RAPALA 50 LB. ANGLER MODEL SCALE

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

Elsewhere in this magazine is an article about fishing scales, how they work, available models and how accurate they weigh fish. I gathered several scales to use, evaluate and test for this article and while none of them are perfect for every angler, for every fish or fishing condition, one thing did come out of my tests. I replaced the spring type, mechanical scale which had been on my boat for the past several years with the Rapala Angler Model acquired specifically for the feature story.

I’d owned digital scales in the past and they worked well when the batteries were good. Too often, I’d pull the scale out to weigh a notable catch and found the Energizer Bunny had died. That’s why I switched to a good, mechanical model, but my tests for the feature showed my spring scale was “off” for the better part of a pound and the graduations that showed the weight were so close together that weighing to anything less than to the nearest pound was pure guesswork.

The Rapala digital was spot-on for accuracy and was easy to read. I could have chosen one of the other digitals I tested, but several features guided my selection – most notably the scale operates on AA batteries – available anywhere. Try to find one of those square, 9Vs when you need it.

Rapala says the two AAs will run the scale for 400 hours so expect a season’s use out of each pair. The circuitry automatically turns off the scale after a few minutes eliminating the possibility of accidentally leaving the scale in the on position from one trip to the next. Should the batteries run down, there is a back-up memory to store any weights you’ve entered and want to save.

It will store up to eight different previously weighed fish – one for each person perhaps, or save the weights for different species as the season progresses. It will also total all the stored weights for an instant cumulative weight for tournament or other purposes.

I don’t much use those features, but maybe I will. The kicker for me, however was instead of a simple hook to hold the fish being weighed, the scale comes with a rugged “vise-grip” style lip gripper which holds the fish securely and is less injurious to the fish being weighed.

Rapala Touch Screen Angler Model scales are widely available at retail or online merchandizers or order them straight from Rapala at: www.rapala.com.

GILL FITZROY JACKET

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

I love the fall and early winter weather in the Great Lakes. That includes the brisk, frosty mornings that often gives way to tee-shirt warmth in the afternoon. Obviously, seasoned anglers know the key to this is layering but it doesn’t have to be a complicated system as is needed in “real” winter on the ice, in deer stands or other cold weather outings. The Fitzroy Jacket from Gill can be your go-to top layer on those Indian summer mornings (and just as useful on middle-spring days.)

My go-to outer layer for the past couple of seasons has been my Gill Winter Jacket and Bibs, which are both heavily insulated and fully waterproof, but the winter-wear is overkill on those days when the frosty morning fades quickly to comfortable temps as soon as the sun brightens the morning sky.

The Fitzroy jacket is very lightweight and packable for when it needs to be stowed, but easily fluffs to a warm, well insulated, good looking coat and hood. For me (so far) the hood is more for style since I’ve never needed it.

Fishing can be a wet sport even on a sunny day, either from errant spray when the boat is under power or when dealing with wet tackle or flopping fish. The Fitzroy will handle spray and wet fish, but it’s a poor choice for a rainy day. It has the same Durable Water Repellant finish on the outer layer that’s the first line of water resistance on all of the best totally waterproof rainwear, but that makes it water resistant, not waterproof. A bit of spray will just bead up and run off or evaporate, a soaking rain will, eventually soak in.

I love the three zip-close pockets – two on the sides for hands, for stowing car keys or other items and one on the upper chest where I often insert my cell phone or camera. The sturdy zips open and close easily and keeps things secure and available.

One observation I’ve noted on this and other Gill products is their sizing. Gill products are designed and engineered in the United Kingdom and sold worldwide where many people are smaller than many of us in the Great Lakes. I choose garments one size larger than I’d normally buy from American producers.

If environmental responsibility is important to you, both the Fitzroy’s shell and insulation is made from recycled materials.

Want to try Gill yourself? The Fitzroy Jacket (and other Gill products) are widely available or order them online straight from the Gill website with a discount:

At checkout, use the discount code- CAPTMIKE10 – for 10% off your order at gillfishing.com

H20X CRANKBAITS

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

No doubt you’ve seen the price of crankbaits (and other lures) skyrocketing faster than the price of eggs and bacon during the pandemic. Crankbaits used to seem expensive when priced at five or six bucks. Now, they are often two or three times more, these days. Maybe that’s okay with your budget, but it’s not with mine and that’s what attracted me to the H20X cranks at the Academy Sports store that opened near me in Lafayette, IN last spring – the price.

Often shopping by price alone is a poor choice when it comes to fishing equipment. Cheapskates are setting themselves up for failure. I also have observed that “store-brand” knock-offs of big brand lures isn’t the same as buying a generic equivalent for other products. Far from it.

Often, just looking at the store-brand crankbaits tells the story. The molded bodies are rough, the paint or finish is notably inferior and the hooks and hardware on the lures are noticeably cheap. You know they won’t hold up, you know they won’t have the proper action and you know after a few trips you’ll be wishing you’d never bought them at any price.

I didn’t notice any of the above with the H20X (Academy Sports’ store brand) hanging on the racks. I did notice the retro price tags marked on the boxes.

Academy Sports is a chain of big-box sporting goods stores (think Bass Pro or Dick’s Sporting Goods), born in Texas and now found in states across the southeastern U.S.A. The Lafayette store was the first one opened in a Great Lakes state. Now, they are in Indiana and Illinois. (Academy does offer online shopping, however, so even if you fish Lake Superior, H20X products are just a few clicks and a truck ride from your door.)

Naturally, the H20X cranks were designed with bass fishing in mind and the colors available reflect that. However, many crankbaits used by salmon, steelhead and walleye anglers weren’t designed specifically for those species. They were probably designed for bass guys and us Great Lakes guys learned they were equally effective on salmon or trout.

For the first two or three months of the open water season in southern Lake Michigan, crankbaits are the top producers and some Great Lakes walleye guys use cranks all season long. So I selected an assortment of H20X cranks and tied them on last spring. Plenty of cohos and browns considered them edible and Lake Erie walleyes gave them a “fins-up” as well.