Whether you enjoy Chesapeake Bay fishing, casting in sweetwater for bass, or heading offshore to troll for tuna, one thing is for sure: you need gear. Lots and lots of fishing gear. Here are some of the latest items we've run across that make the grade.
Addiction Baits Suspending Stalker
We were in suspense when we first got our hands on an Addiction Baits Suspending Stalker, but after taking a few casts we were left with no doubt that these things catch fish. Tossing a 3.75” Chartreuse Suspending Stalker it was easy to get a fish-attracting erratic retrieve and the front-weighting keeps it suspended on an even keel when you give a pause, twitch, and BOOM! Fish on. These run just a foot or so under the surface and are ideal for specks in the shallows or over weedbeds, though we’d recommend swapping the treble hooks for singles if you’re fishing in an area likely to hold rockfish because they’ll whack these lures with abandon, too. Bone, blue mackerel, bunker, and golden shiner color patterns are all available. Price: $7.99. Visit Addiction Baits and scratch your itch to twitch.
H2OX Carbon Spinning Fishing Rod
We don’t know what nano resin technology is, but that’s one of the things H2OX says makes their Carbon Spinning rod so light yet strong. What we do know for sure is that this rod is indeed incredibly light and shows zero signs of weakness. We tried using one while flinging jigs on half-ounce heads to stripers holding on riprap, and it felt awesome in hand. The rear 4K carbon fiber handle is surprisingly comfortable and doesn’t get slick when wet, and the front grip is cork. The Carbon Spinning is available in 7’6’” medium/moderate and 7’0” moderate/fast actions. We tested the 7’0” moderate/fast, which is rated for eight to 17-pound test and quarter to three quarter ounce lures. The price is a pleasant surprise, too. MSRP: $79.99. Visit Academy if you enjoy carbonation.
Okuma Rockaway SI Surf Reel
If you need a new spinning reel that can hold up to the rigors of surf fishing, you’ll want to check out Okuma’s Rockaway SI Surf reels. These feature a C-40X carbon body and oversized gears, a machined aluminum anodized spool, plus a heat-resistant multidisc Carbonite washer drag system. Critically, the Hydro Block body prevents water intrusion to the drag and pinion gear, and there’s no anti-reverse switch to further reduce the chances of water intrusion—so if you get smacked with a wave when you’re wading out to make the next cast the reel won’t be toast. The Rockaway SI Surf reels come in 2500 to 5000 sizes, in 6.0:1 and 6.2:1 gear ratios, and put out a max drag of 18 to 24 pounds. Price: $99.99 to $109. Visit Okuma before you reach the beach.
Dakota Lithium 36V 60 Ah Trolling Motor Battery
Those big, juicy LiFePO4 lithium-ion trolling motor batteries sound great, but they’re also eye-poppingly expensive. Are they really worth all the additional cost? We’ve been putting a Dakota Lithium 36V 60 Ah to work—hard work—aboard the FishTalker for three and a half years. The weight savings is substantial, with this battery tipping the scales at 44 pounds (versus around 120 pounds for three 12-volt lead-acid deep cycle batteries). And we love the wiring simplicity of having a single battery versus multiples. The biggest eye-opener we discovered during this long-term test, however, has been this battery’s staying power. It’s virtually impossible to completely drain it down in a single day of regular fishing (it happened once when we over-used the electric motor going between spots), and it can hold the boat Spot-Locked in the full-blast roaring current of the CCNPP—where it’s working at speeds of 8, 9, or 10 continuously—for five to six hours. That’s better performance than we’ve seen from many 100 Ah lead-acid rigs. We’ve had no glitches from the battery and thus far love this thing. Cost has come down over time but remains pretty impressive; price: $1700. Visit dakotalithium.com or locally go through BOE Marine, which did a fantastic installation job on the FishTalker (and charged exactly the same as Dakota’s website for the battery itself).