the bite.

I encourage you to check out Green Tackle at www.GreenTackle.com and spend some time checking out their online store. Like I mentioned, you’ll find something there you can use, and put your lead away. Micah and Green Tackle also have a wealth of information on their website. Learn more about eco-friendly fishing, and what you can do to be a steward on the water.

Found my car broken into this AM. My Kokatat dry gear stolen and about a ton of fishing gear.

6 bags of Ouzo Baits – brand new
2 Lure sets from Secret Weapon Lures – brand new
Boomerang Tools machined pliers – brand new
CRKT knife – brand new
Gerber knife
Daiwa sealine 40H – new to me
Kokatat Temptest dry pants and top
Couple dozen Rapalas
Couple dozen jigs
bunch of other various soft plastics
Couple dozen spinner and buzz baits
couple dozen kastmasters
handful of tools and trinkets from ICAST
6 spools of braid
2 spools of mono
3 spools of fluoro

and i’m sure there’s more that I don’t even recall just yet…

www.Click2KnotUSA.com

Just as their name suggests, these tools come back to you. Since ICAST 2008, Boomerang Tool has been in the New Product Showcase with new and innovated tools with their own Boomerang Tool twist – 36 inches of retractable kevlar cable leashes.

Boomerang’s lightweight aluminum pliers also feature replaceable carbide cutting blades which have no problems cutting 4# mono or 65# braid – not to mention wire ties. The pliers I have also feature crimps for putting together the large lines, and a hooked nose I found useful when removing hooks from fish, and helped with split rings when I didn’t have my split ring pliers handy. They have several different sets of pliers to suit your needs.

I’m really excited by the prototypes though [Read more →]

As anyone could likely imagine, the International Convention of Allied Sportsfishing Trades (ICAST) was nothing short of awesome – and exhausing. Vendors, buyers, and media from around the world were onhand to checkout and show off the latest and greatest in fishing. It did not disappoint.

The first thing to get over was the heat. The host city of Las Vegas was suffering what their weatherman called “hot” weather, with most days over 110F (43C). Fortunately the Las Vegas Convention Center was fairly well air conditioned and we were able to forget about the heat until it was over and we had to leave every day.

Inside the convention center, the bustle of business, the examination of prototypes, and the hype of product demos kept things hot. There was way too much of everything for one person to absorb, but I did my best anyways.

Over the next couple weeks I hope to bring you reports and reviews of some of my favorite items from ICAST. There’s equipment to be used, abused, and reviewed. Prototypes to research a bit more. And just cool stuff to talk about. Companies like Temple Fork Outfitters, FethaStyx, and Colt Rods. Diablo Paddlesports, RAM Mounts, and Precision Pak. Hobie, Angler Innovations, and Gill.

In the meantime, I’ve not been fishing in 2 weeks. Its time for me to hit the water. The car is loaded, I’m getting caffinated, Jewel is awake. Time to do some Buoy 7 crabbing!