Fishing Tackle and Equipment Review (Guest Review)
by Bill Schultz

One of the biggest challenges facing any angler is selecting the proper equipment and tackle. There are literally thousands of companies that make rods, reels, all-types of tackle and other fishing related equipment. I hate to see any sports enthusiast buy the wrong equipment for their sport, especially after getting the wrong advice. That’s why in my articles I like to tell readers what equipment and tackle I use, which can serve as a guide. The items that I’m going to tell you about in this article are quality products from top manufacturers in the fishing and outdoor industry.

	St. Croix Avid Reel We all know St. Croix produces some of the world’s best rods in Park Falls, WI. Now they’ve put their name on a high-quality spinning reel, appropriately called the Avid. This reel features 4 high-quality ball bearings and one roller bearing. The Avid comes in four sizes with a spare graphite spool. The Advanced Ballistic System (ABS) positively controls and smoothes the flow of line off the spool during outcasts by its exclusive back tapered design. The Avid also features Twistbuster, a unique line roller bearing that winds line onto the spool in a controlled manner. The titanium plated roller reduces friction and increases durability and the “WET” drag system features Teflon impregnated felt washers for smooth, non-fading drag pressure. This Avid has a machined aluminum handle that’s stronger and lighter than conventional handles and along with infinite anti-reverse, has Gyro Balanced rotors for a smooth wobble free retrieve. I’ve had a chance to fish this reel and am extremely impressed with its smooth operation, outstanding drag system, and 9.5 oz. weight. www.stcroixrods.com
	Abu Garcia Torno Reel When it comes to baitcasting reels, Abu Garcia is a recognized leader. This year they’ve introduced their new low-profile Törno baitcast reels, designed with state-of-the art Swedish technology and an ergonomic shape for comfort. Three Törno reels are available. All feature instant anti-reverse, aluminum spools, easy-out spool system, comfort thumb bars, star drag, a ceramic insert in the level wind guide and one-piece polymerc body with internal aluminum support. They are equipped with crowned precision cut worm gears and have a line capacity of 105 yards of 12-pound test line. The Törno comes in three models, with the top-of-the-line 3006HS featuring six stainless steel bearings, externally adjusted magnetic brakes and ergonomically designed crank handle grips. It weighs 9.1 ounces and has a gear ratio of 6.3:1. The Törno 3004 and 3006 also come in the HSI version with the patented InfiniSpool. Törno reels with InfiniSpool give you the smoothest operating spool possible. The free spinning spool gives long smooth casts, even with the lightest jigs. I’ve had a chance to fish the Törno 3006HS and was very impressed with its ease of use, smooth operation and how comfortable it felt in my hand. www.abu-garcia.com
	Frabill Min-O-Life Aerated Bait Bucket One problem that’s plagued anglers forever is keeping minnows alive once you leave the bait shop. The Min-O-Life aerated bait bucket provides an economical solution for anglers wanting an aerated live bait container. It offers the insulating qualities of a foam bucket with the rugged durability of a hard shell molded bucket and the added bonus of a portable aerator system that keeps the water a constant temperature. The Min-O-Life features a deluxe diaphragm drive air pump that’s powered by two D-cell batteries. It also has a high output air stone with premium non-kink air hose, 8 qt. capacity insulated foam liner and built-in night-light with minnow dip net holder. www.frabill.com
	Frabill PRO-TECH Catch & Release Net One great thing about the River Smallies.com gang, virtually all of you believe in Catch & Release as I do. When I’m fishing in my boat and am fortunate to catch a big smallie I want to be as careful as possible. Many nets are not ideally suited for Catch & Release because they use an inexpensive plastic knotted mesh. The course and jagged texture of this material can rough up fish, scrape away their protective slime coat, remove scales, split fins, and even scratch eyes. “Net Roughed” fish run a greater risk of contracting a fungus or an infection that can prove fatal, defeating the purpose of Catch & Release. Frabill’s PRO-TECH Catch & Release net solves these problems with a fish friendly design. Special cushion-coated knotless mesh and flat bottom provide a non-abrasive supportive cradle for the fish. This allows for easier removal of your catch. Innovative Quick-Stow frame allows the net to fold up and fit inside the rod locker making it ideal for anglers on the go. www.frabill.com
	Mepps Aglia Streamer The new Mepps Aglia Streamer combines the vibration and flash of the classic Mepps Aglia blade with the subtle and lifelike swimming action of a hand-tied streamer. It makes the ideal presentation for the stream, river or lake angler for trout, salmon or grayling, or the fisherman matching the forage for bass, panfish or walleye. It’s available with a single hook or a single hook with a treble stinger. In addition, the Aglia Streamer has an easy streamer change body and is available in three sizes and multiple blade/streamer combinations. I can hardly wait to give the new Aglia Streamer a try on the Fever and Platte Rivers in Southwest Wisconsin and up in Door County. www.mepps.com
	Mister Twister Exude TwisterMite For years fishermen have been looking for the perfect hellgrammite. Now they just may have found it in the Exude TwisterMite, new from Mr. Twister. It’s perfect for bass, trout, crappie and bluegills. It can either be rigged on a jig head, Texas-rigged or used in a drop-shot situation. The TwisterMite comes in eight fish-attracting colors, and its most intriguing feature just might be its oversized head that increases its tail slap. Once in the water, the TwisterMite, like all Mister Twister Exude products creates a slime coat that emits a trail of natural fish food. I’m looking forward to using the TwisterMite for smallies on both lakes and rivers. It should be especially effective on days when the fish are finicky. www.mistertwister.com
	Gerber Fisherman Tool For the past couple of years I’ve worn the Gerber Fisherman Tool on my belt and have used it countless times to unhook fish and help me perform a variety of other tasks. An obvious plus to this quality-made tool is its easy one-hand opening. For deeper hooked fish, the long fishing needle nose pliers can be a lifesaver, especially for the fish. The hook sharpener and quality Fiskars scissors come in handy on each outing. The replaceable cobalt steel wire and hook cutters work great. As many of you know, I fish the Rebel Teeny Wee-Crawfish often and am changing the small trebles on a regular basis. Each of the two triangular inserts has three cutting edges and can be rotated using the small allen wrench that comes with the tool. I don’t know of another multi-tool with this option. There’s great news for those of you who would like a more compact version of this great tool. Gerber has recently come out with a compact version of the Fisherman Tool. The 400 series has all the features of the 600 except the cobalt steel wire cutters and the serrated blade. It does have traditional wire cutters. Opened it is one inch shorter than the 600 and the sheath is one inch shorter. www.gerberblades.com
	H3O Tsunami Sunglasses Hydro Optics makes three styles of high-quality polarized sunglasses. The newest, great looking style, is the Tsunami. All three styles feature three inter-changeable lenses. Both the Tsunami Angler’s and Multi-sport package come with polarized dark gray and amber lenses. The third lens with the Angler’s package is polarized twilight yellow and the Multi-sport package comes with a non-polarized bright yellow. The light, impact resistant lenses are lightweight, have virtually 100 percent UV protection, exceptional optical clarity, perfectly true curvature and have an unbelievably tough coating that not only provides great protection, but also provides water sheeting action and easy cleaning. The H3O Tsunami’s come complete in a compact semi-hard case with micro cleaning pouch and sports cord. I’ve been wearing the H3O products since 1996 and won’t go on the water without them. www.hydrooptics.com
	Excalibur Tg Weights Each year it seems technology helps anglers get just a little closer to perfectly imitating their target forage. Excalibur Tg weights will take anglers one giant step forward in that process. Why? These bullet and barrel weights are made of tungsten alloy, one of the hardest substances known to man. Tungsten gives anglers who are using soft plastics several distinct advantages. Fish react from a longer distance because it’s twice as loud as lead, harder than steel and dense. Because of the high density, Excalibur Tg weights are 25 percent smaller than lead weights allowing anglers to have more sensitivity and use more finesse presentations. There’s nothing natural looking about a bullet weight, therefore, downsizing it 25 percent while keeping the same weight gives a more realistic presentation. They will penetrate cover better and pull out of snags better than lead weights. And, won’t lose the integrity of their shape. Most importantly, they are environmentally safe because they don’t contain any lead or other heavy metals. Like many of you, I fish soft plastics often and now I’m going to have an additional edge. www.lurenet.com
	Case Plastics Magic Stiks It’s simple. Charlie Case knows how to make soft plastics that catch fish. Some of the hottest items the last couple years are the “do nothing” thin, cylindrical, salt-impregnated, soft plastic lures. Case Plastics Magic Stiks lead the pack. Based on my experience, and the many top smallie anglers who visit www.riversmallies.com, if you fish smallmouth or largemouth bass, these need to be in your tackle box. They can be rigged Texas-style with or without weight, threaded on a jig, or wacky rigged. They fish best when fished slow. There are a variety of ways to fish them, but I like letting them tumble with the current in rivers and on lakes I use a slow retrieve with an occasional twitch. www.madtoms.com
	Rebel Big Ant I love the Rebel Crawfish lures, especially the Teeny Wee-Crawfish. I couldn’t do a product review article without talking about Rebel’s newest critter bait, the Big Ant. This ultralight multi-specie freshwater lure features unique ant-like design and decoration with a wide-wobbling action that trout, panfish and bass can’t resist. The Big Ant is a dual-purpose lure that’s equally appealing as a shallow-running crankbait or topwater. It contains loud rattles designed to draw fish, a feature unique to ultralight critter lures. Lookout river smallies and pond panfish, I’m coming after you with the Big Ant. www.lurenet.com
	Bait Rigs Slow-Poke Grubmaster One item all of us have in our tackle box are jigs. The Grubmaster was designed for walleye fishing but has proven tremendous for a variety of species, especially smallies and crappies. They are particularly effective in tubes and grubs. The Grubmaster has a weight-centered head design that is somewhat non-traditional for jigs. This weight-centered design allows the jig to sink slowly and horizontally, instead of plunging headfirst and wedging into structure. When fitted into a grub or tube, the Grubmaster has a unique swimming action all its own that imparts a tantalizing wobble as it drops. I’ve had great success with the Grubmaster and appreciate the quality Mustad Accu-Point Knife Edge hooks that are used. www.baitrigs.com

Note: Bill wrote this review for Waters and Woods, a 35,000 subscriber magazine that he is a contributing writer for. Bill is writing a special "Reel Review" for River Smallies.com that will include expanded comments on the St. Croix Avid, Abu-Garcia Torno 3006HS and HSI, along with three other new spinning reels. Look for this in summer 2003.