Is Your Fishing Gear Ready for Spring? – Part 2!
April 16, 2019
After a particularly cold and snowy winter, isn’t the onset of bright, warm, sunny days such a relief? Finally, we can put away the long johns, extra-thick scarves, and hand warmers, and start looking ahead to time on the lake.
While we still have a few weeks until the opener, it’s never too early to ensure you have all your equipment and tackle in order. As you dig all your rods and tackle boxes out of storage, you might find that some of your gear is about due for an upgrade. We’ve done a little research to help narrow down your choices to the best in each category! This month, we’ll highlight different types of gear and equipment that are receiving great reviews from around the web.
Fishing Rod: KastKing WideEye Walleye Fishing Rod
While walleyes usually don’t take much effort to reel in once you have them hooked, they also have an extremely soft bite, meaning the real challenge is usually detecting that a walleye is nibbling your bait in the first place. As such, a good walleye fishing rod is crafted from a lightweight enough material for optimal sensitivity while still offering enough power and durability to quickly and effectively set your hook.
With that in mind, we found that the KastKing WideEye Walleye Fishing Rod offered the best combination of functionality and value. With weights as low as 3.4 ounces, but with the strength and durability of their carbon-fiber construction, these rods will respond to even the gentlest nibble from a curious walleye.
Fishing Net: Frabill Conservation Series Landing Net
Of course, getting a fish on your line is only one part of the process — you need to get that prized catch actually in the boat! Few things are more frustrating to have a prize-worthy walleye on your line, only to fumble with your fishing net at the last second as your catch wriggles its way free.
Point being, don’t neglect how useful a high-quality fishing net can be! It might make the difference between bringing home a trophy catch or a story about “the one that got away.” One such high-quality net is the Frabill Conservation Series Landing Net. With a super-strong CAM-LOK reinforced handle and a deep, flat bottom base, this net makes snatching walleye a breeze.
As one reviewer on Amazon put it: “This net doesn’t get the treble hooks tangled in very much and overall is a HUGE improvement in landing a fish. You don’t want to have errors when you have a big fish on the line and near the boat and the extension in the handle is fantastic.”
We hope you enjoyed our recommendations! What are YOUR must-have pieces of gear for 2019?