Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Game & Fish East

Getting your gear from point A to point B in one piece can sometimes be a challenge. The new Yooneek Soft-Sided Fishing Reel Case (12 inches long, 3 3/8 inches wide and 5 inches high) cradles gear in padded comfort for worry-free transport. Designed for fishing reels up to 4 inches in diameter, the Yooneek travel case is water-and weather-resistant, has padded center-divider pockets and is great for a wide range of delicate gear. Six elasticized pockets offer ample storage areas for small electronics, lure and fly boxes, or anything you need to protect from the elements and rough-and-tumble outdoor experiences.($29.99; yooneekproducts.com) —Dr. Todd A. Kuhn…

AVIAN-X HDR STRUTTER Avian-X makes some of the most ridiculously realistic decoys available, and while you’ll pay for the realism, it can make a difference in the success of your hunt. The new HDR strutter can be used to mimic a mature tom or a jake by swapping out the tail feathers at either end of the fan with shorter ones (included). Or you can replace the entire fan with a real one. The wings and beard are also removable for substituting the real deal, and the decoy comes with two different head colorations for different aggression levels. ($250; avian-x.com) DAVE SMITH DECOYS BREEDING PAIR Dave Smith’s made-in-the-USA, custom-like decoys are the only decoys you’ll ever need if you’re willing to make the investment. The Breeding Pair provides the appearance…

SUMMERSVILLE LAKE, WV This 2,700-acre lake is a typical West Virginia flood control reservoir in that it’s a steep-sided impoundment that experiences huge annual fluctuations in level. What isn’t typical is the strong, self-sustaining walleye population it supports. By May, the lake should be up from the 70-foot-plus fall/winter drawdown it experiences. DEEP CREEK LAKE, MD Nestled in the highlands of western Maryland, Deep Creek Lake’s nearly 4,000 acres provide some of the best walleye fishing in the mid-Atlantic region. Created nearly 100 years ago for hydroelectric power generation, the reservoir has a fairly stable pool, allowing for levels of submergent vegetation in the shallows. PYMATUNING LAKE, PA A huge reservoir by eastern standards, Pymatuning’s 16,000-plus acres support a strong walleye population and a rich history of walleye fishing. A…

ABU GARCIA VERITAS PLX The Veritas PLX is destined to make waves in the bass circles. This rod fishes like a much more expensive model—sans the price tag. The PLX features 3M Powerlux 100 resin, which is considerably lighter than competitive resins. The PLX’s 30-ton graphite blank is both very sensitive and strong. The ergonomics on this rod were the best in the field, with a fashionable white EVA grip that fuses with the user’s hand.($99; purefishing.com) ACADEMY H2O EXPRESS TAC-40 The Tac-40 is Academy’s top-of-the-line store-brand spinning rod. The 6-foot-10-inch rod has a medium-light action rating and a fast taper. Most of the rod’s action is in the first 8 inches of tip, and it has a rigid butt section with a 13-inch split grip. The shorter overall length…

GREAT GIFTS FOR DAD Surprise Pops with something cool for Father’s Day. Our Father’s Day Gift Guide highlights gear that he’ll actually use—and maybe let you borrow. WATCH VIDS, CATCH BASS In the 13-episode series “Beyond the Bait,” Dr. Todd A. Kuhn analyzes all things bass, from rods, reels and lures to hooks, lines and sinkers. KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF Check out “8 Fish with Teeth You Don’t Want to Lip” and discover where to catch finned nightmares with nicknames like Dracula fish and wolf fish. WINCHESTER’S NEW 6.8 WESTERN Will the 6.8 Western become the new darling of hunters and long-range shooters? Drew Warden details its capabilities in this extensive report. WHAT’S THAT SMELL? Cow’s blood, spoiled shrimp, WD-40 ... just a few of the pungent items that…

When COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted, U.S. anglers should again have several ways to access the fishing in Alberta’s Jasper National Park. Driving from Spokane, Wash., or Billings, Mont., through Calgary and onward to Jasper is a road-trip option. In addition, several U.S. and Canadian airlines fly into Vancouver and Edmonton, which serve as international air gateways to Jasper National Park and the Canadian Rockies. From either city, you can rent a car and drive to the town of Jasper, or you can take a train through the scenic mountains and countryside. VIA Rail Service (viarail.ca) runs between the two cities and offers tight but comfortable overnight accommodations on the initial leg between Vancouver and Jasper. When you have finished enjoying the park and its lakes, you can go on…

Both mechanical and fixed-blade broadheads will kill turkeys. I have taken multiple birds with both and don’t hesitate to use either. But some are better than others. Heads weighing 100 grains certainly work; in my opinion, the 100-grain G5 Montec is one of the best one-piece heads for turkeys. But 125-grain heads with so-called “bone-crushing” tips, rather than “cut-on-contact” tips, are designed to bulldog and smash through bone. They do extremely well plowing through feathers and quills. The 125-grain, 2 1/4-inch, 2-blade Swhacker; the 125-grain, 2 1/4-inch, 4-blade Swhacker Hybrid; and the 125-grain, 1 3/16-inch, 3-blade Muzzy Trocar XB heads are good examples. These heavier heads travel at slightly slower speeds, especially with heavier arrows, but deliver a lot of energy, create a great deal of internal damage and leave…

There’s no question that the East’s biggest rivers, like New York’s St. Lawrence and West Virginia’s New, hold some of the region’s best smallmouth fishing. But this time of year, boat-less anglers have some great opportunities to find eager smallmouths in skinnier water. Many of these rivers tend be overlooked because they’re often not any wider than 15 feet and are relatively shallow. But smallmouths like them, and smart anglers do, too. ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER TRIBS, ME: The mainstem of the Andy is full of trout and bass, but tribs like the Sunday River and Bear River also attract spawning smallies. LEWIS CREEK, VT: This creek flows into Lake Champlain and is just a few minutes’ drive south of Burlington. It’s great for fly fishing. MILLERS RIVER TRIBS, MA: The Millers…

Turkey hunters typically carry a lot of gear—calls, strikers, spare shotshells, a rangefinder, binoculars, pruners, maybe a Thermacell…the list goes on. The most effective way to tote all this stuff around is a comfortable turkey vest with ample storage, and one of the latest and greatest vests to hit the market is Nomad’s new Killin’ Time Turkey Vest ($180; nomadoutdoor.com). Featuring 28 total pockets, this vest offers a bevy of specialized storage options for calls, including four mesh mouth call pockets; two pockets for box calls; a locator call sleeve; rigid, foam-protected friction call pockets; and dual-zippered pockets for strikers. There’s an external slot for a Thermacell unit, a spacious adjustable rear game pouch with slots for decoy stakes and two water bottle pockets for your hydration needs. Heck, there’s…

The Game & Fish Tackle Test utilizes a comprehensive scoring system to evaluate each rod and reel across numerous criteria. Scores are tallied after each day on the water. Once all the numbers are crunched (and after some heated debate), winners in each category are crowned.The Editor’s Choice award is bestowed upon the product in each category with the best overall score, while the Great Buy goes to the products that represent the greatest value. Test rods were equipped with Abu Garcia Revo X (REVO2X20) spinning reels with a 6.2:1 retrieve ratio for an apples-to-apples comparison. Test reels were paired with multiple rods having various actions for an across-the-board evaluation. Reels were fished with both braided line (Berkley x9) and fluorocarbon (Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon).…

PUMP: The K-Pump K-100 ($78.75; k-pump.com) is a tough, durable, fast-action pump that allows for stand-up pumping and stows compactly. A less expensive option is the Inflatable Watercraft Hand Pump from Classic Accessories ($28.95; classicaccessories.com). FINS: Unless your ride comes with oar locks, you’ll need swim fins to propel your tube—though you’ll probably want them even when using oars. Outcast’s Power Kick Fins are lightweight, designed to step into and pack more easily than standard swim fins ($109; outcastboats.com). The company offers cheaper options, too. PFD: A personal flotation device is absolutely essential when using a float tube. Inflatable models like the MIT 100 from Mustang ($159.99; mustangsurvival.com) are best as they’re less intrusive than the bulky foam-filled numbers. ROD LEASH: Don’t leave shore without a rod leash of some…

This is it. The sun is shining. Trees are budding. Water temperatures are rising and so are trout. On the coast, migratory fish species are suddenly showing up in massive numbers. May is a glorious month throughout the East for anyone who enjoys the outdoors. It’s doubly enjoyable for those who fish, and if you don’t go fishing this month, you better have a valid excuse (too much work is not an excuse). Of course, there’s some hunting, too; many an obsessed turkey hunter will spend the majority of the next 31 days chasing gobblers. Whatever your pleasure, get WV out there and enjoy this first great weather month of 2021. 1 HIT THE FISH TRAIL The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a 740-mile water trail from Old Forge, N.Y.,…

Ken Capsey lives just 10 minutes from the northeastern arm of Lake Champlain. Every year, the big lake shows up on one list or another proclaiming it as one of the best smallmouth fisheries in the world. And those lists are absolutely right—Capsey occasionally catches some world-class smallies on Champlain. But given his druthers, he’d rather bass fish in the tributaries that flow into the lake. He’s a self-proclaimed river rat, and one of the best times to target smallmouths in rivers and streams is right now, when a certain percentage of the bass population migrates into tributaries to spawn. “I fish river smallies because of the different types of structure they tend to inhabit,” Capsey says. “Take your pick from rock piles to downed trees to riffles and runs.…

When it comes to our favorite gamefish species, there’s typically one or two dominant attributes that captivate us as anglers and stoke our desire to pursue them. For smallmouth bass, it’s their fighting ability. For muskies, it’s their size potential and elusiveness. The beauty of various trout species is often matched by the splendor by the surroundings in which they are found. When it comes to walleyes—considered by some as “the thinking man’s fish”— much of the attraction comes from the varied skill set required to catch them consistently. This is particularly true during the spring, a time of transition when walleyes that have recently completed spawning gradually move toward habitat and forage niches that will serve them during the summer months ahead. Before addressing the various springtime walleye fishing…

The fastest growing demographic in fishing over the past few years, the kayak rage has resulted in a long list of accessory manufacturers. You can find the exact boat for your preferred method of fishing, and rig it with the specific components that will ultimately make you more effective and comfortable, at a price far less than a new aluminum or fiberglass boat and motor. The following accessories will not only make your time on the water more enjoyable, but also will make water access, gear management, boat control and storage as simple as possible. BASES AND TRACK SYSTEMS Some kayaks come with track systems installed at the point of manufacture, others do not. In most cases, however, it’s easy to add aftermarket tracks and bases to support more accessories…

Dr. Todd A. Kuhn is Game & Fish’s South regional editor. He holds a Ph.D. in environmental engineering and has 18 U.S. patents for outdoor gear. He’s been fishing for more than 50 years. Capt. Jamie Harris, a fishing tackle gearhead in the truest sense, has been fishing for more than 40 years and guiding for 20 years. He is considered a master of Florida’s St. John’s River and Mosquito Lagoon. Ken Duke is a regular contributor to Game & Fish and is the managing editor of Fishing Tackle Retailer. He has authored several books on bass fishing, and his work has appeared in more than 50 publications. Lee Sisson is a living legend in the bass fishing world. Working with Bagley Bait Company in the 1970s and ’80s, he…

You know those little panfish ponds and bass lakes you’ve always wanted to fish if only there was a boat ramp? How about those high-country lakes where the big trout are always sipping flies just out of casting range? Or those times when the breeze is out of the north, the surf is flat and you wish you could get outside the bar and maybe hook up with a tarpon or a king mackerel? With a float tube, all of these otherwise inaccessible waters suddenly become fishable. While most of us can appreciate a fast ride in a $60,000 bass boat or busting offshore in a half-million-dollar, triple-engine center console, there’s much to be said for angling adventures that allow for a minimalist approach. Such is the appeal of float…

CADDIS PREMIER PLUS II ($199.99; caddissports.com) Available from Bass Pro Shops and other sources, the Premier Plus II has an inflatable seat and backrest that can be adjusted for comfort. It has an integrated stabilizer bar, a lap apron with 20-inch ruler to corral stripped fly line and measure your catch, two large storage pockets, two auxiliary pockets and additional storage behind the seat. Heavy-duty PVC on the bottom, seat and front tips add durability. Capacity is 325 pounds—among the highest available. CLASSIC ACCESSORIES CUMBERLAND ($298.95; classicaccessories.com) This is a medium-sized float boat at 56 by 44 by 19 inches, but the weight is minimal at 14 pounds. It has a padded foam seat and backrest designed to position the angler higher than most, making it good for sight fishing.…