Product Review

          It was like Christmas in July!  I recently joined Todd Daniluk, Executive VP of Operations at BASSMAN Magazine, for a trip to Vegas for the 2008 International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST).  ICAST is the largest sportfishing tradeshow in the world and is where the vast majority of companies introduce or launch new products and concepts.   Although many of the products are still prototypes or not officially launched yet, I now have enough product fodder for a full year of product reviews.  These items are coming and BASSMAN will be keeping our readers informed of the latest and greatest.  Two Canadian ICAST notables are e21 Fishing and Fishergirl who both earned prestigious Best of Show Awards this year.

1.        Insect Defend Patch

The outdoors would be perfect if it wasn’t for the biting bugs.  I’m a big man and virtual all-you-can-eat buffet for these nasty critters so when David Evans told me that he had invented the perfect solution – I was all ears.  I admit, I was skeptical when he told me that a simple patch placed on my skin, two hours before heading outdoors, would create an invisible, impenetrable shield against biting bugs, and the diseases they carry, for up to 36 hours. Vitamin B is the only ingredient in the patch and it is safely absorbed through the skin by osmosis then emitted by the body creating the bug barrier.  He promised that it wouldn’t wash off or be sweated away.  Despite my original reluctance, I am now a believer.  I’ve used the patches since I received them this spring and they have worked exactly the way I was promised they would.  You simply don’t get bit – by bugs.  Gone are the days of messy deet products that are not safe for children and melt fishing lines.  I have enjoyed bug free evening fishing, backwoods trips and bass fishing with my children thanks to the Insect Defend Patch.  Increase your enjoyment of the outdoors this season and catch more fish by concentrating on bass not bug bites.  For more information go to http://www.insectdefendpatch.com/

2.        Koppers Baits

“What’s a Koppers,” was the question that anglers were asking at this year’s Spring Fishing and Boat Show in Mississauga, Ontario.  Few realized that the answer to that question would lead them to one of the greatest discoveries in crankbait realism – Live Target lures.  Live Target is the brainchild of Niagara guide and fishing guru Grant Koppers.  “With over 20,000 hours on the water, there are very few baits I haven’t used.  In pressured waters or when fish were finicky, I found that I would only get fish to follow.  Something was missing.  I spent countless hours perfecting the look and actions of these baits to trigger fish into biting and have included super detailed instructions in each package on how to fish them,” states Koppers.  And bite they do.  I recently fished with Grant in a local charity Pro-Am event.  It was windy and the fishing was slow.  I began working a wind swept point in the morning and Grant got the first fish, a four-pound largemouth, on his C52SB crawfish replica.  The bite died so I began to fish slower, in the heavy weeds, and was not getting bit.  Grant continued throwing his crawfish along the edge of the weeds.  I got schooled.  The fish that refused my bait when it landed on their heads were darting over twenty feet to engulf his Live-Target baits.  All of Grant’s fish made it to the scale that day and we finished sixth in the tournament.  I’ve since used most of his baits and have found similar results throwing all of them.  Get wowed, get bit - http://www.livetargetlures.com

3.        Oxygenator Livewell System

You’ve spent days on the water prefishing and it has paid off.  There is a half hour left in the tournament and you have a winning bag.  You check the fish one last time before your trip to the weigh scales and a sickening feeling overwhelms you when you realize that your biggest fish is dead.  Revival is not an option.  This will cost you a win but worse is the fact that this awesome fish has died.  This situation could have been avoided had you installed an Oxygenator in your livewell.  This simple to install product hooks directly to your boat batteries, turns itself on and off and creates 100% oxygen from the water itself.  The Oxygenator separates water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen molecules dissipate into the atmosphere. The heavier oxygen molecules remain suspended until they dissolve in the water. The oxygen bubbles are so tiny, they cannot break the surface tension of the water. As a result, the percentage of dissolved oxygen increases dramatically.  As livewell waters warm, the oxygen content will diminish and a regular aerator system is not capable of producing enough oxygen in the water to keep fish mortality under control.  I’ve been using one of these units in my Lund Predator along with U2 Formula which is NON-TOXIC to humans, removes nitrites, ammonia, chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals while adding essential electrolytes
 and replaces skin slime on the fish.  I haven’t lost a single fish this season.  Protect the fish for the next generation and enjoy your tournament wins as a result - http://www.keepfishalive.com

4.      Power-pole

It’s cold and windy and the fish have shut down as a result.  You’ll have to fight the wind, fish slow and drop the bait on the bass’ nose to catch a limit.  Fishing with any rod, reel, bait or from any boat you like won’t make a difference today but the Power-Pole, shallow water anchor, will change the way you fish.  A bold statement, one that I can say I experience every time I hit the water since having my Power-Pole XL Stealth System installed on my rig by Canadian dealer DT Powersports. Imagine drifting up to a likely looking spot.  You get a hit and miss the fish.  You now have a choice.  Do you attempt to fish the spot quickly before you drift over it?  Do you use your electric motor to slow you down and spook everything in the area?  Or simply activate the quiet hydraulic action of the Power-Pole with the touch of a button on your dash, at your feet or by convenient remote, extending the pole up to eight feet below the surface of the water, penetrate the bottom using a durable composite spike and stop immediately, for as long as you like.  I love being able to keep the back end of my boat from swinging out while fishing.  I can now approach objects from upwind, stop the boat quickly and completely, take the time I need to fish the spot or retie, then lift the anchor, drift and repeat.  I can hold at a weigh-in or launch without having to work my electric motor and I can keep the back of my boat from rubbing a dock or shoreline when ever I’m moored.  Experience a Power-Pole.  Swift.  Silent.  Secure. http://www.power-pole.com

5.      Swift Hitch

    Are you tired of doing the hitch-up-shuffle?  You know the drill.  Back up, get out of the truck to get your bearings, get back in the vehicle back up some more, get out and check, hop back in the truck, pull ahead – you get the idea.  Instead, save time and grey hairs by purchasing a Swift Hitch portable wireless colour back up camera system with built in Night Vision.  Place the wireless, magnetic camera on your tailgate directly over the trailer ball; view the process through the full colour, wireless screen from within the truck and then hitch up.  The camera is waterproof and automatically lighted allowing you to view up to fifteen feet away in total darkness.  The advantage to this system versus the onboard cameras offered by some vehicle manufactures is the simple fact that the wireless unit can be removed and placed in various locations up to three hundred feet apart.  Besides hitching up, I use my unit every time I back into my drive with my truck and boat by placing the camera on my garage door which allows me to see how far back I can park my truck without putting my prop through my garage.  My wife has even stolen the unit to watch our little girl while she goes to sleep.  The units come with a car charger and two soft felt bags to keep the camera and receiver in good shape for years to come.  I’m sure it won’t be long before a camouflage version is offered for hunters to use on game trails where legal.  Enjoy the convenience http://www.swifthitch.com.

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Bass Wishes,

Chris Hockley

Copyright © 2008 Chris Hockley

It is illegal to reproduce or distribute this work in any manner or medium without written permission of the author, Chris Hockley c/o Blitzcreek Pro Fishing 47 Lorne St., Sunderland, Ontario, chris@blitzcreek.com

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