WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2023   |   SUBSCRIBE    ARCHIVES   
Hardy Fly Fishing, a name synonymous with innovation and master craftsmanship, is proud to announce the release of its latest masterpiece: The 1912 Perfect Fly Reel. A modern rendition of an iconic reel, this piece is set to captivate both anglers and collectors alike.
Leptospirosis is a naturally occurring bacteria that can sicken sea lions, dogs, people, other wildlife, and livestock. The disease can spread when an animal or person is in contact with urine or other bodily fluids of an infected or dead sea lion.
The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) announced today that it is sending an initial distribution of $30,000 from the IGFA’s Worldwide Anglers Relief Fund (WARF) to the recreational fishing communities in Hawaii in the wake of the recent firestorm.
On September 19, the Apalachicola Artificial Reef Association (AARA), in cooperation with Franklin County, dropped 13 concrete pyramids on the one-square mile reef located in approximately 40 feet of water eight miles south of Bob Sikes Cut.
Suzuki Marine first became The Official Outboard Motor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last summer, and recently signed a multi-year agreement that will include a range of new promotional, outreach, and engagement opportunities with the team’s diverse fan base and NLF fans from around the world.
Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the schedules for the 2024 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI season and the High School Fishing season, with each circuit providing numerous prizes, scholarships and advancement opportunities for qualified teams.
Species that are considered gamefish elsewhere are pests in Utah's trout/salmon waters--and you can dive and spear them if you want to.
Great reels, more sizes and priced where more anglers can afford them--what's not to like in this new series of spinning reels from Daiwa.
The fuel-injected outboard is built on a 32-valve V-8 powerhead that displaces 302 cubic inches/4,952 cc. It has a bore and stroke of 3.5 by 3.9 inches and a compression ratio of 10-to-1.
Highfield Boats has chosen ePropulsion’s 3kW Navy 3.0 Evo to power the CL310E, which has a range of up to 49 miles, while the other two models are powered by the 6kW Navy 6.0 Evo, whose range extends to 72 miles.
X2Power Batteries, a trailblazer in advanced battery solutions, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with The Next Bite TV, a leading name in fishing entertainment and education.
An extension of the Abu Garcia Revo SX family, the Revo SX-SS is built for anglers who love to flip, pitch and skip. Featuring a shallow spool design, the Revo SX-SS makes it easier for anglers who like to skip docks and is right sized--and priced right, too.
For just the second time in the series’ history, the country’s best kayak anglers are heading to Oklahoma, this time competing for a National Championship on Lake Tenkiller.
With even average weekend anglers running numerous graphs with 2D sonar, HD mapping, MEGA Imaging, 360 Imaging, and forward-facing sonar on huge, 10- to 19-inch high-resolution LCD screens, adequately charged and functional marine batteries are an absolute must for successful days on the water.
It may seem that Congress can no longer achieve much of anything worthwhile, but they recently approved a step in passing the SHARKED Act that could help sportfishers being plagued by too many sharks in waters around the southeast.
Obviouslee, a full-service marketing and creative agency based in Charleston, SC, has announced it will partner with Toadfish as its media relations and community marketing agency of record.
In his new role, Riley is responsible for leading efforts to create and implement a global training standard for Yamaha Marine Distributors. He will work closely with the training curriculum team as well as the instructional team to continue to create and deliver instructor-led and digital training.
For all our fisheries, it's all about habitat. That's especially so for cold water trout and salmon--here's a great project booting up in Oregon that should make things better.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was informed by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) that divers monitoring for aquatic invasive species in Lake Tahoe detected invasive New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in areas off the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.
Researchers have built what they hope will be a snook and tarpon nursery on land that was scheduled for development, but is now a carefully engineered mangrove and marsh preserve.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is seeking public input on spotted seatrout harvest regulations, including bag and size limits along the entirety of the Texas coast due to reduced populations from the 2021 freeze.
A form of power fishing used to cover a large amount of habitat, pitching also allows for the precise presentations needed to pick apart promising cover, and Mustad offers just the right hooks for the job.
Recently, to discover the realities of walleyes and ChatterBaits, we probed the minds of several elite anglers, guides and tournament aces who’ve previously dropped hints, but until now, have hesitated to deliver the goods.
AFTCO’s Bill Shedd has been inducted into the 2023 IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame for his significant contributions to fishing conservation and pioneering innovations in fishing tackle and fishing apparel.
Fly fishing possesses a unique allure, drawing you into its grasp where each cast can offer a new adventure. As a novice bass angler, I've recently discovered the joys of fly fishing for these formidable bucket mouth monsters. Taking on this new exhilarating adventure has deepened my connection to the sport and ignited my passion for bass angling. In this blog post, I'll share my newfound love for fly fishing for bass, underscore the significance of quality gear, and specifically spotlight the exceptional performance of the Cortland bass fly line. It is my hope that by the end of this read, you'll be inspired to dip your toes into this captivating world of fly fishing for bass.
If you want a hard-hitting, arm-stretching thrill ride, visit Florida’s Gulf Coast bays and nearshore shallows for the fall-winter grouper action. Many of these tasty bottom fish can be found in less than 20 feet of water.
 

“We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boot"

Boots are a big thing for most outdoors people—we generally attract mud, it seems, and without a good boot, the socks tend to get squishy in a hurry.

I’ve chugged along the last several years with a lightweight pair of Redhead Expedition Ultra’s, and they’re still my go-to boots for upland turkey hunting, dove hunting or easing along a pond edge casting for bass.

But there are times when more boot is needed; just as you are sometimes going to need a bigger boat when you go after a certain troublesome shark, sometimes you are going to need a bigger boot when you face serious knee-deep mud, water or wet weather.

The LaCrosse Alpha Evolution might be a good choice in that case.

Tall rubber boots with bonded insulation can be just the ticket for wet cold weather hunting and fishing this fall and winter. (Lacrosse)

Make no mistake, you won’t go boot-scootin’ in these full rubber 17” tall boots. These babies are big, well padded in the soles and well insulated, and if you had to run from a grizzly while wearing them, you’d be in deep doo-doo. Weight is 6.2 pounds per pair, per the company, which is a couple pounds more than boots with less testosterone.

But if you need some really, really warm, tall and really, really dry boots, these are the ticket. I envision trekking across a marshy tundra after a caribou or easing through a green timber duck marsh, maybe wading a high meadow stream for trout as likely duty—as well as more mundane tasks like mucking out the cattle barn. 

Rubber boots have the advantage over leather or composite boots that are waterproofed with micro-fibers in that they are completely impermeable to water (and smells) for the life span of the rubber. The “breathable” fabrics do a great job when new, but most soon start to let tiny micro-drops of water or other undesirable liquids through as they work and age, and you start feeling damp and eventually just plain wet. 

Rubber also has the advantage of being very easy to clean, since there’s no concern that high pressure spray will penetrate the seams—there are no seams, so you can blast mud and clay off as needed.

On the down side, rubber is not as tough as leather or composite fabric—a sharp stick or jagged rock can put a hole in the uppers if it hits at the wrong angle, while the other materials are more durable. It’s also not warm on its own—it transfers chill quickly.

The Evolution boots, however have a thick bonded-neoprene liner, which makes them sort of a dive suit on steroids in terms of insulation. The toe—where you get coldest usually--is insulated with 1600 grams of an aerogel they call “Primaloft” which the company says is the same stuff NASA uses to insulate space suits. I’ve not worn them in cold weather yet, but suffice it to say we’re not expecting any minus 450 degree days in North Alabama this winter.

The thick rubber exterior layer is seamlessly molded to the thick neoprene liner, and the footbed is inch-thick foam with arch support and adjustable gusset, allowing you to secure them to your feet if you expect to encounter challenging mud—just the sort of thing these boots are designed for.

They’d be ideal for low-country winter deer hunting, where you may have to wade through thigh-deep water to get to your stand, for hunting flooded grain fields for mallards, and for all sorts of winter stream and bank angling.

Serious outdoors and serious cold calls for boots that keep your feet warm as well as dry. LaCrosse's latest does both, but at a premium price. (LaCrosse)

The nice thing for deer hunting is that your feet will definitely stay dry and warm all the way to the blind. Wear a good sock liner and some heavy wool socks and you can likely sit there for hours without your feet and toes going numb. Some of the coldest days November through February produce the biggest deer in many areas. (The company rates these as good for temperatures from plus 30 to minus 70, to give you an idea of how much insulation they have in them—maybe just the thing for that Saskatchewan whitetail hunt?)

The boots are fitted with gussets so that you won’t get heel rub if you walk long distances in them, yet they can still be kicked off in an emergency such as falling out of a boat. A jersey knit liner should keep your feet dry and comfortable. (As with all hunting boots, you’ll want to use a boot dryer on them nightly during the season to get rid of sweat.)

These made-in-the-USA boots are pricey as field/hunting boots go, listing at $350, but if you want the top of the line and can afford it, a pair of these would be very useful for the coming winter across much of the nation.

Learn more at https://www.lacrossefootwear.com

— Frank Sargeant
Frankmako1@gmail.com

 
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