Curious as to what types of new equipement people bought/ used / tried this year to get some honest user feedback / product reviews, good or bad.
Rods, reels, line, clothing, other gear.....

I tried Back Beach lures.- they cast nice but don't catch diddly.

Grey Ultra-Lite Korker boots- most comfortable, functionable boot I have ever used--ulitimate design in a wading boot--but disintegrated twice in short periods of time. Man made materials didn't hold up. Now discontinued. Would be greatest boot if would make out of materials that last

Korker Cross Current boot- SUCK. --3 quarter height with a collar that isn't snug and lets gravel into them. Not very comforatbale either with very little ankle support.

The greatest thing I got this year (only used a few times)-
NRS Mystery Shirt-
Next to the D-ring belt rod holder thingy, the second greatest ever piece of equipement for wet suiting- Similar to "heater" tops, but is a full coverage (available in short or long sleeve-went with long sleeve)wind proof neoprene top to wear under wetsuit. Eliminates need to wear a windbreaker on those cool windy nights. Zero loss of mobility. Thing is PISSA. Wish they made pants out of it too.

M&D's canal pencils/ long distance casting canal pencils- cast like missles and catch better than any other pencil I used so far.

Pelican dry box- after going through hundreds of different dry sacks, finally bought one. Was concerned about the size/ bulkiness, but is the perfect size to hold my leaders and rinny-tin-tin. No more hook holes through water proof sack.

Aquaskinz small belt pouch- holds my pelican box perfectly so i don't have to carry my rag of a bag Aquaskinz med/ tall plug bag anymore. Little turn knobby thing on front flap is crap as it always opens up, but zipper has worked well.

Foldable Simms wading staff with retractor.....makes long hikes over rock and the back and forths over bubbleweed much safer/easier. Takes some care to keep the spring latch alive, and is a pain in the ass if you leave it hanging in surf, but it still beats hell out of falling on rock in the middle of nowhere.

Wearbar studs are great in rubber soled wading boots.

Titanium lowrider guides.......a godsend for big spinning rods.

Diawa samurai braid.....been working well for me

Tactical anglers clips=:btu:

BB Wood= some worked great, some not so great. I gave all my duds to Redlite.

That's it for me...building plugs set me back a few mortgage payments so I had little money left to buy anything else...used last year's braid and whatever discarded mono I could find in the rocks.

Best Thing was an eel plastic jug carrier rig (large screw top mayo jar) patterned after a famous surfcaster's beat up looking eel jug carrier that I saw in Zeno's Surfcasters Journal.

Redlite- know what I am talking about?

Good thread...

Boga 30- hands down the most useful fishing tool I've ever picked up. Requires zero maintenance. Don't know how I ever went without it.

AS Elite wading belt- Great belt... After having a few that constantly needed adjusting, this one is pissah. Firm, good support, and doesn't go anywhere.

AS small bag- I'm with redlite, handy to keep small stuff in (camera, leaders, sluggoes & shads) but that knob on the front is a POS. Mine broke off within 3 months of purchase. Zipper is solid, but now I have an annoying dangly flap thing on the front due to the missing knob. Gotta hit it with some industrial velcro.

Korkers boots- Not a fan, sizing is all off, I have enormous feet and the largest wouldn't fit me. Might pick up a pair of the sandals for wetsuiting, but I think installing studs on old sneakers is a cheaper and better option.

Simms rivershed boots- Cash money. Expensive, but lightweight, drain fast, and have excellent ankle support. The studs Simms sells are garbage though, at least on Cape Ann granite. They wear down to nubs rapidly. Will be installing Wearbars this offseason.

LL bean rapid river waders- Needed a new pair, bought these on sale... Durable enough to climb over (a few) barnacle coated rocks, and haven't ripped when I've busted my ass. They all rip eventually, but it's tough to go wrong with that warranty.

Dragon tails lanyards- Thought they were nice at first, but they tangle much too easily. If you have two near one another... watch out. I've spent hours this season picking my boga and pliers apart. Will be going to a crimped telephone cord next year.

Gloomis 844 GL2, Saragosa 4k- New favorite setup for the boat and schoolies. I changed out the drags on the 'gosa to smooothies, and this combo has taken albies, bass up to 25#, and blues up to 15 lb no problem.

Guy Cotten Artic hoody- Great lightweight fleece hoody. Sheds water & splashes, but isn't waterproof. Great to have on as an additional layer.

All I can think of right now

Bought a couple of Okuma Cedros jigging rods. Been using the heavy 6 ft. conventional for trolling pogies. Alps components, nice wrap and a decent blank for $60. (Amazon) A fish stopper for sure.

LL bean river tread wading boots. Very durable stout and light for a monstrous size 13. Easy on and off. These have not been dry once since may used 4-5 times a week and have very little signs of wear except for rusted studs.

another for TA clips :btu:

Hodgeman King Stream wading boots completely fell apart in less that a season. The sole just fell off over a mile from the truck.. (wore a small hole in the stocking foot of my waders walking back too :realmad:)Tried to file a warranty claim only to be told the boot is discontinued and the company sold to Coleman.. pfft 130$ crap..

Korker Jetty Plus Sandals.. Bought them hold together the piece of excrement wading boots.. Worked very well.. not nearly as heavy as the K5000's. Still the combo was a little heavy for swimming blub blub blub

Atlantis Splash top... Worked great! Kept me warm when wet suiting on windy nights.

Shimano Bluewave plugbag... Works well.. pretty tough.. tubes are a little small but I took 2 out and used a plastic emerald peanuts jar to hold big pikies and stuff. Bag drains and dries fast. Learned you really need to keep the lids Velcroed down while it dries or they will warp and be tough to close. One complaint is the crappy plastic clips for the shoulder straps. I had one let go while bending down to lip a fish and it gave way.. Slamming the pelican case I had attached to it onto the rock I was on. It didn't break the case but it the latch just right and dumped my camera and timmys smokes into the drink.

Mini Pelican case.. Worked great with the exception the block is. incident.. I sorta stopped carrying it after I killed my camera and was only carrying my buddies cancer sticks. I keep tellin him I'm trying to help him quit. :D

Wearbars & Cabelas Ultra Light wading boots: Way way way better than strap on Korkers. I have put a lot of miles on these and they are holding up well. One of the best thing about these boots are nice and snug on the top which helps with keeping gravel and sand from getting in.

Froggtog waders & free water proof jacket that came with it. Waders are good but the free jacket which I thought was going to be a POS is awesome. It’s super light weight, breathable, has cuffs that seal, really good hood and has been completely waterproof.

AS Small/Tall Bag: Perfect sized bag for me while wetuiting, it can fit 5-10 plugs depending on what I’m carrying and 3 or 4 rigged eels. Durability wise I’m not sure it’s going to last more than one season though it’s already starting to wear thin in a few spots.

Fish-grippers: Had bought this for ice fishing for pike and walleye but it’s been on my surf belt all season and is great for dealing with blues or bass with a face full of trebles. Wish it wasn’t bright orange…

Diawa Samurai – put 50lb on my 250 about a month ago and am loving it.

Korker Ulta lites - like them. I haven't worn them as much as you so I can't comment on them breaking down.

Commando 3 tube bag - no more worries about hooks getting stuck in the material and having to stand on a rock trying to cut a hook out of a bag.

AS elite belt. Like the belt but none of the accessaries (hook, D ring, plier) would fit over the double material or slide around the belt. I had Tom from Commando make extra long mesh straps and an extra wide plier holder so now I can slide everything around the belt and take them off over the buckles w/o taking the belt off/apart. Makes my life much, much easier.

"Wearbars & Cabelas Ultra Light wading boots" - Seconded - SOOOOOO light and comfortable.

FrogTogg waders - only wearing for a week so far but surprised how good these cheap waders are.

My peilcan case for about 1 month before I broke it. Next we'll test out its warranty.

My Costa Del Mar Hammerheads (second pair). Great vision, wraparound, and designed to fit large squashes...

Wearbar studs. I bought them and screwed them into felt sole wading boots. Absolutely the greatest invention in years. No more 10 pound weights on my waders.

I tried the wetsuit fishing a few weeks ago and really liked it. I can see myself using the suit more often. This winter I will be picking up more of the necessary equipment.

Best purchase of the year was my plastic fish clip. hardly weighs anything, doesnt harm the fish, latches and folds underneath the lip. you gain total control of the fish. its really easy to operate. makes takin hooks out a breeze. and mines glow in the dark :)

Not a real good picture of it but the thing is boss

Wearbars are like heaven compared to Korkers, you kinda feel like a kid with new sneakers.
Relief zipper in my wetsuit makes me happy.
Henderson Playa neoprene jacket is great, wear over farmer johns and has a hood and no fabric on the outside so it is dry quick. But I was still cold last Sunday morning after fishing from 2 to 7 am.
Epoxying nuts on hooks for rigged eels is a great trick, not really a product though.

Wearbars and Cabelas wading boots A+

Neo sport wet suit, I only used it a few time so far but it seems good

Orvis Neoprene socks A+

St. Croix Mojo 10'6" 2-6 oz A+

ZeeBaas 27 A+

New plugs fished this year

Greenpoint 2oz - some nights this plug produced when no other would. Swims tight and has a nice feel during retrieve. Really put a beaten on it.

Lordship A40 & jr.- caught a ton of fish this year on these plugs. Blurple jr was my go to in many different applications. very versatile and easier to replace than a BM.

I need a Boga. A recent moment of trying to unbuckle a 14b bluefish in waist high water reminded me this. Its moments like this they are a necessity.

Kokatat Tec Tour jacket - Comfy, dry, great hood.

ZB 25 - Gotten used to it and love the reel. So much smoother than my VS. Great drag too.

WoodyCT custom seine twine knob on my ZB- Pissa!

Vizion head lamp- Water PROOF, light, bright, easy to use, and a nice price! Thanks Toby.:uhuh:

Tactical Angler clips - Tied one on and went large immediately! Boy to these things catch fish.:jump1:

Tsuanimi Talking Popper in the smallest size in pearl- casts great on my 1201M and raises fish even after they have seen a gazillion Atoms go over head.

St. Croix Mojo 10'6" 2-6 oz A+



Can't disagree---by far the favorite rod that I own. Got over 100 outings on it, probably 300+ fish, into the mid-30s, lost count of the 20+, and it's everything I would ever want in a Canal rod. Plugs, jigs, equally good at both, and more than enough power to turn a fish--and a hell of a lot more fun to fish with than a 1209 :btu:

Tac clips are another A+.

Unfortunately, that's it for the new-this-year gear.

I picked up a Zeebaas ZX25 about a month ago. So far, I love it. I finally started using Breakaway clips. I can't believe I resisted trying them so long. They make changing plugs so much easier. Thanks to WESTPORTMAFIA I tried the Tsunami Deep Shads. Aside from losing a bunch of them, they've been great for fishing deep water with strong currents.

Best Thing was an eel plastic jug carrier rig (large screw top mayo jar) patterned after a famous surfcaster's beat up looking eel jug carrier that I saw in Zeno's Surfcasters Journal.

Redlite- know what I am talking about?

That's what we used for years. I got an even better one that holds up better. It's a plastic jug that little dog bones come in. I drilled holes, rigged the top on a lanyard so I won't loos it and put a clip on it for my belt. PERFECT!

I'll never fish plugs again in my life without the Boga. Well worth the money.

M&D's new weighted pencils are by far the best on the market right now. They really are missles.

Tonyo turned me on to the deep shads which worked out pretty good.

also picked up an emblem pro and was skeptical at 1st but it held up better than I thought and handled over 6 fish in the 30# range. I didn't think it would hold up but it did well. That paired with an 1322-2 and an m&d's weighted pencil is by far the best set up I have ever used for getting distance. I pulled some big fish this year that were out of reach for alot of people. I'm going to change it up a bit next year and fish the emblem with a 1322-1 custom with fuji lowriders. I hate a 2 piece and also want to see if there is a big difference with those guides.

Wearbars are on the top of my list for next year for sure.

Quantum Cabo 40 with 40# power pro on a Star 7 1/2 foot rod. Thanks Rivers End!!!

Mojo 10'6" 3/4-4: great production rod

Grundens hooded soft shell: way better than any non-sealed surf top and an amazing boat coat.

Tackle House Shibukis: $40 bombers that are built 100x better :hihi:

Texas Tackle splitring plyers: will open ANY splitring made.

Owner ST-66 trebles: stronger than VMC's

Daiwa Samurai Braid: fantastic and REALLY thin. true to its rating.

Daiwa Samauri braid, I like the softness but I had too many issues with light stuff causing windknots and lost way too much line. maybe i was using too heavy lb test I don't know, gonna try power pro.

Backbeach plugs - I tried a couple and while they seem to work well I didn't catch diddly either. I'm not giving up on them though. They sure look nice.

M & D's pencil popper- cast longer than any plug I own, the paint doesn't hold up that well from the hooks but they catch fish well so who cares. cheap too.

Northbar bottle darter, great action and catches very well. nothing real big for me yet but they are nice plugs.

30 lb. Boga worked ok but locked up alot from small amount of sand, even after thorough rinsing. Nice to have in the kayak for Blues except when they have lockjaw and won't open their mouths.

Northbar bottledarter caught well for me.

Daiwa sp minnow caught three fish over 20 lbs and countless others for me this year. Cast and swims better than bombers or redfins.

Simple D-Ring on my wading belt to hold my rod when I need both hands.

simms headwaters wading boots with wearbar studs- i'm in love...

2 tube mak bag- nicest bag i've ever owned...

grudens fleece top with rubber sleeves and front- made for the ccc...

cts 1201 rod- rocket launcher...

1 swivel/brkwy snap holder from Red Top's this Spring; made tieing leaders a breeeeeeeze!!
easily the coolest and MOST used gadget for my 2010 season,,,,,,,,,,,,and it was FREE!!

1 of Back Beach's Conrad's in blk over silver; absolute FishFinder!! when they were there,,,,,,,,,,,
schoolies to my pb for AYC(32#'er). incredible action, LUV the winged lip, very easy to control/vary the wobble, and it casts faaaaah too! THANKS, Mike,,,,,,,,,,,

will demo a VS250 this w/e for the first time, thanks to the Gifted One~~~
which will hopefully get put thru the paces,,,,,,,,,,,,South County Style,
then i'll put it thru The OTHER Cape's rigors of Autumn.
:btu: :btu: :btu:

Nothing new. I bought zero gear for the first time ever. Not a plug, bucktail, or tin. Other than 100 150lb swivels, 100 6/0 hooks and 1 spool of 80lb mono.


Other than the need to replace a few plugs, few eyes on reels and terminal tackle, I feel like I finally have most of my gear the way I want it. Need new waders next year though....

1.) Daiwa Samurai braid on my VS 250

2.) Local Hooker custom 1 pc. rod from Goose Hummock

3.) GLoomis IMX 10'6 Surf Series

4.) Daiwa Saltist 4500 w/ Samurai braid

1.)
2.) Local Hooker


:rotf2:

cts 1201 rod- rocket launcher... Ditto:uhuh:

Jerry Brown solid braid:kewl:

Shimano Power Aero Albrid:kewl:

Daiwa Saltist 20H conventional reel. Not really new this year. I wanted to give it two seasons before I talked about it.

I decided not to maintain this reel, one drop of of oil on each spool bearing and one on the handle knob every month, that's it.

After almost two years, something finally started to go wrong, the clutch lever got stiff. I opened it up and found that there was some salt crap built up in the guts of the right sideplate. The backup (Abu style) antireverse was also stuck with crap. A good cleaning and relube made it like new again. Since the inside of the left side was sparkly clean, I assume the salt crud snuck in through the drainage holes in the bottom of the right side. This winter, I'll take it apart again and use silicone to seal these weep holes.

After using/repairing Abu level winds for years, it is a delight to just use a reel and not worry about it. The drag is sweet, strong and smooth, the reel casts very well and is comfortable in the hands.
What more could you ask for?

I never had a non levelwind Abu and nearly all the problems I had with those reels was with the pawls and worms and gears relating to the level wind function

Rods:

Shimano Terez: I was really taken away with the strength and back bone of these rods. More of a bait rod with its soft tip they can easily handle tuna to 300lbs. The colors are a little funky, but they do grow on you.

G Loomis IMX Surf: I took the 1325 11' model which is rated for 3/4-5oz. Like most loomis blanks this rod cast metal and bucktails a country mile. My only issues were I wish the rod was a little faster action and the bulky fore grip. The adjustable reel seat is pretty cool and the new k guides are awesome...everyone thinks there bent. I'm liking this rod a lot as i can both jig and plug with it. This is a two piece which I don't mind, but its price might be hard for some to jump on as I think they retail for $555

REELS:

Shimano Trinidad: I tried out the newer model which is a better and much sharper looking reel then the already great older one. I think like the sw this will be its last change as the reel is perfect.

Shimano Tallica ll: I am in love with this conventional reel. It is small enough to cast and fit in your hand tho this real is a two speed and equivalent to a 50. Talk about using the same reel for anything from sea bass to tuna...I love it

Shimano Bait runner: Now this is a real that has always performed great for me and never thought it needed any change. But what they did with it has brought it to another level. These much smoother slimmed out versions can even be used as a plugging reel if someone chose too.

Plugs:

Big Fish Double shot: What a pencil for where I fish. I took a lot of big fish this year on this one. It cast a mile and even tho it sinks like a rock it effortlessly comes to the top, even in almost slack water.

Left hook sm canal pencil: This little missile can reach places you never thought of. Even on a 1209 with 65lb braid. This pencil was perfect this summer as it was the perfect size with all the tinkers around.

Shimano waxwing: I tried the jr and at 1.5 oz this subsurface swimming jig cast pretty good. The best part was it seemed to really get bit. The negative side of it is that the hook up ratio can be tuff. I replaced the double hooks with a 6/0 vmc siwashi which help a lot. Anything else took away from its action

Allan's new pintail: Even tho it doesn't get as much attention as other rubber baits. This has got to be hands down the best top water rubber i've used. The new pintails are amazing and have some any options of rigging that they find a nitch in every application. Still a must have in my bag

Storm Deep shad: Kick @ss smaller shad. The hook seems to be a bit tight but a old timer told me to bend it of set and now it kicks @ss
Terminal:

Tactical clips: After dropping a pig last year on a breakaway. I vowed never to use another one. So this year I tried the 120lb tacticals which are just a little bigger then the 80lb BA. These clips are great. They can take a 9" shad with ease and will not give out. A big winner for me and hands down the best clip on the market in my book

Power Pro Hollowcore ace: I like this new braid off shore, but am still curious as to if it will perform on the surf. Being hollow I feel like it will twist on a spinning reel after many long cast.

As elite bags and belt: I love the bullet proof materials and big tubes on the bags and the belt keeps its spine after many days on and in the water. The Cobra was a great up grade on the most popular of the bags, and has some great added features like its extra pockets and spool dispencer...I really loved this bag

I picked up a Zeebaas ZX25 about a month ago.

yuppie.

This being my first year serious fishing most stuff is new to me. I agree completely with M&D Canal pencils, these thing outcast anything and pull fish from beyond the middle of the ditch. When fish are a bit closer Big Fish Prey and Danny are almost unfair to fish. I also got a Saltiga 4500 a few weeks ago. Only have a few fish on that so far the biggest being a very big blue fish that didn't stand a chance against that reel. It cast's 50# power pro forever, great reel.

Northbar bottle darter. Most of my best fish fell to it.

tldbsg single foot guides for my 1205. It is like not having guides. Rod casts a mile and weighs almost nothing with my new to me this year Saltiga 4500z on it. If you ever fished a stock 1205 or one with typical guides, it is like a completely different rod. Held up to tossing 5 oz jigs and fish up to 30lb class in current.

Sebile floating stick shadd. Got it this fall, fished one outing. Caught one fish. On the way home my buddy stopped and bought "one of those expensive lures that catches bluefish."

yuppie.


You're confusing the ZeeBaas with the Van Staal. The VS is for the yuppie chardonnay and brie crowd. It lets everybody know that not only are you an expert angler, you're a style maven as well. The ZB is more of a blue collar reel for guys who fish with beat up plugs and wear dirty sweatshirts.:grins:

Daiwa Samauri braid, I like the softness but I had too many issues with light stuff causing windknots and lost way too much line. maybe i was using too heavy lb test I don't know, gonna try power pro.




That was last year's new equipment, for me. I found that while it's great for plugging, it doesn't have enough abrasion resistance for jigging, and it undertests. The 55# braid broke before my 40# mono leader on several occasions, causing me to lose too much line. That kind of did away with the extra distance I was getting over Big Game braid. :(

I'm not going to run a 30# mono leader for jigging. :hs:

The ZB is more of a blue collar reel for guys who fish with beat up plugs and wear dirty sweatshirts.:grins:

Ahh, I get it, also known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act tax rebate reel.

I bought a Quantum Cabo 40 midway thru the season as my every day spinning reel and this thing is awesome.

I still like my assortment of Okuma Epixor and Coronado reels but those are now for my sons and guests, I will keep the Cabo to myself!

Power Pro Hollowcore ace: I like this new braid off shore, but am still curious as to if it will perform on the surf. Being hollow I feel like it will twist on a spinning reel after many long cast.


Jerry Brown is still cheaper. (blue and yellow are stiffer than the white too)
Won't even consider it until Streamline tests its ABS.

Some new lines I've been using are working out well.

I was using diawa boat braid. It's a color change solid line that is very smooth. It tests close or under it's rating.

Moved to hollow core to using splicing over knots. The JB hollow 60 white is fantastic to cast and test well over that. It's more difficult to splice but if you splice a piece of 80 on the end for loops you only have to splice the 60.

Also trying some tuf-line hollow color change line which seems to be a nice line also but haven't used it much yet.

VS 200, love it. But should have gotten the 250. The price was right.

Diawa SP minnow. I haven't caught on it yet but ive got confidence in it already.

Sebiles, yeah they are like crack when the fish are in.

AS Elite belt, now that is a surf belt. IT gets nice and tight and you can hang a kitchen sink off of it.

AS Cobra bag. Its a damn good bag. I havent gotten a hook stuck in it yet. Good closure and lots of storage. The side pockets. One of them holds a pill bottle with swivels etc, the other fits a water bottle nicely.

Princeton Tec Remix headlamp. Great light. The white is bright and you dont have to cycle thru the white to get to the red. Its holds a charge for quite a while, but i did have to knock it around a couple of times to get it started.

11' Lami SS one piece. I really like this rod. Its great for plugs as small as an AH stubby and works up to around 3.5 oz. nice and parobolic for throwing eels.

GOOD:
shankas 14" rubber! big thumbs up
intova torch! small, waterproof, affordable. huge thumbs up
GRS slims! :btu:
CSW907 seeker! bomb proof rod! a new favorite.
commando bag! roomy, great quality and very well made. great guy to boot!

BAD:
samurai braid 50lb - many wind knots

Tallica 20 two speed, multi-species, the berries !
Shimano sustain 8000 nice and smooth.
Sebilles, hate to pay it they work.
Samurai braid, love the stuff.
Small salty needles.:uhuh:
Tactical clips.:kewl:
New stand up tuna stick with abalone wrap, very pretty, yet to hook up on it
St croix 9 foot legend. good and bad.

You're confusing the ZeeBaas with the Van Staal. The VS is for the yuppie chardonnay and brie crowd. It lets everybody know that not only are you an expert angler, you're a style maven as well. The ZB is more of a blue collar reel for guys who fish with beat up plugs and wear dirty sweatshirts.:grins:

What are you if you own both a ZB and a VS?

What are you if you own both a ZB and a VS?

Lucky
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

If I was lucky Eb I would have beaten my PB this year, Oh wait you have to fish to do that never mind

AS Elite belt, now that is a surf belt. IT gets nice and tight and you can hang a kitchen sink off of it.

.


I got that new Aqua Skins belt this year too, and I love it. Great investment, it should last me a long time.

My canal bike (Bikes:rotf2:) were the best new equipment I used this season! Nice being so mobile!!:uhuh:

What are you if you own both a ZB and a VS?

Lucky
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

And likely single :rotf2:

What are you if you own both a ZB and a VS?

Your either a guy who has too much disposable income or one who can't make up his mind.:)

I tried Tuff-Line braid this year.

Good - Absolutely no wind knots.

Bad - It has a covering over it that will build up at the roller bearing when it starts to wear down. Not a horrible thing to know that your line is tiring out I guess, but it was a little annoying.

Caught some nice fish on it and it cast well.

1 swivel/brkwy snap holder from Red Top's this Spring; made tieing leaders a breeeeeeeze!!
easily the coolest and MOST used gadget for my 2010 season,,,,,,,,,,,,and it was FREE!!

:


:uhuh::uhuh:

accurate boss 270 from charkbait at 200 bucks. without a doubt the finest reel I've used. maintenance free all season. silky smooth drag with plenty of capability, not bulky big large enough not to get lost in my hands. downs: if you love a lever drag for its adjustibility thru-out the range, this one is not it. took a bit getting used to engaging the lever drag after the hit because it's tucked in close to the frame and the handle is pretty large.

Seeker clb708 blank, acid wrapped, using the Al Goldberg recipe. very nice live bait rod. Far from state of the art but a great tool.

the best: JAWS ji7601 rod blank. Acid wrapped, bottom fish killing machine. so sensitive and powerful for a 10-20 pound blank. super medium action bending down into the reel seat on the big tog, fluke, sea bass. if I did not have so many damn rods already, i would buy a new 6' light 12-30, 7' 15-40, and 7 1/2' 30-60

put a full season on my ZB-27 (1st gen) that i got in the fall of last year. Im more impressed with it now after more time. amazing. smooth, consistent drag with never a stutter - from small to high 30's fish.... worry free after much swimmng , banging, dropping, etc... i dont care where they build them, blah blah, whatever else - for the kind of fishing i like to do - it does it very well and has needed no babying.

Afterhours needles - great build and superior finish..... for some reason I had not used any of Don's needles over the years - but this year they outfished every other needle in my bag by a wide margin, in many different areas and conditions.... super durable finish.

Sebile stick shad I was as skeptical as everyone else - but had nights/mornings at the canal when nothing else was inducing hits, but the sebile was a fish almost every cast. undeniably expensive, annoying to have to change hardware, but if you were to rate it by " number of fish hooked per number of casts factoring in price" it was still probably the most efficient lure i threw.

Samurai braid i know others have found it to not hold up well to abrasion while jigging, but i have not experienced that ( i dont fish the canal as much as other places) - and i love this line for plugging.


St. Croix Legend 10.5 foot, 2-6 oz amazed by this "do it all" rod so far. have yet to put alot of time or a good fish on it yet, but it makes me a much better caster than i really am, is extremely light and responsive. a pleasure to throw all night.

bite-sized Snickers the perfect thing to stick in a PFD pocket or plug bag pocket. wrapper stays water proof, just the thing for some fast delicious calories in the middle of the night. a pick-me-up when fishing is demoralizingly slow....

New to me this year:

NB plastic: these things work
Sharp Eye swimmers: these things also work
Orvis Mirage flourocarbon: I love this stuff, so easy to tie a good knot.
Hyperflex Flow 4/3 wetsuit: very comforatable and was warm enough up until last weekend (SAT night I froze).

Korker torrents: so-so. They are comfortable but you need to walk very carefully in and on the rocks (no support). Gonna go back to high top boots for next year.

Other than a Salty's darter I bought nothing new this year.

[QUOTE=JLH;802154]Wearbars & Cabelas Ultra Light wading boots: Way way way better than strap on Korkers. I have put a lot of miles on these and they are holding up well. One of the best thing about these boots are nice and snug on the top which helps with keeping gravel and sand from getting in.

I second that... the MVP of my purchases this year... Goodbye bulky, heavy k-5000! Get online and order some wearbars damnit!

Sebiles ,, magic swimmer,,stick shad.,,,north bar plastic bottle darter.. diawa sp minno..

Chota boots .. Feel like slippers , lots of support,,go on fast ,the elastic cord system .. Little screws they give you for cleats are adequate .. might consider another cleat but worked for me all year .. my feet love em ,, way better than my simms..

That $12 dollar plastic ,floating , vice grip type , gripper from cabella's.. Like it better than my $130 boga because the gripping surface is flat and controls the fish (littleguys)better than the boga that come to a point . They tend to swing and pivot more on the boga.. No scale ,,but my eyes can't read my boga anyway ..

Hobbie Outback.. Great fishing platform ,, extremely stable ,,(except mouth of north river).. Moves pretty good ,, Raced Mac in his Revo and we stayed kneck and kneck .. (I eased up he was huffing and puffing) .. If your going to spring $$ for a Hobie definately get the turbo fins and sailing rudder ... good upgrade ..

St. Croix rods ,,.I snapped one I've had for 3 yrs. .. I shipped it back and recieved a new rod in the mail .. Can't say enough about those people .

Fireline smoke color ,, I'm back with it ... no braid issues all year ,, no wind knots , no mystery break offs (sebilles:smash:).. 30# plugging line .. Stuff looks like hell ,,all grayed out and fluffy but that's when it's well broken in ..

The screw in studs have been working well for me, though I didn't screw them in until early fall. I don't know if one set would last a season or not.

Other than that all gear is old gear for me.

I made three upgrades on the boat...

first I installed a pair of
absorbed glass mat batteries to replace the two 4 year old flooded chemistry batteries..... the absorbed glass mat charges 40% faster than flooded batteries,which is a big consideration when you mainly fish at night, or you run a bait tank for extended hours...I never had to put a charger on the house battery once this season...

second: I bought a small solar panel this season, made by sun force.. it produces a 350MA trickle charge which equates to about a 1.75 amp input based on 5 hours of sun light.. I did this mainly to aid my 40 A alternator on my outboard, most nights, the run in is not enough to recharge the batteries after a night of short stops and starts with lights, radios and other accessories on.. eventualy I needed to hook the house battery to a external charger... coupled with the new batteries, the system remained fully charged all season ( Early April until last week) for the first time since I've owned the boat ( since 1980)..

Last upgrade was a new GPS plotter/depthfinder... the new unit is a Garmin 541S... it replaced a monochrome out dated GPS thad did n ot have mapping capabilities.. I like the unit alot, it is very user friendly and is much eaiser to see with aging eyes....I cant say alot about the sounder part, I use my Lowrance as a primary and only selected the combo unit as a back up..

Hi everyone. This is a great thread!

New stuff tried this year:

Korkers Cross Currents size 15 - didnt fit properly, gave them to a friend, havent heard if they fit him yet.

Cabelas Ultra lite 2's wading boots size 15EEE - so for so good

Fish Grip - fish lipper, awesome, best tool for handling fish

30# Boga - another good tool, I use for weighing fish here and there

Darters darters darters darters - murdered fish on darters this year -
Anco Darter (sold in soco mostly), awesome darter
SS Darter
Mag Darter

7" Redfin loaded with 30 bbs, unreal fish producer this year, thanks Pat for the hookup on this

Dragon Tail lanyard - did about 150 or more trips this year and only one mega tangle, was not fun though

Rash guards - Under Armor cold gear compression tops and bottoms, really working out nicely for rash guards under 3mm wetsuit, thanks Mike for tip on the bottoms, I would have never thought they would work well




there are probably more new things for this year, but I cant remember :)

Korkers Cross Currents size 15 - didnt fit properly, gave them to a friend, havent heard if they fit him yet.

Cabelas Ultra lite 2's wading boots size 15EEE - so for so good



You have big feet:)

...by far, the vs 150...

Fishing gear.
Switched over to Daiwa Saltist reels for bass rods, and LOVE them !
Planning to switch all cod reels over to Daiwa Saltist high speeds for next year. (Haven't decided on their high speed or super high speed)

Boat upgrades.
Loved having the new winter back door !

The tuna tower turned out awesome. Great being up there that high when offshore but was even more helpful inshore finding the bait..

Plans / upgrades for the boat next season

Auto pilot.
Decided on Simrad AP28, The boat is not getting launched without it ! Tired of driving on long runs ! Everyone with a downeast tells me the auto pilot can steer the boat better than you can.

Need to upgrade the transducer for the GPS/sounder up in the tower (because I installed the tower in the water I 5200 a transom mount as a shoot thru hull for this year rather than hauling out to install a thru hull.)

May upgrade the back up GPS in the house to a combo plotter/sounder with side imaging sonar. (trying to find out how well they work in a downeast boat 1st )

Going to move my outriggers and center rigger from the roof up to the tower.

Plugs

NB PLastic BDs
Diawa SP
Rapala X Rap

Really not much else. I stayed away from Sebile until late in the season so I cant comment but the above all really produced.