Many folks have the misconception that “flies” are only for the angler wading waist deep in the water waving a stick back and forth. Flies have been utilized in different manners over the years, they’re often used as components in many forms of tackle craft. For example, the infamous Rooster Tail in-line spinners use palmered hackles around a treble. Similarly, Mepps traditionally uses squirrel tail in the trailing treble. Though these are often very basic adaptations to conventional tackle, the techniques used to tie these materials to a hook still follows the same principles as many of the more intricate fly patterns used with a fly rod and reel. Out of all the “non-fly-fishing flies”, trolling flies are (in my opinion) some of the most fun to tie and create. Let your imagination lead you when finding your perfect color combin... Read more

Simms has 13 new gloves for 2018/2019.  Here are a few of our top picks to help keep your paws warm and working this winter and spring. Simms Warming Hut Glove This glove is serious and is the new glove I am most excited about.  The Simms Warming Hut Glove features Primaloft insulation which is more than capable of warming your hands on the coldest days.  There is also a warming pocket to add hand warmers in case your hands are nearly frostbitten after toughing it out on the river.  These are my go-to gloves for operating a jet boat during steelhead season.  Their water-resistant shell does a good enough job at keeping your hands dry and warm on those snowy, blustery days.  These gloves have a thin fleece lining for comfort and are a size larger than normal to allow maximum mobility.  The built-in wrist leashes make them easy to fi... Read more

We can all picture it.  The perfect fall day on our favorite steelhead river.  Autumn colors reflect off clear green waters, the oars of the drift boat are making their soft rhythmic splashes, and the tips of the rods in the holders are dancing.  Eventually, you use up your attention span; and it’s always then that you get that drag ripping, head shaking, cartwheeling tight line grab that you’ve been waiting for.  When steelhead, from Idaho’s Clearwater River, hit plugs, they hit them hard!  Quiet moments and sharing stories with your friends are often broken by utter chaos and panic.  Fish ranging from 28 to 40 inches will stop the heart of most fishermen when they go airborne. Back trolling is an effective steelhead technique from Idaho’s summer catch and release season to the coldest months of winter.  It can be effecti... Read more

When the first arctic air rolls across the region, many bass anglers hang it up for the year. For myself, mid to late fall is synonymous with big smallmouth bass and little competition out on the water. No other season consistently produces smallmouth over 20 inches in length and fish over five-plus pounds. These are not days characterized by large numbers of fish but rather by days of few fish of exceptional size. What is the Best Time to Fish Smallmouth Bass? Deciding when to target these fish is as important as where you target them. The best time to be on the water is when it's awful to be out on the water. Low-pressure systems, rain, wind, and cold fronts all trigger these fish to feed. Warm sunny periods, “Indian Summers,” might be nice days to be out on the water but are far less productive. Looking for a great place to fish ... Read more

The nights are cooling off, mornings are glistening with frost, water temps are rapidly dropping, leaves are turning, and smallies are ferociously feeding bulking up for the long winter that is fast approaching.  Bottom line, the seasons are changing and so are the patterns for these tiger striped bass. Of the seasons, fall is one of my absolute favorite times to fish for bass, most vacationers have gone home, and a lot of locals are investing their time towards hunting, so you are rewarded with a serene day on the lake with very little boat traffic.  You are also not melting in the sun and have a very good chance at catching a smallie with some serious shoulders.  Baits that cover water and do so quickly are going to be the ticket for keeping those lines tight.  Some of my go-to smallie baits and techniques for this time of the ye... Read more

Built with a heavy tail and weight transfer system the Berkley CaneWalker can cast a country mile. Available in a variety of bait imitating colors this loud lure will help you quickly locate bass around structure or suspended in open water. Watch the video below to learn more.   Hey guys, Justin Atkins here. We're in the Berkley booth with North 40 Outfitters at the 2018 ICAST Show. I'm going to show you a new bait that Berkley's got this year, I'm super excited about. It's called the Berkley CaneWalker. It's built on 125-millimeter body. It has a large weight in the backend and a weight transfer system, helps you cast at a mile, makes its bait, walks super easy. Comes stocked with Berkley Fusion 19 hooks. As a lot of you know, last year I won the Forrest Wood Cup, the one with the big chrome top water out over cane piles and brus... Read more

Power Bait plastics already have a reputation for catching fish and with their new expanded line of Powerbait plastics is sure to rip lips. Berkley have expanded their lineup on Powerbait plastics to include the Craw Fatty, the General Senko style bait, the Powerhog, Grass pig, and more. Watch the video below to learn more.   Hey, Bobby Lane, 2018 ICAST here in Orlando, Florida, talking about the new power bait soft plastic lineup. Guys, we have everything you need for your boat, from flipping baits to craws, to the general, to swim baits. I'm gonna pull a few out and let you look at them. What we've done is we've repackaged them.   We've got them in power bait now, unbelievable action. They have the scent. Fish are gonna hold on longer. Of course, we have the 4" craw fatty. This thing is just an all around awesome bait. Fl... Read more

Designed to put out a maximum amount of scent out into the water these plastics are ideally suited to dirty, cold, and pressured waters. Now available in a variety of new forms including magnum worm, lizard, flat worm, and super chunk for those looking at add a tasty trailer to your jig. Watch the video below to learn more. Hey, Bobby Lane, 2018 ICAST from Orlando, Florida. You guys are catching some of the first looks at the new PowerBait MaxScent. Now, we did launch it earlier this year. Unbelievable. Just came off a tournament in Lake Owhyee. A lot of the top 10 caught them right here on the new PowerBait Max Scent flatworm. The colors are amazing. So crazy how you had to use pliers to get the hook out of the fish's mouth. This flatworm, the PowerBait MaxScent mixed in with it, the smallmouth could not resist it. I'm so excited to g... Read more

We all learn, when we are little, that a pot of gold lies at the end of any rainbow. Those who do pursue a rainbow’s terminus will only be met with frustration. In many respects, I feel the same way about rainbow trout fisheries in Washington state. Don’t get me wrong, I love catching rainbows and pound for pound you won’t find many harder fighting fish in the state. However, rainbow trout are so widespread in the evergreen state that it's hard to avoid them, frustratingly so. You might think it odd to be frustrated with catching fish, but I’m a person who likes a little variety in his life. After all, you can only chase the pot of gold for so long before it gets boring. Alternative trout fisheries in the state do exist, many are underutilized, and some provide the potential for trophy fish. Here is a rundown of some alternative W... Read more

A deadly drop shot design the Missile Baits Bomb Shots comes in a unique D bomb shape and puts out a lot of action. Absolutely deadly for Smallmouth Bass this lure comes in eight colors so you can match the prey in your local river or lake.   How's it going, guys? Caleb Sumral, we're over here at ICAST 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Over here with North 40 Outfitters in the Missile Bait booth. Here to talk to you something new and exciting out from Missile Baits. It's called the bomb shot. It's an excellent, excellent, excellent drop shotting bait for smallmouth. I just come off a great finish at Lake Owahi in South Dakota. I was catching fish real deep in 30 foot of water, and as a shallow up in eight foot of water.   I was dropping to them in the 30-foot range when I seen on my graph. I was pitching around the shallow stuff, aro... Read more

The tail weighted designs of the new Berkley Bullet Pop allows for long distance casting to help you cover more water. While it can be fished like any traditional popper its balanced weight design allows you to walk the popper in place bringing even more versatility to this lure available in 14 colors and in 3 different sizes (60 mm, 70 mm, and 80 mm). Watch the video below to learn more.    Hey guys, it's Justin Atkins here, we're at the 2018 ICAST show with North 40 Outfitters in the Berkley booth. This year, Berkley's coming out with a new hard-bait line of topwaters, and one I'm super excited about is the Bullet Pop 70. We also have a 60 and an 80. The 70 middle-size is probably one of my favorites, because you can still cast it a mile. It's weighted perfectly, it has a perfect walk-the-dog action, or you can work it as a s... Read more

The Ned rig has become a staple in many bass angler’s tacklboxes. ZMan takes the Ned rig to a whole new level with their lifelike TRD CrawZ baits that pair perfectly with their Finesse BulletZ jigheads that will allow you to fish this super finesse technique in and around weeds and structure with no fear of snagging. Watch the video below to learn more.    Hi, I'm Glen Young, National Sales Manager with Z-Man Fishing Products here at the 2018 ICAST Show. Show you a couple cool new items that we've introduced here at the show.   The first one being the TRD CrawZ. So, all you Finesse guys out there are gonna love this little guy. It's got the big bulbous claws here which are made out of elastic. This whole thing is made out of elastic so it doesn't rip or tear, but it's 100% buoyant too, so this guy's gonna stand up on the ... Read more