SMITH’S BAIT AND FISH KILL BAG

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

There was something missing on my boat last spring, a fish cooler. Often called a box or the fish box. If you don’t have a fish cooler on your boat, chances are you rely on stuffing the fish you catch and keep into a livewell or into a built-in fish storage compartment. My boat’s livewell must have been designed for perch fishing. It won’t hold a four-person limit of spring cohos and is certainly too small to hold a decent four-person bag of Lake Erie walleye.

So I “bagged” the fish. Actually, the fish went into Smith’s Products Insulated 36” Bait and Fish Kill Bag. Why not use my old IGLOO cooler? It takes up a lot of space.

Formerly, when my cooler was my only choice, I “made” space for it. It was a piece of necessary gear, so I economized on other gear to make everything fit with room left over for the fish box and the fishermen. Not now.

At the beginning of the day, the Kill Bag takes up almost no room. It doesn’t fold perfectly flat, it is insulated – front, back and bottom with closed cell foam, but a cooler is the same size whether it’s full or empty. Before the first fish is caught I add one or two small (7-pound) bags of ice – depending on air temperature. At that point the bag is about 1/3^rd the size of my old fish cooler. On a good day, by the time it’s got 18 or 24 walleyes in the bag (or 15 or 20 cohos), it takes up about half the space of my fish cooler – and there’s space left over to hold a king, a big brown trout or several plus-size walleyes if the fishing was extra-good.

I had four concerns when switching from a hard-sided plastic cooler to a soft-sided kill bag. Would it be tough enough? Would it be hard to clean? Would it keep the fish cool and fresh? Would it be large enough?

The Smith’s bag is constructed (inside and out) with a heavy-duty, marine grade tarp-like fabric. I wasn’t overly concerned the sharp fins on the walleyes I put in the bag would perforate the interior lining, but that thought was in the back of my mind. So, after several walleye trips, I took a flashlight, put on my reader glasses and examined the interior closely so see if there were any visible holes. None were found, nor did I ever detect any leakage around the bottom seams from melting ice had dripping through the inner skin and leaking out the bottom. Additionally, the seams are reinforced with strong nylon strapping material made from the same material as the detachable carrying strap. Plenty tough.

Both the interior and exterior is slick-finish allowing fresh blood to just rinse off and even dried-on blood to wash clean with a minimum amount of scrubbing with a soft brush. Once it’s rinsed clean, I just invert it with the zipper open and to let it quickly dry. Cleans up easily.

Cooling ability? One sure indicator of how well it’s insulated is how much ice is left at the end of the trip. If all you have left in your fish cooler is melt water, it’s not doing the job. On my early spring trips when the air temperature and the water temperature (thus the fish temperatures) are in the 40s, that small bag of ice was still more ice than meltwater after a long half-day of fishing. Once the weather and water warmed, the second bag of ice still did the job.

The 36” Bait and Fish Kill Bag is Smith’s middle size offering. It’s perfect for how I used it. Later in the season when king salmon and lake trout figure heavily into the catch where I fish, it wouldn’t be large enough. However, Smith makes a 48” kill bag that is advertised to be larger than my Igloo and there’s a smaller, 30-incher (called Mr. Crappie) that will hold several limits of perch or crappies.

Though the 30 and 36-inch versions are called “bait and fish kill bags,” I don’t think they’d be a good replacement for a bait bucket. Perhaps in a special situation, they’d be ideal – not on my boat. They do come with drain plugs at the bottom, however, to allow melt water from the ice or minnow water if used for bait to flow out the bottom. Available at www.smithsproducts.com at retailers and several online outlets including Amazon.

FIREBRAND DEEP DIVER BANDITS

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

Though plenty of people fish with Bandit Walleye Deep Diver lures for other species of fish and in other places than in the Western Basin of Lake Erie, there’s no doubt that’s where the Bandit is the king. Either that or the name “Bandit” has become the generic name for deep diving stickbaits like people wipe their nose with Kleenex, regardless of whether it’s a Puffs or some other brand of tissue paper.

If you are only going to buy one, you might as well get the top seller. “So what’s the top selling color?” That’s what I asked one of the product people at PRADCO – maker of Bandit Lures – at last summer’s ICAST. He chuckled when he answered, “Clear.” You might be surprised by that answer; I wasn’t and not because I think walleyes would be a sucker for a clear plastic lure. It’s because turning out popular lures in custom colors has become a cottage industry.

Rick Fascinato is one of those custom painters that has turned his hobby of customizing the lures for his own tackle box into a business to produce lures for yours. I’ve had the chance to fish with some of Rick’s Firebrand recently near the Bass Islands in the Western Basin, specifically his “Bandits” and they were the top producers for the trip. The one I’m holding was tied on one of my lines the first day of the trip and stayed there until the final fish was in the net a few days later. Others were solid producers, as well.

In fact, this photo is the “after” photo and though I’m sure the lure accounted for a half dozen walleyes each day or more, it still looks like new. One of the selling points of Firebrand products is each is given an epoxy coating to keep them looking good, fish after fish, even toothy ones like walleyes.

Firebrand Custom Baits isn’t all Bandits, either. Rick customizes trolling spoons, flashers, dodgers, Thin Finns and other baits in imaginative colors sure to peak the feeding instinct in any Great Lake predator fish. Give them all a look and order a few for yourself at https://firebrandcustombaits.ca/.

VICIOUS FISHING LINES

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

I’ll admit when I went to the ICAST show I passed by dozens of booths displaying fishing line with hardly a second look. I have my favorites and with rare exception, when I fish with other brands on other people’s boats, it works quite well. It’s seldom that I spot something so novel or with some unique attribute that it stops me for a second look.

So why did I stop by the Vicious Fishing display? It’s because the Vicious Fishing company is headquartered in Indiana and I’m a lifelong Hoosier. If I didn’t do anything more, I could stop by and say hi. But I when I did introduce myself I was impressed by the line-up (pun intended) of line and options available. Vicious sells braid, monofilament and fluorocarbon in various strengths, spool sizes and colors.

Notice I say they “sell” fishing line, they don’t manufacture fishing line. Few brands of line are self-made, but that doesn’t reflect on quality. Certainly, some fishing line is made in the USA. Lots of it is made in China and often with lax attention to quality. That’s why experienced anglers shy away from “off-brand” lines that may be bargains in the store but disappointing on the line.

What the Vicious did was meet with line manufacturers in Japan and Taiwan and have them produce their lines to stringent specifications to ensure they perform as expected. I spooled up with Vicious braid, fluoro and mono on several of my reels when getting them ready for the 2024 season. I’m writing this review three months into the season and have found them to be all I hoped and equal to any other line I normally use.

Check out Vicious Fishing lines (and other products) at www.getvicious.com. You can buy them direct online as well as many other online outlets including Amazon.com. Every time I hook a fish I’m relying on the line between the reel and the lure. The Vicious lines I’ve been using have never let me down.

MACKENZIE’S FISHERMAN HAND SCRUB

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

I will admit the first time I squirted a teaspoon or so of Fisherman Hand Scrub out of the handy squeeze bottle, I was less than impressed. I know what a liquid or gel type hand soap is supposed to look like. It should be clear, or perhaps tinted an electric blue or green; perhaps a creamy pearl color. This stuff looks like something that comes out the nether-end of a lake trout that has been feeding on gobies.

That was the end of my negative opinion. I had just finished cleaning enough Lake Superior lake trout planned to be the dinner entrée for an eight-man crew at Moss Island Lodge, Ontario. I don’t know what the lakers had been eating, but like all lake trout, these were slimy on the outside, slimy on the inside and fresh enough to still be pumping blood on the fish cleaning table – all of which coated my hands.

I sprayed off my hands while cleaning up the fish cleaning area, delivered the fish to the chef and grabbed the bottle of Fisherman’s Hand Scrub I’d brought along for the trip and had set by the kitchen sink. That’s when I found out the FHS comes out of the bottle as a gritty looking, light-brown goop.

I gave it the sniff test first, thinking perhaps it had spoiled on the long, hot drive to Canada. It actually smelled just fine with a firm hint of lemon. I continued and immediately noticed the gritty feel as I scrubbed my hand, reminiscent of the pumice infused hand cleaner I use after I’ve been working on greasy lower units or other machinery. The grit (actually, ground up walnut hulls) is more coarse than pumice and is just one of the natural ingredients blended into the recipe.

It’s not a high-suds producing product, but it quickly cleaned my hands and left them scent free immediately – and I gave them a second good “sniff-test” fifteen minutes or so later once the lemony smell subsided. My hand remained fish-smell-free. It passed my test.

A couple day’s later while I was packing for the trip home, I grabbed the bottle of FHS to take home with me. That evening, the camp-cook asked the group if anyone had seen the Fisherman’s Hand Scrub. We were having a fish boil that evening and the cook was prepping the fresh trout for its turn in the boiling caldron.

“You like this stuff, eh?” I said in my best Canadian accent as I dug the bottle out of my duffle.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I’ve been using it not only for fish, but it cleans off the onion, the bacon and all the other smells I get on my hands here in the kitchen.”

I left him the rest of the bottle instead of bringing it home with me. Once I was home I ordered another bottle, using my Amazon Prime account so I got free-shipping. I could have gotten it for the same price but with shipping costs at www.fishermanhandscrub.com. Check out the other Mackensie’s “made in America” products as well.

VEXAN LIL SUPER CISCOES

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

It must suck to be a shad. Every predator fish you share the lake or river with wants to eat you. That’s why I enjoy being at the top of the food chain when it comes to fishing. I know if I want to catch a fish to eat – and I’m not particularly picky about the fish I eat – I know where ever I’m at and whatever fish I want to catch, a good choice of lure to show to the fish is a shad-imitating lure. That’s what caught my eye when I found the Vexan booth at the ICAST show last summer. Among the rods, reels and other lures on display was a concise collection of shad-shaped diving crankbaits called Rattin’ LIL Super Cisco.

I tried fishing for cisco with them last fall at Grand Traverse Bay with little success, but that’s the only time and place they didn’t score. They did catch a steelhead and a lake trout in the bay. I caught plenty of cohos on them in southern Lake Michigan and using them with the 50 + 2 Method on the Precision Trolling App got them down to Lake Erie’s walleye last spring. The Chrome Perch color scored well early in the day and we did just as well with the Diesel and Kitty Kat patterns when the bright sun started penetrating into the depths.

Check them out at www.vexan.com. They are available at WalMart, Amazon.com and other outlets.

TRIKA RODS

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

There are three reasons to buy a high-dollar fishing rod. In no particular order, 1) They work better. 2) They last longer. 3) They are prestigious.

To most anglers, #3 is least important. There are solid arguments for both #1 and #2. Trika rods are built to satisfy #1 and #2 – time will tell if they become a prestigious brand.

Trika is a new product from an established company – established, that is, if you are a bow or crossbow hunter. The same company makes Ravin Crossbows, often listed at the top of “best of the best” lists. Where’s the similarity? Many of the components of their hi-tech crossbows are made from the same materials – composites, carbon-fibers – and exacting processes it takes to produce the best quality fishing rods right here in the USA.

I checked this out before I said yes to accepting a pair of Trika (one casting rod, one spinning rod) to put to the test last summer and write about in this Tackle and Toys column. During the summer, a friend of mine and I put these to the test in different places, conditions and styles of fishing their builders never imagined.

One of the unique features of Trika rods is though they have seven models of casting rods and five spinning rods, each is priced at $299. The sales hype on their website (www.trika.com) states independent tests show Trikas weight slightly less than their high-end competitors, they are twice as sensitive and they cast 23% farther.

The tests my friend and I put them to were less specific. Between us, we fished Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Erie and some inland lakes in Ontario for salmon, lake trout, walleyes, bass and pike. Some of the fishing was “conventional” where we were casting lures or jigging and getting a hands-on appreciation of the weight, feel, sensitivity and fish-fighting capabilities of the rods. Some of the test was unconventional, to say the least. I used the 7’7” casting rod as one of my downrigger sticks most of the spring for salmon and trout in Lake Michigan and on a trip to Lake Erie.

This was my best chance to see rod in action on bigger fish, and I did. It caught lakers to 18 pounds and browns to eleven pounds in that position, as well as bunches of cohos. Most telling, however, was at Lake Erie, I didn’t mention to my fishing companions there was anything “special” about the rod I positioned on the port-side out-down. My other ‘riggers had similarly sized Ugly Stick ‘rigger rods. After reeling in a solid five-pound walleye the angler commented he’d thought the fish was twice as big. “It felt like it was huge,” he said. There’s not much sensitivity in an Ugly Stick.

I too, noticed the sensitivity in both the casting and the spinning rod when I used them more conventionally. I’m sure the sensitive feel was magnified because compared to the rods I normally fish with, the Trikas were much lighter. Though whisper-light, however, neither rod felt undersized, when a good sized fish was on the line.

For scenario #1) It passed the test. Time will tell how if measures for #2, though it does carry a one-year satisfaction guarantee and lifetime warranty. Number three? That doesn’t matter to me.

ST. CROIX SEVIIN GF SERIES CASTING REEL

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

For many, Ford’s F150 is the pick-up to which other such trucks are measured. To many, walleye anglers, Lund boats are the watercraft to which other such boats are measured. To many anglers, from bluegill lovers to wicked tuna catchers, St. Croix rods are the fishing “sticks” that all other brands of fishing rods need to measure up to for quality.

So when St.Croix decided to add a line of fishing reels to match to their rods (or to be used with other rods), I had little doubt they’d measure up with the best reels available. I had little doubt, but seeing (and using) is the way to know for sure. The model I selected to pair with a St. Croix Bass X casting rod I already own is the GF Series with the 7.3:1 gear ratio. It’s also available in
6.6:1 or hi-speed 8:1:1 in left or right hand versions.

I used this combo for an early autumn trip to Minnesota inland lake where it handled baits sized for perch to pike, both casting and jigging. Later in the fall I jigged and trolled for deep water ciscos and lake trout in Grand Traverse Bay. It gave me flawless performance on every cast, every drop and on every fish reeled in.

In talking with Josh Lantz, the media rep for St.Croix, he told me, “SEVIIN Reels aspires to deliver anglers with the most reliable and dependable reels available.” He said, “St. Croix didn’t jump into the reel business, our engineering teams examined and tinkered with every component to ensure the quality would match the reputation St. Croix has established in the fishing industry.

To this end, the SEVIIN team designed and built its very own testing laboratory inside the St. Croix factory in Park Falls, Wisconsin. Here, purpose-engineered, custom testing equipment continuously performs 12 distinct tests on every production run of its GF Series baitcasting reels. Specific individual tests include 1) temperature, 2) humidity/salt spray, 3) chemical resistance, 4) ultraviolet exposure, 5) dunk, 6) trip lifecycle, 7) gear endurance, 8) drop, 9) line guide retention, 10) pinion engagement, 11) gear strength and 12) drag performance.

Number six is most impressive to me. The trip lifecycle test consists of putting GF Series low-profile baitcasting reels through 200,000 cycles on a custom-engineered and precision-constructed instrument within the testing laboratory. A cycle consists of depressing and then releasing the thumb bar, then re-engaging the spool with a partial turn of the handle. I don’t know how many casts I make on an average fishing trip, but I’m sure it will take me several years to get to the 200K cycles number and when it does, I expect it to continue on and on. Seviin Reels are now widely available at a modest price in tackle stores, at online outlets including Amazon.com or at http://www.seviinreels.com..

CUDA LAMPREY CUTTERS

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

I only used this name because the first day I had the Cuda 5.25” Titanium Bonded Mini-Snips on the boat, the first thing they were used for was to decapitate a sea lamprey that came aboard on one of the fish we caught. Also, I called them lamprey cutters because the long name given this tool by Cuda seemed a bit cumbersome.

When I first saw the cutters, using them to cut monofilament or fluorocarbon line didn’t pop into my head, either. What I thought of was that they’d make a perfect tool to snip the gills in the fish I planned to keep just after I caught them so the fish would bleed out as it died. Fish treated that way taste better in the long run, partly because they don’t have any blood coagulating in the meat and partly because the fish don’t have to be rinsed as thoroughly after being filleted. Bleeding the fish also makes clean-up at the fish cleaning station much easier.

A pair of sturdy scissors is often the tool of choice for me and other anglers to cut through the gills but it takes a pretty hard squeeze to make the snip with most scissors. Notice how on the “lamprey cutters” the handles are large-hand-sized and the blades on cutters are relatively short. That delivers more power with less grip-strength needed. In use, (whether on the gills of a walleye, salmon or when beheading a lamprey) and easy squeeze does the job.

They also do a perfect job of cutting mono and fluorocarbon line (and do a pretty good job cutting braid, as well.)

All the Cuda-brand tools I’ve ever used were well built and so are these. Cuda says the stainless steel parts of the tool are titanium bonded with zirconium blades. That means they are tough and sharp and will stay that way through many lamprey beheadings, gill clippings and years of cutting fishing line.

Cuda’s 5.25 Mini-Snips are widely available in retailers’ fishing tools sections, at online sellers or direct from Cuda at www.cudabrand.com.

HUK PERFORMANCE SHIRTS – APEX VERT ICON and WAYPOINT

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

Other than when I’m ice fishing in extreme conditions, when I’m fishing I always have a long sleeve shirt or hoody made of what has become known as performance cloth as my base layer – or only layer. In the summer, these shirts keep me cooler than if I were wearing a short sleeve shirt and give me 50 UPF sun protection against UV radiation. In the earliest part of thefishing season and late fall fishing, these same shirts are a part of my layering system that allows me to add or subtract coats, vests or jackets as the conditions change from morning chill to midday levels. It all has to do with the moisture and water vapor wicking properties of performance cloth.

Basically, the fibers of performance cloth is woven from is made of some sort of plastic. The HUK Waypoint shirts I own are actually made from recycled water bottles. Others, like the Apex Vert ICON are made from other forms of plastic, but the fact the base material is poly-something or other means it can’t get wet. Each thread can get wet on the outside, but unlike cotton, woolor other blends of natural threads, the base materials won’t soak up wetness. Instead, because of the tight weave, when moisture is produced from perspiration or from the natural production of water vapor escaping from a person’s skin, none of that wetness is captured by the material. Instead, through capillary action, it’s pulled into the cloth next to the skin and wicked outward. In the summer, it evaporates, cooling the cloth and cooling the wearer better than just sweaty skin or wet tee-shirt material will do. In cold weather, as a base layer, it still wicks moisture away from the skin and passes the moisture on to the next layer – hopefully all the way through each layer, where it leaves the wearer warm and cozy inside.

I’ve had the Waypoint shirt for over a year and it’s still one of my favorites. This shirt looks and feels more cottony-soft and I like this, especially in the morning chill. Once the temperature climbs, the fabric still performs with moisture wicking and cooling effects. Many of these performance fabric shirts are slick-feeling, more like silk or satin than familiar feel of cotton.

Most of HUK’s performance shirts come emblazoned with the HUK logo on the front, back or sleeves. Some people don’t like wearing shirts with logos or emblems.If that’s you, take a look at HUK’s Waypoint line.

One of HUK’s newest versions of the performance cloth shirts is the Apex Vert ICON is an upgrade to their popular ICON shirt line. It is one of those “slick” feeling materials which I think enhances the “cooling” feel on hot summer days and the AVI has special panels on the sides and backs that accelerates the moisture-wicking and the cooling feel. I prefer the hoody versions of these shirts since it gives me more neck protection from the sun and eliminates the need for me to wear neck gaitors most days.

I used to shy away from “hunter” pattern camoshirts, but I now embrace the gray and blue shaded nautical camos. I’m not trying to hide from the fish, but I’m a sloppy angler. It’s not uncommon for meto end up with fish slime, fish blood and other stains by the end of a day onthe lake – stains that show up like a blood trail in new fallen snow on pastel, solid-colored fabric. I still get the stains, but I don’t look like a serial killer by the end of a fishing trip.

Both of these HUK performance shirt lines are available in both solid colors and camo versions. HUK performance wear is widely available at many retailers and online sources including Amazon.com. See all the choices or purchase directly at www.hukgear.com.

ACADEMY SPORTS H20X PREMIUM BAIT LOCKER

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

If there’s a perfect storage solution for trolling flies, I’ve not seen it. I’ve tried a few that come close, at least for certain sizes but where I fish, we start our season using “peanut” flies about an inch or so long, move up to two-inchers and by summer we are using full size flies for salmon and trout. Each size needs separate storage needs, it seems, to keep the leaders, hooks and flies themselves from coming out of the box as a giant-sized mess.

In the southern states, Texas-based Academy Sports is as big or bigger than Bass Pro/Cabela’s in the north and it’s moving north into the Great Lakes states. There’s one not far from where I live in Indiana and that’s where I spotted the H2OX Bait Locker. Sized to fit most tackle storage systems that accept 3700-sized StowAway boxes, the thing I picked up on quickly was the overall build of the locker. Compared to the basic Plano StowAway, the H2OX is made from a more rigid plastic, as you can see in the photo, it’s bright translucent blue and more importantly, the hinges and closure latches are solidly built with metal hinge pins.

Inside, it has removable dividers that can create 46 separate compartments inside the box roughly 1/1/4” X 2” X 2”, each compartment is perfect for tucking a one to two-inch fly, hook and leader. That’s plenty for my use since I only use about eight or ten basic patterns. If you need more, Academy does make a double–sided bait locker with similar dimensions inside but twice as thick.

If there’s not yet an Academy Sports store close to you, they do have an online ordering department that will ship straight to your home. Check out the H2OX Premium Bait Locker at www.academy.com and while you are there surf around on the site to take a look at their other products that make Academy Sports one of the fastest growing fishing and outdoor recreation equipment outlets in the USA.