Gearing Up for the 2010 Summer Fishing Season

With the ice fishing season nearly over it's time to move forward. It's time to prep for the summer season and it's time for new gear! There's probably a Christmas gift card burning a hole in your pocket. The only problem is that the gift card is only worth 20 bucks and according to the fishing shows and articles it's necessary to use $250 poles and $200 reels to catch a fish. Wow, twenty dollars doesn't go far for the "right" gear these days.

First of all, the fishermen on TV and in the articles have wiggled their way into the lime-light (justified or not), and they get stuff to use and to show-off so folks viewing the program go buy the stuff, and so the circle goes—round and round. That's how the industry works.

I personally struggle with the fishing industry's constant refinement of products that reached maximum potential in the 1980's. By adding a twist here and there every thing new sells for way too much without a bit of real improvement over its late cousin from the 80's. In the meanwhile, folks begin believing they need stuff they really don't and eventually get priced right out of a sport that should be pretty affordable.

Case in point: About 10 years ago I was sponsored by a rod company. They gave me seven rods a season. The rods worked fine. The blanks were IM-7 and IM-8, which in the world of fishing rods implies high-end sensitivity. So here I was trying to do my sponsor the grand favor of pushing their rods to the volumes of folks that fish with me or attend my seminars or read my articles. In the meanwhile, the eyelets were falling off the rods and the fine shiny finish was peeling off. The rods were succumbing to the riggers of every day use and constant exposure to UV rays from our glorious sun. The rods retailed for $69,99-109.99, not high-end pricing by today's standards but not cheap either. I quit the sponsor because I couldn't stand selling a product that didn't hold up.

What rod should you buy? I won't tell you out-right but I know for sure you don't need to spend 300 dollars. The rods I have used for years and have tested time and time again, are Berkley Lightning Rods built on IM-6 and IM-7 blanks (both are very durable, light-weight, sensitive and balanced in the hand). The IM-6 built Lightening Rod runs around 40.00-50.00. The Lightening Rod built on the IM-7 blank runs 50.00-69.00. Another good choice is the Fenwick HMX series rods. They are very balanced, lightweight, strong, sensitive, and don't cost an arm and a leg (start at 69.00).

My guide groups catch many walleyes throughout a season and we don't need 300 dollar fishing rods to feel a bite. When you go get a new rod this spring, don't take a second mortgage out on your house to afford the "perfect" rod. There are plenty of rods out there that will do the job nicely without the expense.