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Redefine Trolling Motor Efficiency
Robbie Patterson is a veteran of high performance boat set ups and custom prop work, so when he began working on electric trolling motors a few years ago, he was astounded by how many problems confronted the devices upon which bass anglers depend most heavily throughout the day.
“They have a lot of issues,” he said. “Most of all they’re noisy. The mounts rattle and shake and I set out to find a way to quiet them by putting pressure on the pivot points. The side effect that it produced was to function as a lift assist for a Motorguide, and I tweaked it so that it assisted in both directions, unlike the lift assist on a Minn Kota, which only goes in one direction.”
Thus was born the Propeller Dynamics Equalizer Trolling Motor Assist System, the hottest marine accessory on the bass boat market today. This year alone, over two dozen tour-level pros have added them and the number grows every day. The following are a few of their testimonials:
2014 Bassmaster Classic Winner Randy Howell: “The Equalizer has made my tournament days much easier by eliminating over 50% of the weight of my Motorguide trolling motor when lifting it in and out of the water. Some days I make 30 to 40 stops. That’s 80 times I’m lifting the trolling motor. The torque on my elbow and shoulder can cause problems after a while, so the Equalizer saves me from that and helps me save my energy and strength for fighting the fish.”
2004 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle: “Some days I try to hit 50 to 75 places. That’s a lot of up and down and the Equalizer makes my job easier.”
Two Time B.A.S.S. Winner Fred Roumbanis: “The relief of so much weight is incredible and my back really appreciates the Equalizer.”
The design is simple: two epoxy-coated gas springs and a shaft that is coated in nitrate, much like the weatherproofing on many handguns. The result is a quieter trolling motor that is easier to deploy and stow, as well as impervious to the elements.
Obviously, this is a boon for older anglers with bad backs, or women and children who may struggle with the heft of modern day trolling motors, but anyone who uses a Motorguide affixed to a Gator Mount will benefit from its use. Your trolling motor will enter the water more quietly, and if you run and gun throughout the day, you’ll reduce the cumulative stress on your back, arms and shoulders by up to 50 percent.
The Equalizer is available directly from Propeller Dynamics (www.prop-dynamics.com), as well as from leading online retailers and marine dealers. They range in price from $99.99 to $124.99 for standard colors, with custom colors to match your bass boat available for a bit more.
“I can’t believe someone didn’t think of this 10 years ago,” Patterson concluded. “The more I work on these things, the more things I think of to make them better. There’s more coming for users of all brands of trolling motors, so stay tuned for more announcements in the near future.”
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For more information about the Propeller Dynamics Equalizer Trolling Motor Assist Systems, go to: http://prop-dynamics.com/trolling-motor/
Robbie Patterson
(804) 229-4611
The 3rd Generation of Evoluzion
These 3rd-Generation EVOLUZION rods feature a redesigned C40 hybrid titanium blank that blends ultra-premium low-resin carbon material and titanium fibers for a uniquely crisp, sensitive, and powerful experience. Finished off with Torzite guides and the custom tooling, design, and finish that Megabass is known for, the EVOLUZION series stands as Megabass’ new flagship performance series.
On the first day of the 21st century, the original EVOLUZION, a titanium fiber composite rod that represented a leap in the evolution of composite bass rods, debuted. An unprecedented rigidity and power made possible by the titanium construction captivated fast moving fishing specialists from across the country. Since then, 14 years have passed.
Finally, the third generation EVOLUZION awakens. Resin is an important component when combining two different materials such as titanium fiber and carbon graphite. Ito Yuki and the I.T.O. Engineering team, whose rods have won the acclaimed Japan Good design Award and made a mark at the design exhibition in Milano, Italy, set their goal to reducing the amount of resin used in order to make a titanium composite rod lighter and more powerful than a pure graphite rod, while also achieving a true, next generation feel to the shaft. That’s where they saw the future of fast moving rods to exist. With a reduction in resin content, the new EVOLUZION rods exude a flexible yet resilient torque-filled performance made possible by combining the titanium’s strength and the hi modulus graphite’s sensitivity. In other words, we strived for a pure union of titanium and carbon without any extraneous elements. The new metallic shaft feel comes from the newly developed C40 hybrid titanium graphite shaft’s super-low resin layered system.
Thanks to Ito’s field testing, the third generation EVOLUZION rods feature various new ergonomic improvements and represents a new generation of fishing interfaces. The superb castability that comes from the resilience of the titanium launches lightweight lures far into the distance. The resilience of the shape memory titanium increases the underwater movement distance of jerk bait, and leads to high hooking rates with rough bites on crank bait. The new EVOLUZION displays flexibility and high sensitivity even in no sinker games with high mass worms, bringing a brand new level of sensitivity to all situations. The amazing, dream-like dynamics of the new EVOLUZION will continue to revolutionize bass rods.
New Colors of the DT
MINNETONKA, Minn. (June 23, 2014) — From the tattoo parlor to the bait shop, the Rapala® DT® series is ready to roll up a sleeve and show off four fresh, new Ike’s Custom Ink colors — Girlfriend, Rasta, Mule and Bruise.
Designed personally by Michael “Ike” Iaconelli, the Ike’s Custom Ink colors are some of Ike’s secrets, he says “using something different, something unique, to catch more fish.”
Girlfriend
The new Girlfriend color pattern resembles a muted take on the famous Firetiger pattern, with the addition of a pink-orange throat flash. “That little bit of flash on the underside — that little naturalistic accent — can often mean the difference between not getting bit and getting bombarded,” Ike says.
“To look natural, it has to mimic the real thing,” Ike explains further in his Bassmaster.com column. “What the Bass sees is what matters.”
Mule
The new Mule color pattern is, essentially, a cross between a classic “bone” tone and a naturalistic craw color. “There’s no better way to accent bone, but to make it a crayfish pattern,” Ike says.
Rasta
A new take on an old favorite, the Rasta color pattern’s green back, chartreuse body and orange belly stripe will look familiar to many anglers — it resembles both the Homer color popular in the Southeast and the Firetiger color that’s a mainstay in the Upper Midwest.
“With Rasta, our take on that classic green-chartreuse combo is more toned down and muted, and there are no tiger stripes,” Ike explains. “But we kept the full orange belly, which can be essential for bites, especially in dirty, stained water.”
Compared to traditional Homer and Firetiger patterns, however, Rasta’s color palette is not nearly as bright.
“Bright isn’t always the best,” Ike explains. “Sometimes it seems to me that fishing lures — crankbaits, especially — are made to catch anglers rather than fish. They take on a gaudy look that’s pretty cool in the tackle shop but might not be so cool in the water.”
Bruise
When it comes to jigs and trailers, “Throwing black-and-blue — especially in colder water — is automatic,” Ike says. “But you rarely, if ever, saw that color combo in crankbaits.” Until now.
Ike’s new Bruise color pattern looks just like it sounds it would — blue and black and tender. Just like a molting crawdad.
“Most crayfish, when they molt — when they come out of their shell — they’re bluish black,” Ike explains. “And that’s when they’re most vulnerable. And fish know this instinctively. They know it’s an easy snack.”
How to Choose Sunglasses
Fish relate to changes under the water – grass lines, rocks, depth changes, wood, or floating mats of debris, and your ability to see these subtle changes can determine whether you come in with 5 to weigh in, or an empty live well. One of the most important aspects of successful fishing is maximizing what you, the angler, can see under the water while standing on the deck of your boat. For this reason, polarized sunglasses are a must.
Polarization works by filtering out reflected light waves from the waters surface and allowing only the light from a single plane to enter your eye. In layman’s terms: light waves are exactly that – waves. When they bounce off water, they move in a multitude of directions, and the polarized lenses on your glasses filter out the stray waves and allow only one axis through, reducing glare and allowing you to see more clearly under the water’s surface.
Generally, when selecting lenses, you want to lens color to match the bottom color of the water you are going to fish. This allows the angler to detect subtle objects and bottom changes more readily, and for this reason, polarized amber or brown lenses are most effective for the bass fisherman who spends a good deal of time fishing shallow or Southern clay bottomed bodies of water. Deep rock bottomed lakes and saltwater fishing benefit from grey lenses, as well as driving on asphalt.
So with so many styles on the market, how do you choose? Ultimately, it will all depend on the individual, but there are three attributes I use to select eyewear: 1) lens quality, 2) comfort/fit, 3) price.
Lens Quality
High quality lenses are a must in choosing eyewear. Many products, like Amphibia or Oakley Sunglasses, offer high tech coatings that further reduce glare and increase scratch resistance. Higher quality lenses offer greater impact resistance and therefore offer greater protection for eyes (ANSI ratings). You only get one pair of eyes; you should get the best protection possible, from both impact and UV radiation. Quality lenses also reduce eye fatigue, and staying alert could mean the difference between seeing that small piece of wood under the edge of a grass bed holding a 5 pounder or just passing it by.
Mirrored lenses look great, but don’t enhance the water penetrating ability of the lens to the fisherman. They do, however, reduce the amount of light coming through the lens, and are a great choice for sunny days.
Comfort
Having the most expensive lenses in the world wont mean a whole lot if they cause you pain when you wear them. Slightly “snug” or tight fits in the store, after a few seconds of wear, generally translate into loads of pain after a few hours on the water, so one should be careful when assessing fit. If it’s tight, find a bigger size.
Frames should be large enough to block out as much light as possible, allowing your vision to result from light transmitted through the lenses. Comfort points are primarily from two areas: the nose bridge and the temples. Native Eyewear (Cushinol nose pads) and Amphibia Sports Sunglasses (Titanium TiBridge Technology) offer self-adjusting bridge pieces that conform to your face, and thus ensure a custom fit. Both also offer cushioned temple sleeves to reduce pressure on the sides of head above the ear. If you are having trouble finding that “fits just right” pair of eye wear, try products from Amphibia or Native, they have you in mind.
Price
Here’s where things get tricky. I’m not suggesting that you have to go out and spend an entire paycheck on eyewear, but generally speaking, you get what you pay for. Your eyes are your most valuable assets on the water, it makes sense that you should equip them to perform efficiently, and quality isn’t cheap. Get the best you can afford. You spend money to get high quality line, electronics, rods, reels, and just about everything else in your boat – give your eyes the same respect. It doesn’t make much sense to buy expensive fluorocarbon line and then not equip your eyes to see the small line “tick” while flipping, right?
You don’t have to break the bank to obtain high quality eyewear. Amphibia Sunglasses (www.amphibiasports.com) run from $140-160, and Native Eyewear (www.nativeyewear.com) range from $100-150. Both have high quality lens and frame options, as well as prescription availability. Treat your eyes right, and see what you have been missing. Good fishing Chris Murphy
Follow Chris on his Facebook page and his web site.
The Pepper Punch
Justin Covello shares the features of the Pepper Punch from Pepper Custom Baits.