Keeping a log of your fishing adventures is the best way to keep track of your successes and failures. With time, a glance to the moon phase, tides, and weather can tell you exactly where you need to fish – provided you kept track in the past.  Rite in the Rain makes this even easier with waterproof log books.  Whether you bass fish, stalk reds on in the flats, or throw flies along the banks, Rite in the Rain has a professionally designed fishing log, and paddle logs, just for you.

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Last year, the Jackson Kayak’s ‘Coosa took inland kayak fishing by storm.  An incredibly agile and stable fishing platform that excelled on small rivers, the Coosa still left a little to be desired on larger bodies of water where speed and direction are more desired.  Jackson Kayaks put Drew Gregory back to work and now two new fishing platforms are poised to hit the market.

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Today was the Outdoor Retailer on site demo day; a chance for folks to get out on the water and use kayaks and SUPs from attending exhibitors. Many other exhibitors were there as well. Here are some of the things I loved (you’ll need to google the links, I’m writing this from my iPhone)

Fikking walking stick fly rods. Making hiking into small waters easier when you don’t have to worry about the added problem of packing in a rod with you. This 5wt fly rod is built on North Fork Composite blanks. The 3 piece rod breaks down and stores inside of itself!! It handles great and carries a lifetime warranty.

Diablo Paddlesports Chupacabra w/ skeg. I put this kayak in the water after the wind picked up and Lake Jordanelle was starting to get nautical. It handled the chop and the wind very well. The skeg, new this summer, is exactly what this kayak needed.

Grip Socks. Part spandex, part neoprene, part grippy sole, these are awesome. In fact I went without shoes the rest of the day. So far they have done well in the wet, sand, mud, gravel and asphalt. You can easily wear them inside of shoes as I’m doing now

That’s all for now. My thumbs are wearing out.

The Final Week of registration is upon us.  The Recycled Fish 24 Hour Fish-a-Thon is the non-profit promoting a lifestyle of stewardship biggest fundraiser.  Teams from around the country compete in a weekend of non-stop fishing on September 9th and 10th.  Awards for the most money raised, and the most fish caught are substantial, and there are plenty of other prizes to go around as well.

“Anglers will fish around the clock and across North America to raise awareness of problems facing our fisheries, and money to help solve those problems,” said Teeg Stouffer, executive director of Recycled Fish, “anglers living a lifestyle of stewardship both on and off the water, because our lifestyle runs downstream.”

Teams fishing in this years 24 Hour Fish-A-Thon will also compete to win the fishing trip of a lifetime to places like the world famous Mississippi Delta on the Gulf of Mexico with Griffin Fishing Charters for redfish and trout. Or – venture to the North Woods for trophy muskie, pike and walleye with Spring Bay Resort. Got a taste for the mountains? Montana’s Bucking Trout Ranch and a guided fly fishing trip with Mike Stack from Fish Tales Outfitters for rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout. To learn more about the trips being offered this year, please see our news article Epic Trips Await 24 Hour Fish-A-Thon Anglers.

Lines are cast Friday, September 9 at 7 pm until Saturday September 10 at 7 pm. During the event anglers are also encouraged to pick up any trash and use tackle that is easier on the environment, such as lead-free weights or biodegradable baits and lures, and practice good catch-and-release tactics. “Fishing for 24 hours can be quite the challenge. It’s like the marathon of fishing,” said Ben Leal, Program Director for Recycled Fish. “One of the great things about this event is not only does it helps raise funds for Recycled Fish, it also helps raise awareness on a specific body of water that each team is fishing on. This year each teams message will be, ‘We are more than sportsmen…We are stewards.’”

Now’s the time to get a team together and head over to the Recycled Fish 24 Hour Fish-a-Thon registraion and get to work!

Participating anglers take photos of their fish and self-score their catch at the online Angling Masters Fish Calculator, then submit their score to the Fish-A-Thon judges. Top prizes go to the team with the most funds raised and the team with the highest score based on their best five fish photos. Prizes are also given for the best photos, the most “unusual” trash picked up and more!

I’m hoping that might might find myself making a long drive to Salt Lake City next week for the Outdoor Retailer Summer show. Much like ICAST is to the fishing world, Outdoor Retailer is the largest outdoor sports tradeshow in the US. With over 300 paddlesports venders (and 1000 others), I’m excited most about heading to the demo day where I can get on the water and check out some of the newest boats. I know Ocean Kayak will be there with the new Tetra 10 and 12, Hobie will have their new Revo 11, and Jackson Kayaks say that Drew Gregory will be showing off two brand new kayak fishing prototypes the ‘Cuda and Big Tuna. His first kayak, the Jackson Coosa, has been a HUGE hit with inland kayak anglers, and, judging a kayak by its name, it sounds like the next two boats are going to be ideal for saltwater kayak fishing. Malibu hinted to new kayaks coming when I talked to them at ICAST, so hopefully they’ll have something new for the world to see as well. I’m also excited to give the Diablo Paddlesports Chupacabra a spin around the lake with their new skeg at the stern.

While not everyone can attend Outdoor Retailer, definitely tune into the website where you can find hints of some of the latest and greatest outdoor gear before they hit the shelves.

Stay tuned here and on my twitter feed for photos and news as I get them from the show.