Holy cow the flow of cool new gear for anglers and boaters never ends - thank goodness - and this month we'll be covering awesome stuff from Fishbites, FLIR, and Piscifun.
Fishbites Catfish Bait
You have a huge range of baits to choose from when it comes to catfish, but just about all of them share one unfortunate trait: they’re incredibly messy and smelly. Enter: Fishbites Catfish Bait. Fishbites now produces marshmallow-like balls of mess-free, stink-free baits that slide easily on the hook and stay put for multiple fish. Choice offerings include white, pink, yellow, and blood-red colors, in shrimp, shad, liver, and crawfish flavors. FishTalk Contributor David Rudow said the white shad flavor was the standout winner during a recent trip to the Nanticoke, where he found that threading the Fishbites baits on a sweeper jig then lowering them down next to bridge pilings worked like a charm. And when we tested the baits on the Potomac, we had luck with both shrimp and shad flavors - and the shad Fishbites caught the biggest fish of the day while going head-to-head with cut bunker, shrimp, and mud shad. Price: $7.29 for when you’re ready to give the mess a rest, and in the meantime, see Fishbites Catfish bait in action when we fished it on the Potomac River.
FLIR Ocean Scout Pro
Whether you’re running your boat through an inlet or trekking home through the woods after a night fishing adventure in the wilderness, having a thermal imaging scope lets you see as though the sun was up. Or, in the case of the FLIR Ocean Scout Pro, maybe even better. This is a professional-level model, with a 32-degree field of view (the largest on the market), an XGA 1024 x 768 display, 6 GB of onboard storage, and real-time video streaming capability. It’s IP67 rated for withstanding water or dust intrusion and drops to the deck, and runs for up to six hours on a charge. This scope is so potent it allows you to spot the human heat signature at up to 500 meters in absolute darkness. While testing it we were shocked to find that it’s so sensitive, you can even make out crab pots in complete darkness. If you want the same kind of thermal night vision the pros use the Ocean Scout Pro is what you’re looking for. Price: $2395 and you can see it all after the sun goes down.
Piscifun Lumicat II Catfish Rod
You’re making a battle plan to pursue blue catfish, and it includes night maneuvers? Take a peek at Piscifun’s Lumicat II Catfish Rod. Available in 7’6” and 8’0” lengths, these rods are built with top-shelf parts including a two-piece IM7 blank in fluorescent paint, Fuji guides and reel seats, and EVA grips. We found it had the backbone to take on those river monsters, and it matched up nicely with a Chaos XS round baitcaster spooled with 40-pound braid. What really sets the Lumicat II apart from the crowd, however, is the lighted LED tip. There’s a tiny battery (it’s good for 60 hours of use and five are included so you won’t need to rearm for quite some time) in the base of the top half, and when you spin it in place the top foot or so of the rod lights up so you won’t miss seeing the slightest nibbles. Price: $99, but plug in the discount code FT18 when you order and you’ll get a special FishTalk reader discount as you get ready to light up your night(fishing).