By now you’ve heard about ultraviolet light and steelhead and salmon—read the book, seen the movie and bought the DVD. You might even have the tee shirt.

The reality is that salmon, trout and steelhead usually (not always, it’s worth pointing out) see in the ultraviolet end of the spectrum. That is not always true for all species of salmon and trout at all stages of their life cycle, but for salmon and steelhead returning to spawn, it seems to be the case.

That’s one reason that Steelhead Stalkers’ new UV Yarn is such a hit. The special dye used by Chad Wilson and his partner does a good job of reflecting ultraviolet light, and better yet, it stays around longer than many other UV dyes. “UV additives or dyes tend to break down in sunlight,” Wilson says. “We use a separate process where we not only hand dye our yarn, but we also hand dye with the UV enhancement.”

That might seem like overkill, but it also shows in the product itself. To start, Wilson and his partner came up with what they thought was the best yarn for making yarn balls. They wanted a soft fiber that wouldn’t fade or bleed. They wanted a fiber that would hold scent. And they wanted a fiber that would take the dyes they use and produce vivid colors.

“What we had to do,” Wilson says, “was go to natural fibers, and we picked a blend of three (but he won’t tell you what they are). Then we work with a fiber mill that gives us the blend we want in the size of yarn we wanted. After that, we hand dye the yarn for color, and we hand dye with the UV enhancement.”

The result is certainly a softer yarn, and the colors are vivid. As for the UV enhancement, it shows up under black light; although, I can’t tell the difference in daylight, not being a fish and all.

But I can tell you that the yarn is very soft, soft as cashmere as Wilson points out, but he is quick to add that it isn’t cashmere.

Speaking as a fly tier, I can say that it’s good for making egg veils on jigs and flies. I would even use it for tails on certain attractor patterns and even as a trailing shuck or air bubble in the right colors.

There are 17 colors currently in production, and McKenzie Green is up for addition as well as a few custom colors and custom blends.

For more information, go to: www. steelheadstalkers.com or call 541-337-9951.

Chota’s Hippies may not wear beads, but they are definitely, like, whatever, man.

That is, they functions as hip boots, knee boots or something in between.

And that’s pretty cool. They have a wide range of applications—from kayak fishing to wading. They’re perfect for those times when you don’t want to wear chest waders.

For the most part, hip boots are pretty much passé. That’s not because they don’t serve a useful function, because they do, but rather because breathable chest waders have greater utility, and most hip boots are made from heavy rubber and intended for work applications and not fishing.

That’s why, generally, you’ll not find hip boots with felt soles, studs or sticky rubber soles. That really limits the utility of the general run of said boots for fishing.

However, Chota has avoided all that non-utility by making its Hippies in the fashion of its breathable waders. The company uses the same breathable material as it does on its current waders, a three-layer material that has at its heart a layer of micro-porous Teflon.

Unlike old-school hip boots, these are stockingfoot. One feature of the neoprene feet is a bottom panel of high-compression- resistant neoprene that will provide added cushioning and warmth as well as increased durability.

Since the boot is a stockingfoot, you can match footwear to your needs. For instance, if I were to go out wading for Dungeness crabs in the bay, I’d lace up a pair of old high-tops. However, if I went out chasing chums or searun cutthroat in Puget Sound, I’d have a pair of studded boots to deal with the seaweed-covered rocks. And so on. Hippies are definitely “whatever, man.”

The design is worth noting. According to Chota’s owner, Frank Bryant, the company does a lot of business in the paddle sports side of things. Last year, the company introduced its Caney Fork Knee High Wading Sock, basically the juniorsized version of the Hippies. It went over very well with kayakers, canoe trippers and those folks who have to portage their boats.

But they wanted something that was just a bit higher without going the whole chest-wader route. The easy-button solution was the Hippies.

What I like about the Hippies is that there is a neoprene cinch above the calf and below the knee. Tighten this, and you keep water out of the lower boot but you also provide support for the lower half. In other words, tighten the calf cinch, and you can wear the Hippies as a knee boot.

Roll the leg up a bit, and it will hang in there as a boot that is just over the knee. Extend the sock all the way, and you’ve got a hip boot with all the benefits of a breathable, stockingfoot wader.

That’s definitely cool. For more information, go to: www.chotaoutdoorgear.com or call 877-462-4682.

OK, maybe “sneaky” isn’t the right way to describe this new Lamiglas rod series but I’m trying to play off its name: Stealth Si.

However, like stealth planes, the Stealth rods are about as high-tech as you’re going to find. It’s a four-rod series designed with steelhead in mind with two casting and two spinning models.The key to what makes these rods the epitome of rod-building technology is the resin used in the blank.

“It’s 3M’s new Matrix Nano resin,” says Lamiglas’s Jason Hambly. The resin in infused with silica nano-particles, which is about as much chemistry as you’ll find me trying on for size. The result of the new resin is significant; this isn’t just a new marketing ploy.

The resin is lighter, stronger and tougher than other resins used in rod building. In turn, it produces a rod blank that is lighter, stronger, and tougher than is possible with other technology. But not only is the blank lighter, it’s stiffer as well, and unlike high-modulus graphite rods of the past, this doesn’t make the blank more susceptible to breakage; the result is just the opposite. In fact, these rods are 30 to 40 percent stronger than comparable rods, according to Hambly.

If you do a quick Google search on the resin, you’ll find a wealth of information on it and its varied uses.

While the new-tech rod blank is a big part of the rod, you can take a perfectly good rod and screw it up by adding the wrong things. This is especially true of rod weight. Sensitivity in a rod is directly related the weight of the rod. That’s not all of it, but if you take a sensitive, light blank and then do things like paint the blank, add too many guides, use heavy guides, add a heavy reel seat or handle, every extra fraction of an ounce reduces the sensitivity.

That may be why Lamiglas designed this rod series the way it did. Particular care has been taken in the selection of all the components, using only the best for each application.

Most obvious is the new reel seat and handle. The handle is a graphite tube, replacing the traditional cork handle. There are three advantages to the tube: it’s lighter, more sensitive and it doesn’t have the expense or maintenance inherent in cork. Plus, it cleans up a lot easier, a nice touch for egg-using side-drifters.

I like graphite tubes for handles, and having fished with them, wished more rod builders would use them. This handle has high-density foam panels added to the tube for a bit of extra comfort and warmth.

The reel seat is minimalist in effort to keep weight down and sensitivity up. For instance, the 9-foot, 6-inch spinning rod weighs only 5.2 ounces! While the seat is much smaller than what we’re used to seeing, it is all that is needed.

Guides are Fuji K-frame titanium guides, and these have a lower frame that will help prevent line wrap that is way too common when using superlines for things like float-fishing.

The new Stealth steelhead rods are a departure from traditional looks but not so from Lamiglas’s goal to produce the best rods it can.

For more information, go to: www. lamiglas.com or call 360-225-9436.

Silver Horde has one of those things that work really well for guys who fish out of drift boats or small boats, or for that matter, any boats that don’t have a fish box or won’t handle a fish-sized cooler.

    It’s the KatchKooler II, a portable fish bag and cooler that does all the things it should.

    Like most soft coolers, it is insulated with foam. In this case, the foam is closed cell, meaning that things like salmon blood, steelhead slime and other smelly liquids won’t be absorbed. It’s easy to wash out naturally.

    Of course, the bag is made to hold fish, and it does that well. On a recent Bonneville trip, I used mine to keep a pair of chinook iced down. On the return trip home, I added a bag of ice, and that survived the five-hour drive back, even though the air temperature was up there.

    The size, 40 inches by 16, is great for two or three chinook of average size plus ice. It will also hold maybe six winter-run steelhead and ice. It is made of waterproof fabric, has a heavy-duty zipper and a handle that wraps around the bag.

    The wraparound design of the handle supports the bag, and it won’t tear out under a heavy load. The interior is waterproof and has a divider that will keep fish separate from ice and water, a benefit for keeping fish in the best condition.

    The uses are obvious, I think. It can be used to store lunch or anything you want to keep cool on the way out, and it will take care of your catch on the way back.

    You can put ice in one and fish in another and switch back and forth as your luck goes.

    It would be a great addition to a drift boat, as I mentioned, or any boat that doesn’t have a good way for holding the fish you’ve caught. It would be a great addition for those times during the summer when even the best fish boxes don’t hold in the cold because of high temperatures.

    We put the KatchKooler II to the test when we loaded it with a couple of fish and some ice—in the box of a larger sled. It really kept the ‘nooks chillin’.

    For more information, go to: www.silverhorde.com. If you download the pdf catalog, you’ll find it on page 12.

Pautzke’s Fire Brine is the latest addition to the brine/dye solutions that aim to give fishermen a good way to do several things. First, the Fire Brine is a cure that keeps natural baits from spoiling.

    Second, it toughens baits, mostly herring, sardines and anchovies. The third thing it does is dye them (or not) in whatever color you choose.

    Fire Brine does several things besides turn your hands a different color when you’re fishing (seriously, it’s a good idea to wear gloves when using this stuff unless, of course, you really don’t mind walking around with purple hands).

    Of course, besides the dyeing/curing advantage, it will toughen bait dramatically. You are not so dependent upon getting nice, winter-starved herring, sardines or anchovies because you can take softer baits and toughen them.

    You also cure the baits so that you can fish the same batch several days in a row if you keep them on ice without them getting soft, a real economy if the fish aren’t biting.

    Also, you’re not limited to using these just on whole baitfish. You can plug cut whatever bait you’re using and cure/dye that. Or you can cure/dye prawns or shrimp whether they are whole or hulled. You can even treat cooked shrimp to make it a better bait if you’re fishing for kokanee, steelhead or estuary salmon.

    It’s worth taking a troll around Pautzke’s website as there are some pretty good tips and tricks in the Fire Blog. There are some rigging tips for anchovies for landlocked chinook and a cure using Pautzke’s Nectar and Krill (both covered in an earlier Pro Report), plus a good piece on how to cure and dye shrimp.

    Fire Brine comes in 32-ounce bottles in natural (clear), blue, purple, chartreuse, red and orange.

    For more information, go to: www.pautzke.com.

Shimano’s Clarus line has gone through a major renovation that includes an expanded salmon and steelhead series of rods. No longer will the Clarus rods be relegated as backups, but instead, they’ll be the rods many anglers will pick up first.
   

There are several reasons I say this. First, the rods are built on IM-8 blanks. Second, the reel seats have been reconfigured to provide greater sensitivity and more comfort in both casting and steelhead models.
   

Third, there are models for just about any salmon and steelhead technique you might want to try.
   

Of course, the blanks are the heart of the rod, and the move from heavier graphite to IM-8 is one that makes these rods much lighter than previous versions. The weight of the finished rod also has been reduced by the use of single-foot Fuji guides with aluminum-oxide inserts.
   

I’m a big fan of the redesigned reel seats on both the casting rods and spinning rods, and I think most fishermen will agree that the changes are a good thing.
   

The casting rods have a new Shimano-designed seat that is lighter than most comparable seats. It also lets your fingers rest on the blank, and that gives you better feel.
   

While the casting reel seat is a big step forward, it’s the spinning reel seat that stands out.
   

Part of my fishing career was spent using a spinning rod for walleyes, and when you’re casting jigs all day, you really appreciate a comfortable grip. Unlike most manufacturers who mostly ignore spinning reel seats, Shimano tried to make them comfortable.
   

Robby Gant, head of product development for the company, spearheaded the efforts to improve the seats. “We worked on keeping the fisherman’s hands away from the threads, seat bands and hard surfaces,” said Gant. “We’ve also given the center of the reel seat a spacer of composite cork we call fossil wood. The design and spacer provide comfort and a measure of warmth for cold fingers when fishing during the winter.”
   

There are nine steelhead spinning models in lengths ranging from eight-foot, six-inch, medium-action CSS-86M2B to the 10-foot CSS-100MH2B. Included in the range are two light-action rods, the CSS-90ML2B and CSS-96ML2B, that are ideal for side-drifting and float-and-jig uses.
   

The steelhead casting rods run in length from popular eight-foot, six-inch models in medium and medium-heavy actions (CSC-86M2B and CSC-86MH2B) to a 10-foot medium (CSC-100M2B) that will serve as an excellent float rod on long drifts.
   

While many companies offer steelhead and salmon rods, few really separate the fish and the needs of the rods used for them. Shimano has done just that in its 2012 offerings. That’s why Clarus has a line of salmon rods for every situation.
   

There is a salmon spinning rod, the CSS-90H2B, which is rated for 10- to 20-pound-test line (20-40-pound braid) that is ideal for corks-and-eggs or floats-and-herring at tidewater.
   

The casting series covers a wide range of technique-specific applications, from pulling plugs with the CSC-80MHB magnum-action rod to the 10-foot, heavy-action mooching and float rod, the CSC-100H2B. All casting rods feature cork handles, Shimano’s proprietary reel seat and Fuji aluminum-oxide guides.
   

The Clarus center-pin (or centre-pin for our Canadian friends) rods are new introductions. These rods, the CSS-130ML4B and CSS-113ML4B, offer fishermen the ability to fish light gear on long drifts and still set the hook. With all-cork handles and sliding reel-seat bands, the rods can be configured to meet the needs of most fishermen.
   

Clarus rods come with a limited, lifetime warranty.
   

For more information, go to: www.shimanofishing.com.

If you live in the Northwest, then you’ve gotta love fleece. Ever since it hit store shelves a couple of decades ago, it’s been a second skin to folks here.
  

The reason, of course, is because it’s warm and stays warm even when wet.
  

But fleece has its shortcomings. Regular polyester fleece is very porous, so it lets the wind cut through. It also has no water repellency. Granted, when it gets wet, you wring the water out, shake it, and put the fleece back on. You won’t be dry, but you will be warm.
  

Then the wind-blocking technology came along, and life was good for us fleece wearers, except for those times when it’s raining—like most of the year except for the two days in July that are the Northwest’s version of summer. But we have raingear, right?
  

Rivers West has done what Northwesterners have been wanting. They are producing a host of fleece garments that are waterproof.
  

I’ve been playing with the Kenai Jacket, and so far, I do like it. Not only does it sport the kind of features I want in any jacket, but also it is waterproof. Fleece and waterproof? It’s difficult to get better than that.
  

As for the features, they make the jacket very functional. So, starting at the top, let’s get into it.
  

The Kenai features an attached hood with drawstring closure. Inside the hood is a “radial” collar. This collar is high and curved inward. What this does is make the thing dual purpose. When the jacket is zipped and the collar is extended (whether the hood is up or down), it acts as a gaiter, trapping body heat.
  

And the collar can be rolled down when you don’t need that little bit of extra.
  

The hood itself is good sized and big enough for a hat.
  

Then we come to the pockets. There are two chest pockets with magnetic closures (really like those), hand-warmer pockets beneath them and a really big pocket across the back if you open both venting zippers and place whatever it is between the fleece and the mesh lining.
  

There are two interior pockets on the chest that are accessed through the two venting zippers underneath the chest pockets.
  

All of the zippers for the venting pockets and the front zip are made with weatherproof zippers.
  

And speaking of gadgets, there is a zinger on the right-side chest flap (the flap that closes and protects the huge cargo chest pockets) and two D-rings as well.
  

I do have problems with jackets in general. Since I’m rather long in the body, most jackets end a couple of inches short of where I want them to be. Not so the Kenai Jacket. Its body length is somewhere between a bomber-style jacket and a parka, making it about right for me. On top of which, there is a “shirttail hem”—meaning the back of the jacket extends down a couple of extra inches so as to hide any showing of plumber’s cleavage that might accidentally occur.
  

And lastly, the cuffs—the cuffs on the Kenai are neoprene and can be snugged down with Velcro tabs for a pretty good water seal, a nice thing when you’re spending a good portion of your day holding a rod upright to follow a float.
  

For more information, go to: www.riverswest.com.

Last year, I wrote about the Lazer TroKar hooks that brought a new sharpening technology to the fishing tackle business.
  

If you used the drop-shot hooks (TK150 is the model number) for salmon or steelhead or the other models for bass fishing, then you realize just how sharp these hooks are.
  

For the coming tackle year, we now have Octopus-style hooks in the TroKar family. The hook style is listed as TK400.
  

The name is derived from the medical term “trocar,” which means a “three-sided, sharpening process” that is used on surgical needles for work on veins, arteries and various body parts.
  

What makes these hooks special is the sharpening process; it’s the same as is used on surgical needles, and if you’d had the misfortune to watch yourself receiving stitches at the hands of an ER surgeon, you know how sharp those needles are.
  

Each hook point is ground by a computer-guided machine.
  

The hooks are sharp, and if you’re tempted to test the point on your thumb, have a Band-Aid handy.
  

While the sharpening method is where the name is derived, there are other features of the new Octopus hooks that are worth noting. First, the steel is Q741 wire, a higher-carbon steel that has fewer impurities than the usual run of hook wire.
  

The coating is a new process as well: it’s a catalytic, black-chrome coating that is designed to be much more resistant to corrosion than usual—meaning you can keep using the hooks longer than you might otherwise.
  

And to top it off, the hooks have a 22-degree offset that increases the hook-ups you’ll get when compared to lesser offsets.
  

The downside is the expense. TroKar hooks cost more than most, if not all, other premium hooks. While you probably wouldn’t want to shell out the bucks if you were tying 500 side-drifting rigs, you might find a day’s worth well within your budget.
  

The TK400 Octopus hooks are available in a wide range of sizes, reflecting the popularity of the style. You can find them from a size 6 to a 9/0.
  

For more information, go to: www.lazertrokar.com.

Herring rods are big news this year, or at least, they should be. Several companies are bringing out new models to better fish cut bait in the demanding situations we have where heavy current and heavier lead weights rule.
  

That’s a good thing; as fishermen we have more choices, and there is more competition among companies—we reap the benefits of better tackle at lower prices.
  

Okuma certainly is going all out to broaden the offerings in their excellent SST line. I’ve reviewed several of the rods before, and I still like ‘em. Now, I have even more to like.
  

There are two new herring rods, both built with enough strength to handle the sinkers needed at the Jaws at Tillamook.
  

The powerhouse of the two is the 10-foot, six-inch 1062H, a heavy-power rod that is designed to handle the heavy weights associated with estuary fishing and big divers. It has a moderate/fast action that maintains its power into the butt—what you need to feel the bite and load the rod on the hook-set. It’s a natural for the Jumbo Jet Divers and K-16s below some of the dams.
  

The second rod is the SST-C-1242M, a 12-foot, four-inch rod that is designed to handle four- to 10-ounce weights most commonly used.     
  

The extra length is perfect for providing more spread for better coverage of a pass and to accommodate 10-foot leaders.
  

The buttery-smooth, moderate action lets a salmon “eat up the leader” without encountering anything but minor resistance as the rod gives and gives.
  

Both rods are built on IM-8 blanks with stainless-steel guide frames and Zirconium inserts. Both have cork handles and carbon-fiber pipe reel seats with triggers.
  

For more information, go to: www.okumafishing.com.

Okuma’s answer to those fishermen who want a long and heavy rod is the SST-C-1202H. This thing has enough oomph to launch a small dog into low-Earth orbit, yet it’s got enough flex to let a salmon give a good account. The tip is soft enough to cushion a sudden surge at bank side or let you detect the soft bite of a sipping sturgeon.

This isn’t a rod for everyone; make no mistake about that. It truly is a cannon, capable of handling just about any fish you’d hook in Northwest waters.

It’s 12 feet long, and it’s heavy. It’s got a butt that’s 30 inches long and wrapped with seine cord instead of the usual cork or EVA foam.

While it’s not a rod for general use, it has a pretty wide range of application, nonetheless.

For instance, it’s a great rod for bank fishing for sturgeon or chinook. I’ve seen guys fishing huge floats off the bank at Tillamook. This rod would be perfect for the task.

It would also work for bank fishing wobblers or plunking with a huge Spin-N-Glo and a bigger glob of eggs behind six ounces of lead.

In other words, if you’re doing any kind of serious bank fishing, whether it’s with a large float or large lead, this is the stick that will handle it.

Like all rods in the SST family, the blank is copper-finished IM-8 graphite and features zirconium-insert guides that reduce friction from braided lines. It’s rated for 20- to 40-pound monofilament and is backed by a one-year warranty.

For more information, go to: www.okumafishing.com.

When you’re hawg huntin’, it always pays to take enough gun. Yakima Bait has made that possible with its newest FlatFish.

The Hawg Nose 5.5 FlatFish is definitely a different breed of this popular and effective banana-shaped plug. The difference—can you guess?—is in the nose of the lure. It’s been thickened by the addition of a wedge molded into the upper surface of the lip.

The wedge, or rather “hawg nose”, changes the diving profile of the bait as well as its action when trolled or backtrolled.

For instance, unlike the T-55 FlatFish, which is the forbearer of the 5.5 Hawg Nose, this lure will run 10 to 15 feet with one report of it hitting 20 feet on the troll. The T-55 runs about six to ten, normally.

The Hawg Nose also runs at higher speeds, to five mph. The beauty is that the once-stable lure starts missing beats (above 2.5 mph boat or current speed or a combination). As a result, it begins to “hunt”; that is, it runs through a wider swath of water, moving from side to side of its original straight-line path, and that is a good thing.

“What we wanted,” says Buzz Ramsey, brand manager for Yakima Bait, “was a lure that would work for big salmon. Of course, that means it has to fish in the Kenai, and the requirement there is that the plug must swim in five-miles-per-hour current without blowing out.

“We played with a lot of differences in the body and lip,” Ramsey continues. “Last year, in fact, I was making changes in the Hawg Nose with my cordless Dremel tool while I was heading up to fish the Kenai. What I tried worked, and it caught fish.

“So we refined the plug a bit and worked with the mold maker to get things just right.”

The name came about, Ramsey says, because the Hawg Nose FlatFish is “a little different critter” than the rest of the family. Guide Bob Toman suggested the name, and it stuck.

The wider trolling path caused by the skip-beat effectively increases the exposure of the lure. In other words, it does a better job of showing the lure to fish simply because it covers more water. The old Hot ‘n’ Tot had the same hunting path, and it was a deadly bait at times because of it. I expect no less from the Hawg Nose.

To get even more action from the Hawg Nose, change out the factory 3/0 trebles for a single 5/0 or 6/0 Siwash rigged with a heavy-duty swivel and split ring off the tail. The company says it will “enhance the action,” but that’s something I’ve not played with yet.

The rest of the hardware is heavy duty, also. The stainless-steel eye screws for both the hooks and tie-in are firmly anchored in the body. However, no matter how firmly the tie-in is anchored, you can still tune it by turning the eyelet the opposite way the plug is running to bring it back in position.

Of course, this FlatFish runs well with a bait wrap, and grooves are molded into the side of the body to hold the thread. Cut a fillet 1.75 x 1 inch and wrap heavily.

There are 22 UV finishes, so it’s likely you can find the one you gotta have.

Of course, most STS readers will know how to use the Hawg Nose—run it as you would other FlatFish of this size. This year, I’m going to play with it for kings in the saltwater, running it off a downrigger or with a slider and weight to get it down to where it needs to be. With its big size, UV finish, and hunting, skip-beat action, it could well be a sleeper.

For more information, go to www.yakimabait.com.

Wright & McGill was at one time known as one of the best rod makers in the country, and the bamboo rods, fly rods especially, are sought-after collector’s items.

While the company isn’t back in the bamboo-rod market, it is making inroads on the quality-rod market, focusing on graphite and glass instead of grass as a building material of choice.

Enter the Stormy Skies line of salmon and steelhead rods. The designs are technique specific, meaning that if you want a rod to pull Hot Shots or River Rockers, it’s there. Or, if you want a herring rod for Tillamook, it is in the line-up. Backbouncing? Of course. You name the method, and somewhere in the line of 16 rods, there is one to handle it.

What makes these rods different from the usual run of salmon rods is not the name, but rather the material from which they’re made and the building process as well.

The rod line is split in two: there are 14 graphite rods built using S-Curve technology and Carbon Nano Tube resins for increased strength, sensitivity, light weight and lifting power. The other two are plug rods built using S-Glass.

The S-Curve rod-building technology is a complex one. It involves four separate layers, each of a different fiber, including high-density graphite that forms the core, T-Glass, PBO fibers (a form of Zylon), and more graphite.

The results turn out a blank that is strong, light and sensitive. Other features that make the rods stand out include a new “Stormy Skies” color treatment, stainless-steel guide frames with zirconium inserts to handle the roughest braid, and high-density rubber handles.

The handles increase the sensitivity and are easier to remove from rod holders when you’ve got a big’un on.

The S-Glass rods are part of the MaX series. Currently, only two rods are on offer; however, when more salmon and steelhead fishermen discover the benefits of fishing with the newer generation of fiberglass, there will undoubtedly be more.

Fiberglass feels “softer” but that’s the action and not the power of the rod. Softer rods do a better job of allowing fish to take a lure or bait than do stiffer rods, notably graphite.

When graphite rods first hit the salmon market in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a lot of the more experienced fishermen dropped them in favor of their old fiberglass sticks. The reason, they said, was that the glass rods let the fish “have it.”

That may be why I like the idea of new-generation glass being used in technique-specific salmon rods.

The two S-Glass rods are both plug or diver rods. One is ten-foot-six-inches, and the other is an even nine-foot. Both are rated as medium power.

The S-Curve graphite composite blanks are available in lengths ranging from the seven-foot-nine-inch backbouncer (and a Hot Shot rod the same length) to ten-foot-six-inch length.

There is a light float rod (spinning) in that length as well as Magnum Plug and Magnum Herring rods.

All Stormy Skies rods are covered by a limited lifetime warranty.

For more information, go to: www.wright-mcgill.com.

I don’t know about you, but there are several things I hate about owning boats and tow vehicles. The first thing, once I get beyond the actual purchase price, is maintenance.

I really, really want a squad of maintenance experts doing all the things I should to keep both boats and truck in top condition. Unfortunately, I don’t have such, and can’t afford to hire them. So I have to do it myself.

Next, I really, really don’t like having to take care of repairs and reconditioning after my neglect has caused them. Sigh.

As a result, I am always on the lookout for someone who likes to do maintenance and is willing to work for free.

So far, I haven’t found that person. Instead, I look for things that will do double duty: I try to find products that I can use to prevent future maintenance or at least decrease the frequency of having to do the maintenance.

Enter CorrosionX and RejeX by Corrosion Technologies. These two products, and variations of the same, will cut a lot of the maintenance time I’m having to spend to maintain my fleet, not to mention the truck that tows them.

CorrosionX and its spin-offs (Aviation, Heavy Duty, for Guns, ReelX) do several things. When applied to painted or bare metal surfaces, they bond to the metal and eliminate contact with corrosive elements such as saltwater or any kind of moisture.

When applied to surfaces with rust or some kind of corrosion, the chemical slowly penetrates the rust, and displaces its connection with the metal. It then bonds to the metal and prevents further corrosion.

While the applications are obvious to anyone who’s dipped a trailer in saltwater, it becomes very obvious to those who’ve had lights on that same trailer fail because of rust.

CorrosionX, or its heavy-duty version, once applied to electrical connections will penetrate any corrosion down to the metal and then bond chemically to the metal to prevent further corrosion.

In other words, CorrosionX can solve that pesky, prevalent trailer-light problem when used in time.

I like that.

The neat thing about this family of products is that the same material can be used on reels (hence the ReelX), guns, and just about any other metal item that needs either long-lasting lubrication or protection.

I can’t make big predictions on this yet, as the jury is still out. However, if it works half as well as it is supposed to, it’s going to be great.

Another labor-saver, RejeX, was developed for military use to protect painted surfaces from harsh chemicals and jet exhaust. It bonds (not just covers) to painted surfaces and repels things like dust, dirt, road grime, scum from hard water, outboard exhaust and other things that take a while to clean off.

Good stuff.

Mike Hyneman is distributing the products in our area through his website at: www.konezone.com. You can find more information at: www.corrosionx.com.

Want a plug that has that wide wobble yet will hold in fast current without blowing out? Want a plug that can be cast a long way and will run shallow enough to work its way through holding water without scrabbling along the bottom?

You really need look no further than Lindy’s new entry into the salmon and steelhead plug arena—the River Rocker. It’s got all those attributes plus a series of finishes that won’t chip off at the first ding.

If you look at the River Rocker, it has a time-proven shape that is a favorite among steelheaders but has long been out of standard production. The River Rocker isn’t your grandpa’s old bait, but a new improved, tougher lure that will stay true at all fishing speeds.

I fished the baby version as soon as I received a care package with samples. And it impressed me. I could get the baby to troll down to four feet or so with about 50 feet of line out. At a mile-and-a-half per hour, the bait had that wobbling, side-to-side action that salmon and steelhead seem to prefer. When I slowed, it kept up the beat, but it was a slower dance. When I increased speed, the tempo increased as well, and it held when I scooted the baby back in at warp speed.

What really impressed me was the fact that it ran true out of the package, and it kept running true as fast as I could crank it in.

I probably shouldn’t be surprised as the same engineers who designed the Lindy Shadling worked on the River Rocker. I’ve seen the Shadling trolled at close to six miles-per-hour, and it ran straight without blowing out through the trolling range.

A thing worth noting—the hanger system for the hooks and the eye are all tied together by a brass plate instead of eye screws in plastic. This method of connection is close to saltwater tough and will keep the largest fish from pulling the hooks out of the plug.

The finishes on the River Rockers also are worthy of note. Once you get one in your hand, you’ll see the difference between that finish and what is normal on most salmon plugs.

With the vast majority of salmon and steelhead plugs on the market, the finish looks like it was painted on—because it was. With the River Rockers, the colors are buried in layers of clear protection. It’s a UV-dip method that provides an extra level of protection and allows the different layers of color to be added.

 On top of that, the colors and paint schemes are different as well. Some of the colors are perfect for bass and walleye. Some of the finishes are crossovers that will work for both warm- and cold-water species, and others, are perfect for salmon and steelhead. Truth be told, probably all the finishes will work for whatever you want to catch.

I’m going to rig some of both sizes (the #5 is 5/16-ounce, and the baby, #3, is 3/16-ounce) with a single Siwash tail hook and see if they won’t light a fire under staging coho off the mouths of a couple of creeks I know. I suspect the baby size might be the ticket for these sometimes-finicky fish. I also expect the Pink Shiner pattern to be just the ticket for both pinks and coho this year, but maybe that’s just me.

As for application, these were made for backtrolling, but they also work flatlined for springers, behind a downrigger, cast for steelhead or salmon, or just about any way you might use any other plug. I’m also going to report back on using the baby size (it’s 2 3/8 inches long) for kokanee and trout.

The River Rockers come equipped with Mustad’s super-sharp EWG hooks, so substitutions need not be made.

For more information, go to: www.lindyfishingtackle.com.

Have you ever holed a good pair of waders to the point where they couldn’t be fixed? Or maybe you just plain wore ‘em out, and then you’re faced with the obvious question: What do I do with these?

You can’t fix them, but they should have some utility of some kind even though fishing isn’t it. Do you cut the feet off and use them for rain pants? Use them for gardening? Stuff ‘em and add a jacket and hat to get in the HOV lane?

Or do you think that it’s a shame that such good material doesn’t have a use after they start the leaking syndrome?

Well, Patrick Jenkins faced that same quandary on a trip to Alaska. His waders were toast. And while he was wringing out his socks, he came up with an idea for a barebones tackle bag that would hold the flies he really used, extra leader, and bug spray. He wanted a smaller bag rather than carry the fly store he usually took with him.

He had ruined waders in one hand and an idea for a tackle bag in the other.

Thus his company, Recycled Waders, began. It’s one of the neatest startups I’ve seen in a long time.

It takes breathable waders that are no longer fit for fishing and turns them into some pretty cool kits. Think tackle bags, messenger bags, leader or tippet wallets, fly-reel cases (using neoprene booties), koozies, a really cool fanny pack and even a wallet. Virtually everything recyclable on a pair of breathable waders is used, from the booties to the straps to the buckles.

This is definitely a case where form follows function. Each item sold by Recycled Waders is designed with the fisherman in mind as well as the utility of the product. The fact that the results—the bags and other items—also look good is a side benefit. I can see these turning into fisherman status symbols, and that would be a good thing.

The process of converting used waders into hygienically acceptable products isn’t difficult. The waders are laundered, disassembled and then sorted into usable materials.

While the new products are clean, they still show the stains and rub marks that happen to all good waders over time, and that adds to the appeal.

The company gets its waders from major manufacturers like Simms and Patagonia—taking warranty returns and manufacturing mistakes. It also accepts waders from fishermen. All you have to do is send them in.

It should be pointed out that Recycled Waders doesn’t accept neoprene waders nor waders that are more Aquaseal than breathable fabric. Check the website for more information on the recycling program.

In fact, check out the website for more information: www.recycledwaders.com.

You might not think a company in Montgomery, Texas, would know much about fishing for salmon and steelhead, much less how to build rods that fit what we do.

Think again. Castaway Rods has been in the rod business for over 18 years, and the company continues to design and build excellent sticks. I know that the rods last, as two of my old standbys are Castaways that I’ve had just about as long as the company has been in business. The rods are still used and holding up quite well.

Granted, neither rod is designed for salmon or steelhead (or sturgeon, the third S in the Triple S series), but I used the one heavy spinning rod for tough duty: Buzz Bombing for salmon and throwing heavy jigs for rockfish. Like a Timex, the rod keeps on ticking.

Having said that, Castaway now is in the business of building salmon, steelhead and sturgeon rods, mining the expertise of Northwest guide Kelly Short, who puts his signature on the rods. From what I’ve seen, they’re great sticks.

I especially like the new microwave guides on the spinning rods. “These guides,” says Scott Luft, vice president of manufacturing for Castaway, “are unique and really function as advertised. They’re not a gimmick; the guides produce longer casts that are more accurate. In fact, all our spinning rods will have the Microwave guides on them from now on.”

The heart of the Microwave guide system is the large stripper guide that has a smaller guide inset just in front of the large ring. The large guide captures the line and funnels it to the smaller. The smaller guide then takes the entire “wave” out of the line and shoots it straight to the next guide in line.

The line then moves smoothly through the remaining guides. When you compare this to what happens with standard spinning guides, there is a big difference. The large stripper in a standard set of guides controls the line, but it doesn’t reduce the wave effect of the line by much. You can see the continued wave along the length of the rod, including the slap of the line against the rod.

I wish I could speak personally about the qualities of this guide system, but the test rods were sent to STS offices, and a certain publisher tried the rod and liked it well enough to keep it. Sigh.

There is a fair video on YouTube that shows the action of the line on the Microwave rod as opposed to a standard rod. Just search for Castaway and Microwave. It’s easy to find.

When I asked Luft about the rest of the rods, he said that the graphite used was a proprietary blend based on the use of the rod and the needs of the design.

Originally, Castaway rods were built on IM-6 blanks designed and built by G. Loomis. However, over time, Castaway discovered that the IM-blanks they were getting tended to break, and by adding higher-modulus fibers with ratings of IM-8 and IM-10, they could get a tougher rod that would resist breakage, even though that is not what you might expect.

There are six models in the series from a 9-foot, 6-inch side drifter (with one a foot longer coming) to an 8-foot, 4-inch model that is really an all-around rod for just about everything from jigging for salmon to running plugs or spinners.

For more information, go to: www.castawayrods.com.

You gotta love the Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener. I do, and I’ve only used it a few times, but it was almost love at first sight.

The reason I say this is because it will take a really dull knife and sharpen it until it will shave you. I don’t want to intimate that I actually used a Work Sharp sharpened knife to shave with, but after one quick session on the sharpener, I was able to easily shave a bald patch on my arm.

It was so quick—the sharpening process—that it was scary.

If you’re familiar at all with power tools, then you know what a belt sander is. This is what the Work Sharp sharpener is based upon, but instead of a three-inch wide belt that moves fairly slowly, this sharpener uses a belt about a half-inch wide that moves quite a bit quicker.

If you’re the type who has used a belt sander to sharpen tools, then you know that the difficult part of the process is maintaining the correct angle all through the length of whatever it is you’re sharpening. Doing it freehand takes quite a bit of expertise and a hand and eye steadier than mine.

You can do it—I still use a belt sander to sharpen wood chisels—but it’s difficult for things such as knives because of the thin blade and curve of the blade itself.

To get around this, the Work Sharp sharpener uses guides that keep the blade at a constant angle all through the sharpening stroke. You repeat the stroke for each side of the knife blade alternately.

With 10 strokes (five on each side of the blade), I was able to turn a very dull, hard, stainless blade into a sharp one. Then, after I changed the sanding belt to a finer grit, I took that same blade and in four strokes turned it razor sharp. I think the whole process took all of five minutes from setup to bare arm patch.

 It is an incredibly simple and quick process. If you’re doubtful, check out the sharpening video on www.worksharptools.com.

Another feature of the sharpener is that besides the 20-degree angle guide (20 degrees on each side of the blade), there is a guide that helps you sharpen heavy knives, pocketknives, serrated knives and even scissors. The video shows the how-to for each.

If you like sharp knives, then give this a look. You’ll throw away your whetstones.

For more information, go to www.worksharptools.com.

Lamiglas does one thing really well, and that’s build all kinds of rods. I’ve been a fan of this Northwest company for dog’s years, starting back in the day of fiberglass rods.

I cut my mooching teeth on a Lami yellow blank and put a lot of kings in the boat because of it.

That’s one reason I was glad to see the new Kenai Kwik composite rods introduced this year. The series--there are four of them--use a blend of graphite and fiberglass to marry the best features of both fibers.

With fiberglass, you get great flexibility and strength. With graphite, you get light weight and sensitivity. Combine those two fibers in the right fashion, and you get a rod that works.

Such is the case with the Kenai Kwik rods from Lamiglas.

“We’ve been producing fiberglass rods for salmon fishing for years,” says John Posey of Lamiglas. “They are pretty popular in the Puget Sound region for blackmouth. We wanted to expand that because of the performance of fiberglass.

“So we contacted our pro-staff on the Kenai to see what they wanted in a rod for pulling Wiggle Warts and Kwikfish, and the result is the Kenai Kwik series.

“These rods come in either a 9-foot, 3-inch or a 10-and-a-half-foot model with either cork or tubular graphite handle. They’ve proved extremely popular over the last year to the point that we’re backordered on all models.”

Posey says, “These rods are just perfect for the Columbia River, Puget Sound and the Kenai.”

While guys who’ve only used graphite might wonder what all the huhu is about in regards to fiberglass, those who’ve fished with the rods know why there is such interest. Fiberglass has power while being forgiving--meaning that it is very flexible for its strength. It’s also very durable and resists breaking as a result.

Even though the initial shelf-shake of a fiberglass rod may make it seem too soft, that “softness” is what makes the material so great for rod building. A soft tip on a salmon rod gives the fish time to eat the bait or take the lure without feeling any resistance.

I do know that when graphite rods first came on the market, a number of hardcore moochers in the Port Angeles waters gave up on it and went back to their old fiberglass sticks for that reason: they were losing fish because the rods were too sensitive and stiff.

And certainly, plug- and spinner-fishermen want a softer tip as it telegraphs the movement of the lure, telling you when you’ve picked up trash or seaweed. It also gives the fish a chance to suck in the lure before it feels resistance.

It’s worth noting that other features of the rod--the optional graphite tubular handle or the all-cork version and the Fuji Alconite Concept guide system--are top-notch as well. With the Concept guides, all 14 of them on my 9-3, the line doesn’t touch the rod blank at all.

I think these rods, and the other composite and fiberglass rods Lamiglas is offering, will do a lot to move Northwest fishermen away from the “graphite or nothing” approach to fishing.

For more information, go to: www.lamiglas.com.

Kershaw is well known in the knife-making world, especially in the Northwest. While Kershaw has been supplying the hunting side of the outdoor world, the company hasn’t really focused on fishing.

Sure, there are a number of fillet and other blades that will work, but the company has never really addressed the full-line needs of fishermen.

That’s changed. There is a new Pro-Grade Specialty Fish and Game series of knives that were designed with our needs in mind.

There are 10 knives in the line, everything from a 12-inch cimeter to a 3 -1/2-inch bait knife. Included is a four-knife series of fillet blades, a spoon-handled gutting knife, a curved breaking knife and an eight-inch chef’s knife for the person who runs the kitchen. The 4.75-inch plug-cutting blade is serrated, and should be good for cutting semi-frozen sardines for bait wraps.

I really like the 12-inch cimeter blade because it stands to make filleting larger fish, say a 30-pound chinook, 25-pound lingcod or large halibut, a breeze. Like the rest of the series, the blade is made from 420J2 stainless steel with an injection-molded Zytel handle. It also sports a Granton blade.

The Granton blade is one that has small scallops ground into the surface of both sides. These small, semi-circular scallops decrease the adhesion of whatever you’re cutting to the blade. The short version is that the scallops make cutting easier and keep the flesh from clinging to the blade. For delicate fish, this makes for a cleaner, more precise fillet. It’s a big advantage for larger fish like big chinook and halibut.

While I’ve not tested these on rockfish yet, I’m thinking the longer, wider blades may well be suited for making clean cuts that take the fillet and ribs off in one smooth slice. I may report back in a couple of weeks after I make my first trip of the year to Neah Bay.

Like most professional-grade knives, these have injection-molded handles that are textured to provide a grip when wet and slippery. The handles are blue to keep them separate from the usual run of white-handled professional kitchen and butcher’s knives.

All of the blades, with the exception of the two bait knives, come with a blade protector--not a sheath, but a guard that slides over the blade and keeps the blade sharp and your gear intact.

Also, these knives come with a lifetime sharpening guarantee. Send the dull ones to the Tualatin, Oregon facility, and the company will sharpen it and send it back.

For more information, go to www.kershawknives.com

Edgecraft’s Chef’sChoice line of electric sharpeners has a new model--the 1520. This will prove to be the most useful and probably the most popular of the lot of electric sharpeners.

Considering that I use knives for a host of jobs--everything from cooking the nightly dinner to boning deer and filleting fish, I’m always on the search for a good method of keeping blades sharp.

When I was a kid, the Washington Department of Natural Resources office I worked for had the ultimate--a 30-inch wet sharpening wheel that we used to put the edge on every tool we used from shovels to cruising axes. It was perfect for knives as well. But not everyone has a place to put such a wheel, even if you could find one.

The next best sharpening system I ran across was a 12-inch oilstone set that used three stones of different grits and a strop. It was great for fillet knives if you could keep a constant angle on your knife. But it did take time to put a good edge on a blade, and if you had to repair an edge, it was a slow process.

Enter the 1520. This sharpener is different from most, if not all, electrics. It gives you a choice of two blade angles and provides an electric strop as well to get the final finish.

Most American, European and kitchen knives use a 20-degree blade angle. This provides a compromise between sharpness and sturdiness. However, many fillet knives (at least in my experience) have a lesser angle, similar to the Asian kitchen blades that are becoming very popular. That angle is 15 degrees.

The smaller angle provides a sharper edge and generally cuts easier. Part of it is due to the relative thin cross section of the blade, I realize. But there, too, the 15-degree blade angle works better with thin blades.

The 1520, as you might tell from its model designation, sharpens knives with either a 15- or 20-degree blade angle. The electric strop (a finishing wheel actually) goes one better--it will sharpen serrated edges.

I’ve not had a lot of luck using sharpening systems in the past, electric or not.

Over time, I’ve had to improvise. To repair a blade with major dings, I’d use a belt sander. To sharpen a blade, I worked with a series of stones.

But that has changed. Now, I’m sticking to the Chef’sChoice AngleSelect 1520.

For my first test knife, I sharpened one old, rolled-over and abused fillet knife in just a few seconds to a better-than-factory edge. I became a convert.

It didn’t take long to run through a series of kitchen knives that needed attention, including a couple of Japanese sudoku Granton blades. My fillet knives are now sharper than they were out of the box. On a few blades, it took over a dozen passes to get the edge I wanted, but that was a function of the angle of the blade, the extent of its dullness and the quality of the steel in the blade.

Unlike that 30-inch wet wheel, the 1520 is a compact unit, measuring just 10 inches long and roughly 4x4 inches in cross section.

A spring guide positions the blade accurately in either the 15- or 20-degree angle. The DiamondHone sharpening disks do the work for one side of the blade at a time, and all the user has to do is pull the blade through on one side of the guide, then the other until the desired edge is achieved. Then the finishing wheel is used to strop (or the electronic version) the blade.

For blades that need a lot of work, like several of my fillet knives, you first use the 20-degree wheel before moving to the 15-degree one to get the final edge configuration. The final stage would be the finishing wheel.

All of the Chef’sChoice sharpeners are assembled in Avondale, Penn., another good feature.

For more information, go to www.chefschoice.com.

OK, so you’re fishing somewhere, river, lake, salt, and you really wish you could get your spinner or plug to over that way and stay over there. If you cast to that area, you’ve got to bring your lure back. Then you cast again.

If you’re in a boat, you’re either doing the casting thing or you’re running your boat over the fish trying to get them to bite something that comes from the noisy boat that just passed overhead.

Casting and trolling both work, though, so it’s no big deal, right? Well, it can be at times.

Certainly, when you’re thinking river fishing, casting a plug over to that run against the far bank isn’t as effective as backtrolling one right through the slot.

So what’s a bankie to do? The obvious answer is to buy a boat. A less obvious answer is to buy a Sidewinder side planer.

The Sidewinder does what most other in-line sideplaners do: it acts as a floating plane that pulls your lure over to the side. What makes it stand out from the others is the ease of use. This thing is easier to rig than any other planer I’ve used.

Rigging, like I said, is a snap. You slide your mainline through the bill, into the hole at the front of the Sidewinder and out the hole at the rear. Slide a bead on the line, tie on a swivel, a leader and whatever hope-it-works lure you want. You’re done.

Using it is a piece of cake as well. Let out X-number of feet of line, then pick up the mainline ahead of the bill, pull it back to the release and slide it in. The only adjustment you need to make is to rotate the bill so that the planer pulls to the right or to the left. That decision depends upon which bank of the river you’re on or which side of the boat you’re fishing.

It is just that simple.

When a fish hits, the strike pulls the line out of the rubber release, and the planer slides down until it hits the bead. You don’t have to do anything but bring your finny friend to hand.

Places where you can put this into play is fishing a plug on a river as noted above, and you can also use it trolling in lakes when you want to run a lure in shallow water or against a bank or just away from the boat. You can use it in saltwater when trolling for coho or sockeye or chum.

You really are limited only by your imagination as to where you might put this neat little planer into play. And speaking of imagination--just think of this summer’s return of pinks and coho to Puget Sound. Find yourself a point or stretch of beach with a good rip sailing through, tie on a mooching leader and rig a cut-plug behind the Sidewinder. I can see that working very well for beach-bound salmon anglers.

For more information, go to www.anglers-experience.com.

Compre to Other Rods…

OK, so the pun was bad and very intentional. Having a pair of Shimano Compre trolling rods, I really couldn’t help it.

Here’s the thing: for a long time, Shimano was known mainly as a reel company. They made quality reels, but their rods were only so-so.

That’s changed.

Over the last five years or so, Shimano has brought quality rods at comparatively low prices into play. The only problem, from my viewpoint, was that most of the rods and rod series this company initiated weren’t suitable for the salmon and steelhead market.

If you wanted a traditional salmon or steelhead rod, you were limited to the Clarus and Convergence series. Now, of course, with the incorporation of G. Loomis into the Shimano family, that’s no longer the case.

Having said that, I will add that there are even more salmon and steelhead rods hidden away in the general Shimano catalog.

One such series is the Compre Trolling Casting rods. The rods are designed with, wait for it, walleyes in mind, but the two rods I have, both 7’10” long, are proving to be excellent for salmon, and I have no doubt they would work well for steelhead in particular applications.

The thing that stands out is the action. Although the 7-10” model is rated for a medium-fast, medium-heavy action, the tip is sensitive enough to telegraph the action for big plugs and spinners.

The strength in the butt is sufficient to handle most salmon applications, and this model does very well for vertical jigging Buzz Bombs, Butterfly Jigs, and Pt. Wilson Darts.

It would a good rod for coho, especially when you’re trolling a cut plug in the wake, and it would be a passable mooching rod as well. In other words, it’s a versatile stick.

The Compre series comes in lengths ranging from 6’6” to 8’6”. For the adipose set, I’d stick with the three longer models. There is a drawback to them, however. Only the longest is a two-piece blank. The 7’10” and 8’3” are telescopic, so you need room to store them.

The blank construction is Shimano’s TC4, which means that it’s a composite of a “horizontal layer of advanced dynamic fibers” laid down between an inner and outer spiral of high-modulus graphite.” The result is a rod with a crisp action and strength, as well as durability.

What I like about these rods is the attention to detail inherent in the design. The blank, as noted above, is of advanced design. So are the guides; they’re Fuji (and so is the trigger reel seat) New Concept guides that enhance overall performance.

However, rather than building the rear grip of very expensive cork, Shimano has used its non-slip, black-diamond rear grips. For those who use rod holders, this is a good choice as the black-diamond grips are more durable than cork.

The best news for those looking for a new rod is that Shimano has a rebate program on Compre rods, as well as Clarus and Convergence series, that runs through the end of May. The latter two series have a wide range of salmon, steelhead and trout rods.

For more information, go to: www.fish. shimamo.com.

A Long Line Comin’…

Angler Innovations introduced the Long Liner last year, and it is one of those pieces of gear you really need to try out, particularly when you’re fishing for pressured, spooky fish.

The Long Liner is a device that lets you fish a leader as long as you like, separating the weight and the lure. While there is little reason to do so, you can give yourself a leader of 200 feet, or perhaps even more. Don’t know why you might want to do that, but you could with the Long Liner.

To use it, you insert your main line into the plastic keel, run it through the cam and line guide collar. Then you add some beads, a swivel and a leader with whatever lure or bait you think will be the hot ticket.

To use it, you release line, letting it slide through the Long Liner until you have the length out you want. Then you push in the cam, and it locks the device at that point. You then attach a dropper with a sinker on it and begin fishing. (Or you can just clip a weight onto the Long Liner directly if you’re fishing in snag-free water.)

The concept is fairly simple. Once a fish hits, it trips the cam arm, and the Long Liner then slides down the line to the swivel. If you’re bringing your gear in without a fish attached, then when the Long Liner gets about five feet from your rod tip, you swing it inboard and grasp the line on either side and pull. The cam trips, and the Long Liner slides down to the swivel as you reel it in.

Adjusting the tension on the cam is also fairly simple, but if you don’t do it right—as I didn’t the first time I used it— you’ll end up scratching your head.

The key to adjusting the cam so that it will release for a kokanee one trip and a chinook the next is in the tension screw. This screw is big, plastic and located at the top of the device.

You set the release tension by screwing in the plastic brake-tension screw. The more you screw it in, the more you reduce the tension. Back it off completely, and the release tension is at its maximum unless you tighten the clip-tension screw—the little silver screw at the bottom of the Long Liner.

This last adjustment is factory-set, but you can adjust it by using the diminutive screwdriver that comes with the Long Liner to tighten or loosen the screw.

I don’t think you’d need to tighten this screw unless you were using a large bait or plug in fast current, but that is something the fisherman needs to decide at the time.

Without doubt, you can use the Long Liner for light biters such as kokanee or small stocked trout, and it will work with K16 Kwikies in heavy water.

This tensioning system is so good I’d like to see it adapted to downrigger releases for kokanee, but that’s just me.

For more information, go to www. anglerinnovations.com.

Three Reels by Any Other Name…

Okuma’s Trio spinning reel, the best-selling reel in the company’s line last year has been changed.

Why would any company take something that is working well and change it? That’s easy—they’ve made it faster.

The high-speed Trio supplements last year’s introduction, and the change is a slam-dunk for side-drifting, bobber-fishing steelhead fanatics. Why? Because the 20-percent higher retrieve speed means more time fishing and less time dragging your gear back to cast; that’s less down time and more fishing time.

In my mind, that’s a good thing. But that’s not the only reason the Trio is a slam-dunk. It’s because of the way the reel was built.

In a steelhead spinning reel, you want one that will stand up to the crazy antics of a steelhead, as well as the pressure put on by a big king or outsize April native.

That means the reel must have a great drag, and it must have the internal structure to withstand the torque that goes along with fighting a heavy, strong fish.

The Trios, both the original and the new high-speed series, do.

The drag system is probably the most important feature for a steelhead fisherman because you need a smooth-running drag, especially when you’re using light line as you might for summer-runs.

The drag on the Trio is different from that on other spinning reels. As in most front drag reels, there are drag washers on the front of the spool. However, there are also more washers on the inside face of the spool, and those extra washers are larger and provide even more drag surface.

As a rule of thumb, the more drag surface you have, the less heat builds up during a fish’s run, and the smoother the drag will run.

The Trio reels also have a different internal structure, a skeleton, than do other reels. The key is a stamped aluminum frame that runs from the replaceable reel foot into the body of the reel. It’s a very rigid structure—much more so than graphite—and thus holds the gears in precise alignment when under stress.

Stamped aluminum is stronger than cast aluminum, as well.

The side plates of the Trio reels are made of graphite for reduced weight. There are 10 bearings, cut brass pinion gears, and a host of acronyms that point out that this is a superb reel at any price.

There are three Trio high-speed reels and four in the original series that has a 5.0 to 1 (plus one heavy duty 4.5 to 1) as compared to the high-speed reels at 6.2 to 1.

For more information, go to www.okumafishingteam. com.

A Sight to See…

Get it? Vision hooks? A sight? Oh, well. So Vision Hooks has a new entry in the ready-to-fish category that I think is pretty cool—right up there with the rolls of sidedrifting leaders that are on offer nearly everywhere.

Vision’s vision, if you will pardon the pun, was to tie leaders using quality hooks and monofilament but do it differently than other companies offering salmon leaders.

In that, Vision succeeded, and their success has a leg up on the competition. Rather than tie leaders that keyed just on hook size or pound test, Vision asked a host of guides and pro-staff people to tie leaders they would use for every given size of herring; in other words, for red-label herring, green label herring, and so on.

The company took the information they received and came up with a sizing program that matches hooks, leader test and the distance between hooks with each of the label colors.

And in each color—red, green, purple, blue and the Kodiak Special—Vision then offers fishermen a choice of leader tests.

Two other things make the Vision pre-tied leaders stand out. This is the first time I’ve seen leaders tied with a double length of material between the two hooks. In other words, the tail hook is snelled on and left with a long tail, and that is incorporated into the snelled knot of the lead hook.

Randy Prengel, president of Vision Hooks and Tackle, feels that the extra length helps with abrasion and adds some shock absorption. It’s also a buffer for those times when a big king has the leader sawing away across his gum line.

The other thing I like about these pre-tied leaders is their short length. Most factory ties I’ve seen were usually in the five- or six-foot lengths. That’s fine, but when I’m mooching, I use a short middle leader out of stiff mono to keep the tangles down.

A shorter leader—the ones I have are roughly 30 inches long—is much easier to untangle in a fast bite, and it eliminates the step of having to cut a leader. Not only that, but it’s cheaper overall and it is more environmentally sound.

These pre-tied leaders come in packs of five with each leader in its own package. They are available in both barbed and barbless styles in 25 different variations.

For more information, go to www.visionhooksandtackle.com.

Okuma’s Citrix bait-cast reel is another entry into the realm of really, really nice low-profile bait-casters that are tournament quality. Granted steelhead and salmon fishermen aren’t fishing in any tournaments, but they will benefit from them.

Reels that stand up to tournament conditions are going to perform more reliably longer than comparable reels not built to that standard. Tournament fishermen cast thousands of times a day as a rule, much more than a steelhead fisherman does. Tournament fishermen are also pretty rough on their gear during an event, and that abuse leads to equipment that can take it.

Such is the case with the Citrix low-profile bait-caster. It’s tough, with a cast and machined aluminum frame, spool and handle (the handle is stamped). It has oversize gears in a drop-down box for better ergonomics. And the high-speed version offers something few other reels have: a very high retrieve speed.

At 7.3: 1, the Citrix takes in 32 inches of line with each turn of the handle with a full spool. That is something competitive reels do as well—but at twice and three times the price.

What this high speed does for steelhead fishermen is reduce the downtime when you’re bringing the spoon, spinner or bobber and jig back for another cast. Reduce the downtime, and you get more fishing time, and during the course of the day that adds up says Portland-area fisherman Carmen Macdonald.

“You don’t realize how much time is lost—forever—bringing the float back upstream. I’ll let a float run a long way on a cast, maybe 50 yards, and bringing it back does take more time with a standard reel. With the Citrix, I don’t spend as much time on the retrieve, and the time I gain adds up.”

Macdonald says that the Citrix is a comfortable reel to fish as well. “The in-swept handles reduce the wobble that occurs when you’re reeling. On top of that, the handle arms are longer, making for easier reeling, and the knobs are larger. It’s just a more comfortable reel to fish.”

The Citrix comes in two models, the high-speed version that is available in both right- and left-hand retrieves (an important point for steelheaders!), and a low-speed model that is only available in right-hand at a 5.4:1 retrieve speed.

The reels have 7 ball-bearings and one roller-bearing to keep things running smoothly. When you pick one up, you’ll notice just how smooth that is. Spin the spool, and it revolves forever, whether it’s upright, on its side or upside down. That’s a result of perfect balance and fine tolerances.

And lastly, perhaps the most innovative feature is the patented, externally adjustable, centrifugal braking system.

Most casting reels have an internal centrifugal brake, and that system requires you to take off a side plate and pop little pins or widgets in or out to get the right amount of control. And still others add a magnetic brake on the outside of the reel (plus the internal centrifugal brake) to fine-tune what couldn’t be addressed inside.

The Citrix does all of that in the external brake.

Line capacity on the Citrix is 130 yards of 12-pound mono, which is enough for steelheading. If you want to use it to chase chinook or are after really big fish, then opt to load the reel with braid. Considering that the line guide has a zirconium line guide insert you should have no problem at all using braid.

For more information, go to www.okumafishing.com.

Beckman nets are fishing icons. You can see one in every guide boat, or nearly so, because the nets are pretty much indestructible. They have a strong frame, good yoke and a handle that takes abuse.

One of the best things that Beckman has out is a real benefit for native fish. It’s the Pen Fin Saver net.

The Pen nets are built in a somewhat unusual design. The sides drop straight down from the rim, and the bottom of the bag is flat and round rather than simply gathered in as with most nets.

Not only is the shape different, but the net material has a tangle-free coating that sheds teeth, fins, gill plates and most hooks.

The Pen Fin Saver nets go one better. The construction is the same as the Pen nets, but the side walls are of a much smaller mesh that does a great job of keeping fins out. This means you have a better chance of getting a fish back into the water (or a native back into the stream) quickly after it’s netted.

The Fin Saver nets come in three sizes and offer four different handle configurations up to nine feet long.

Given the construction, Beckman nets are built for a lifetime use and have a guaranteed yoke.

For more information, go to: www.lindyfishingtackle.com.