I was recently down in southwest Florida,  Pine Island to be exact. Many residents there have Snook lights or green light that attracts the fish at night. For many people these lights have been permanently installed in their lift systems during construction. My place down there does not have a Snook light so I needed a to find a simple and cost effective solution. They good guys at Trophy Tackle in West Babylon, sell a 12 volt waterproof green light that did the trick. In no time al all life began to guild around the light. This light is neutral buoyant and can be attached to ant 12 volt power supply. I just clipped the leads onto the battery of my boat and tossed it into that water. Because this light utilizes LED technology there is little drain on the boat's battery. I ran mine nightly for at least 6 hours.  The next day the boat started right up. These lights come in two sizes and the power cable is 20'. These lights are also brighter than any snook light in the area. This would make a great holiday gift contact Trophy Tackle. 631.274.7042  http://www.tunafishtackle.com

We have the T-Turn Swivels back in stock. Unlike traditional swivels these T-Turns swivels will not tangle. Capt Al has been using these swivels for a few years now and there are great for tying his three way killer Fluke rig. Check out the video below. We have a bunch of the 55 pound version in stock and are available.

2.99 per three pack and shipping is 3.00 whether your order 1 package or 100. 

To purchase, Click Here

When fishing and the action is slow having music on-board is a great way to pass time while waiting for the tide to turn.

In the past on a small boat you didn't have many alternatives. You could install a marine AM FM radio, which meant cutting multiple openings for the speakers and the stereo or bring along a portable radio. The first option would work great for a season or two, but inevitably the system would fail under the harsh conditions. The portable radio option, although not a bad one, lacks the high quality sound of the installed unit, takes up precious space on the console and is even more susceptible to the elements. No matter how well I tried to secure the radio it always found its way onto the deck in a puddle of salt water. Once again, you needed a new at the end of the season.

Over the past few years there have been many advancements in small speakers with big sound. This technology uses Bluetooth a wireless local network that allows devices such as your phone to communicate and broadcast to the remote speaker. So any audio that can be played from your smartphone or tablet will play out on the speaker without wires.

Braven manufactures Bluetooth speakers specifically designed for the great outdoors. Their speakers produce incredible sound in a small portable package. The BRV-X is waterproof to IPX7 standards which basically means you can get this unit wet, really wet, in fact, it can be submerged to a depth up to a meter for 30 minutes without harm. Theses features make this speaker the perfect fishing and boating companion. 

Setup and pairing is easy, and even easier if you have an Android phone with NFC. Just turn the speaker on and tap the NFC logo, that's it. Now just launch your favorite music app.

The build is sturdy and  the rubberized outer shell makes the speaker easy to  grasp even when your hands are wet. The bottom of the speaker utilizes an extra gripping material that keeps the unit in place even when  the boat is rocking. There’s also a handy strap that you can use to secure the speaker as well.

There are only four buttons to control all of the features. Hold the power button down for a few seconds to power on or off. When playing music you can pause and restart anytime by pressing the play button. Volume is controlled with the plus and minus buttons, these buttons also allow you to skip to the next or previous track by long pressing. 

The sound is big and surprisingly loud when playing indoors. On the water it works well too, but for extra volume you can switch to outdoor mode, definitely louder but you will some bass however. 

The speaker has a built in microphone that allows you to take calls without having to touch your phone with your fishy wet hands, This feature alone makes this unit very attractive.

Another feature is the ability to charge your device from the back of the unit. Remove the watertight cap and there's a USB port, a little piece of mind when out on the water and your phone's battery is getting low.

Fully charged you can expect about 10 hours of listening, there is also a led gauge that indicates the internal battery level.

Another feature I didn't get a chance to test is the ability to pair this speaker with another BRV-10 and get a true stereo experience.

After using and abusing this Bluetooth speaker on the water for over a month I can recommend this product for the boater or fisherman. In my tests I had one minor issue, sometimes after receiving an audible alert on my phone I would lose Bluetooth connectivity, more than likely it's an issue with my phone, I've had friends pair their phones to the BRV-X speaker with no issue. 

Here's a great tip, if you're going to purchase this speaker, use a dry bag or water tight storage container and your phone will never have to make contact with the elements while out on the water.

Tim C. Smith

Available at Amazon
Braven website

While on a shoot on Lake Erie for the Fisherman Magazine I had the opportunity to see first hand how well Fluorocarbon works. When I viewed the underwater GoPro footage there is not even a trace of the line, amazing. 

I now have a new favorite flash light from a company called blackfire 

This is the Clamplight, powered by 3 AAA batteries and incorporates a Cree LED, it’s super bright and lightweight too.

Over the last month I had had the chance to put this flashlight through the paces, and I can tell you it’s now my new favorite.

If you're a boater or fisherman you'll  appreciate that this flashlight is waterproof to IPX7 standards and floats as well. The rubberized coating makes the flashlight easy to grip, if you do lose the handle on it, no worries it can withstand a drop from 20 feet. 

The clamp allows hands free operation and the head can be swiveled to almost any position. I found this feature particularly useful when I need to find something in a dark closet or working on the engine of my boat. The clamp on the flashlight locks to allow the light to free stand if you have nothing to clamp to.  

The light has 3 Modes High Power, low power and flashing, this flashing mode could be useful at night if you had to signal another boat or person.At low power the light will burn for 10 hours or more. 

The only feature I would like to see, would be a low powered red LED mode to prevent the temporary blindness that’s so common with a white light while fishing or boating in the dark.  

The Clamp Light Waterproof is available on Amazon as well as other major retailers.

www.blackfire-usa.com