I have been watching the conversations on westernbass.com about George Kramer’s articles. Now we have Dan O’Sullivan with a different viewpoint. To all of this I say BRAVO!
If you would like to hear my opinion, find me on the water and we’ll talk. I’ll keep my opinion to myself and try to figure out how to get more fish to bite instead. Besides, it’s much more fun sitting back and watching the sparks fly.
Now, for something less controversial.
A few weeks ago I made a trip to Las Vegas to enjoy the ICAST show. It was great seeing old friends, making new ones, and looking at all the new products. Some of them were interesting and some were laughable.
One of the best products I saw at the show wasn’t a new lure or scent, it was a product called Spool-it by Raywest Products from Aubrey, Texas. This is one of the dandiest items I saw all week.
Spool-It is a plastic contraption that holds up to three spools of fishing line. You simply pull the line through the hole in the top, squeeze down on the spool to get the right tension, set it on the floor, put your foot on it and start reeling. It’s a very simple and easy to use product that works like a charm. And to think, all of this for just under $20. I get a feeling they are going to sell a lot of these. You can get more information about the Spool-it by going to www.raywestproductsinc.com.
Reaction Innovations, owned by professional bass angler, Andre Moore, drew a lot of attention. Andre has come up with very “innovative” lures that have already proven themselves in tournaments across the country. Robert Lee used one of Andre’s lures, the Boom Boom Tube, to help him win the BASS Pro Tour event on the California Delta.
With lures named “Dominator, Trixie, Mini-Skirt and Sweet Beaver,” we have a pretty good idea what the colors must be called. Not only are Andre’s lures innovative, so is his marketing technique. Of course, having two beautiful women in the booth didn’t hurt business any. I heard guys saying they would be willing pay Andre just to work for him.
Motolure Company was showing off something different. A motorized lure that swims with just a tug on the line. All right, quit laughing. I know, it sounds ridiculous and if you saw one of them up close you would probably fall out of the boat laughing. But, I’ll just bet that with the right infomercial they will outsell the Helicopter Lure. Besides, they have Chuck Woolery — of the game show “Love Connection” — as their spokesman. It may surprise you to know that Chuck is an avid bass angler. Even when he misses a fish he usually has another one on in 2-and-2. Because of his years hooking people up on TV, he is known by a few fishing freinds as “Hook ‘em up Chuck.”
The premise of the lure is that you tie your line to a pull string on the lure. When you give the rod tip a little jerk it pulls the line out and winds up the toy ... I mean lure, and the tail starts moving making the lure swim forward.
Let’s a short break now to regain our composure.
Away from the lures, there was also a company called www.fishingreportsonline.com. This company is seriously working to take fishing reports to the next level. Even to go as far as to help anglers keep a log on the Internet that they can access whenever they wish. The reports are multi-species and keep track of all pertinent information including weather, water clarity, and species caught.
Ahh ... who doesn’t just love Snag Proof. Those darn frogs have kept many anglers in the hunt for a big check for several years out on the Delta. Now they have introduced the Wiggle Wog. It’s snagless, perfect for fishing weed mats but it also has a tail with a lot of action that works well as a topwater lure in open water. No doubt, an extremely versatile lure.
There was a company called Strike Technology, from Australia that manufactures a reel for the seriously lazy angler. This wonderful little spinning reel can make fishing a jerkbait as simple as chunking and winding. The reel can be twisted around so that it is unbalanced. Now when you reel in it makes the lure jerk. When you set the hook, the reel pops back into place for a smooth retrieve. Yes siree ... just throw your jerk bait out, let the reel provide the jerking motion and wait for the action to begin. While you’re at it, hire someone to cast for you. How about a chauffeur for your boat and someone to bring you a cold one every once in a while. Mmmm... that’s fishing! Look for this incredible reel in couch potato stores every where!
See how painless this was. Nothing in this article to make your head hurt and you can now go out to your favorite body of water and focus on fishing. Unless of course you see that darned Andre Moore running around with a bevy of beauties laying out on the deck of his boat. You know that guy just makes me SICK! With jealousy.
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