Rapala ProGuide Lock'n Grip's On Sale

If you are looking for a fish grip to add to your tackle box, this is the one to buy. It is now a bargain at $24.95 (regularly $29.95). The Rapala Lock'n Grip makes landing and documenting big species a one-handed operation. Once your fish is at boatside, slide the Lock'n Grip over the bottom jaw and pull back. The patent-pending can-lock system locks onto the fish and allows you to lift your catch, snap a few pictures for the record book then pull up the lever to release. It's that simple. The less you touch your catch, the less you damage the fish's protective coating.

Only a few remaining so order quickly from Crazy Fisherman.

ICAST 2008 New Fishing Product Awards

The 51st ICAST (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades) was held in Las Vegas July 16-18, 2008. The new product showcase was more competitive than ever, but would you really expect anything less considering all of the great companies who are producing fishing products. It hasn't been too long ago that most anglers had one fishing rod and a small tackle box with a handful of lures in it. That's not the case anymore. New technology and creative innovation has created a plethora of products that we fisherman "need" to have.

Listed below are the sh0wcase award winners including the category, company, and product:

• Overall Best of Show, Shimano, Curado E Series baitcasting reels
• Freshwater rod, Shimano, Clarus A Series
• Saltwater rod, Shimano, Tescatta
• Freshwater reel, Shimano, Curado E Series baitcaster
• Saltwater reel, Shimano, Stella SW Series spinning reel
• Best combo, FisherGirl, The Jewel
• Line, Berkley, Fireline Tracer Braid
• Terminal tackle, Pallatrax, The Stonze System
• Soft lure, Berkley, Gulp Alive Crazy Legs Jerk Shad
• Hard lure, Mystic Tackleworks, BioPulse Lure
• Tackle management, Plano, KVD Signature Series bag
• Kids tackle, Shakespeare, Ugly Stick Junior
• Boating accessory, Bert's Custom Tackle, Drop Down Rocket Launcher
• Giftware, Anglers Book Supply, Book Supply Welcome Mat
• Electronics, Humminbird, Ice 55 Flasher
• Clothing, E21 Fishing, Wind, Rain, Ice Gear
• Eyewear, Old Harbor, Mako sunglasses
• Fishing accessory, CTI Industries, Zip Vac Jumbo 2.0 Vacuum Bags

Congratulations to all of the winners.

Fishing Gift Baskets Now Available From Crazy Fisherman

You can now purchase two versions of a Fishing Gift Basket from the Crazy Fisherman Company. One version contains a fishing short sleeve t-shirt, a fishing sign, a ZAK hook remover, and a combo pack of Steelshads in a plastic case all in an old fashioned fishing creel. The other basket contains a fishing short sleeve t-shirt, a fishing sign, an antique lure coffee mug,and a Steelshad fishing lure also in an old fashioned fishing creel. They are priced at $49.95 and $39.95 respectively.

These gift baskets will make an excellent gift for any avid fisherman. To learn more go to Fishing Gift Baskets.

Top Ten Products That Transformed Fishing

At the 2008 ICAST (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades) show, which is currently underway in Las Vegas, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) has released of a survey that has identified the ten most influential fishing products created over the past 75 years. ASA partnered with the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation to survey the foundation's thousands of Anglers' Legacy Ambassadors who voted for the products they feel have been most instrumental in shaping the sport.

The results are found below:
- Original Floater Minnow (1936) remains one of the most successful and widely copied hard lures in sportfishing's history.
Original and current manufacturer: Rapala
- Spring loaded Bobber (1947) made suspending a baited hook at a desired depth simpler and easier. Even today this item is virtually in every angler's tackle box.
Original manufacturer: Nibble Nabber
Current: Various companies
- Mitchell 300 (1949) was the first commercially successful spinning reel, and is still one of the most common reels used today.
Original manufacturer: Mitchell
Current manufacturer: Pure Fishing
- Creme Plastic Worm (1949) changed the sport forever as the first -- and still famous -- long-lasting artificial worm that both looked and felt real.
Original and current manufacturer: Creme Lure Company
- Closed Face Spincast Reel (1949) made fishing easy and affordable to everyone regardless of age, size, gender and expertise.
Original manufacturer: Zero Hour Bomb Company
Current Manufacturer: ZEBCO Brands
- Lowrance Fish Lo-K-Tor (1957), the "Little Green Box" introduced anglers to the use of sonar in locating individual fish.
Original Manufacturer: Lowrance Electronics
Current: Lowrance/Navico
- Monofilament Line (1958) improved the durability, affordability and casting ability of fishing line while reducing its visibility to fish.
Original manufacturer: DuPont Stren
Current manufacturer: Pure Fishing
- Minn Kota Trolling Motor (1958) was the first electric gear-driven trolling motor gave anglers the ability to quietly maneuver and position their boats.
Original manufacturer: Minn Kota
Current manufacturer: Johnson Outdoors
- Fenwick High Modulus Graphite Rod (1972), with its super-sensitive carbon (graphite) fibers, revolutionized the method of making fishing rods and how anglers fished.
Original Manufacturer: Fenwick
Current Manufacturer: Pure Fishing
- Shakespeare Ugly Stick (1976), with its special construction, created an affordable, unbreakable and dynamic fishing rod still in use today.
Original and current manufacturer: Shakespeare

Youth Fishing Camp Teaches Eco-Fishing Skills

Mahogany Outdoors, a youth fishing camp in south Florida, will provide 10 weeks of camp this summer to teach kids how to enjoy fishing and be good stewards of the environment at the same time. What a great program. There should be hundreds of these camps across the country each year.

The term "Eco-Fishing" is relatively new, but I think it will catch on quickly. Eco-Fishing combines fishing with good environmental stewardship. It means practicing mostly catch and release, keeping no more than two fish per fisherman regardless of legal limits. It means never throwing old fishing line, soft plastics, or anything else into the habitat that is not natural to it. A good rule of thumb is what comes with you leaves with you. It means removing hooks carefully using dehookers and other tools to minimize harming the fish. It also means returning a fish into the water as quickly as possible and not handling a fish with your hands which damages its outer coating. These principles and much more are what is meant by eco-fishing.

Learn more about Mahogany Outdoors and their eco-fishing camps by clicking on the link. This is a topic you'll be hearing much more about from me in the future.

Piranha Like Fish Caught In Colorado

While fishing in the Smith Reservoir in Lakewood, Colorado, 18 year old Travis Smith caught a fish with quite a bite. He first thought it may be a piranha, but realized that there are not supposed to be piranhas in Colorado. The teeth in the mouth of the fish were not what you would normally find in a fish here in the US.

Travis and his father investigated on the internet and sent photos of the fish to the Colorado DNR to determine extactly what species this mysterious fish was. It was identified as a "pacu", which is a South American fish related to a piranha. Representatives from the DNR stated that it was probably purchased for someone's aquarium and later put in the lake.

Travis has frozen the fish and is not sure what he will do with it.

Fishing is always full of surprises.