3 Cool New Fishing Tools

I am angry. I mean, I am really pi**ed off, furious, and livid, because Shimano dared to replace the Stradic FK with the new Stradic FL. Yeah, yeah, I know, this latest version incorporates a bunch of the high-end features found in more expensive reels, like the Micro Module Gear II with Silent Drive, and the X-Protect water-repellent coating. Of course, I get that Shimano likes to constantly upgrade and improve their reels. But dang it, I had just bought an entire matching set of Stradic FKs – and after handling the new FLs I’m going to have to get a whole new set. Grrrr….

Meanwhile, I’m also slightly peeved at Deeper. This company makes castable fishfinders that beam their data to your cell phone. Then using the Deeper app, you can see what’s below the spot you just cast to. What’s really cool is that the app records the GPS position of the unit as it also records depth readings, and can stitch together multiple casts to create a bathymetric map. You can stand on a pier, spend half an hour casting and reeling, and your phone will then forever hold an underwater chart of everything within casting distance. Why would I find this aggravating? Because I made the mistake of letting another angler check out the bathemitry I had gathered while fishing from the jetty at our local park. Now he knows where to cast – exactly where to cast – and if he beats me to the park after work I know I’ll have to pick a spot that plays second fiddle.

You know what really sticks in my craw, though? These darn Ringer swivels with O-rings. They make it uber-easy and uber-fast to circle-hook-rig ballyhoo, yet still provide 360-degree hook rotation. Just wire it on and you’re ready to slide the hook through the O-ring and send the bait back. In what world is this thing fair? After all, many of us spent years fishing and hours of practice figuring out how to rig a ballyhoo the old fashioned-way – we call foul!