new equipment report

[smokepoles]

After a season of using several new pieces of equipment I offer my assessment:

Vance's 7' spiral wrap rods ***** I really like these rods. The are well made, nice cork and double foot guides, and aesthetically pleasing, especially considering their price. A perfect choice for the gorge and my boat, although their lighter rod may be a better choice for others.

Chamberlain releases (ball connect and stacker) ***** These turned into a great choice for me. The separate settings for vertical (to rod) and horizontal (to lure) Easy to release the line with a lift of even the light Vance's rods, yet could lighten lure release such that it would release even for a small 10" trout or tighten to pull a large plug for Macks. The stackers were easy to use. I especially like how they drop down rigger line to the ball once they hit the downrigger pully because there is then no stopping to take off stacker. My buddy's boat is now also rigged with these.

Strikemaster dodger **** I only gave this 4 stars because of limited use in August at Gorge. These are larger than Sep's wild thing that I often use ahead of hoochies for a really light lure set up with good action. However, I normally do best with bigger dodgers once the kokes hit 60' or so later in the season and a brass/silver strikemaster ahead of a hoochie did well this last August. I will be getting a few more of these.

Double flutter spoon (Ken's custom tackle) **** Again, I give only four stars because of somewhat limited use. Super action at speeds from 1.2 to 2.5+. The 'black code' proved itself on macs and cuts in Bear Lake, and even got a 4lb koke at the Gorge last August. The 'Pyramid Frog' produced a 15 lb mac at Bear Lake on a day that it was the only fish for us.

Berkley Sensation line (12 lb) **** I put this hybrid line on a couple of reels, including those I use for kokes. The 12 lb measures fairly accurately on my Convector CV15d reels
when spool is full. Has diameter of 10 lb so can use many diving tables. It has some stretch, but less than regular mono. No particular issues as compared to other lines, but I gave 4 stars because I'm not sure that there are not other equally good choices.

Humminbird 597ci sonar **** I replaced my Humminbird 365 with this and am I glad I did. I love having the gps and sonar in one unit given the limited space on my boat. The color is really nice, and it makes it easier to read from the relatively small screen especially when in split-screen mode. Gave 4 stars because would like a bigger screen (although I wasn't willing to pay for it), and I have not used other units other than Humminbird.

Navionics maps -West **** Although pricey, seem to be the only reel choice. The contours seem right on for the Gorge, but seem to be somewhat off for Bear Lake. I have not had it to Strawberry, and it does not have contours for Willard and Hyrum that I fished this season.

Ego slider rod with rubber net ** I really like the rubber net, but the sliding handle pretty much crapped out after a few outings, and not because it was overused netting fish101thumbsdown101 The foam on the handle tears very easily and is not nearly as durable as I expect a net to be. It is still functional, but not the way they intended.

 

[sawtooth]

Thanks for the reviews. I too got a new humminbird 597 ci and love it. I will need to add the Navionics West maps to my Christmas List. I also like the Chamberlain stacker release for the reasons you state, but my only concern is when you have to load the line. In order to do so, you have to lean out over the gunnel to reach it on the wire. My old stacker clip was on a 2 foot cord allowing you to bring the clip to you instead of you to the clip. I looked into the Ego slider net this year, but decided against it because of the quality of the foam handle and my concern for how long the slider would work. Looks like you confirmed my concerns. Thanks again.

 

[kmurphy]

Really nice critics of your new toys. Question on the Humminbird597ci: how did the speed work for you. Considering upgrading my Humminbird 728 to color. Read in a couple of other forums that the GPS speed was not very accurate. This has held me off from purchasing. Can you share your experience.

Thanks,

-Kyle

 

[Petty4life]

I have owned 2 of the ego slider nets and have loved them and havent had any problem with them probly netted 1000's of fish with each of the 2 nets i only bought the second one to get the longer handle. i know acoulpe guys that had problems with there handles and they contacted ego and they where warrantyied no questions asked with an upgraded handle

 

[sawtooth]

Kyle,

The only time I have compared my gps is to my speedometer for my main motor while going at faster speeds. They were always within one mph of each other. I haven't tested it while going at trolling speeds, but it appears tobe accurate. I have noticed it will jump up to one mph on occation while we are just floating, but once we begin to move at a constant troll speed my readings become more constant.

 

[kmurphy]

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

-Kyle

 

[jacksonlaker]

Great thread ! The navionics maps are good but the contours are not accurate on any lake. It's still a good purchase. I was going to buy the ego slider net this winter, but I will research it a little more now. I also have 2 Vance's rods and I love 'em. This is a good time of the year to evaluate your gear. My boat is stored, and it is finally getting cold here in NW Wyoming. Can't wait till spring !!

 

[smokepoles]

I thought it's always cold in Wyoming. Never go there without my long underwear packed. Figured ice fishing is just around the corner for you guys,

 

[smokepoles]

Petty,

I checked the Ego site, and they indicate that the handle has been redesigned internally. I contacted them and they got right back and will be sending me a new handle.

JacksonLaker, although I will not be trying out the new handle until next season, I would recommend that you consider that excellent service if considering purchasing an Ego.

 

[jacksonlaker]

Although this doesn't really apply to koke fishing, I have another product I am really impressed with. It is the wave spin spinning real. It has a unique spool that prevents line loop tangles. It really works. I fished the Green river yesterday and I casted hundreds of times without one tangle. Even when there is a loop sticking out of the spool you just cast and it goes away. The reel costs about 80 bucks and it has an excellent drag. If anyone is looking for a quality, inexpensive spinning real I would highly recommend it.

 

[Paul S.]

Another decent net is one made by Frabil. Telescoping handle with a lock and the net folds up for storage and has landed several rainbows in the 5 lb range in the last couple of years with no problems. As I recall, it was right around $20 at Bi Mart when I bought it. Not a lot of room for stuff on my 14' Grumman when there are three of us fishing so it really fits the bill.

 

[smokepoles]

Just to update, I received the new handle for my ego slider net today as promised. It has a sticker that says'2x stronger'. We will see. Still, very excellent and pleasant service from them with no hassle at all. So, I'd say give the net a chance without any worries.

 

[sawtooth]

Thanks for the update smokepoles. What is the foam grip like? Is the foam dense enough to last awhile? I will have to give the net another look.

 

[Bduck]

smokepoles

new equipment report
After a season of using several new pieces of equipment I offer my assessment:

Vance's 7' spiral wrap rods ***** I really like these rods. The are well made, nice cork and double foot guides, and aesthetically pleasing, especially considering their price. A perfect choice for the gorge and my boat, although their lighter rod may be a better choice for others.

I have been using using Vance's P-LT702-7T spiral wrap rod with Tica Golds reels for 3+ years. This is my favorite Gorge rod to use. I too give it ***** stars. Because of the laker action I get at the Gorge while fishing for kokes is why I opted to go with the slight heavier rod from Vance but still very nice action when handling kokes. Vance has a lighter more nimble spiral wrap rod which is also an excellent choice for kokanee fishing. He also has one for heavier action such as ocean fishing. This will be a good selection for me hopefully next year when I pay a visit to the coast during the salmon run. thumbsup

 

[smokepoles]

Thanks for the update smokepoles. What is the foam grip like? Is the foam dense enough to last awhile? I will have to give the net another look.

I have had issue with the foam tearing easily on the first handle, and there does not appear to be any change to the foam on this new handle.