If you're still interested in getting out on the lake all the way until iceout, this blog probably isn't for you.But if you're like me (miserable, depressed and in need of a seasonal change), you're probably looking for things to do to pass the time until open water is upon us.
Well, I've been sifting through some of the new products on the market. And when I say sifting, I mean wading through new products across the fishing spectrum that often feel a lot like last year's products, or the year before's product.
This is inevitable, I suppose, since few revolutionary breakthroughs are left in the world of fishing.
Rapala is coming out with a new rap, the Flat Rap. It's a lot like the Original Floating Minnow, except the user is better adapt to manipulate the little wounded bait fish, and the action produced from the two flat sides is supposed to give it more action.
I see Berkley is coming out with a series of flippin jigs, one for well-known bass pros JayYellas and Mike Iaconelli and another for Hank Parker (or at least that is who I believe they are talking about, although he is listed as a line expert under Berkley's pro roster).
I've looked over the three different jigs, and not much looks new. I guess the jigs are supposed to produced better action when standing on head, and the double-barb is supposed to secure bait better. We'll see.
Have you ever stopped to think about products like line spoolers and strippers? I have to confess, these are two items on my short list of equipment needs. You can really get your bang for your buck if you think about the ease of a nice taught line, or stripping down an old spool.
Berkley puts out a hand-held stripper that rips 140 yards of line in less than a minute (just under 47 feet). It sells for $19.99 on the Berkley Web site.
Rapala has a new line stripper on the market that sells at a suggested retail price of 14.99, and strips 5 feet of line per second. This works out to 100 yards a minute.
So both are fast, both are reasonably priced, and both will probably do the job just fine.
Berkley also has a stripper/spooler field kit that sells for $39.99. Or you can go with a portable spooling kit or a permanent spooling kit for $34.99.
As winter melts to spring, I will continue to look over the new products, and from time to time I'm sure I'll report on what I find. Till then, pray for sun.
