Flounder Gear Test Results

Gear Video: Rattlin’ rig for trout
October 30, 2013
Skeet Reese and his rods (video)
October 30, 2013
eginning with this entry, I will start producing quarterly product reviews and recommendations for flounder anglers. These are products I have personally used, abused and tested in the field and I know will work great for flounder fishing applications.
Penn Conquer 4000 Spinning Reel: I fish spinning reels almost exclusively with braided, fusion and other “super lines”. This reel is designed for fishing with these kinds of lines and the point of my testing was to see how smoothly and efficiently they work with braid.  After chunking everything from live bait rigged under popping cork, topwaters, crankbaits, spinners and flipping jig type lures, I never once had a problem with those insane, annoying loop type backlashes that just mysteriously pop up on spinning reels.  This is super smooth and tough as well. The drag on this 4000 model is rated at 19 pounds and I was able to crank some nice fish out of heavy structure with no problem. There is a 2000 rated at 12 pounds, 5000 a 22 pounds and a 7000 at 32 pounds. At $199, this is not a small investment but it is one that will last.
Stringer XXL Rattles: I have experimented with rattles, spinners and other extras on lures to make flounder strike when they are not hungry to varying success. I really like these tiny, unique-sounding rattle chambers you can easily place in a soft plastic. These rattles are made out of a vacuum formed Pyrex and are 3mm in diameter and 1/2-inch long. They are indeed super small but the sound they make is comparable to larger rattle chambers, which is what drew me to checking out the product.
They are rounded on one end and pointer on the other to make it easy to insert in plastics. I used mine with a 4-inch Bomber Saltwater Grade Mud Minnow (hot pink) and worked over a mud bottom in an area I knew there were flounder but also knew they were not feeding.  The XXS Rattles are 1/4-inch shorter than the smallest currently on the market. In the photo below note how tiny this rattle chamber is in comparison to this 4-inch Twister Tail.
Pflueger Arbor 7440 Spin Combo: This is nice, affordable spinning combo that is great for the kind of flounder fishing I mainly do, which involves pitching, flipping and making precision casts along marshy shorelines and around structure. I have been using this one a lot on all kinds of fishing trips this spring and found the rod has a nice combination of backbone and a sensitive tip and the reel works great for braid or monofilament. In fact, I have been using braid without a mono backing and have had zero problems with those mysterious spinning reel backlashes and strange loops that pop up. Now, I will say this does not qualify as a “pool cue” like I often use but for most flounder fishing applications it is more than adequate. The rod I have is medium and it works fine and has even helped me haul some six and seven-pound class largemouth bass out of super heavy structure. It retails at $79.99 and would be great for someone interested in getting a solid flounder combo without breaking the bank. And if you were to upgrade to a medium-heavy and take about a foot off the top a “pool cue” it could become.

Lindy Bait Tamer: This is one I have had around my house forever but just now got around to spending some time with in the field. This is a soft, collapsible bait storage facility that easily hooks onto your wading belt or can be thrown out from shore. It provides 100 percent circulation and has a unique float and weight system that keeps bait submerged but easy to get to. It has a velcro door for easy access and worked great all spring for me while I was out fishing with Black Salties. It sells for around $20.

Note on Testing
One of the blessings of being an outdoor communicator is you get provided with lots of product to test out, etc. Its the way the business works. We would not be able to afford to do the myriad of product tests without it working this way.
I would be lying if I said I have to buy a lot of fishing products because I do not. The products above were provided over time for the purpose of testing. You will always get honesty from me, even if it ruffles feathers. With that said however when I do a review or recommendation it is something I have used and believe will work. I will not waste my time writing about junk.
The things you see here will be products that are well-suited for flounder fishing.  I also do my best to test out things that run the gamut of affordability with the bulk of it things most anglers could afford. It would be really easy for me to use this blog to talk about all of the high quality, high dollar gear I have used but that is not what most anglers can afford so you will see a balance approach here.
I realize this might seem a little strange to talk this frankly about something like this but I try to keep things as transparent as possible and keep a high level of integrity at Flounder Revolution. No BS and no apologies either.
Always dream BIG!
Chester Moore

Loading

Comments are closed.