2014 a Fisherman's Christmas List

If you are wracking your brain about what to buy that fishing crazy member of your family this holiday season. I'm here to help. As always I have complied a list of some of the items that will be on almost all anglers list this holiday season.. more importantly their on mine (non to subtle hint for the wife)

The Big Spender: Daiwa Zillion TWS casting reel 

Daiwa's all new Zillion TWS is on top of my Christmas list this season. Yes I have put my rods away in preparation of another long winter, but its never too early to gear up for 2015. 

The Daiwa Zillion TWS brings many of the features of its very popular little brother (Tatula) to the Porsche of the Daiwa family.  Its T-Wing Casting System  allows line to flow freely through the wide upper section during casting and free spool, but when engaged narrow channel of the T-wing pops up for  even distribution across the width of the spool. You can look forward to increased casting performance and a smooth retrieve. 

Diawa is all about light weight and big performance, the Zillion TWS comes to play.. Hard, featuring a Aluminum frame with Zaion side cover combining to form an extremely rigid, lightweight shell, while inside its brass gears and cut-away 90mm swept handle deliver up some serious winding power.

In the past many anglers have shied away from the Zillion series based solely on price point. I think that will change once they realize this newest edition to the Zillion line comes in under the $300 mark

A Frog for your stocking

Frog baits make for great stocking stuffers, and this year the most sought after frog on my list is the Sebile Action First Pivot Frog.. yeah say that 5 times fast. Ignoring the odd name choice the Sebile AFPF is a unique addition to a industry overloaded with imitators. I love to see companies stepping out side the box and offering up anglers something brand new.. even if it just ends up on my shelf after the first few uses.

Sebile pimps this frog out as the most efficient hook-up delivering frog on the market today. The use of a free floating "gravity hook" allows the hook move from side to side making sure any fish you hook stays that way (watch for a frog pond review of this bait in 2015)

Tackle Warehouse Rod Quiver

Christmas is a great time to asked your loved ones for items that are easy for them to pick-out.. they won't always know what hooks you use, your favourite line weight, or even the colour your want your soft plastics to be, but what they can buy you is apparel and accessories, and this year I'm asking for a TW Rod Quiver.

As a shoreline angler who spends a good deal of time fishing from my car trunk, this storage bag from TW will allow me to load for for shoreline treks all while carrying 5-6 rod combos and enough gear to fish my secret roadside spots..this is the equivalent to your wife's overnight cosmetic bag.. it holds just enough to get the job done and make you feel good about yourself.

genius idea from the TW crew

Glacier Glove - Ultra Lite Angler Mitt

I fish year round, so I'm always in the market for a new pair of light weight gloves that I can use on those cooler spring and fall days, as well as in the dead of winter. Recently while on a trip to Gander Mountain I came across these gloves from Glacier, that offer you 3 ways to fight the elements.

First they can be worm as a mitt fully enclosing your fingers in warmth, which is great for lugging gear on and off the ice as well or while driving ling distances down the lake on those cold mornings. Once you start fishing you can slip off the mitt portion of the glove and get those fingers moving, we all know how important it is to feel everything and these thin mitts allow you to do just that.

Lastly, you can unleash that trigger finger to get the ultimate feel.. bare skin. I wore this mitts for awhile and compared them to the other offerings available.. no contests.. i really hope to see these mitts under my tree come Christmas morning.

I know this list seems short and sweet, but hey for the fisherman who has everything these few items might just hit the spot, and if they don't.. there is always Bass Pro Shop gift cards!.. happy hunting and happy holidays

Frog Fishing with the Dobyns DX746c

The Dobyns DX746 was introduced to the fishing world at large late in 2013.. long after my season had closed. But while I awaited the end of one of the brutalist winters in recent years, there it was, the light at the end of the tunnel, my new frog rod awaiting its inaugural trip.

The DX746 is touted for not only the power it offers, but also it's sensitivity. This rod offers frog anglers the ability to cast small, medium and large frogs accurately for great distances, the finesse to walk them back to the boat, and the power to battle fish in the nastiest of cover.. Thats what I read.. here is what I found:

Casting:

I was blown away by the casting ability of this rod, and found that on average I was able to cast mid to lite weight frogs for even greater distances then with my 736c. I guess I should specify here that distance was never really a big issue, but more distance and accuracy combined. When sizing down to a smaller or finesse weighted frog I would often down size rods to get that extra bit of tip for greater accuracy. The DX746 offers both the power  needed and just enough tip to help place your frog exactly were you want it.


Walking & Popping:

What makes a rod a good walking rod, does not always make for a good popping rod. There is always that fine line between length and tip, that you need to take into consideration while attempting to work each specific style of frog. The DX746 offers you a nice stout rod with the ability to pop and chug a frog with the best of them, all the while its softer tip (for a frog rod) also gives you the ability to walk even the most frustratinig of baits back to the boat while driving fish crazy.

Power:

I do a lot of shoreline frog fishing (daily actually), so a rods ability to fight fish at a great distance and over heavy cover is very important to me. Coming in at 7'4 and touting Heavy action, the DX746 gives me the confidence I need when deciding to throw my frog into spots most anglers would fear. I can use its extra length and power to quickly get leverage on a fish, and have it moving forward long before it knows whats even happening. This is a key when frog fishing and a lesser rod will have you loosing fish in such situations.


If you are in the market for a new frog rod for the 2015 season, do yourself a favour and ges your hands on a Dobyns DX746. Like all Dobyns rods, its weight, balance and sensitivity will be immediately evident, but this rods exells on the water, and should be a must have in any frog fisherman's arsenal.