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Product Review: Bixpy kayak electric motor

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I’ve used the Bixpy rudder-mounted electric motor on my Trident Ultra 4.3 seven times since the initial trip in April. It’s worked flawlessly except for the time I didn’t attach the power cable to the motor properly and the cable got loose in choppy seas. I had to paddle unaided 2.5 miles back to shore and it really made me appreciate the boost I get from the Bixpy.

The motor and lithium battery pack add about 9lbs and an extra 5 to 10 mins to my setup, depending how sleepy I am, and a little bit of drag if I’m paddling without running the motor, but man, does it extend my paddling range.

In the normal, slightly bumpy seas, I average about 3.5 – 4 mph with the motor on, paddling along to ease over the bumps. 4 mph is my top burst speed if I paddled without the motor, but with it, I can arrive at my deep spot 2 miles out without feeling tired at all.

I’ve been able to fish further, longer, and that has resulted in more fish caught. The motor, controlled by the remote on my wrist, also lets me stay in position, against the current, so I can fish right over a mark. And when I have to rerig I keep the motor running at low speed so I’m slowly getting to my destination.

The Bixpy turned my very seaworthy paddle kayak into a hands free fishing kayak. I love it and can’t imagine fishing the deep without it now.

If you have any questions about the Bixpy, send me a message through the Contact page, and I’ll be happy to share more about my experiences.

Kayak fishing improvements worked!

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2 problems have been plaguing me kayaking the deep: 1) It’s been very hard to paddle against the current and stay on the productive spots, and I’ve had a recurring stiff right shoulder. 2) Been hooking more sharks than fish, and they don’t bite through the line like you’d think they would. After trying to raise a shark or two so I can cut it free, I’m spent, especially my left arm that holds the conventional rod.

To solve Problem #1, I’ve put a Bixpy electric motor on my Trident Ultra 4.3’s rudder. I just had to replace my rudder with theirs that held the compact jet motor, and was still able to use my existing rudder controls. The lithium ion battery that powers the motor sits on my fishbag in the rear tankwell and only weighs 7lbs. I can select the 12 forward speeds and 3 reverse speeds from the remote control I wear on my wrist.

Problem #2 was made worse because I’ve been using a high speed, gold Trinidad 14. Awesome smooth reel but the gearing of 6.2:1 doesn’t generate much torque and it’s been hard to turn the handle on heavy sharks. I met Avet rep Ben Frazier at the Fred Hall Show this year (right before they suspended the future shows due to Covid-19), and told him that I was having issues going from freespool to strike drag on my star drag Trinidad, and when I ended up fighting a shark, it was hard to lift and crank with my rig. He recommended the small (17 oz) SX Raptor lever drag reel with a low and high gear and max drag of 26lbs!

Look at the wake the Bixpy is producing!

Well the light wind day came to test both out, and my kayak fishing buddy Frank was able to join me. Very light WSW winds started the day and I cranked the Bixpy up to full speed at 5mph. Not bad since I can’t paddle that fast myself. I ran it on the 3rd or 4th speed while paddling along at a relaxed pace to get to our bait spot, and was easily getting 3.0 to 3.5 mph.

We couldn’t find bait and trolled out to 300ft for nada. I tried bottom fishing out there but the current was ripping near the bottom and my bait never hit solid ground. Soon we realized the west wind and west current had taken us more than a mile downwind. Frank coordinated his pedaling and paddling on his Hobie Revo 13, and made great progress heading back to our safe zone. I gave him a head start and used the Bixpy up to max speed at times, and finally caught him. Frank trolled frozen opelu and I bottom fished a fat opelu chunk after having two smaller frozen opelu pulled off by bait stealers.

Besides a humpback whale showing us his dorsal fin, it was a slow slog until I had my burrito sized chunk taken for about 5 seconds before the hooks pulled out. I dropped the tail half of that chunk down and a shark was on. Going from free spool to strike on the Avet lever drag was very easy and the shark slowed down. When it took line again I inched the lever drag up toward the max but made sure I could still pull off a little line with my hand so it wasn’t so tight the shark could yank me overboard too easily. In high gear I couldn’t gain much line so I dropped down to low gear and was amazed at how easy it was too turn the reel handle. When the shark ran, the drag would slip smoothly while I cranked but otherwise I could just crank and put a little line back on the reel. The shark really did’t run too far, and I put the rod butt down in front of my lap, like I was in a fighting chair and started to lean back and crank.

That was working well but when the shark lunged, I had to make sure the rod tip was parallel with the bow. I ended up getting the shark up in less than 15 mins, which is much faster than I have with other sharks. The low gear definitely helped a lot.

I was worried the shark would pull me over when it came up broadside so I braced my feet on the rails of the yak and kept moving them as the shark came within inches.

Judging from its pudgy shape and high triangular dorsal fin, I think this was a sandbar shark which isn’t supposed to be a man eater. Still it was spooky to have such a heavy animal with sharp teeth so close.

The south west winds started chopping up the water and it was time to head in. The rudder mounted Bixpy popped out of the water a few times as the kayak bow dipped into a small wave, but otherwise the motor, supplemented with my paddling, got me in at 3 mph. I had 2 of the 6 battery levels left after the 5 hrs outing.

I was very pleased with how the Avet SX Raptor and the Bixpy motor performed and look forward to fishing more productively with both.

Columbia shoes and “sandals” that don’t slip in the rain

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With all this social distancing time, I’m catching up with long overdue product reviews. I’ve been wearing the Columbia PFG Fish Flip “sandal” (slippers to us locals), and the Columbia Grixen Oxford shoe for more than a year after catching a good sale.

The Grixen Oxfords look good enough for work and going out, and are waterproof with a grippy sole. Just checked though, and looks like they are discontinued. Shucks, it’s hard to find durable, decent looking shoes that can be used for pretty much all occasions.

The PFG (Performance Fishing Gear) Fish Flip has an anatomically contoured midsole and a grippy rubber sole. The sandals keep their shape, hold your feet in place and are made to wear wet.

Why do I care about grippy footwear? Well a few days before going to the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach, I slipped on a wet vinyl sided cardboard sheet in the rain, wearing rubba slippas. My back foot slid back, like a reverse lunge, and I ripped my middle toe nail completely off! My other toes were sliced up too. My first thought was whether I could still walk around the Show for 5 hrs. Thank God the antibacterial gel prevented infection and the Grixen shoes had extra room up front for band-aids!

I haven’t worn the offending rubba slippas since, and the Fish Flips have keep me planted, even when I swept out our flooded garage. If you don’t mind embroidered fish on the band of your slippers, I highly recommend the Fish Flips. And if you can find a pair of the discontinued Grixen Oxfords, jump on them. Look for sales, the Columbia products are often deeply discounted.

Ledlenser compact and ultra compact lanterns are just so convenient – dunno how we ever lived without them

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Gotta admit, I’m not a lighting gearhead and hadn’t heard of the German company Ledlenser before they contacted me, asking if we’d like to test their LED lanterns and headlamps. I Googled the company and found very positive reviews from Europe. Ledlenser recently started distributing in the US and was looking for feedback from American outdoor media. Here’s their USA website. https://www.ledlenserusa.com/

I requested a couple general purpose lanterns and headlamps that could be used outdoors and around the house. The products aren’t listed as being waterproof so I didn’t plan to expose them to salt water, but they do have a 7 yr warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship. I wasn’t under obligation to provide a public review; they just wanted to know if we thought they would be useful in Hawaii.

ML6 lantern, MH7 headlamp, MH5 headlamp and ML4 lantern

My first impression was “wow, this is waaaay better than the outdated stuff I’ve been using!”. The headlamps and lanterns they sent use rechargeable lithium ion batteries as most of their products do. The headlamps fit better and were more comfortable than any headlamps I’ve used in the past, and the materials used were really top notch. The two lanterns, the only two they currently make, were so small they looked like toys. But the form factor and ergonomics were so well designed we couldn’t stop playing with them.

Lowest brightness setting

We’ve been testing the headlamps and lanterns for 3 months now and often use more than one of them each day. This initial review will cover the compact ML6 lantern ($79.95) and sub-compact ML4 lantern ($49.95) which we end up using more often.

I’ll keep the techy stuff to a minimum but here’s what’s relevant. The larger ML6 lantern is 7 inches tall including rubber handle and weighs 10 oz. It has 3 brightness levels. The brightest, at 750 lumens can last for 4 hrs. The lowest, at 20 lumens can last for 70 hrs. The smaller ML4 lantern is less than 4 inches tall and weighs 2.5 oz. It has 3 brightness levels also: 300 lumens will last 2.5 hrs, 5 lumens will last 45 hrs.

We use the little ML4 as a night light in the bathroom, clipping the carabiner to a electrical cord. The lowest setting throws a muted, glare-free light and doesn’t affect our night vision.

Hotel room mood lighting

I liked it so much I took it on my trip to LA and used it to light my very dark hotel room. We’ve also used it on its brightest setting to light our way around the yard in the dark. It’s truly amazing how much light that little lantern puts out.

ML4 on magnetic charger

The little lantern has a battery indicator that lets me know when it’s running low and I usually charge it after 4 night of use with a charger than magnetically snaps into place.

ML6 on USB charger

The bigger ML6 uses a mini USB charger and can charge another device with its standard USB port.

It’s so economical and environmentally healthy to recharge rather than keep buying alkaline batteries, and the small ML4 can also use a standard AA battery in a pinch.

A million uses for the ML6

We’ve used the ML6 to inspect the progress of an addition we’re building and to do yard maintenance in the dark. My wife likes to use it in the living room, to read by, pretending she’s camping in a large tent! It doesn’t get hot, and is shatter resistant because the body is plastic and the ends are rubber armored. The light thrown is a nice, even, soft aura.

We’ve hung it from its rubber loop, attached it to metal objects with its magnetic base, and just stood it up on surfaces.

Both lanterns have a long list of features that I’ll cover in a more in-depth review, but the purpose of this feature was to just introduce the company and its products. The lanterns aren’t cheap; do we think they’re worth the price so far? Well, we liked them so much that, with the moderate discount Ledlenser provided, a friend and I bought 6 more ML6s and 4 more ML4s for personal use and as gifts!

JDM vs Non-JDM Rd 2: Size Matters

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Top to bottom: Daiwa Shoreline Shiner Vertice 120F SSR, Shimano Shallow Assassin Flash Boost, Shimano Waxwing Baby, gold Kastmaster 3/8 oz (Matt’s didn’t have the teaser and single hook)

For this version of JDM vs Non-JDM testing, Holoholo writer Matthew and I decided to test our various JDM and Non-JDM lures against each other and not so much limit ourselves to using or not using JDM lures. We also wanted to fish with the lures available in the Store to make sure we’re selling something that catches fish. Matt would be using a 3/8 oz gold Kastmaster, JDM Lucky Craft Sammy 100, Daiwa Shoreline Vertice 97F (not sold in Store), Shimano Shallow Assassin Flash Boost and his secret top water lure. I would be using a Daiwa Shoreline Vertice 120F SSR with stronger VMC 4X treble hooks, Shimano Waxwing Baby with stronger, shorter double hook (not sold in Store), and Shimano Shallow Assassin Flash Boost. Matt carried 2 spinning rods and a bait casting rod with him, pre-rigged, so he could easily use a different lure as conditions dictated. I used a 13 Fishing bait casting travel rod with Tactical Angler Power Clip to easily change lures.

The spot we fished was a shallow, murky flat with a few pockets of small bait fish. Matt started with his gold Kastmaster and I started with the Vertice 120F. We fished murky water without any bites until we saw small iao being whacked by a few predators. Matt casted into the fray an immediately hooked up with a chunky white papio. I casted my 4.75″ Vertice 120F all over the bait school with not a single hit. After releasing his papio, Matt registered more hits on his kastmaster that didn’t stick. He figured they were smaller whites that were bumping the spoon but not getting stuck on the rear treble.

Feeling left out of the action I put on the smallest lure I was carrying, the Waxwing Baby, which is 2.7 inches long and about half an ounce. A little ways down from the bait school I finally hooked something, a small kaku. Whew, I was getting tired of being schooled by Matt! As we made our way down the beach, Matt went through his arsenal of lures and the kaku boiled on his top water lures but didn’t stick.

Nothing else hit my Waxwing Baby so I put on a brand new Flash Boost and fished it for the first time. For a lure just shy of 4 inches and weighing less than half an ounce, it casted really well due to Shimano’s spring loaded weight transfer system. It swam in a fairly aggressive wobble/zig zag, and dove about 10 inches at the speed I was retrieving. I really liked how it matched the small bait and was expecting it to be slammed but had to wait for the witching hour to start. About 45 mins before sun down, we returned to where Matt caught his white papio and my Shallow Assassin got hit just 15 ft in front of me. Another small kaku. That was only my second hit of the day; Matt probably had at least 5 hits by this point. But being the witching hour, it really turned on and I had 3 more kaku hits that I missed on the Flash Boost, and it was time to go.

Not a lot of fish, and those caught were babies, but what we learned was that our lures had to match the small iao in order to see any action.

I really like the construction of the Shimano Shallow Assassin. It looks and feels well made like the Shimano Waxwing, and has a pronounced wobble/zig zag that gets looks. We’re down to 1 Shallow Assassin left in the Store because I took one to do this test, but our supplier said he will restock us very soon. He’s buying them retail from Japan so there’s not much margin to mark up, but we really just wanted to expose you guys to some great JDM equipment. There isn’t a domestic lure under 4 inches that casts far, doesn’t dive more than a foot, and attracts fish. The Shallow Assassin is legit.

And the Non-JDMs won this round because the Kastmaster and Shimano Waxwing can be bought in stores here.

Product Review: Line Cutterz

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By Robert Richards

Have you ever gotten tired of fumbling around with scissors, braid shears, nail clippers, pliers or even biting your line?? I have. I have even left them all at home and tried other means to cut my line. This happens time and time again to even the most disciplined fisherman. Luckily the people behind Line Cutterz have our backs! You may have seen these products before either on Shark Tank or through an advertisement. I certainly did, so I reached out to the guys at Line Cutterz and they were kind enough to send me their triple play pack! I have thoroughly tested (to my normal use) both the Line Cutterz Ring and the new ceramic blade Zipper pull! Our gracious host, Scott, will review the flush mount.

As most of you are already aware, I am an avid kayak fisherman. As of late though, I have been dabbling back in the shore whipping game to test out some of our products and generate great content for you folks. The thing is, these Line Cutterz are great for ALL types of fishing! The ring is comfortable on the finger or very easy to attach the your most used or accessible rod. Heck, if you wanted to you could even strap it to that lucky banana! So far, I prefer to keep the Velcro strap the ring comes with so I can alternate between placing on my finger or rod. A pro tip for permanent mounting would be a simple piece of electrical tape and a zip tie.

The Zipper pull is just as versatile. It is easily added to a key ring and attached to any piece of clothing that has a zipper. In fact, I added mine to my life jacket right next to my emergency whistle!

If you haven’t already seen them, there are countless videos of @line_cutterz on Instagram (or Line Cutterz, LLC on facebook) showing the ease of cutting line that is as simple as to make a loop and pull the loop onto the blade. With a little bit of practice, you can accurately cut tag ends to your desired length with one or two hands! You can even clip the knot on the hook or lure to cleanly remove the line for a clean lure! The blades are extremely sharp! With that said, there is no chance you can actually cut yourself! The recessed blades make for a finger cut free experience. I have used mine on braid, fluorocarbon and monofilament from 10lb test all the way up to 100lb test without any problems.

No more searching for another piece of equipment that is tethered down or at the bottom of the tacklebox. With a few Line Cutterz you can have them everywhere and never have to worry about finding a way to cut your line!

I am loving my Line Cutterz for cutting my Monofilament, Fluorocarbon or Braid! There are a bunch of other merch you can get besides the actual cutters, but that may be for another article or you may see some of the gear in our online shop! Stay tuned!

Product Review: Wilderness Systems Heavy Duty Kayak Cart with Beach Wheels

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By Robert Richards

Ever question how to get your kayak easily from the truck to the water? Who hasn’t? After pouring over all the options, composing pros/cons lists, comparing features to cost, reading reviews and observing friends’ use of kayak carts, I finally settled on the Wilderness Systems Heavy Duty Kayak Cart (Wildy Cart).

Why I like it: Simple and functional design that holds a lot of weight and is easy to use!

Coming from using Hobie kayaks with the reinforced scupper holes to prevent scupper hole damage and easy to use scupper carts, I found searching for a kayak cart to be a difficult task. Since I now fill an Ocean Kayak Trident Ultra 4.7 with a fitted cooler and all my fishing gear, weight limits on carts and ease of dragging through the sand were the leading factors for me spend so much effort researching kayak carts. I was looking at about 210lbs (dry) worth of carrying weight. Now I could have chosen a different cart and unloaded gear on the beach, but sometimes that simply isn’t an option.

So, my minimum needs for a kayak cart were to transport at least 210lbs, and have beach wheels. I noticed that most kayak carts rely on kick stands to keep the cart in position and ready for loading. Potential problem with other carts is not being able to balance properly in sand or be easily tipped over if bumped, or the stand could even get broken, since these carts are meant to have the kickstand forward for use. Some carts have 2 stands on one side, which certainly would reduce forward tipping and provide overall stability. Though there still is a chance the cart could tip backwards, and you must start the loading process all over again. The Wildy Cart’s bunker bars are designed in such a way as the bars act as a stand in either direction! If the cart tilts the other way, the bars act as a teetertotter and you simply load the kayak as usual. As a bonus, I have found that I can easily load the kayak onto the cart by simply lifting the tail end of the kayak and slide the cart under the kayak or if I am in the water just slide the cart under the kayak and strap it. This cannot be done as easily with any of the kayak carts on the market.

Furthermore, most carts on the market have a one size fits most frame with little to no flexibility to adjust to fit your kayak perfectly. Here is where the Wildy Cart shines again, because you can not only adjust height (2 settings), you can adjust the width as well. On top of that, the Wildy Cart has the option to swap out the wheels from beach wheels to all terrain and vice versa! Other carts do have wheels that can be used for sand and all terrain, but I found they don’t do as well as purpose-built wheels. For strapping, pretty much all the carts (including the Wildy Cart) are a chore to strap; you must loop the straps around the kayak and cart to hold the cart onto the kayak. Though there are a couple of DIY modifications you can do, which I may cover in a future article.

This brings me to a few observations I have about the Wildy Cart, now that I have spent nearly a month with it. Aside from easily loading it as described earlier, I did notice that the height setting had a huge impact on how you load the kayak. With the higher setting, the higher you have to lift the kayak to put on the cart. This can be a very difficult task if you must lift the kayak onto the cart on the beach. I tend to prefer to slide the kayak onto the cart in the water. I figure it is best to let the water do most of the heavy lifting. You only need fight the buoyancy of the wheels this way. However, this does expose your cart to the salt frequently and I have yet to learn of the possible damage that I will cause the cart from this loading method. With submerging the cart in water, it tends to fill the bars with water and there is no draining that can take place in the bunker bars except at the plastic piece at the four ‘T’ junctions.

Wilderness Systems Heavy Duty Kayak Cart specs (MSRP $199.99) :

-As promised, the cart looks and feels as though it can handle 450lbs

-13” x 7.5” beach wheels

-Bunker bar frame

– Easily adjustable width that does help from kayak twisting upon loading.

– 2 height options

– 2 security straps

– No scupper posts

– Built from aluminum

– easy to load and unload kayak

– collapses with 4 bolts to fit within the hull of my kayak

Specs not listed:

Weight: ~15lbs, Length: 32”, Height- High: 17.5”, Low: 15”

Width: Beach wheels- 33 ½”, Bar adjustment range: 16″

I have got to say that I am loving this kayak cart! I would highly recommend getting one or trying one out. I purchased mine during a 20% REI sale but had to pay extra shipping for the oversized item. It’s cheaper to buy it at $199.99 from Amazon Prime.

Disclaimer: I am not yet affiliated with Wilderness Systems, I did this review purely out of love for this cart!

Anetik Performance clothing – brief review

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Note: June 17, 2023. Please check out the composite review of the Anetik products the guys have been using for years. Click here.

I had heard about Anetik’s “shade socks” when I was looking for calf protection from jellyfish stings last year. Anetik strives to make the lightest, most breathable, UV shielding performance clothing for outdoor enthusiasts. When I stumbled upon their booth at this year’s Fred Hall Show, I was intrigued to see and touch the thigh high shade socks close up. They looked and felt like women’s hosiery a little more than I’d prefer, but after getting stung 5 times last year, I was desperate. The shade socks were designed for Florida kayak fishers who didn’t want to keep applying sunscreen to their legs. I got the camo color to look less freaky.

The show pricing was so good, I got the long sleeve performance shirt and shade mask as well, and was able to trial the gear on a recent 5 hr kayak fishing outing.

The shade mask’s contoured fit helped keep it in place better than any other mask I have used, and didn’t have a lot of extra material to blow around in the wind.

The long sleeve performance shirt was very breathable and comfortable on this warm, light wind day. When I opened my PFD to cool off, the heat from my body dissipated immediately.

The shade socks were also very breathable and completely eliminated the need for sun screen, yet didn’t feel hot at all.

The material used in the shirt and socks is very light and has an open weave that makes it more delicate than the other performance fabrics I’ve worn. The care instructions say to hand wash, separate from velcro, which is an indication that coming into contact with roughly textured items isn’t advised.

My assessment so far is that Anetik makes very nice looking, UV blocking, performance clothing that feel great and hold up well if washed away from snaggy items. On the next kayak trip without the shade socks, my sun tan lotion eventually washed off my legs and I got sunburnt. I’ll definitely wear the Anetik attire going forwad.

Why I bought a Trident Ultra 4.3 to fish offshore

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We’ve been fishing further away from shore, and my Scupper Pro felt tippy and overloaded with gear. I wanted a kayak that could handle wind and cross current if those conditions came up, would be efficient enough to propel (paddle or pedal) with the least amount of parts to break down, and have a center hatch large enough to store gear and fish. A transducer cavity under the hull, large enough for my Garmin EchoMap 44CV would close the deal.

I looked at a lot of offshore kayaks and narrowed my list down to the Hobie Revolution 13 (which Frank has), the South African fiberglass Stealth Profisha series and the Ocean Kayak Trident series. I realized that I probably would forget to take out the Revo 13 mirage drive when landing on the beach, or take it out while fishing and drop it over the side, and I’d gouge the fiberglass Profisha on rocks, or drop it in the parking lot. Those two kayaks are beautiful and pricey and even if I didn’t destroy them I’d be too worried about theft.

So instead I went to Go Bananas in Kapahulu to see what Trident models would work for my needs. John Enomoto explained that the discontinued Trident Ultra series was modeled after the hardcore New Zealand Trident series, sporting a much larger center hatch and huge tank well designed to carry loads of fish and even a bait tank. The new Trident 13 and 15 didn’t have as much storage and the rails were cluttered with track mounts that wouldn’t be strong enough to hold an offshore rod.

So for quite a bit less money than the Hobies and Stealths, I could get a very seaworthy, durable kayak that could carry a lot of gear and fish. I was sold.

John installed/improved the bow and stern handles, front rod holder, center hatch, seat and rudder, and my fishing buddy Frank fabricated a stainless steel mount for the transducer to fit high and tight in the transducer scupper hole.

In the 4 trips so far, I’ve felt much safer and have caught my PB uku and first pelagic. I really feel comfortable out deep on the Ultra 4.3.

In this video, I do a brief intro as to why I chose the Trident Ultra 4.3, and John of Go Bananas walks through the improvements he made. No laugh, I nevah like be in front da camera!

Fred Hall Show 2019 – Part II

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Axel Valdez of Hotel Buena Vista

Last year, Steve of Promar / Ahi USA introduced me to Axel Valdez, co-owner of the renown Hotel Buena Vista on the East Cape of Baja Mexico. Steve highly recommended the family owned hotel for their hospitality and fish catching prowess.

Felipe Valdez of Felipe Valdez Sport Fishing

This year, I was able to meet Axel’s brother Felipe, who recently launched his independent guide service, Felipe Valdez Sport Fishing. Felipe puts together customized trips that could include surf fishing for roosterfish, panga (wooden motorized skiff) fishing for nearshore and bottom fish, and cruiser fishing for pelagics. He could even take a kayak out on a cruiser and put us right on the fish, equipped with live bait. East Cape trips are very affordable compared to farther destinations, and because the Hotel Buena Vista is rustic, clients don’t have to pay 5 star prices. Since their warm water species are similar to our jacks, grouper, mahi, tuna and marlin, we could use our own gear and techniques to try to land them. Makes for an easy destination fishing trip from Hawaii. Our crew is trying to see if we can put together a trip for next year’s prime season!

I sought out Ali Hussainy of the Bloody Decks website and the Local Knowledge fishing show. Bloody Decks started as a fishing forum, I believe, and is now the world’s largest saltwater fishing website. If you haven’t watched their tv show Local Knowledge on YouTube, the focus is to compare and contrast SoCal fishing with Florida fishing. Makes for some interesting background on the two fisheries and some serious smack talking. I told Ali I manage a tiny Hawaii based fishing website and would welcome any advice he had on how to grow it! Traded him a box of Hawaiian Host Caramacs and a couple NOH Poke Mixes for the original Bloody Decks t-shirt. Unfortunately they were out of the Local Knowledge shirts.

Stumbled upon the Anetik booth, maker of the world’s only UV protectant leg sleeves, as far as I know. I had read about them in a kayak fishing review when I was looking for leg protection from Man Of War stings. The “Shade Socks“, as they’re called, provide UPF 30+ coverage on feet and legs, in an ultra breathable way, and have a rubber grip at the top of the sock to keep it in place.

Pete walked me through the fashionable lineup of fishing shirts, polos, hoodies and face masks in their breathable UPF 30+ material. The show pricing was so good, I got the shade socks ( no need to put sunscreen on our legs now!), performance shirt and shade mask and will be testing them on the kayak soon.

I like the contoured fit of the shade mask. Won’t catch a lot of wind when kayak fishing. Turns out Anetik’s products are sold on Oahu and the Neighbor Islands. Check out their Hawaii retailers here.

In the outdoor perimeter of the Long Beach Convention Center, there were wading pools filled with hatchery rainbow trout kids could catch and take home, and trained dogs leaping off a ramp to catch a ball before landing into a pool of cold water.

This little pooch was just getting acclimated with the chill.

Ended the trip with a stop at an REI (Recreation Equipment Inc) store, to bring home reusable canvas bags for the wife. She loves these because they wash and dry without distorting as they shrink. For $5.99 they are a pretty good deal to be used as grocery bags and gift satchels.

2018 Product Endorsements: Gear that passed the test

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I was able to extensively test a bunch of new products this year. Not all performed well for the long haul. Here’s the ones I fully endorse that passed the test after their initial review.

Rapala Fish and Game Shears – Strong, sharp, effective in opening a fish’s cavity for gutting, snipping off gills, fins, etc.  Comes apart for easy cleaning. Stainless steel blades haven’t corroded after months of use. Currently less than $9 as an add-on on Amazon Prime.

 

Gerber Crucial Multi-Tool – Small enough to fit in my kayak PFD pocket, easy to open serrated blade with one hand.  Stainless steel construction. Needle nose pliers, knife, flat and phillips screw driver. Everything you need, nothing you don’t. Here’s the original review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Action Hat DIY GoPro mount – This kit with internal foam floation allowed me to mount a GoPro on my favorite hat.  I don’t feel the foam insert when I wear the cap, and the GoPro isn’t as glaringly noticeable as my previous GoPro hat. The hat hasn’t fallen off my head yet, but I’m pretty sure it will float long enough for retrieval since the hat itself floats. $29.99 on livelivegear.com.

Yeti Rambler Camp Mug – While not directly related to fishing, the camp mug can be used to drink something hot while you wait for that ulua to bite.  I’m testing some of the Yeti products that can be taken fishing (soft cooler, etc) and this mug was a sleeper. I really liked how it felt in my hand, and how the double insulated walls and lid kept my coffee hot for a long time.  Here’s the original review.

 

 

Buff® Elite Gloves – Though not specifically made as fishing gloves to paddle with, these gloves have been awesome for kayak fishing.  I’ve machine washed them many times and there’s no signs of wear.  I don’t kayak fish without them. Here’s the original review.

 

Product Test: Yeti Rambler 14 oz Camp Mug

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The Yeti company was founded in 2006 with the mission to build “over engineered” coolers that are bear proof, disaster resistant, and can keep ice longer than the competition. Thanks to a very aggressive marketing campaign, they are best known premium cooler brand.

Yeti drinkware has become very popular on Oahu, especially the 18 to 64 oz bottles with the cap that allows you to hold and swing it with 3 fingers.   It appears that Yeti has surpassed Hydro Flask as the brand to have.

I’ve been testing the Yeti soft cooler Hopper 12, the Rambler 20 oz tumbler, and the Rambler 14 oz camp mug for the last two months.  I use the mug everyday and will review that first.  Will review the Hopper and the Rambler tumbler after I get more use in.

The camp mug is so wide in diameter it won’t fit in most cup holders.  Look how much narrower the tumbler’s base is compared to the mug’s.  The mug wasn’t designed to be a daily commuter.  It was designed to take camping to hold hot soup, hot cereal and your favorite hot beverage.  While large, and double-wall insulated, it’s not heavy but does feel burly (in a good way) due to the large handle that could fit a gloved hand.  That double-wall insulation prevents the outside from getting warm to the touch, and never “sweats”.

 

 

 

 

 

The mug easily fits on my Keurig tray with height to spare, and the stock clear plastic lid with sipping hole keeps my coffee hot for much longer than I need it to. In fact, I have to let the coffee cool a little before putting the lid on, otherwise I’d burn my lips.

If you’re a sipper and take more than an hour to sip your hot beverage, you could purchase the MagSlider lid ($9.99) that keeps the mug sealed until you’re ready to sip.  My coffee used to become lukewarm by the time I finished it and tasted kind of weak. Now that I’m finishing it while hot, it tastes so much better.

The mug and rubber gasketed lid wash up easily and have resisted staining inside and out.  The mug lists for $24.99 and I’ve seen it at a lot of tackle stores and surf shops this holiday season.  I recommend getting one, especially if you can catch a storewide sale. Using it makes me feel like I’m in the wild outdoors, though I’ve never used the mug outside of the house.

 

Product Test: Gerber Crucial Multi-Tool for kayak fishing

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Gerber Neat Freak

A critical piece of kayak fishing safety equipment is something that you can use to cut yourself free from tangles in an emergency. I used to carry a serrated saw type knife on my vest but wanted something that could also cut bait and trim line tags.  So I added a Gerber Neat Freak scissors I got at the Fred Hall Show that is designed to cleanly snip braided line. Since the Neat Freak is tethered to my vest, I’d be able to cut myself out of tangles also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I liked the construction of the Neat Freak so much, I checked Gerber’s other products online. They had a bunch of well made knives and fully loaded multi-tools I didn’t need, but then I came across a very basic multi-tool, the Crucial.  It had a half serrated knife that could be opened easily with one hand, flat and phillips screwdrivers for tightening mounts on the yak, and needle nose pliers.  Best of all it was made out of stainless steel so it wouldn’t rust in my vest pocket.  Everything I needed to carry and nothing I didn’t, in a very compact package. I guess that’s why they named it the Crucial.

 

 

 

 

 

There’s a raised edge on the knife blade that allows you to flick open the blade with one hand.  Very handy if you’re holding onto an overturned kayak with your other hand, and your legs are wrapped in fishing line.

Amazon Prime is currently selling the Crucial for $25 to $35 depending on the color.

Product Test: Flotation added to sunglasses and GoPro cap

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The general rule in kayak fishing is to tie everything down in case your kayak goes bottom up.  But what about the things on your body like  sunglasses, and GoPro hat?

Last month, I had put my unstrapped Maui Jim prescription sunglasses on my head to tie a hook and the strong winds blew it off without me even knowing. No where to be found.  Very sad day.  I’ve been a bit more careful with my  GoPro cap.  Been using a bright orange floating cube around the GoPro, but it’s so heavy and glaringly indiscreet.  I needed to improve on those two items’ flotation.

I purchased a Chums Classic Glassfloats Sunglass Retainer on Amazon Prime for $8.95 (price varies based on color). The strap is comfortable enough to wear and allows me to let the sunglasses hang down on my chest when I need to do close work (the prescription lenses are too strong to tie knots).  The straps should prevent the sunglasses from blowing off me and if I huli the kayak hopefully the bright orange floating retainer will float my sunglasses in a highly visible manner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also purchased an Action Hat DIY Kit, $29.99 on livelivegear.com. It comprised of an 8mm thick foam frame you add to the inside of your own hat for flotation and a GoPro mount you screw into the frame.  I installed it in my good luck G Loomis Coolmax cap and it looked almost stealth in comparison to my previous setup.  The frame blocked a bit of ventilation when I paddled for 4 hrs on a hot day but otherwise was very comfortable and functional.

I need to test the sunglasses strap and Action Hat DIY kit further to ensure my stuff floats. Will keep you guys posted.

 

Product Test: Buff® Elite Gloves

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It was less than 10 years ago that long sleeve UV blocking “performance” fishing shirts were a rare sight here.  As they caught on,  those ninja mask looking “neck gaiters” began to gain popularity around 5 years ago. Buff® was the company that introduced the face and neck protection sleeves to the fishing world.  Now it’s fairly common to see sun exposed fishers covered up with cap, neck gaiter and long sleeve shirt.

Fly fishermen have always led the way with UV blocking clothes and they were the first ones to wear fishing gloves for sun protection as well as finger protection since they are constantly guiding and stripping line.  Kayak paddlers have been wearing paddling gloves for years also.  I’ve been taping my left thumb and forefinger at times to avoid line cuts from wet braid when I whip with my bait caster, but couldn’t justify wearing gloves to fish. Mostly I though they’d reduce feel and look a little *funny*.

 

 

 

 

Fishing gloves with the finger tips exposed sounded like a “kill two birds” kind of solution to pad my palms from paddling blisters and protect my fingers from line and fish cuts.  Buff® has an “Elite” glove made to provide UV, blister and cut protection, reduce bacterial growth (stink) and provide grip.  They aren’t paddling gloves per se, but seemed padded enough on the palm to serve that purpose.

The Elite gloves were light weight, breathable because the backs are made out of the same material as the neck gaiters, and I could still use my finger tips to tie knots, manipulate my reel, unhook fish and wipe my sunglasses.  I broke them in on that 6 hr kayak fishing trip I tested the Columbia PFG Terminal Tackle shorts. My hands felt much less fatigued from paddling and weren’t cut up from handling fish fins / spines and hooks.

 

I inadvertently dropped an omilu that I thought was bonked out cold but came to life as I was trying to put it in my fish bag.  Luckily it landed on my foot that was straddling the kayak, and I was able to slide my gloved hand down the pokey scutes and secure it by the tail.  Without the gloves I would have been poked and slimed and for sure the fish would have gotten away.  I felt like an NFL wide receiver catching a slippery football one handed!

I’ve worn the gloves a couple of times now and haven’t experienced any downsides. If I really need my fingers free I can quickly take the gloves off and put them on again. And when they get stinky I can machine wash them. Definitely gonna wear gloves whenever I kayak fish, and want to try another pair with more of the finger tip exposed.

The Buff® Elite Gloves sell for $45 on the buffusa.com website.  I’ve worn them twice and machine washed them twice and they are holding up fine.  If they work out as well as I expect I’ll add a product endorsement. 

Product Review: Columbia PFG Terminal Tackle Shorts

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Tackle tray is 4 1/2″ wide by 7 3/8″ tall. Elastic lanyard and small pocket can hold pliers, etc.

Yes, I’m wearing gloves. Those will be reviewed soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used to use MMA training shorts in the board shorts style to surfboard and kayak fish. No, I don’t train MMA but they were stretchy, and had hip pockets to hold my phone. After years of use they started unraveling, and since I rarely board fish anymore, I was looking to replace them with shorts that had open front pockets since I didn’t plan to be swimming or wading in waist deep water.

Columbia Sportswear makes a line of clothing specifically for fishing, called Performance Fishing Gear, or PFG.  I hadn’t worn Columbia clothing for more than a decade, but the shirts and pants I had before were very functional and reasonably priced.  My dad still wears my long sleeve, button down, collared, vented fishing shirt to do yard work. 🙂

West Marine has a great selection of the Columbia PFG line, so I tried on some long sleeve, high tech, sun reflecting shirts and the Terminal Tackle shorts.  Columbia shirts run a bit big.  I wear a Large in other brands of fishing shirts but their Medium is roomy for me.  I was a size 30 in the shorts which is about what I wear in surf trunks cuz a 30 really has a 31 – 32 inch waist maybe?

I liked that the Terminal Tackle shorts had 4-way stretch material, deep, useful front pockets, and a zippered side pocket that could fit my Galaxy S8 Active. It also came with a bottle opener / line cutter on an elastic leash.  I don’t keep anything in my pockets while seated in the kayak, but having pockets would be super helpful during the loading and unloading process and for boat fishing.

Purchased some long sleeve shirts that I haven’t tried yet, and the Terminal Tackle shorts.  Oama fished in them, and they were comfortable due to the stretch. I loved having a place to put my keys and phone when I got out of the water.  They’re also sun, stain and stink resistant which is key when you’re using smelly baits for picky oama.

Kayak fishing for 6 hrs was a much better stress test.  The shorts were comfortable in the heat, didn’t chafe, dried quickly and held my pre and post fishing stuff easily.  They look more like walk shorts than surf trunks, which is ok I guess.  I removed the bottle opener/line cutter and can attach a fishing tool to the elastic lanyard if I want.  At $50 in the stores locally, they’re cheaper than stretchy surf trunks and at times some colors are on sale at www.columbia.com.  The Terminal Tackle shorts are everything I wanted in fishing shorts – I highly recommend them.

Product Review: Fish cleaning tools

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(top to bottom) Japanese scaler, Rapala Fish and Game Shears, Rapala Salt Angler’s Curved Filet Knife – 10 inch size

I hadn’t cleaned a fish since mid-May, when Kelly gave me the nabeta he caught in the deep with me (I had bites but got skunked).  Here’s what happened that day. This week, I had the chance to use my new fish cleaning tools on the omilu I caught kayaking with Frank.

Old picture of a small omilu on the Cabela’s Deluxe Filet Table with lousy scaler and kitchen knife

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had been using the Cabela’s Deluxe Filet Table with sink and running water, but was using an old school aluminum scaler and a kitchen knife. I could scale fish in the sink, under water, to minimize flying scales, and clean and filet fish on the table with easy cleanup, but the scaler wasn’t good for small scaled fish, and the knife wasn’t sharp or hefty enough to cut through thick bone.

 

The fish I was about to clean measured 15.5 inches on the front edge of the Deluxe Filet Table, shorter than I had thought!  Maybe it shrank in the fridge? 😛

I tried the Japanese scaler Frank had recommended.  It’s sold locally at POP, and probably other places that sell kitchen ware.  The brass teeth easily pulled the omilu’s scales out, and it had a nice weighted feel.  Best scaler I’ve ever used.

Next, I opened the omilu up with the Rapala Fish and Game Shears, nimbly slicing the stomach cavity without cutting into the stomach, and easily cut the gills off the throat.  With a knife, I’ve always had trouble chopping the gills free.  The Fish and Game Shears are currently on Amazon Prime for under $13.

The Rapala Salt Angler’s Curved Filet Knife with 10 inch blade was over kill for the omilu but the sharp, strong, no-flex blade made easy work removing the scutes and cutting off the head and tail.  In the past, I had to use a sawing action with my smaller kitchen knife.  I didn’t filet the omilu before giving it to my dad but did have to remove all the fluorescent yellow worms of different thicknesses in the head, gill and stomach areas. Disgusting!  The Salt Angler’s 10 inch Curved Filet Knife is currently on Amazon Prime for under $40.

Hot Tip: The Cabela’s folding filet table goes on sale around Christmas time, for about $50 and free shipping. What a steal! It’s much easier to clean fish standing up, with running water to clean off.

Having the right fish cleaning tools makes a messy job so much easier.  What tools do you guys use?

Product Review: Gerber and Rapala take apart shears

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Zoom in to see the corrosion on the Gerber shears (lower one)

top to bottom: Rapala Game Shears, Gerber Take Apart Shears

 

I’ve been using the Gerber Vital Take-Apart-Shears for about 5 months now, mainly in the kitchen and had once opened up a nabeta and cut away the gills with it.  It’s small and lightweight but the thumb hole is less comfortable than the school scissors it resembles.  It’s great for trimming meats and chunking small baits and has been holding its edge.  I really like Gerber products but my one complaint is that it’s beginning to show rust spots on the blade and the screw turned brown right away since it’s not made out of Stainless Steel.  I’ve even cleaned it with Corrosion Block but it continues to slowly show corrosion/rust spots.  Gerber is coming out with salt water versions of their fishing tools in 2018 and I believe these shears will be updated to stainless steel.  These shears are currently about $18 on Amazon Prime.

I got the Rapala Fish and Game Shears about 3 months ago and haven’t cleaned a fish with it, but have used it in the kitchen more than the Gerber, to catch up on testing it.  It’s marketed as kind of a multi-tool take apart shears with features like a straight knife, serrated knife/fish scaler, bottle opener/bone cracker and vegetable peeler although I’ve just used it as kitchen shears.  It’s larger and heavier than the Gerber shears but is actually more comfortable to use due to the oversized finger holes.  There’s no mention of what the blade is made out of but it isn’t showing signs of rust like the Gerber is.  The Rapala Shears feel sturdier than the Gerber due to the thickness of the materials used and can cut through a thicker piece meat than the Gerber can.  At less than $13 on Amazon Prime I’m actually pleasantly surprised how well they are holding up.

Both the Gerber and the Rapala shears are very easy to take apart and clean.  I’ll update this review after cleaning fish with the two shears. For kitchen shear use, I would recommend the Rapala shears so far.

Update 9/23/18: I used the Rapala Fish and Game Shears to clean an omilu. Read about that here.

 

Product Review: The ubiquitous Frabill oama bait bucket

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The strongly recommended bait bucket to use for oama in Hawaii has been the Frabill Flow Troll on the left. If you see fishermen carrying that bucket you know they’re either planning to catch bait, or have live bait in it to dunk.  What makes it so convenient to use is that it’s weighted to float with the door facing up, and when pulled, water flows through to aerate the bait in the bucket.  But the feature that separates it from the rest, including the Plano (parent company of Frabill) bucket on the right, is that the Flow Troll has a spring loaded door that allows you to push it open with one hand and drop in your oama, without having to unlatch and latch the door.

If you had to fiddle with opening and closing a latch, there’s a good chance your precious oama would find its way out. We even carry the Flow Troll inside our kayaks when holding live oama, and dunk it overboard occasionally, to give the bait fresh, oxygenated water.

Trust me, don’t buy any other bait bucket unless you will always have two hands available to access it.  You should be able to find the Flow Troll at your local tackle shop for $15 or less, and expect it to last for many oama seasons.

Product Review: Sufix 832, the best braid you can use?

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The guys and I have been using braid on our reels to get maximum line capacity, and maximum casting distance.  Braid lasts longer than mono but is more expensive.  We had tried different brands before trying Sufix 832 Advanced Superline.

Thad:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returning from a 7 year fishing hiatus due to new daddy duties, I was surprised to learn that braid had become the prevalent line used by most fishers. Hearing about the benefits of braid made it a no–brainer to switch. This meant having to upgrade much of my old gear to “braid friendly” versions. Keep in mind I’m still a relative newbie to braided lines so this review is limited to first hand use of a few brands.

With so many braid choices on the market, I decided to start with one I had heard of and that a coworker swears by – PowerPro. It took a little getting used to the characteristics of braid and I had to learn some new knots to replace ones I used with mono, but I loved being able to cast my light lures with lines rated at such heavy breaking strengths. Further research of the pros and cons of PowerPro made me want to test other braids and see the differences for myself.

I wanted to start with the affordable brands available in the US market and not dive right into the ultra-expensive JDM ones. In addition to PowerPro, I purchased Spiderwire Stealth, Daiwa J-Braid, and Sufix 832. I spooled them on to different braid friendly whipping reels to test on the flats and off a marina dock. Both the PowerPro and Spiderwire are 4-strand braids while the Daiwa J-Braid and Sufix 832 are 8-strand.

I prefer the casting smoothness and suppleness of the 8-strand braids. I feel like my casts are longer and I hear less humming of the line going through the guides on both the cast and retrieve. I also haven’t experienced any wind knots – something I had occasional issues with when using the 4-strand PowerPro and Spiderwire.

One noticeable disadvantage of braid compared to monofilament is its abrasion resistance. For this reason, monofilament is still my line of choice when dunking certain rocky spots. But for whipping lures, I won’t (can’t) go back to mono. Between the two 8-strand lines I tested, I’ve noticed much less fraying on the Sufix 832. Repeated casting of the braids cause the lines to show signs of fuzziness or minor fraying where I hold the line with my finger when casting. I cut that section off and re-tie my leader when I notice this. Anytime I feel line rubbing the reef or underwater structure, I always inspect it carefully to find the damaged area for removal. Honestly, there have been a few times where I could not find a frayed section on the Sufix 832 even after feeling a line rub.

Line diameter on the Sufix 832 is also noticeably thinner versus the J-Braid. A friend who was using Daiwa J-Braid asked me what line I was using so I recommended Sufix 832. He later told me he bought some Sufix 832 but didn’t buy a big enough spool to fill his reel because he didn’t know it was so much thinner than Daiwa J-Braid. The thinner Sufix 832 meant he could fit more line on his reel.

From what I’ve seen, some JDM braids are at a whole nother level of strength and performance – if you’re willing to pay the big premium in pricing. Are those braids so much superior to my current favorite Sufix 832? I guess that would depend on your fishing style and how big your wallet is. For my style of fishing and budget, Sufix 832 is more than enough. The advantages I gained over monofilament in terms of casting distance, breaking strength, line diameter, and longevity of the line, far outweigh its higher cost and decreased abrasion resistance.

Scott:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Sufix® 832® Advanced Superline® is the strongest, most durable small diameter braid on the market”, or so says the marketing claim.  “832” is called such because it incorporates 8 fibers woven 32 times per inch.  8 fibers make a “rounder” braided line than the 4 fibers that a lot of the competition use.  All of that sounded great when I made the switch from PowerPro a few years ago, but I mainly wanted a braided line that wouldn’t cause backlashes when casting my bait casters.

I had some really bad backlashes prior to switching to Sufix 832 that required scissors to cut out the tangle.  Often I ended up with so little line left that my casting distance was greatly diminished.  Sufix 832 was a smoother, slicker line, and I had far less backlashes. The few backlashes I did get could be easily pulled out, and the subsequent cast was backlash-free.  This was enough to get me stoked on Sufix 832 and loaded it on all my reels.  I’ve never had Sufix break on me, even when fighting sharks that weighed more than twice the lb test rating.  I now realize that more yards of Sufix 832 went on my reels than PowerPro because the diameter of Sufix is smaller.  Smaller diameter braid translates to longer casts and less resistance when dropping a jig or weighted bait down, even more reason to switch to Sufix 832.

In this video, I had freshly spooled Sufix 832 Coastal Camo on a 13 Fishing Concept Z reel and not only was it packed loosely, I cast it dry which increased the chance of backlashes.  The backlash happened immediately and my lure flew off, but the tangle was really easy to pick apart.  I packed the line tight and had no problems after.  Charley’s Fishing Supply just started carrying Sufix 832 in bulk spools. It’s the best braid I’ve used so far.

Wet Sufix 832 pinched with my left thumb and forefinger to provide tension still eventually cuts into my thumb but the waxy coating delays slicing a lot more than less coated lines did.