Added on Thursday, April 12, 2012  Gary Hurley

Spring Gear Guide

Penn Squall LD Series

Looking for a lightweight lever-drag reel to target offshore species ranging from king mackerel to marlin? Penn’s new Squall LD series has models that run the entire offshore fishing gamut, all packed with specialized features that allow anglers to take advantage of the trend of targeting larger fish on lighter gear.

Offered in 30, 40, 50, and 60 sizes, the Squall LD’s hold around 300-400 yards of the same strength mono as the size number and massive amounts of braided line (1050 yards of 65 lb. braid on the 60!), enabling anglers to spool braided backing with a top-shot of monofilament, downsizing their trolling tackle without giving up any line capacity.

Varying retrieve rates from 6:1 to 4.3:1, depending on the size of the reel, make the smaller models perfect for speedy king mackerel and give the larger sizes enhanced cranking power for bigger game.

All the Squall LD’s feature Penn’s Versa-Handle System, allowing the length of the handle to be changed in less than a minute: shorter for increased reeling speed, and longer for more power.

The 50 and 60 models offer up to 30 lbs. of drag to utilize the power of modern braided lines and are well-suited to just about any big game fish in our waters, shy of a grander marlin or tuna.

More heavy-duty and innovative features abound inside and outside the reels, including:

(1) Ratcheted lever drag doesn’t allow for drag creep and offers positive, precise adjustment

(2) Recessed drag lever lies below the frame to avoid snagging loose line

(3) Switch Blade Harness lugs that retract into reel on the 50 and 60 models

(4) Line indicator rings on the spool flange let anglers know how much is on the spool

(5) Dura Drag Washers (the same as in the company’s International line)

The Squall LD’s retail for $159.99-179.99 and are available at Penn dealers around the region.

Visit www.pennreels.com for more information.

 

Owner JigRig

Long at the forefront of hook innovation, Owner has released the new JigRig, a unique hook and weight setup that offers anglers an alternative to jigheads and swimbait hooks in rigging their soft plastic baits.

The two main components of the JigRig are a light wire, extra wide gap Z-lock Owner hook and an elongated teardrop weight (available as 3/16 or 1/4 oz. in tungsten or lead) that are joined by solid and split rings.

Anglers tie their line or leader to the solid ring that is attached to the hook’s eye, with the weight attached to the solid ring via the split ring.

The setup offers several distinct advantages over conventional rigging methods. One of the most important is enhanced action. Since weight and bait are separated by a pair of rings, even subtle twitches of the rod tip set a soft bait in motion without moving the weight, perfect for finicky fish since the lure can be left in the strike zone without simply laying still on the bottom.

Buoyant soft baits dance above the weight on the free-floating hook and simply crawling the JigRig along the bottom creates a tantalizing action as the weight hops along contours and structure.

Since the bait is rigged weedless and is above the weight, it crawls through vegetation and snaggy bottoms even better than a normal weedless hook.

The teardrop weight also leads the plastic through the air during the cast, making for an aerodynamic package that casts further and more accurately than other rigging methods.

JigRigs retail in 2-packs from $7.00-12.50 and are in stores already. See your local Owner dealer to check them out, or visit www.ownerhooks.com.

 

Luna Sea Cush-it

Little can take the joy out of fighting a big fish like the discomfort of a rod butt pushing into your gut or hip under heavy drag, especially with gimbal butt rods. Luna Sea has come out with a unique solution to the problem in the Cush-it, a closed-cell foam fish-fighting aid that takes the place of bulky, difficult-to-adjust rod belts.

The Cush-it slips easily onto a rod butt without adjustments for angler or tackle, and it offers excellent cushioning against the bruises most offshore anglers are familiar with when fighting big fish on heavy, gimbal-butted gear. They won’t slip or twist during the battle, and they are far easier to store (and less expensive) than rod belts, so boats can bring plenty Cush-its along to let anglers fight multiple hookups in comfort.

The rounded butt end of the Cush-it gives anglers the ability to use a flat surface like a cooler lid or covering board for support and still retain freedom of motion with the rod. Anglers’ guts aren’t the only thing a rod butt can damage, and the product will also protect gelcoat and fiberglass from battle scars.

Cush-its aren’t just for big game gear, and the company offers All Species and Inshore models for lighter tackle. In addition to protecting anglers from rod butts, the lighter models help balance tip-heavy rods and will float a rod dropped into the water, both wonderful features for young anglers.

The closed-cell used in Cush-its is UV resistant and as the company says “indestructibly tough,” so they won’t break down or discolor over time. They retail for $14.95-29.95, depending on model, and money saving three-packs are also available. Check out www.lunaseasports.com for more information or to find a dealer near you.

 

Sufix Castable Invisiline Flourocarbon

Low visibility fluorocarbon leader materials have certainly established themselves in the saltwater fishing world, but most are much too stiff to use as a main line. Sufix’s Casatable Invisiline Fluorocarbon does away with the issue.

It casts and handles virtually identically to traditional monofilament, but the new line retains all the benefits of its namesake material. The line’s easy-handling properties make it well-suited to both spinning and baitcasting reels.

Invisiline is manufactured of 100% fluorocarbon, so it’s nearly invisible underwater and has very low stretch properties for more sensitivity on the retrieve and better hook sets.

Like fluoro leader materials, the line is far more abrasion resistant and stronger per diameter than monofilament, so Invisiline offers an ideal combination of strength and stealth. It also resists the UV rays that damage mono, so anglers won’t need to respool as often.

Fluorocarbon sinks four times faster than monofilament, so Invisiline offers anglers working lures and baits in deep, fast-moving water an edge in getting their offerings down and keeping slack to a minimum.

Sufix also uses a technology called G3 Precision Winding to virtually eliminate memory in the new line.

Castable Invisiline Fluorocarbon is available in 100 or 200 yards spools in strengths of 4-20 lb. test, and pricing ranges from $13.99-30.99. Look for it in a local tackle shop, or visit www.rapala.com for more information.

 

Blue Water Candy Spanish and Beach ‘Bamas

Always looking for a way to help anglers catch more fish, Hampstead’s Blue Water Candy Lures has adapted a bass-fishing sensation for saltwater use with the new Beach ‘Bama and Spanish ‘Bama Rigs.

The rigs will look familiar to anglers who’ve trolled umbrella rigs for striped bass, as they’re essentially a miniature umbrella rig frame that anglers can cast as well as troll. The ‘Bama Rigs feature a painted lead head with five stainless wires terminating in a snap-swivel. They’re available with head sizes ranging from 3/8-1 oz. (the 1 oz. features heavier wire and hardware for bigger fish).

The difference in the two lies in what’s on the snap swivels. They’re attached to a quintet of Clarkspoons on the Beach ‘Bama, and the Spanish ‘Bama wears a set of small tube lures like those on mackerel tree rigs.

As an umbrella rig does, the ‘Bamas present proven lures as one small school of bait, stimulating competitive and feeding impulses in gamefish.

Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and Atlantic bonito will no doubt take a hearty interest in either ‘Bama, and the snaps let anglers interchange lures to fine-tune their presentation with any variety of swimbaits, soft plastics, spoons, or virtually any other offerings.

The stiff wire arms of the ‘Bama rigs keep the lures from tangling while casting or working through the water. Since multiple bites (and catches) are common on these rigs, fishing them on slightly heavier gear than usual is a good idea.

Each Blue Water Candy ‘Bama rig includes the frame, five lures, and a self-draining mesh storage bag, and bare frames are also available for anglers who want to customize their own.

They’re available where Blue Water Candy products are sold, with prices ranging from $29.99-34.99 (rigged) and $15.99-16.99 (unrigged). Anglers can learn more and see photos of the rigs at www.bluewatercandylures.com.

 

Betts Flounder Fanatics

Missed and short strikes are one of, if not the most frustrating aspects of flounder fishing. Betts Tackle’s new Flounder Fanatic line tackles the problem head on with a special system designed to help anglers hook more flounder.

Two models of leadhead hooks make up the principle part of the line, the Flounder Fanatic Bottom, featuring a flat 3/4 or 1.5 oz. weight, and the Flounder Fanatic Jig, a 1/8 oz. jighead that share one unique feature.

That feature will be apparent to anyone who takes a look at one—the hook is sideways compared to a conventional jighead. And since a flounder (and its mouth) is sideways compared to a conventional fish, the idea makes sense.

The Flounder Fanatic Bottom features a flat, oval shaped weight and a specially bent hook that raises the bait just off the bottom and keeps the hook point facing to the side. The Bottom works equally well with live baits and strip baits, and a wire pin attached to the strange hook’s eye enables anglers to rig scented soft baits in a natural manner as well. Casting, drifting, and trolling are all effective techniques with the Flounder Fanatic Bottom. A heavy monofilament weedguard keeps pesky snags to a minimum.

The Jig also features a mono weedguard and has a light ball-shaped head and a triple collar keeper to ensure that soft baits stay put. It also works well with live and dead baits. The Jig can be cast alone, rigged with a weight, and is particularly effective in shallower water when suspended beneath a float like a Billy Bay Big Boy Bobber.

With either Bottom or Jig, anglers no longer have to wait out a flounder bite, since the hook is in perfect position for the flatfish’s sideways mouth when it bites. Both come with rubber bait keepers to keep live baits from wriggling off the hook.

The Flounder Fanatics retail in two-packs for $3.39-4.39 and are now getting stocked in local tackle shops. More information is available at www.bettstackle.net.

 

AFW Surfstrand 1X7

Perfect for toothy predators like king mackerel, wahoo, and sharks, American Fishing Wire’s Surf Strand leader wire utilizes a 1X7 construction method to produce a stronger, superior product to other manufacturers’ 1X3 wire offerings.

The 1X7 strand construction produces a stronger, more flexible wire for a given diameter, meaning live, dead, and artificial baits move with more realistic action and anglers may be able to downsize their leaders to get even more strikes.

Surf Strand is constructed of spring temper stainless steel for the ultimate in flexibility and corrosion resistance. Kinks can easily form and spell death for wire leaders, but AFW’s special stranding process delivers superior kink resistance, not just over single strand wire, but over other multi-strand products as well.

Unlike single strand wire, Surf Strand can be tied with a Figure Eight knot or attached with sleeves and a crimper, offering anglers more versatility and allowing those who haven’t mastered the Haywire Twist to quickly rig up a reliable wire leader.

The wire is available in bright finish or reflection minimizing Camo Brown for differing situations. Whether a professional fisherman, a weekend warrior, or something in between, there’s a spool between 30’-5000’ to fit your needs, in strengths from 10-325 lb. test.

Spools start at $3.50, and you can learn more about the company’s many other wire products at www.americanfishingwire.com.

 

Yo-Zuri 3DS Minnow

Speckled trout and other inshore predators beware, the Yo-Zuri 3DS Minnow is on store shelves statewide. The new lures feature the company’s 3D body technology, which involves a holographic insert paired with laser etching inside the body to present a 3D image that provokes smashing strikes from specks and other gamefish. Lifelike and light-catching eyes complete the illusion.

A rolling swimming action and lifelike color patterns with bright accents further enhance the lure’s realism and effectiveness.

The suspending lures are best worked with a jerk or twitch and pause retrieve and it’s during the pauses when the lures are sitting still in the water column that fish usually strike.

With upgraded round-bend treble hooks that are stronger and sharper than those on the old Yo-Zuri 3D Minnow, the 3DS is designed for saltwater duty.

At 2 ¾” and ¼ oz., one slight surprise is that the lure casts very well on lighter gear. It’s balanced so the light lure flies long, true, and doesn’t tumble in the air.

Five colors of the 3DS Minnow are available to match most fishing situations. They retail for $10.95 and can be found at tackle shops up and down the coast. More information about all of Yo-Zuri’s products is available online at www.yo-zuri.com.