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By: Steelhead
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The Roto Chip is a revolutionary new concept in fishing lures. The chip is a small fuse looking device, which has a small ball inside. The ball rolls inside the tube and completes an electric circuit when it reaches one end. The chip then releases a 1/10th volt charge mimicking a wounded bait fish.
The Roto Chip Bait Holder is an adaptation of the Rotary Salmon/Trout Killer and is designed to hold a baitfish or bait strip and the Roto Chip. The product should be available by Christmas. We tested the chips in British Columbia this summer coho fishing. The bait holders were not available so we taped them to the leader isolated by two barrel swivels right in front of a spoon. In two days of fishing, the roto chip out fished the regular rig 4 to 1. This product has the potential to be the hottest bait going. Check it out!
SH 905C-2 Steelhead Rod 9' 0"
This rod truly shines side-drifting roe. Its light sensitive tip allows you to feel the difference between the rocks, sand, sticks and everything else in the river and that subtle pause or bump that means a bite. The balance and sensitivity this stick provides translates to more hook-ups.
The rods are constructed from 9 wt. Fly rod blanks, which are a major reason they are so sensitive, but they have also proven to be tough as nails over the course of the year. I have battled 30 pound kings, trolled for coho on a downrigger, and even used it for shallow water rockfishing without any noticeable wear. The factory challenged me to try and break it and I can't see how you could using 20 lb. or lighter line.
This moderately priced rod will out perform many rods costing much more.
DR702 2LS Anglers Touch Spinning Rod 7' 0"
Gary Miralles personally designed these affordable, quality rods for maximum strength and performance. These rods are built out of IM 6 graphite, have a quality rod seat, guides with stainless steel inner rings, and finished with a top AA grade cork handle. They are strong, smooth, abrasion resistant, and durable. The light action makes it ideal for Kokanee and Trout fishing.
Tip sensitivity is what sets these rods above pack. This rod is so good; one lives in Dan Bacher's pick-up!
Xplores pliers come in needle nose, my favorite, or bull nose models. They are made from ceramic beads in composite, have a stainless steel cutting edge and are non-conductive. I loop the lanyard over my belt and stick them in my pocket. They are so light you don't even notice they are there. The blade has proven durable and hasn't shown the slightest bit of rust and they are tough enough to flatten hook barbs without damaging the gripping surface of the tool. The high density foam handles make them comfortable to use and THEY FLOAT! A super stocking stuffer for Christmas.
Light weight, polarized, durable, they float, and they're affordable. The H2Optix line of sunglasses, manufactured by Serengeti, feature high performance polycarbonate lenses, which provide 100% UV protection. They virtually eliminate the glare of sun on the water and providing vision well below the surface.
The manufacturer claims they can withstand the impact of a hammer (we didn't test that claim), but ours have survived being dropped on boat decks, rocks and sand and spending a day in the camera bag out of the case, without a scratch. Some of their durability is due to their light weight, the frames weigh less than an ounce, which means they practically float to the ground when dropped.
They are available in numerous styles with amber, dark grey and dark grey with silver flash lenses. They come with an adjustable floating strap, which will keep them on the surface if you drop them overboard and a clip-on neoprene case. Best deal going in eyewear for under a $100.00.
The Coleman Company has come up with two-part system for mosquito control. The first part of the system is propane powered and creates heat and carbon dioxide for attracting mosquitoes, the Inhibitor disperses a scent which blocks mosquitoes from finding a host, and there are trap cartridges which trap and kill the annoying critters. The complete system is designed to protect an area the size of an average back yard.
We tested the Inhibitor in various locations, including places where mosquitoes will bite right through your clothes, with amazing results.
Place it upwind of your camp area and it will keep mosquitoes from biting in an area around 100 square feet.
The unit is powered by two AA batteries, which power a small fan and heat the scent cartridge. The scent cartridge and the batteries last around 200 hours. The scent is almost unnoticeable. The Inhibitor unit retails for around $25.00. We were so impressed we'll be using the complete system next summer!
There are endless choices when you start shopping around for binoculars and can prices run well over $1,000.00. We were looking for affordable binoculars able to withstand the rigors of fishing such as bouncing around in a four-wheel drive on a dirt road, being dropped on the deck of a boat or in a stream, and still able to perform while being subjected to fog, rain, dust and whatever else the conditions dish out.
The H20 series binoculars are completely o-ring sealed; nitrogen purged and come with fully coated optics for durability and clarity. They are rubber armored with center focus.
We tested both Porro prism and roof prism models and were equally impressed with their performance. With a retail price of under $100.00 we found them to be an unbeatable bargin.
Shell fabrics are treated by Gore with an active durable water repellent (DWR) fluoropolymer. Eventually the DWR can be worn off by normal use. Now, it's possible to totally restore a GORE® garment's durable water repellency by using ReviveX® water and stain repellent. The special ReviveX® formulation and process not only coats areas of the fabric where the original DWR has worn off, it also 'mates' with the remaining DWR to totally restore water and stain repellency.
Application is a snap, you run the garment through the washer, spray on the RiviveX, toss it in the dryer and your jacket sheds water like a duck. Nothing else we've used even comes close and it also works well on non-gore products.
We applied the treatment to a fishing hat from GottaHavaHat and it worked fantastic. A superlight, breatheable, waterproof hat!
Someone finally did it, a quality insect repellant and sunscreen in the same bottle. The insect repellant is all-natural made from cedar, lavendar and lemon grass. The sunscreen is UVA/UVB with a SPF 30.
What really makes this product stand out is that it was designed for anglers. It is non-oily virtually disappearing seconds after you put it on but it is waterproof, sweatproof, and won't damage fly lines or bait. The odor is almost nonexistent.
The only problem is that it is very hard to find on the West Coast so you will probably have to order from their website.
When our new lantern arrived, we were skeptical about it being anything but just another redo of an age-old product. After living with it on a three-week adventure to British Columbia, we were so impressed that we added it to our "hot new products".
First of all, it is by far the brightest camp lantern we have ever used and a 16 oz. propane cylinder will last nearly 6 hours on high. The single mantle is the new tube type, which fastens at both the top and bottom with clips. What was most impressive is we never had to replace the mantle. In the plastic carrying case, the lantern traveled over 3,000 miles, hundreds of it on dirt roads, without the mantle falling apart! With the electronic ignition, all you have to do is screw on the tank and turn the dial. Easy enough to make work even in the dark.
The lantern is well built and has a metal guard to help prevent globe breakage. This is definitely an upgrade worth considering!
It's raining, but not hard enough to break out the rain gear and it's not cold enough to use the hood on your jacket without roasting to death. The solution is the oilskin hat. We've tested them in all kinds of conditions and they have performed well except in the tropics where we found they just didn't breathe well enough. For West Coast rainy conditions, it's simply a must have.
They are really hard to find but if you just have to have one you can get it at thr Orvis website.
Orvis Oilskin Hats
Made from glass-filled nylon these 1" wide clips are designed to hold tarps, cloth, and other flexible material. The clamping pressure is applied by sliding a locking collar up the tapered body where it engages a series of toothed stops.
This allows fastening a tarp at any point, or fastening at the point of a broken gromet. A 3/8" hole allows the clips to be tied off or to a rope or bungie. Best of all, they allow quick set-up of a rain cover. We tested a lean-to with a tarp and it held up all night through 60 mph winds.
At under $2.00 a pop, having a few of these stashed in the pick em up truck or the boat is a great idea.
The only place we have found them is at Lee Valley.
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