Pond Hopping - Sun Dolphin Pro120

The size of the lake, does not always dictate the size of the fish, but often it can dictate the size of the boat!  Yes, those high powered bass boats may be key pieces of equipment when you need to run up and down lakes bigger then some small towns, but what about some lakes, or ponds. These small bodies of water hold some pretty serious lunkers, and it you want to get to them, your going to need to leave the bass boat at home.

I dont have anything against Kayaks or Canoe's but not everyone is a canoe or Kayak person. I own a canoe (Radisson/SportsPal) that I have enjoyed fishing out of for years, but a time came when I wanted the same perks that a large boat has to offer, only in a compact size.. I wanted the ability to fish standing up, the ability to fish the same way I would fish from a bass boat.. canoes dont generally offer this option, so in turn I started looking for a "pond hopper" a small boat that I can easily get into small lakes.

When I started doing some research and I came across the Sun Dolphin Pro 120. it seemed like the perfect combination of size and functionality. Coming in at just under 12ft in length this little baby has plenty of fishing room.  With front and rear casting decks. Two pedestal seats (removable), and sunken middle section perfect for the kids or your dog. Personally when fishing alone I like to keep the rear seat in, and pull the front seat. This allows me to fish freely from the front of the boat, but also  to sit while making longer trips on the trolling motor.

When fishing with a buddy (or the wife) I can give them the option of seat in or seat out. As you can see above one of my co-anglers getting lazy with the chair in 

(Sun Dolphin with my Minn Kota Traxxis)

When it comes to power choices for  a Sun Dolphin, you really have a couple options. First off you can look at smaller sized gas engines, anywhere from 6 to 9 horse power. But I did not want the added weight or the need to fill-up and winterize at the end of the season. So I opted to power it by trolling motor alone, with a MinnKota Traxxis 80lb thrust hand tiller. This little motor pushes or pulls the Sun Dolphin  at a decent clip and makes it easy to cover water on small lakes and ponds alike. Because trolling motors are fully adjustable you can also get this boat in to some pretty skinny water, as well as some serious thick weeds with no issues (I carry a push pole just in case)

I would avoid going any lower then 80lbs thrust when using a trolling motor as your main power source. The only downfall to this method is the dual battery required to run the motor. The Battery compartment does have room for two, but it is a tight fit and adds weight to the back corner of the boat. 

If you opt to go with a gas motor, the Sun Dolphin is rated for up to 9 horse, but I feel that would be way more then what is required to operate it, and you could easily get way with a 6hp. 

Paring up your gas motor with a bow mounted trolling motor is a must, if you want to use the built in wiring you will need to look at 12v motors, this usually means staying at 50lbs thrust and under. Once you make your choice the motor easily clips into the front of the boat and can be run off the internal wiring and your single battery. This one two punch is great if you fish medium to larger bodies of water with this small boat and will be traveling larger distances between spots

(Top View of Storage compartments)

For a small boat there really is an abundance of storage. The Sun Dolphin Pro 120 is equipped with 5 compartments, 3 of which have specific uses, but can also be used for traditional storage space if required.  The rear storage consists of a live-well , with pump, as well as a battery compartment. The battery area is wired internally to run the live well, the light system as well as a trolling motor (plugged into the front of the boat)

At the Front there are 3 more compartments. Two are general storage areas, and I use them to store extra tackle, maps, and misc equipement. The third is designed to be a cooler, and has a drain plug that allows water and melted ice to be easily removed after a long hot day on the water.

When it comes to transporting the Sun Dolphin, it's light weight makes it easy trailer on some cars as well as most SUV's. If you have a full size pick-up I have also seen one slide into the truck bed. It weighs just over 200lbs and can be lifted, shifted and moved easily with 2-3 people. I opted for a trailer as I drive a small SUV, this sitll allows me to get this boat into many back lakes and areas in which larger boats and vehicles have a harder time getting into.

I love fishing on empty or secluded lakes, LAKE X as they are famously known. In these lakes the fish are less pressured and the peace and quiet is second to none. Having the option to pull out the small boat and have a quiet day on the water, catching big fish.. it doesn't get any better then that.

Great Finds @ the BPS, Gagnons & Sail

Im on the road allot, traveling for fun, fishing and work, so I get to spend time visiting sports stores all over Ontario as well as a few other provinces. I think it is only fair that I share my finds with you, not all of these finds will be "rare" or "unusual" but they all will be cool baits that should help you chase down Bass of all sizes


Find #1: Trokar Tube Hooks


We all know about Lazer Trokar hooks, and love or hate'em we all seem to have an opinion. Personally Im still on the fence, my tournament partner he loves them and uses them almost exclusively, me, I weave a couple in here and there.

This season one Lazer Trokar product I will be adding to my arsenal is the new Tube hook




This is not your average tube hook, built with the same surgically sharp hook point  as all other Trokar products, the Tube hook also takes on some of the characteristics of the popular Trokar flipping hook (another product I use). This strange looking wide gap hook has an advanced bait keeper that holds the head of the tube perfectly in place and ensures it stays there.



Not to be confused with standard Tube jig heads, this is a flipping tube hook, and there is where it will excell. If you are use to fishing tubes a bit heavy, there is some room to add insert weihts (or scent). These hooks can be bought at most major retailers, i picked mine up at the Bass Pro Shop

Great find #2 on this trip through the Durham and GTA region is a very cool worm from Sebile Lures. The A.T worm (A.T stands for All-Terrain)  actually made me stop dead in my tracks, this very unique finesse worm is available in both sinking and floating models (so read the packs) and has a vey cool design that is 100% Sebile.

With a hollow V-shaped body cavity and a hollow split tail, this worm looks cool in the water and can be fished in many ways, including Texas rigged, carolina rigged and even on a swimbait hook. It is also deisgned to be fished in open water and cover, the worms body glides on the drop and would also be a great dock fishing worm. Pre-rigged with hook slots this bait is a complete no-brainer, and can be easily rigged properly by amature and pro alike.

This photo does not do this worm justice, be sure to check out the pics and illustraitions on the Sebile website found HERE

Again this was the first and only time I have laid eyes on the this worm (although I now know you can get it at a few of the big boy on-line retailers). If you are in the Oshawa area be sure to stop by Gagnons sports to check out this worm, you will be glad you did.

Find #3: PowerPro Super 8 Slick

Over the course of the past 6+ years, i have got my hands on a pretty extensive collection of braided lines, ive tried everything including FireLine, Suffix, SpiderWire, Spider Thread, Stren and more, but I always come back to PowerPro, to this day I have yet to find a stronger yet smoother line.

This year  PowerPro introduced Super 8 Slick, a softer rounded version of  traditional PowerPro line. You will notice the difference immediatly, this line truly feels like silk, yet has that same old powerpro strenght that we have grown to love... not avilable in the standard Moss green this new version comes in a great down and a higher vis green. (not sold on the green, but love the brown)

One thing to remember.. when you ask for silk, you pay for silk, and Super 8 Slick comes  with a hefty price increase (about $3 a spool more then the original Power Pro). I was lucky enought to come across it at the Sail Store in Oshawa and they had a great sale price of $19.99. (sorry guys I dont believe this is still the case)

Find #5 is a frog that I had never seen before, and better yet, I have never heard of it. So this is where you can really see my addiction/compulsion to frog fishing really kick in... nothing about this frog really grabbed me.. but I had never seen it before.. nothing about this frog made me think, "Oh, i know a great spot to throw this".. but I had never seen it before.. nothing about this frog made me say "wow thats a unique concept, or "thats a interesting color".. but again, I had never seen it before.. So I bought it.

Yep, thats how the mind works some times, and this little frog found its way into my arsenal, and will probably see very little water after it's initial use.. but you never know, and thats why I just had to have it, you dont know until you tired it.. maybe this frog has a super power Im not aware of yet

All in all my last trip thru Durahm and the GTA was loaded with some great finds, as I tell my wife, true fisherman can always find something they need to try or test out, that new product that may give them the edge over their buddies, so if you are in the area and have some time to kill, be sure to make the Gagnons, SAIL and Bass Pro Shop run, between the three,  you can find all you need.

P.S I didn't event touch on the reel pictured at the top of this post, that my friends is a Daiwa Advantage reel and it is quickly becoming one if not my favorite baitcasting reel. This little guy is built slightly larger then other low profile reels, but fits incredibly well in your hands, and still gives you the confidence of a much larger reel. Super smooth drag and some nice cranking power, make this reel a great all around baitcaster.. not to mention this baby comes in under $200... I bought mine at Gagnons, they were offering 20% off reel in Feb so I snapped up a couple for about $150.. thats a steal

Protect your Investment.. The Rod Glove has you covered

VRX Fishing Aka "The Rod Glove Family"

If you are anything thing like me, then you probably have hundreds if not thousands of dollars tied up in your rod and reel arsenal. That's right, that collection of sticks and metal can at times be worth more than your first car ( a Mercury Topaz in my case), yet many of us neglect to protect them on and off the water

As anglers we are constantly on the move transporting our rods/reels from house to truck to boat, and back again, over and over, day in and day out for 8 plus months a year. During that time your rod tips and or eyes are often scraped up or knocked off, and your reels begin to more and more like that old car of yours as the paint starts to scrape off.. also known as "boat rash". So what do you do, how do you protect your investment.. well that's easy.. The VRX family of products has got you covered

We have to start off at the top, with the product that really launched the line. The Rod Glove is in my opinion the best quality rod glove on the market today. There are many others that have tried to knock this baby off or duplicate it's success, but between product quality and selection, you wont find a better overall product then the Rod Glove and the price is highly competitive with the other lower end brands out there.

The Rod glove currently has a total of 15 color options and different 3 lengths/sized available in both Casting and Spinning models. And if you are looking for that specialized touch, they also will do custom branding. The selection truly is endless.

To give you the run down on my personal preference, I like to stay with the "standard" length for my spinning gear and the "shortie" and "standard lengths for my baitcasting rods. I find they leave just a little extra room between the bait glove and reel, so that you can keep larger baits tied on when without the Rod Glove getting in the way. Color options are easy.. I love that Dobyns Orange, and you cant do wrong with plain old black either.  If you want something with a little edge check out the Spyder or Stinger color options.

When it comes to rod production the Rod Glove has got your back both in and out of the boat. The slim design ensures your rods stay tangle free while giving protection to the eyelets and the rod tip.

Tip: If you are a Dobyns rod user, I recommend placing the foam tip that your rod came with into the tip of your rod glove. Not only does this add more cushion and protection to your rods tip, but if by chance a rod glove goes overboard, the foam tip will keep it afloat so you can go back after it

Ok, well now that we have your rod arsenal covered it is time to look at protecting those reels. The Reel Glove is a quality neoprene that is highly stretchable in all directions, and with  two available sizes it should cover all the baitcasting reels available on the market today.

This product is great for on the boat, while traveling or when putting the reels in storage for the off season. The stretchy shell will easily cover the entire reel while on or off the rod, and will protect it against nicks, scrapes and that nasty boat rash (there is no over-the-counter cream for that!)

Currently Reel Gloves are only available in bait casting sizes, but watch the VRX Facebook page as there has been some sightings of the new spinning reel version that should be hitting the market soon. Priced at $5.99 each a Reel Glove really is a no brainer, and is a cheap form of insurance keeping your investments looking  like new

We all do it, every Saturday morning or Friday night we pack the car or truck with 8 or 12 rod and reel combos while getting ready for our early start. We just toss them in, and try to keep them tight, but then as we get driving or round a sharp corner, all hell brakes loose and those 12 rods are pointing in 12 directions like a game of pick-up sticks gone wrong. That does not have to be the case...

The Rod Glove Wrapz are a great way to keep your rod arsenal organized while in transportation. The soft neoprene wraps are easy on your blanks and eyes, yet strong enough to keep everything held tightly together. Sold in packs of two (a 10" and a 15") they are designed to use one wrap around the top (or tip) of your rods, and the longer version goes down closer the the reel seat. This applies even pressure and ensures a tighter safer wrap.

I honestly don't leave home without these. By bundling my rods in groups of 4, and wrapping each bundle with a set of Rod Glove Wrapz, I can easily transport my rods from the house to the truck, and then stack them in the vehicle knowing that they will stay securing in place.. and out of my way.

So there you have it, 3 ways in which the Rod Glove family of products have you covered. This is some seriously cheap insurance on your very expensive investments, most of the above products will cost you less then 5% to 7% of the product you are protecting..  So take a minute to think it over, then pick yourself up some Rod Gloves so you and your gear are ready for this coming season

P.S..  I did not touch on another cool product in the VRX family, if you are looking for a great way to product your gear as well as keep those trebles under control, be sure to wrap your baits with a "bait glove"

Bass Magnet Lures.. bringing a little Alambama to Ontario

I read some pretty crazy statistics in a recent issue of Bass Master Magazine, it spouted off some numbers  that blew my mind.. the number of anglers on the pro circut currently using the Alabama rig, and the number of wins already racked up for this "fad" or "gimmick".. Yeah I said those words, or typed them anyways. I have been skeptical to say the least when it comes to the Alabama rig, but recently while at the Toronto Fishing & Boat show I made a couple purchases that made me question my own sanity.. yes I too now own an Alabama rig (or 2)

If you are a Canadian Bass Angler I would be pretty surprised if you have not heard of Bass Magnet lures. Celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, Bass Magnet started making hand poured lures back in 2002, and today they boast a collection of some of the best soft plastics on the market today.

Adding to that soft plastic line, Bass Magnet has also recently joined the growing ranks of companies producing the..Alabama Rig (or Umbrella Rig).  The Canadian market has been slightly behind the the fast growth scene in the US market.. first because we are skeptical, and second because the standard Alabama rig is illegal to use in the biggest market in Canada (Ontario).. The 5 arm bandit that is the Alabama rig is not designed with Canadian anglers in mind, so companies like Bass Magnet needed to go back to the drawing board to product a version of the Alabama rig that will allow it to be fished in our home waters (up to 4 arms)

Released in Feb 2012, the BM Alabama rig comes in one size and one color only, it is built tuff, with 4 stiff but bendable arms capped with 30lb rated ball bearing swivels. The Bass Magnet version of the A-rig provides a substantial cost savings to the Canadian angler, beating out traditional A-rigs which sell for anywhere from $22.99 to $27.99 the Bass Magnet version comes in nicely at $16.99.

I got to see an handle this rig at the Toronto fishing and boat show this past weekend. I liked the look and feel of it, and liked the fact that unlike the US version (I also own a Mann's Alabama Rig) I dont need to find filler for that 5th arm...Yes you can fish a 5 arm A-rig in Ontario it just cant have a hook on it. I have mine rigged up with a willow blade. I feel overall the Bass Magnet version of the Alabama rig holds up well to the OG version ("original Gangsta", for those not in the know) even though it may not offer all the bells and whistles, and it feels slightly stiffer

Also released this year, and I dont think by coincidence is the Shift'r Shad, a great swim-bait that is the perfect match for an A-rig. Personally I was just as excited to see these beauties as I was the A-rig itself. In typical Bass Magnet fashion they have produced a high quality swimbait with a great ribbed body in an awesome selection of colors. The Shift'r shad is available in two sizes a 3.5" and a 5" model. Both give off a great profile would look great in the Alabama rig school.

If your not a fan or intrigued at all by the Alabama Rig, dont discount the Shift'r shad, like other swimbaits it has many uses, and can be fished on a weighted or unweighted EWG hook, or used as a jig trailer. 

If you have been holding off on picking up a Alabama rig, I dont know why.. yes it may just be the current version of the banjo minnow, or the flying lure, but I dont think it is going anywhere soon. So put away your pride and hide one of these in your tackle box. I wont tell if you dont

Note: At time of publishing this blog I have been advised that Bass Magnet has decided to no longer carry the Alabama Rig, citing discussions with anglers and others in the industry.  They sold out of all stock at the Toronto Sportsman show and have since removed it from their website and product list.. I guess mine is now a collectors item

Reel Grips are the real deal!

You know a few months ago if you asked me about the "reel grip" product, I would have probably given you a smart ass remark about them being a gimmick, a product that is not really needed and just a cash grab.. boy would  I have been wrong

When placing an order with Tackle Warehouse this past spring, i decided to order 1 pair of reel grips to give them a shot. My one bait-caster has smaller reel paddles and although I loved the reel, it could be uncomfortable when used for long periods of time.

the grips arrived (black in case you wondering) and I threw them on my reel. Immediately i noticed and felt the difference. They added that something extra, made the paddles a bit wider, and much easier on the fingers when spending a long day on the water. They are textured (ribbed for your pleasure) and provide superior grip and comfort.

It was not long before I placed my second order, this time ordering enough to outfit the rest of the reels in my arsenal.. including some of my spinning reels. (Small reels like a 1000 Series Shimano Stradics are perfect for these grips). On the second order I also branched out and tried some various colors.. adding the orange/white, and metallic orange. the only problem I have now, is I much prefer the colors to the standard black so I will be placing a third order to replace the black grips with some more colorful choices.

here are some of the pros and cons to the reel grip as I see it..

Pros:

the reel grips come in a wide selection of colors, from the standard "black" for those of you who want to be discrete to bright Oranges that look great with my Dobyns Champion Extreme rods.

the grips fit a wide variety of reel with out issue. the soft rubber can be slid off and on fairly easily, but still stay put. They are durable and take abuse well. (I have pulled them off and on a few reels multiple times without weakening the grip)

these things are super comfortable.. from skeptic to believer after 1 use

the grips are readily available online direct from the source or from other retailers like tackle warehouse.

Cons:

not to many cons to these grips, for me they are slightly pricey coming in at $5 a pair.. if you are looking at one pair it was not really a price issue, but when buying for 10 or more reels the $50 price tag hurt a bit.

the grips will fit nearly all reels on the market, but you may have a hard time sliding them over any reel with a larger paddle. My Curado D series reel has wide paddles and it was a struggle to get the grips on. Once on they slide a bit with heavy use, but are easily slid back into place

Be sure to check out the reel grip website to see all the cool options they have for your reels. Also check out the new product recently launched.. a rod grip.. a 10.5 inch tube of plastic that sides onto you rod to provide the same grip and comfort that the grips add to your reel.. a cool idea and something I may have to give a test drive later this season

Rapala Touch Screen Tournament Scale

I wanted to spend some time and review a great new product that I picked up this season. The Rapala touch Screen Tournament Scale is one of the newer scales to hit the market and it has some awesome new features.. check it out

Pros: There are a ton of great features on this scale, The touch screen is a huge advancement and makes it super easy to add and remove weights from the Scale. With a couple touches of your finger you can lock in fish weights and add and remove fish

This was designed as a tournament scale and will hold up to 8 fish weights, and comes with 8 tags so you can easily cull fish as you fill your live well. When culling the large screen makes it quick and easy to see what fish is your smallest and remove it. When adding and removing fish the Scale tally's your total weight so you always know where you stand.

It may not sound like much but this scale come with booth a standard hook and a clamp. I much prefer the clamp but it is nice to have that hook on standby. The new handle design is also an upgrade in my books, it gives you a great grip and is easy to hold

Cons: There was not much I could find wrong with this scale, I would like it to go a bit higher then 15lbs, make it useful when fishing other species, but since it was designed for tournaments it does meet my requirements. I dont know about you but in my area you cant have more then 5 fish in the boat, not sure why this scale goes up to 8, but im sure there is a reason


Other Features:
This scale runs on 2 x AA batteries and has a decent life span. it also has enough memory to hold your weights should your batteries die on you when on the water.

A protected sleeve with built in waterproof instruction tag makes sure you know what you are doing in key situations

8 Culling Clips with ref tags. This allows you to easily pull your smallest fish from the live well and replace it with a kicker

If you want to check out a little how to video to see how easy it is to run this scale click below...

Product Review: CC Rod Sock

As an amateur angler gearing up for my first series of tournaments this summer, i have started to buy products not used as much by your typical weekend angler, but probably should be. Rod socks, gloves or sleeves are a great way to keep your rods protected and tangle free when out on the water. I recently placed an order for some rod socks from a new up and company called CC Rod Sock
When I started to do some research on rod socks, slicks, gloves and sleeves. I knew I needed some, but was not sure what I wanted and how much I was willing to spend. There is a wide variety of products available and all of them essentially do the same thing, but the price varies from $5-$10 per sock.

So when my research was said and done, I chose to go with CC Rod Socks. Two key factors in my decision were.. (1) The owner is an Ontario Angler, and I love to support my fellow fisherman, and (2) the price was right, At $6 a sleeve it was cheaper then the ROD GLOVE which is readily available in my area for $9 a glove.

Here is a review of my Experience....Placing an Order: Quick and easy, the website is laid out well and it was easy to find what I needed and place my order. For me, when ordering online the option to use PayPal is almost a must so I was glad to see it was available. The checkout process quick and I received updates then the order was placed, received and shipped.

Website: http://www.ccrodsocks.com/Product Selection: With 4 color options (Black, Red, Yellow and Blue) there is enough selection without going overboard. There are two sock sizes available either 6ft-7ft or 7ft-8th lengths. There is also both a Spinning rod sock and a baitcaster sock. This is important as the large bottom eye on the spinning rod needs to be covered. I found that some companies that only provide one size sock/glove/slick make them to tight and you have to take more time to pull them down over the eye.

Product Quality: As mentioned before, rod socks are a pretty standard product and the quality from one to the next is fairly similar, that being said the CC rod socks are a quality product, each is made to order and have they two key features that are important to any quality rod sock, sleeve, glove or slick.

(1) The tips are tapered and are dipped in rubber. This gives you great tip protection and unlike other that have the tips wrapped, this dipped rubber will never come un-tied. Some socks on the market have flat or square tips, I never understood this. A tapered tip ensure the rod tip fits snug (no sliding arounf and is protected

The base of each sock has been rolled up and in for an easy on and off. This is pretty standard for this style product, as it keeps the ends in tact and helps prevent fraying. I have had a sleeve in the past that started to come apart at the base. It made it very hard to get the rod in and out of the sleeve

Pricing & Shipping: As mentioned above the price was one of the reasons I purchased the CC Rod Sock. Coming in at $6 per baitcasting sock and $7 per Spinning sock, my order of 7 socks saved me $20 over the same order with a competitive brand.

Standard shipping rates are provided for Canadian Orders. At just under $10 I can confirm they are not gauging on the shipping. The price from Canada Post on my shipment was just under $9 and that does not include the owners time or shipping material

Customer Service: I would rate the customer service a A, communication was great, i knew where my package was at all times and it was produced and shipped quickly. Any and all questions were answered within 24hrs.

Issues/Concerns: I had no issues or concerns with my order. I will mention that there is no real product packaging available for these sleeves, they were well protected by a plastic case and boxed well for shipping, but there is not "professional" packaging. Hey, for $20 in savings I can over look the lack of packaging

Recommended: Yes