With the ice fishing season winding down and countless trips on the ice, it's time
to look back and reflect on some of the "new" products I used on the ice
this season. The "newness" has worn off, the price tag is no longer
hanging on the item, and it's broken in; let's see how everything
stacked up.
The Good
Thorne Brothers Custom Rods: While these might not be in the price range for some anglers, there is no disputing the quality which goes into each of these rods. If an angler prefers to take it a step further, Thorne Brothers will make a custom rod to the specifications required to the individual. The options are endless from the color of thread used in the guide wraps, to the action of the blank, selection of guide style, and what kind of handle is used.
My primary and secondary rods this season were custom TB rods built last summer and they are by far my favorite rods in my collection. If you're considering having a custom ice fishing rod built, I strongly suggest giving Thorne Brothers a look!
Clam Stick on LED Lights: In the past I've generally not fished at night a whole bunch; but the times I did, I wished I would have brought along more lighting. Clam had these lights on clearance last summer for next to nothing, so I put them in all my shacks. I really liked how much light they kicked out and how light weight they were.
Ice Armor Extreme Gloves: If you're in the market for a very warm pair of gloves while scooping snow or operating your atv or snowmobile in the cold, you want these gloves. They did a fantastic job of keeping my hands warm and dry the times it was cold and wet this season. Nothing is worse than having cold fingers while driving your quad or sled across the ice in below freezing temperatures.
Spooky Tungsten Flies: Some anglers are aware how effective flies can be to coercing picky panfish who don't want to bite. Barry Williams combined the benefits of a fly with the added weight of tungsten. These allow anglers to fish a little bit deeper and quicker while still offering you the subtle approach of a fly.
I didn't have the opportunity to use these flies as much as I would have liked this winter; but the times I did use them, they caught fish. Barry did a really nice job with his craftsmanship of the flies and I was very pleased with how they turned out. Hopefully in the future he will include 90 degree hooks in his line up for a truly horizontal offering.
Vexilar Pro View Transducer: I primarily used this transducer this season and I was very pleased with the outcome. The ability of this transducer to pick up the smallest offerings and the target separation was fantastic. About the only "knock" is that the cone angle a little narrower than I would have preferred when fishing extremely shallow water (2-6'). This was quickly looked past by the transducer's performance in standard depths (10-30') fished the majority of the winter.
Genz Spooler Reel: It is a nice reel for the money and hits a certain
price point many anglers are looking for when trying out the "fly reel
craze". While it might not have all of the bells and whistles compared
to fly reels which are three to four times more money, it does
provide good value. The reel has the best feel in my hand of all of the
various fly reels I use or have held. It also has an adjustable drag
and is very light weight. I've found a place for these reels in my
sight fishing set ups and they have really shined in that role.
Sportsmen's Direct Pro Series Tungsten Jigs: John sure hit another home run with these jigs. They offer a longer shank and one size larger hook compared to standard tungsten jigs. The paint job is also amazing and they incorporate UV paint in the jigs, which pretty much no one else is doing. The jigs are fantastic for the guys who are using plastics as the longer shank and larger hook helps accommodate plastics better.
The Indifferent
Eagle Claw Inline Reel: The industry has seen an explosion of fly reels onto the market in the last few years. I won't rehash why guys are using fly reels, but suffice to say they are developing a strong following.
Eagle Claw entered the fray this summer with their version of a raft reel, the Eagle Claw Inline ice reel. I was fortunate enough to acquire a couple of the reels for a nominal price. The benefits of this reel over a traditional fly reel are that this reel is geared so that it retrieves more line per revolution. It also has an elongated forearm which allows for easier gripping like a spinning reel and it has a free spool function which allows the lure to take line off the spool without having to pull it out by hand.
This reel wasn't one of my "go to" reels for a few different reasons. The ergonomics of the reel didn't quite feel right as the side with the gears was quite a bit heavier than the side with the spool. Also, if you planned on using a pistol grip the spool wouldn't turn if it were contacting your hand. I also didn't care for the gap between the spool and the housing. I would have preferred for a closer fit so that line wouldn't become tangled when free spooling.
The free spool function was an excellent option and the drag was serviceable.
Scientific Anglers Max 432 Fly Box: I was looking for a box to store all of my tungsten jigs, but also being light weight and compact were a must. I really liked the layout of the box and it does a nice job on the smaller 2-3MM tungsten jigs, but the larger 4-6MM jigs are too heavy to indefinitely stay in the slots. I think this fly box would do an excellent job on flies as well as smaller lead jigs, but I feel it only does an adequate job on securing the larger sized tungsten jigs.
Conclusion
So, what can we gather from all of this information? This list isn't
the "Bible", so don't take it as such. There are things about certain
products which work well for me that might not for you.
Don't judge a book by its cover and don't cast your judgment right
away. Actually try the product and use it more then a handful of
times. If you would have asked me what I thought of the Eagle Claw Inline
Reel after the first time on the ice, I would have told you I didn't care for it. After
getting used to the reel and using it, I have found that is a tool which
can benefit the angler in certain angling situations.
I hope each of you tried at least one thing new this winter and please feel free to share it and your impressions of it.
