Article by Larry Jock
My dad was in Alltackle Ocean City the last week and brought back this cool, fairly new product called the Ultimate Line Winding System. As always, I was skeptical of these types of things, since we have seen other line winding systems that produce less than stellar results. However, this one looked different, so I had the company, American Premier Corp., send me one to check out.
Well, I came away impressed with several things about the Ultimate Line Winding System. First, it works. You don’t get the twist in your line like you do when spooling spinning rods on other devices. Second, it is really well made and looks like it will stand up to the abuse fishing equipment tends to get. Third, the system won Best in Show at the 2012 ICAST show that features all the latest and greatest fishing equipment.
The system is designed to spool both casting and spinning reels and can accommodate several different spool sizes ranging from flat spools up to 1/2 lb. spools. The main feature of the system is the rotating carriage that automatically eliminates twists by turning the line as it is being transferred to the reel. Pretty cool!
The system features a graphite frame, ball bearing system and easy line tension adjustment. It is fairly compact and easy to store in your boat.
Just make sure you are putting the spool on in the right direction and you should have no problem spooling up your reel. The Ultimate Line Winding System retails for $39.99.
For more information or to check out a video on the system, go to www.americanpremiercorp.com.
Move over Hammerhead, there’s a new favorite Costa Sunglasses frame at the Coastal Fisherman, and it is called the Tuna Alley. I’ve been wearing a pair for 6 months now and absolutely love them.
The Tuna Alley’s stylish, indestructible nylon frame is large, lightweight and comfortable. It’s wrap-around design keeps the glare from coming in from the sides and vents in the frame are supposed to eliminate fogging.
Frames come in white, black, crystal (kind of metallic looking), blackout and tortoise.
Although the frame is wonderful, it’s the Costa lenses that really separate them from the pack, and the Tuna Alley allows you several options in lens type and color, including the 400G and 580G glass lenses and the 580P plastic lens in colors such as amber, gray, green, blue, silver and copper.
Depending on the lens you choose, the MSRP for the Costa Tuna Alley ranges from $169 up to $249. Check with your favorite local tackle shop for availability.
Wearing jewelry on my wrist or fingers really isn’t my thing, but I was sent a Survival Strap by a vendor and decided to give it a try.
The main feature of the bracelet is that it is made of strong 550 parachute cord, so in an emergency (like your outboard motor konks out and you need a pull cord to manually pull to get the motor started again), you can unravel the bracelet and have several feet of strong military spec paracord.
The bracelet also has a stainless steel shackle and breakaway pin for safety.
The cool thing about the bracelet is that if you do use it in an emergency situation, the company will send you a new one for free.
There are over 50,000 color combinations to choose from and the company has arrangements with colleges, the PGA tour, the Wounded Warrior Project, Guy Harvey and several others, so you can pick up a Survival Strap that features logos from many different teams and organizations. You can also get ones made that hold a personal photograph or a custom embossed dog tag.
Depending on the model, you can purchase a bracelet for $25.00 up to $30.00. For more information, go to www.survivalstraps.com.
