Humminbird(R) Side Imaging(R) Technology Granted Second Patent

Each year the fishing manufacturers introduce the hottest new products.  I have selected my personal favorites which are” almost” guaranteed to put more fish in the boat.   Most of these items are currently available at many retail stores.  Without further adieu here they are:

Madeye Shad  (Spro)

 Length: 2.75 inches, Dives: 5-11 feet
The Madeye was developed by some of today’s top walleye anglers and comes with Super Sharp Gamakatsu Treble size 6 hooks, which should ensure hook up with the fish.  The crank bait features a paddle tail on the lures backend, giving the lure a distinct swimming style.  Rumor has it that both John Gillman and Pat Neu, developers of the lure, finished in the top 10 of the FLW Winnebago event in 2009 using these lures.   About $7.

Off Shore Tackles Tadpoles and Guppies

Tadpoles (OR36)

Off shore has introduced a new resettable diving weight.  The nose of the weight will dive similar to a crank bait, getting your baits down to 30 feet deep at 1.5 mphs and 25 feet at 2.5 mphs..  Once a fish smacks your lure the tadpole will trip and the diving sinker becomes an in line weight (eliminating the diving action of the weight) allowing you to just fight the fish.   These come in two sizes.  About $7

Guppies (OR20)

These weights have a unique design and look like a small fish, hence the name “guppies.”  The beauty of these weights are they are designed to be used either as an in line weight or can be rigged on a snap weight.   This gives you the ability to tweak presentations at a moment’s notice, and eliminates carrying unneeded product in the boat.  The Guppies weights range in size from ½ ounce to 3 ounces.  These are ideal to run on crawler Harnesses, crank baits or slow death rigs.  Best yet, they are 99.9% lead free.  For the entire weight system…about $40. 

 Rapala Charge ’n Glow

We all have our glow lures awaiting use in the tackle box.  We also carry our flashlights and other devices to charge the lures.   At times it takes effort to get the darn things to glow.  Rapala has introduced the Charge ‘n glow.  It is slight bigger than a cell phone and has eight led lights embedded inside a case.  The case, once activated with the start button will “charge your lures” using 3 AAA batteries.  The intense light will charge your lures quickly with almost no effort.  You can use this on your jigs, crank baits and soft plastics to name a few.  Runs about $15.

Lowrance structure scan (LSS-1)

This is a state of the art sonar imaging system for HDS Lowrance fish finders (Structure Scan will not work on older style sonar units).  This add on product gives the angler a picture like view of the bottom content.  This is similar to Hummingbirds side imaging, except it is less confusing to read on the graph because it is a straight down view as opposed to the side view.  If you are already accustom to the side imaging --that is also available with structure scan and can be run simultaneously in separate windows.  It runs about $600, in addition to the cost of the HDS Finder.  The unit details timber, rock, weeds plus other structure below the boat in high detail and can be networked to other sonar units within the boat.   

E Chips

Yes that’s right, the world’s first microchip bait has arrived in the walleye world.   The chip gives off an electronic impulse vibration similar to a wounded baitfish, once activated.  No batteries are needed, just water.  I have picked up several of the crawler harnesses from Michigan Stinger Company and cannot wait to use them.  Other companies offer other variations including spoons, crank baits and swim baits.  This technology is common on Salmon fishing lures on the Great Lakes. 

Improved Flicker Shads

Berkley has reworked the Flicker shad.  Tons more colors are available.  Bass Pro Shops could feature up to 12 custom colors exclusive to their stores, along with some other retail stores carrying their own variations (Fleet Farm and Scheels).   The price did take a slight jump up, but it continues to have one of the lowest price tags on the market currently.  The new color schemes look to be hot!

Frabil Hibernet

This is a cool product.  This is a net which retracts into the handle so storage in your rod locker becomes possible.  Frabil explains it as a broom stick converting into an umbrella.  When retracted the item Is more of an aluminum pole of about 52 inches in length.  Once deployed, a 22 by 22 by 24 inch triangle net appears for landing fish.  This is a great item as your primary net, or a stay in the boat (out of the way item) in case that main net stayed in the truck when you launched.  About $80.  

Los Angeles private equity firm Platinum Equity acquired a majority of the assets of Minneapolis boat manufacturer Genmar Holdings in a bankruptcy auction Friday.

Platinum, which is one of the largest privately held companies in Los Angeles, had been the designated stalking-horse bidder in the bankruptcy auction when it opened in December.

In addition to Platinum's purchase, an entity called J&D Acquisitions, led by former Genmar CEO Irwin Jacobs according to news reports, acquired Genmar's Carver/Marquis yacht business for $6.05 million. A group called MCBC Hydra Boats bought the Hydra-Sport business for $1 million.

"We are pleased with the results of the auction process and look forward to bringing closure to this transaction so that the businesses can refocus their energies and resources on sales and service, without the inherent distractions of being in bankruptcy," said Mark Sheffert, chairman and CEO of Manchester, and the chief restructuring officer of Genmar, in a news release.

The sales are subject to approval by the bankruptcy court, which has a hearing scheduled Jan. 13. The transactions are expected to close Jan. 20. Multiple bidders were involved in the auction process that was conducted by Houlihan, Lokey, Howard and Zukin Capital Inc., based in Minneapolis.

courtesy of www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/

NPAA Appoints New Executive Director

            The National Professional Anglers Association recently named businessman and tournament pro angler Pat Neu as their new executive director.  Neu, from Forestville, Wisconsin, takes over a growing organization from Cody Roswick, who recently accepted the Pure Fishing district sales manager’s position for North and South Dakota.

            Neu had been president of the NPAA board of directors.  He pointed to Roswick’s great success in guiding the NPAA and exceeding the board’s expectations in membership recruitment and securing sponsoring partners.  “Under Cody, the NPAA went from 14 to 21 supporting partners in 2009,” he said. 

            Immediate goals will be to build on the steady strides made over the past several years by creating validity, credibility and value for members.  Neu said, “I want to continue conveying information to industry leaders, helping companies grow their businesses and teaching members to be more professional.”

            Neu has been in the outdoor sporting goods business for 35 years, owning his own rep firm for nearly 20 years.  He represented major lines like Winchester, Browning, Simmons and others.  He currently performs promotional duties for many marine, fishing and non-endemic companies, and has been fishing competitively since 1994.  He won the PWT Rookie of the Year title and a PWT tournament, was victorious on the FLW tour, and won the AYA tournament on Green Bay with his son.  He has qualified for 19 major championships and racked up 25 top-10 place finishes.

            Roswick lives in Valley City, ND, and will work with the NPAA board for a smooth transition as the office moves to Wisconsin.  He was with the Lund Boats marketing department for nearly 10 years prior to his NPAA duties.  He said, “I’m proud that we were able to maintain our individual membership numbers and increase the supporting partner ranks.  I am really pleased at the great people I’ve met and the hard work of the board members.”

Supporting partners and individual members will gather at the NPAA annual meeting in the Twin Cities Jan.8-10.  Many new products and services will be showcased here for the first time. The NPAA is focused on growing the sport of fishing and increasing the professionalism of its members.  They include Northland Fishing Tackle, Navionics, Mercury Marine, Evinrude Outboards, Lund Boats, Ranger Boats, Off-Shore Tackle, Fin-Tech Tackle, Berkley, walleye’s Inc., Masters walleye Circuit, FLW Outdoors, AIM walleye Series, Frabill, Liddle Marketing, US Forest Service, Do-it Corp, John Butts Outdoors, Pasha Lake Cabins, Optima Batteries, and Oahe Wings and walleyes guide service.  More NPAA member and association news can be viewed at www.npaa.net.  Anglers who want to attend the conference may do so at the Bloomington, Minnesota Holiday Inn & Suites. 

The planet’s ultimate finesse jig bugs ‘em to bite

Lifelike new BUG-A-BOO™JIG takes a page out of nature’s own playbook

 Bemidji, MN. – Marabou is “nature’s fish catcher.” It’s been that way for over a century, since fly-tiers first recognized the lively “pulsing” and “breathing” qualities of these choice feathers.  Meanwhile, since the dawn of the freshwater fishing revolution, Northland Fishing Tackle has been making the world’s best jigs—they’re “man’s fish catcher,” you might say. It was only “natural” then, for marabou and Northland to come together, creating the most dynamic multi-species finesse lure on the planet…the BUG-A-BOO? JIG!

Hand-crafted by the jig-tying experts at Northland, all BUG-A-BOO™ JIGS take shape around a premium Mustad® Ultra-Point? hook and a rockin’ mushroom-shaped head. Individual super-fine NaturesEdge™ grade AA marabou feathers are placed meticulously around the jig shank to produce a subtle pulsating, breathing, undulating action that never rests.  Just the slightest movement activates the BUG-A-BOO™ JIG’s fibers, delivering the fish-catching message: It’s alive! 

“If there’s a fish that needs catching, the BUG-A-BOO™JIG is what I’m throwing,” says TEAM NORTHLAND™ Pro Tony Roach. “Just like live bait, this jig is always working for me down below—its premium feathers never stop quivering and quaking. Its secret is movement within movement as well as living and breathing even at rest. That’s a powerful trigger. Doesn’t matter if it’s a big crappie, perch, walleye, bass or trout, this lively little jig is the answer. To fish, it’s part leech, part larvae, and 100% alive.” 

The tantalizing new BUG-A-BOO™ JIGS feature natural colored heads and eleven fish-friendly marabou patterns in four select sizes—1/32, 1/16, 1/8 & 1/4-ounce. These lively looking jigs tease, tickle and bug ‘em to bite! 

For more information and a 2010 catalog, contact Northland Fishing Tackle® Inc., 1001 Naylor Drive SE, Bemidji, MN  56601. Phone is (218) 751-6723 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Website is www.northlandtackle.com.