Gearing Up For Spring Fishing

By C.C. McCotter

February is a month of preparation for many area anglers. There’s the outdoor shows to see new baits on bass tanks and those helpful fishing experts to answer our questions. Then it’s off to the tackle shop, internet or catalogs to seek out those hard-to-find and hot baits.

So what are some of the top items the region’s anglers will rely on in 2010 to help them win tournaments and the admiration of their friends after fishing trips? We’ve compiled a brief Must-Have list for 2010 and an explanation for each item you might want to consider as you gear up for spring fishing.

Polarized Eyewear

I asked master sunglasses designer and optical wizard Steve Haber for some insight into the mysteries of polarization and why it is so critical for anglers. I started by asking him what exactly is polarization and how does it work.

“Polarized light is light that is reflected off of a flat surface such as water, roads, the ground, sidewalk or the hood of a car. Polarized light contains horizontal and vertical components, with horizontal being the most predominant and creating the most glares.  

In un-polarized light, a photon of light has energy emitting (radiating) in random directions. There are numerous factors that can contribute to the polarization of light and those include; the scattering of light in the atmosphere, and reflection from linear surfaces such as water and highways.

When this happens, the photons will lose some or all of their vertical or horizontal components. When the energy of the photons is aligned primarily in one direction or the other, the light is said to be “polarized” or “organized”.

A good everyday example of organized light is an LCD (liquid crystal display). Depending on the way the light is organized, the display may or may not be viewable through polarized sunglasses or goggles.

Polarization, therefore is the key in shielding your eyes from light waves traveling at angles other then vertical, the light your eyes use to see.”

Polarized sunglasses like HaberVision eyewear offer anglers not only glare reduction for sight fishing but a relaxed eye that allows them to stay on the water longer.  Non-polarized or a low quality polarized sunglass can cause a strain on the eye and/or headaches.

My next question to Haber was what actually makes a good pair of polarized sunglasses?

“A lens with a built in film of vertically oriented polarizers (blinds) can eliminate glaring horizontal light. Conventional non-polarized lenses rely on color density alone to reduce glare. Because polarized lenses have the ability to reduce the light energy by half without color density, they can be made with lighter color densities. This is one of the first things you experience with polarized lenses, they are comfortable to wear and they are not too dark.

Not all polarized lenses are created equal. HaberVision uses premium quality injection molded polarized lenses to ensure the highest degree of glare-cutting capability without impact to visual acuity unlike the less expensive "sheet" polarization. The injection-molded process ensures an optical center maintaining optically perfect and distortion-free vision.

Lastly I asked Haber what should a fishermen look for in good polarized eyewear? Is 

there some kind of test?

“Quality polarized eyewear for fisherman should provide visual clarity and ultimate glare reduction.  Fishermen seem to derive the most benefit from polarized lenses because they deal with mostly horizontal surfaces. A fisherman wearing polarized sunglasses can see below the surface of the water to search for schools of fish or hidden obstacles.

     Here’s a quick way to test to see if the lenses are polarized.   Find an LCD display and shift your head 45 degrees while wearing a pair of sunglasses. The intensity of the display should darken with polarized lenses and remain the same with a non-polarized.

To order HaberVision eyewear go to www.habervision.com and use the SEEMOREFISH06 affinity code for 50% off. You can also find limited styles at Warbirds Outdoors in Woodbridge, Virginia or at the W2 show booths this winter.

Clothing

Ok, we’ve covered one bit of essential fishing gear, now let’s move on to some more. How about protection from the cold? Many early spring fishing trips are marred by an angler’s inability to stay comfortable enough to fish. It all starts with the proper clothing, from head to toe.

Let’s start with a Save Phace Fishedz Face Protector. This is one of the best pieces of cold weather gear you can own for cold weather fishing. It fits securely over your face from forehead to chin and keeps that frigid air from freezing your face. It even fits over eyeglasses. You’ll find this gear recommendation at many local tackle shops including Green Top Sporting Goods in Ashland, Virginia.

Cold weather anglers will also want to consider purchasing quality clothing. Fleece is not for exterior use. Use it over a quality base layer garment like Under Armor. Cover up with a parka and bibs that have wind-blocking material like Gore-Tex or Dry Plus.

If you get cold feet, don’t scrimp on your boots. A minimum of 800-grams of insulation is necessary for a good winter boot. The best often come with up to 1,400 grams or utilize a bootie insulation design. Either way, use a good sock liner under wool socks to keep your feet dry and warm in the boot.

What about your hands? Heavy gloves keep you warm, but are nearly impossible to fish in. Try glomits – a mitten with flip up fingers and thumb. Fleece glomits are no good unless lined with some type of insulation. Rag wool glomits are warm, but tend to get caught easily in hooks.

Maps & PFDs

Now that you’re dressed properly to go fishing let’s talk about how to find the fish. Even in this age of Google Earth and Navionics mapping software, you should keep hard copy maps. The GMCO Pro Series maps are the best in the business. Made from waterproof and tear resistant stock, these maps are GPS compatible, offer local names and guide tips. There’s just about one for every major body of water an angler would fish in the region. You can purchase them on page __ or at www.woodsandwatersmagazine.com.

No spring fishing gear article would be complete without a PFD tip. The new automatically inflating PFDs are excellent. While you will pay a little more than traditional foam PFDs, you will eliminate the bulk and the tendency to not wear a PFD. You’ll hardly even know you’re wearing an auto PFD once it’s strapped on.

Tackle

The fishing tackle we think you might want to obtain prior to your first trip is almost too numerous to mention so we’ll be brief.

If you are looking to replace your rods consider the new Berkley Vendetta or Vengeance lines. An angler can fill the locker with either model line on a budget and get a rod for every need.

The new ABU Soron spinning reel looks to be a good choice for most freshwater applications.

A hot trend from lure manufacturers is the explosion of hard plastic, jointed jerkbaits. Just about all the major companies took notice of the Sebile Magic Swimmer phenomena last year and your choices are numerous now.

From all early accounts the Berkley Rippleshad is a hit. The three-inch size has especially been good this winter for striper anglers.

The new ZOOM Swim Fluke looks to be something you’ll want in the tacklebox as it is like no other bait out there.

Punch skirts look to be something worth adding to your arsenal in 2010. Basically you are adding flair to your flipping or pitching rig by adding a specialized skirt between your flipping weight and your favorite flipping plastic craw or creature.  With this addition you get the appearance of a jig, but without the bulk to impede penetration into the thick stuff and weedguards that sometimes foul hook sets.

Remember something called the Recoil Rig. We won’t mention it again in print, but this is something worth looking into for the spring bass season.

Electronics

Depth finder technology has seemingly hit a wall – that is the wall between today’s consumers and their wallets. The ultra-high priced GPS, mapping, depth finder and 3D units are awesome but the price tags in a recession-wracked demographic means they aren’t selling so hot. Now is the time to purchase a fine “legacy” unit, a.k.a. a perfectly good piece of equipment that uses proven technology and costs a lot less but didn’t sell out yet.

The new Lowrance Elite units are a nice bridge between legacy and cutting edge technology and offer what we’ve all been wanting – less buttons to press to get us where we want to go!