September 3, 2019
STIX Fishing is a relatively new company started by FLW Live host Travis Moran and Nick Smith that sells fishing rods with a bit of a unique plan. Instead of picking and choosing a rod or two at a time, STIX wants to sell you six rods at a time (the STIX PAX) for $500, which comes out to about $83 per rod. According to the company, the STIX PAX is a complete set of bass rods and will do everything you need rods to do. READ MORE »
August 27, 2019
The AFTCO Jason Christie Hooded LS Performance Shirt checks every box. It’s a comfortable shirt with a unique hood design I really liked. I reviewed it recently on a couple of kayak-fishing outings and during several days spent shooting photos on the water at FLW Tour and Costa FLW Series events. READ MORE »
July 25, 2019
While the 360GT Searchbait made some noise in the bass world, the Coastal line offers a swimbait that looks more than juicy for bass of all shapes and sizes. Enter the Largo Shad. After hearing some rumors about how good the swimbait is – and even some comparisons to Keitechs – I got my hands on a few packs and took them for a test ride. READ MORE »
July 9, 2019
Ever since Z-Man released the ChatterBait anglers haven’t really had the need to broaden their vibrating jig horizon – and not for lack of options, but simply because the ChatterBait is so good that you don’t really need anything else. With the launch of the Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer a few years ago and the instant buzz surrounding it, the bar was set high for any other vibrating jigs entering the market. READ MORE »
June 17, 2019
In the burgeoning fishing kayak market, there’s still a pretty large gap, on the whole, between entry-level boats (think $500 or less) and the top end of the market. It’s hard to find a really good kayak that blends quality, stability and affordability for anything less than $1,000. READ MORE »
June 16, 2019
With the number of great crankbaits on the market or discontinued and still in high-demand, new crankbaits have to be pretty good to earn a space in a tacklebox. While I wouldn’t say the LIVETARGET Tennessee Craw is a surefire classic, after a few days of fishing it, I know I’ll be throwing it a lot more. READ MORE »
April 18, 2019
Built to FLW Tour pro Aaron Britt’s specifications, the iRod Genesis II Legit’s Finesse Swimmer rod is a mid-priced spinning rod that’s specifically designed for tossing small swimbaits on light heads. READ MORE »
March 15, 2019
The Lew’s Speed Spool LFS is a re-design of the Speed Spool, and it’s a very affordable casting reel that works quite well. It hit the market in the fall of 2018, and though it doesn’t visually stand out and it’s lacking in nonessential bells and whistles, the reel is more than capable of getting the job done for under $100. READ MORE »
December 4, 2018
Graph Glass is a tempered screen protector that you can self-install on the most popular models of fishing electronics. For about $45 to $60 per unit, it protects the screen from flying tungsten or other projectiles, and there are other benefits as well. As far as I can tell, it’s a real winner of a product. READ MORE »
November 27, 2018
Back in 2017 at ICAST I opined that the new Berkley PowerBait MaxScent lineup would be good for smallmouths and more convenient than Gulp!, but wouldn’t make much of a dent in the flipping game. Then a couple weeks ago I burned through four Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Creature Hawg packs in two days and ordered a pile more. I don’t know if the rest of the world is doing it, but I’m certainly on the way toward proving myself wrong. READ MORE »
October 22, 2018
This summer at ICAST Berkley launched a huge lineup of new topwaters that includes poppers, walking baits, prop baits and wake baits. Of them, the first one that caught my eye – somewhat because of the attention pencil poppers have received over the last couple years – was the Cane Walker. READ MORE »
September 24, 2018
When you buy a new reel, you expect it to perform for years to come. No doubt there are plenty on the market that meet those expectations, and one of the newest options that I think has the guts to join the club is the Shimano Bantam MGL. READ MORE »
September 12, 2018
The Teckel Sprinker frog created a lot of hype after its introduction at ICAST 2017, so much so that the company initially couldn’t produce them fast enough to keep up with the early demand. Thankfully, now the Sprinker is more readily available. I recently took it for a lengthy test drive, and can tell you it’s a unique frog that can put bass in the boat. READ MORE »
September 5, 2018
I got to play around with spybaits a fair amount this summer, and I came away pretty impressed with the Storm Arashi Spinbait 08. Duo Realis has found its place atop the spybait category – and for good reason; the company’s baits have accounted for lots of tournament winnings over the last few years. But the Duo Realis baits are expensive at about $14. The Arashi is more affordable (around $8), and it seems to work nearly or just as well as its more expensive counterpart. READ MORE »
July 19, 2018
As one of those weirdos who reels lefty, I don’t find a ton of options out there in reels with 8:1 gear ratios. This reel was my first experience with one. It was also my first time regularly fishing with a $300 reel that weighs less than 6 ounces. Though quite expensive, I’m happy to report that the Team Lew’s HyperMag Speed Spool SLP Series reel is extremely nice. READ MORE »
May 25, 2018
Great relationships are mutually beneficial. Case in point: Since beginning to design rods for Lew’s in late 2016, Mark Rose has used the company’s rods to win back-to-back FLW Tour events, and Lew’s has benefitted from his expertise in the design of a successful series of ledge-fishing-specific rods. READ MORE »
March 29, 2018
A bit of an offshoot of the popular finesse jigs made by Keitech, the Riot Baits Lil’ Creeper purports to do the job just as well or better for a cheaper price. It’s an American-made alternative designed by Bassmaster Elite Series pro and smallmouth expert Jamie Hartman (he’s got five T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League AOY points titles to his credit, too), and it’s pretty dang good. Regretfully, I haven’t tangled with any smallmouths in my time with the jig, but I’ve caught plenty of largemouths on it to sell me. READ MORE »
December 1, 2017
The Snap Jig appears to be a spinoff of the popular Rapala Jigging Rap and Snap Rap, which I mention not to knock Berkley for going the copycat route, but for background on why folks would get excited about a bait that looks more like ice fishing fodder than bass food. READ MORE »
September 19, 2017
Spending $16 for a ChatterBait might sound ludicrous to some people, but maybe their priorities are all wrong. I think I’ve bought about a half-dozen Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammers now, and though they’re certainly expensive for non-hard baits, they do work very well. How you justify the cost is up to you. READ MORE »
September 13, 2017
Gene Larew has sold a 6-inch TattleTail Worm for a while now, but the 8-inch model came out in the spring. FLW Tour pro Andrew Upshaw has already won a T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) derby with it on Toledo Bend (with 30 pounds!), and it looks like a winner of a worm. I’ve had a few packs since late May, and I’m happy to confirm that they catch fish. READ MORE »
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