Gear Roundup: New & Noteworthy Gear

Reels, spoons, soft bodies, rods, storage, apparel, power, electronics, and more.

November 01, 2023 By In-Fisherman Staff

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New and unique fishing stuff, as reviewed by the In-Fisherman staff from the May 2023 issue.

Bondy Panfish

Soft bodies for panfish, the Bondy Sweet Pea and Bondy Bug can be rigged on small jigheads or drop-shot rigged, Sweet Pea measuring 1.5 inches and the Bug 1.75 inches. Bug is available in 40 colors, while the Pea is offered in 4.

$6.99 (package of 20) | bondyfishing.com

Quick Silver

Exceptional for trout and salmon (and walleyes and pike), the newly re-introduced Williams Quick Silver is offered in two sizes, 1/3 ounce (3 inches) and 3/5 ounce (4 inches), and 12 colors, including copper. The spoons are famous for their precious-metal finishes, including 24-carat gold and jewelry-quality silver, plus a holographic decal topside that adds even more flash to this dancing, fluttering package.

A blue and black fishing spoon and a pink, green, and silver fishing spoon. — Check pricing at williams.ca.

Check pricing at williams.ca.

Handy Tackle Storage

Heavy Hauler Gear Boxes put into use the space under pedestal boat seats, creating a compartment of heavy-duty 600D polyester fabric with a rigid foam interior. The Medium Gear Box holds eight 3600-size 11-inch trays, while the Large Gear Box holds six 3700-size 14-inch trays. A carry handle and shoulder strap make this a “go anywhere” bag.

newnoteworth230500-9 — $49.99 to $59.99 (no trays), $119.99 to $129.99 (with trays) | sportsmanswarehouse.com

$49.99 to $59.99 (no trays), $119.99 to $129.99 (with trays) | sportsmanswarehouse.com

Trika Terrific

Independent lab testing is said to show the proprietary weave design in Trika spinning and casting rods to be twice as sensitive as high-end competitive rods costing up to $700. The design also is lighter and produces longer casts. Five spinning rods range from a 6-foot 6-inch light medium-fast to a 7-foot 6-inch medium-fast. Seven rods in the casting lineup range from a 6-foot 10-inch medium extra-fast to a 7-foot 7-inch extra-heavy medium-fast.

A Trika fishing rod. — $349.99 | trika.com

$349.99 | trika.com

Techno Smart Flashlight

The Nebo Davinci 18000 rechargeable flashlight delivers 18,000 lumens in a rugged, IP67 waterproof, and lightweight design, with smart technology features like Smart Power Control, Smart Temperature Control, Direct-to-Low Startup, and proprietary Mag Dial to quickly and easily select and power up in the light mode of your choice.

A Nebo flashlight. — $229.99 | sportsmanswarehouse.com

$229.99 | sportsmanswarehouse.com

In some environments, giant pike and muskies find juvenile burbot (eelpout) irresistible, which is where the Savage Gear 3D Burbot Ribbontail enters the scene, in two sizes: 10 inches and 3 ounces, and 14 inches and 8 ounces. A line-through-to-hook design ensures exceptional hookups. Along with the ribbon-tail action, glass rattles are molded into the tail.

A Savage Gear burbot hard fishing bait. — $15.99 to $21.99 | scheels.com

$15.99 to $21.99 | scheels.com

Lithium Ion

The M3265-36 38.4V 65Ah Lithium Ion Trolling Battery from Lithium Pros weighs one-fifth (39.2 pounds) the weight of a typical bass-boat battery system so anglers can drastically reduce the weight of their vessels for speed and fuel efficiency. Check for many more details.

A Lithium Pros deep cycle battery. — $2,899 | lithiumpros.com

$2,899 | lithiumpros.com

ECHOMAP Touchscreen Plus Navionics

The Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 chartplotter series features 6-, 7-, or 9-inch touchscreens with keyed assist as well as best-in-class sonar, wireless networking, and preloaded Garmin Navionics+ mapping. There’s brilliant ClearVü and SideVü scanning and super clear CHIRP traditional sonar. These chartplotters also support LiveScope live-scanning sonar, and much more.

Three Garmin UHD2 sonar depthfinder units, side by side. — $799.99 to $1,299.99 | scheels.com

$799.99 to $1,299.99 | scheels.com

In-Fisherman Storyline: Roadtrip Edition, The Jon Bondy Story

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In-Fisherman Storyline: Roadtrip Edition, The Jon Bondy Story

There may not be a more fascinating guy than Jon Bondy—he changed muskie fishing forever by inventing a presentation and a bait that is a regularly utilized technique in all serious muskie anglers' arsenal. Plus, did you know he fished for bass professionally? What a story.

Learn

In-Fisherman Storyline: Front Porch Edition with Josh Douglas and Shawn Budiac at X2Power

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In-Fisherman Storyline: Front Porch Edition with Josh Douglas and Shawn Budiac at X2Power

Staying powered up has never been easier thanks to the lithium battery revolution. Leading the way is X2Power. X2's very own Shawn Budiac joins us and talks with Minnesota pro bass angler and guide Josh Douglas. The goal is to simplify your battery needs and keep you on the water longer.

Gear

The ALL-NEW Shimano Vanford A: The Measure in Performance

Gear

The ALL-NEW Shimano Vanford A: The Measure in Performance

Meeting an angler's demand for comfort and precise lure control, Shimano's MagnumLite series drives the evolution of fishing performance with the new Vanford A family of spinning reels. The MagnumLite's rotors are constructed from lightweight materials to minimize rotational resistance through a balanced wall thickness reduction, which also creates notable durability. A lighter rotor requires less force to start reeling and benefits anglers when they need to move the handle quickly to adjust to different fishing situations or to control the handle more directly to influence lure action. Featuring a reinforced structure with high-strength carbon fiber mixed into resin, the rotor and body will maximize sensitivity and operation. This CI4+ material also exhibits impressive rigidity under pressure when compared to general reinforced resin. Modern anglers who demand precise control every day they spend on the water will find plenty of benefits from the new Vanford A.

Destinations

In-Fisherman Classics: Road Hunting Big Manitoba Pike

Destinations

In-Fisherman Classics: Road Hunting Big Manitoba Pike

Al and James Lindner locate and catch huge Manitoba pike after locating them visually. Burning bucktails is a great presentation to trigger big pike into eating. During spring and fall, and water temps hit 50 degrees, big pike move shallow and feed heavily. This is a neat look back on how to locate and catch big northern pike. They also talk about water temperature tolerance and how it's important to pay attention to water temps. How does this info play to today's pike and muskie fishing efforts?

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In-Fisherman Classics: Understanding Northern Pike Behavior in Warming Water

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In-Fisherman Classics: Understanding Northern Pike Behavior in Warming Water

Dave Csanda discuss how pike attitude changes as the day wanes on and water temps increase. There are some tricks to catching pike as activity changes, but there's always a way to catch them when they are showing themselves. Does this insight still play in today's modern era of pike fishing?

Gear

In-Fisherman Classics: Muskie Mechanics and Why We Chase Muskies

Gear

In-Fisherman Classics: Muskie Mechanics and Why We Chase Muskies

Al Lindner talks about his early muskie memories and how to find and catch more muskies. Lots has changed over recent decades in the muskie world, how does this information measure up today?

Destinations

In-Fisherman Classics: The Perfect Muskie Spot

Destinations

In-Fisherman Classics: The Perfect Muskie Spot

The In-Fisherman crew talks about finding key structural elements that offer all the necessities to attract and hold baitfish, that in turn brings in the muskies. Muskies are known to take advantage of key spots, almost the exact same cast, time after time. Finding those spots used to be a bit more difficult, and trolling was a great option to understanding how the structure plays out. Nowadays, we have updated mapping and sonar options to shorten the learning curve. Good info that still holds true today? Let us know what you think below!

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In-Fisherman TV: Ripping Big Rubber on Lake St. Clair with Spencer Berman

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In-Fisherman TV: Ripping Big Rubber on Lake St. Clair with Spencer Berman

In-Fisherman TV host Thomas Allen nails a giant Lake St. Clair muskie on the figure 8 with Spencer Berman looking on. Ripping big rubber requires specialized equipment and focusing on the right water. Lake St. Clair is a huge place, and one of the finest muskie fisheries on the planet. This is a quick look at the process and a big 50-inicher.

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In-Fisherman TV: Late Fall Trolling Tips for Lake of the Woods Muskies

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In-Fisherman TV: Late Fall Trolling Tips for Lake of the Woods Muskies

There's little doubt that Lake of the Woods is one of the finest muskie fisheries in the world, and it offers an adventure of a lifetime. Spencer Caruso owns and operates Limitless Expeditions in association with Uncle Mark's Outpost near Big Narrows on legendary Lake of the Woods. Trolling up big fall muskies takes some specialized equipment, big forage-mimicking baits and understanding contours. The duo puts in the work and a few fish in the bag.

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In-Fisherman Classics: Primetime Pike and Peak Periods

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In-Fisherman Classics: Primetime Pike and Peak Periods

Al Lindner talks about focusing on the right time to target big northern pike. Shallow water northern pike are the pinnacle of the experience, but timing is key to finding and catching them. The In-Fisherman crew talks about when and where to focus your efforts to maximize you catch rates--pike movements are easier to predict than you might realize.

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In-Fisherman Classics: Targeting Muskies and Pike with Crankbaits

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In-Fisherman Classics: Targeting Muskies and Pike with Crankbaits

The In-Fisherman team discusses how to employ deep-diving crankbaits for weed-holding muskies and pike. In cold water, you need to match your retrieve to the attitude of the fish, and pick a color that makes sense in comparison to the forage base. Ron Lindner and Dan Sura talk about a few rigging options and presentation tactics to catch numbers of muskies on cranks.

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In-Fisherman Classics: Speed Trolling for Big Muskies

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In-Fisherman Classics: Speed Trolling for Big Muskies

Does color matter? How fast can you retrieve a bait? How big is too big for muskie lures? How fast does a muskie feed? All good questions that the In-Fisherman crew has answers to. What's interesting is the discussion inside this video about bait size and feeding speed, as we know now and gear has evolved to accommodate larger baits, muskies will eat huge presentations that can be near impossible to cast. It's neat to see the early days and then compare it to muskie fishing techniques today.