There are a number of things that are coming out this year from different manufacturers that have really caught my eye (and in the case of  field testing, a bunch of fish too!.)  some are already on store shelves and others will debut a a sports show near you.  Either way take a few minutes and check these items out because these are what I’ll be employing in 2000 on the Professional Walleye trail.

Stating with one of the bigger items , Mercury is going to debut it’s smart gauge system on it’s Optimax series of motors.  These are digital displays that perform some very sophisticated functions that provide data that you always wished for.  The tachometer will have an hour meter so that you or the person down the line that buys your rig from you, can tell exactly how many running hours the motor has logged.  It also will tell you the motors fuel flow rate, or how your fuel economy is at various speeds, thus you'll be able to stay in maximum economy should this be an important factor for you.  The tach will also show us power trim angle, engine temperature, battery voltage and water pressure.

The new digital speedometer display shows us, clock, outside air temp, fuel tank level, oil tank level, barometer, trip odometer, and it will calculate your running range based on fuel flow and fuel tank level.  The motor also contains a sophisticated system that constantly monitors its fuel function.  When it senses something that could be injurious to the motor, it quickly slows the motor down to prevent damage, but still operates enough to allow you to idle back to the dock.

Bluefox is unveiling a NEW JIGGING SPOON CALLED A Kandlefish.  It is a full bodied jigging lure designed to out flash all others in its class.  It comes in 11 sizes and a multitude of finishes that make it ideal for jigging, Pike, Walleye, Salmon, trout and Crappie.

Rapala is introducing the new Shad Rap RS lure.  This hard bait lure combines the best qualities of the original Shad Rap with the irresistible attraction of a suspending lure.  If you experienced how fish react to suspending baits at time , you'll find a place in your tackle box for a bunch of the Suspending Shad Rap RS’s.  In addition to ist’s suspending properties, it also has internal rattlesto help attract fish to your bait.

Another new innovation from your friends at Rapala is the new Down Deep Husky Jerk.  Husky Jerks have been a favorite of suspending minnow bait of anglers since there introduction in 1996.  Now Rapala has designed the same great fish catching capabilities into a lure that dives deep.  Its ideal for casting or trolling and is available in all the sizes and patterns that the original husky Jerk has.

Berkley enters into the year 2000 with a couple of new lines that are sure to revolutionize angling as much as Fireline has.  The first is called Berkley Whiplash and its a braid made of the same material, Micro 

Dyneema that Fireline is made from.  It has an incredibly thin diameter and virtually no stretch and is available in either green or white.  The other line is called Berkley Vanish and is a castable flourocarbon fishing line.  For those of you who don’t know what fluorocarbon is , it is a line that reflects less light and is there for nearly invisible to fish underwater.  I proved this to myself recently fishing steelhead on my home rivers.  The fish were exceptionally line shy and would move out of the way of any offerings drifted past them on normal monofilament.  

When I drifted the same bait by with Berkley Vanish, they never moved away and quite often hit my bait when passing up the others.  In addition to this property, it will also not absorb water which means that it maintains its strength and is incredibly abrasion resistant.

ABU-GARCIA is introducing a new line of spinning reels known as the CD series.  The drag washers are twice the size in these reels than in a normal front drag  systems and four time the size of rear drag systems.  The larger drag washers mean more drag surface and hence generally another drag system.  The reels also boast multiple ball bearings to reduce rotor wobble and vibration, and give you many years of trouble free top performance.  Along those same lines the new CD series boasts an Everlast unbreakable bail spring.  

Lund is introducing its 1900 Pro V tournament series with an IPS hull.  IPS stands for Integrated Power strake and what that means is performance.  Most fiberglass boats incorporate this same component into there hull designs and Lund has been able to duplicate those same hull specifics in its IPS design.  Basically what it is is an area on the hull that starts about a ¼ of the way up from the stern and is a tapering flat spot that increases lift and performance that ultimately lets your boat get on plane quicker, use less fuel, operate faster and with greater handling.  Another behind the scenes advantage that make Lund an incredible craft is the fact that the boats are built with CNC routers.  This means the boat is built to higher tolerances, gaining overall performance due to superior fit and finish, and more efficient building, thereby giving the customer a better valued boat for your dollar.

Northland Tackle has introduced several products for Y2K that are sure fish getters.  The first and easiest to use is the new slip-on stinger hook for jig fishing.  It is simply a small stinger snell with a rubber coated loop that you push down over your jig hook and viola! you've got a stinger hooked jig.  Next on the Northland front is another bait add on, the Buckshot Rattle Claw.  It's a piece of silicone that supports two glass Buckshot Rattle shells that initiate the sounds craw dads make as they swim over the bottom.  they emit a sonic vibration when it swims over rock, weeds, stumps and brush, that flat out attracts curious fish.  Another innovation from Northland is the Buckshot Rattle Spoon with Holographic 3D bait fish image for maximum flash and lifelike appearance.  Deadly for vertical jigging in open water or around weeds. rocks, brush, timber and through the ice.  Another application of the Holographic 3D bait fish image is the new Rainbow 3D spinner.  The highly reflective design, combined with Northlands unparalleled Rainbow spinner blade, gathers and reflects light from all angles to create a lifelike bait fish image that attracts fish and triggers them to strike .  It fools fish like no other blade I've ever used.

Last but not least is a book I wrote called: Year Round Walleyes - Fishing the 4 Seasons. If you're a serious walleye angler, or even just like the sport some and want to know a quick way to help you put more fish in the boat, I believe this book will help enormously. Click Here to order. 

Well there a bunch of things I think you should be taking a look at over the winter months.  I guarantee you that each and every one has found a place in my fishing life and is used to my advantage when competing for the big bucks on the In-Fisherman Walleye Trail. I hope you get an opportunity to try them for yourself and find out why the pro's catch so many fish so often.  Good Luck and I'll see you on the Water

Captain Mark Martin