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Lazer Sharp Octopus Realignment & Advancement
Posted on: Jan 24, 2011
Posted in: 2, Hooks, Lazer Sharp
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DENVER, COLORADO — Lazer Sharp is proud to introduce a revamped and advanced line of Octopus hooks. The new lineup of L1 & L2 Octopus hooks encompasses the size ranges and finishes demanded by today’s technically advanced anglers.
The biggest advancement on the L1 & L2 Octopus lines comes with the introduction of the first ever American-made needlepoint fishhook. Offering fishermen a sticky-sharp point that helps to improve penetration and hook-up ratios; the L1 & L2 needlepoint hooks combine all the attributes that the world’s best anglers look for in a fishhook.
The L1 Octopus hook is a short shank Octopus hook that is ideal for numerous applications including Salmon and Steelhead. Whether back-bouncing or drifting, the L1 has the durability and strength to reel in sea run behemoths. Finished in either a sultry Platinum Black finish or a bite inducing Red, the L1 is available in sizes 12 – 6/0 and in both small and large quantity packs.
The L2 Octopus hook is a long shank Octopus that is widely used in both salt and freshwater fisheries. The L2 can be used for drop shotting or wacky rigging as well as rigging up chunk baits and trolling. The opportunities for hooking up with the L2 Octopus increase with three color options: Platinum Black, Red and Nickel. The L2 is offered in sizes 12 – 9/0 (depending on finish) and are also offered in both a small and large quantity pack.
As one of the most versatile hooks on the market, the Octopus hook is a favorite among both salt and freshwater anglers. The L1 & L2 Octopus hooks will be available early in 2011 to all consumers. MSRP: $7.00 – $14.75 depending on size/quantity.
Colorado Guide Robby Richardson Talks Ice Fishing
Posted on: Jan 19, 2011
Posted in: 2, Hooks, Wright & McGill
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Ice fishing is misconceived by many as a cold, boring sport that requires some inebriation to be fun, but this is far from the truth! If done correctly, ice fishing can be comfortable, exciting, and one of the best opportunities of the year to catch a trophy fish! In a typical winter, Colorado has many different ice fishing options across the front range and into the rocky mountains with opportunities for walleye, pike, perch, trout, salmon, and lake trout!
Walleye can be found in Chatfield and Cherry Creek, Antero and 11 Mile reservoirs provide some of the best trophy trout opportunities in the western U.S. and salmon and lake trout of Colorado can be found coexisting in Granby and Blue Mesa reservoirs. These bodies of water are just a few of the opportunities across the state of Colorado, but others include: Rifle Gap, Harvey Gap, Taylor, Aurora, Taryall, Georgetown, Dillon, Green Mountain, Gross, Twin Lakes, Turquois, and many many more!
Ice fishing technology has come a long way over the last decade from
heaters to huts and everything in between to keep you dry, warm, and focused on the fish. Sonar and GPS technology has also advanced and truly takes the guesswork out of fishing, allowing any ice angler to identify potential fish-holding structure on a topo map, mark it on their GPS and then use color, HD sonar to identify bottom type, weeds, fish, and how the fish are reacting to their bait. This allows an angler to eliminate dead water quickly and idenfy the fishes mood so that they can adjust quickly.
Sport Fish Colorado and its guides take full advantage of all the impressive new ice fishing technology to capitalize on the many awesome ice fishing opportunities Colorado has to offer. We don’t like to sit and hope the fish come to us. We actively pursue our target species in hopes of meeting the day’s goal(s) in order to achieve a fishing experience that provides an adrenaline rush and leaves you wanting more! This takes a little more work and effort, but is usually well worth it! For more information on ice fishing in Colorado check out Icefishcolorado.com. Give Colorado ice fishing a try today for your shot at a true trophy like one of
the fish below!
The Fight of a Lifetime
Posted on: Jan 05, 2011
Posted in: 2, Hooks
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A few weeks ago, Jack Dlugitch and his two mates David and Charlie delivered a yacht from Cozumel Mexico to St. Thomas USVI. The three of them were planning to take the south route (south side of Cuba) and sail straight there with no stops. Each day they would set out lines in hopes to catch dinner. The crew was fishing for small Tuna, Wahoo or Mahi to feed them on their journey. The unexpected adventure began when, on the second night of the trip, a large flying fish landed in the boat. They all had the same idea to use it as bait, so they threw the giant fish on ice. Finally on the fourth day they rigged the 2.5 lb flying fish using an Eagle Claw O’Shaughnessy SS Hook # 10/0. What happens next becomes a story of a life time.
At 8:10am on Day four Jack, David and Charlie were at position 19° 28.200′N / 79° 51.821′W as they set out the lure. The boat was a 53′ day charter catamaran with a 28′ beam. David set the rod in an improvised rod holder (the base of the table). David turns back to meet up with Jack but before he reaches him the reel begins to scream. David immediately turns back and jumps over the fuel drums to reach the rod. David dips the tip of the rod for a second, pulls it up, and starts reeling.
They all see the marlin jump and take the bait about 75 yards behind the boat. “BLUE MARLIN 150LB” David calls out. There immediate reaction was excitement because of the size of the marlin. The crew was also a bit disappointed because they were trying to catch dinner. Without a moment to think, the beast takes off straight down taking 3/4’s of the 450 yards of line on the reel. Of course they don’t have a fighting belt with them because they were not looking to catch trophy fish. Jack used the only thing he can find which was a life jacket to wrap around David’s waist. After about 20 minutes David says he needs a little relief , the crew immediately calls David a girlyman. Jack takes the reel as Charlie relives him at the helm. As soon as Jack puts the life jacket in the correct position he is convinced the marlin is not 150lbs but probably closer to 200lbs. Jack now sees why David was so tired. The crew searches for a better solution to use other than just a life jacket acting as a belt. They decided that the edge on the metal drums would give them the best leverage. The only problem was that a metal 55 gallon drum that was full with diesel and hard to move. As the beast was throwing them from side to side they had to move to the metal drum. Now they had leverage and began to start to set the drag. Three hours later they had the drag set full. Their idea on the size of the fish changed throughout the fight.
On the first hour mark they had all agreed that the fish was more than 200 and thought about 300lbs. At the 2 hour mark they changed their estimate to 400lbs. At the 3 hour mark, they now were guessing over 500lbs. Jack and David shared the fighting duties, both of the guys’ arms turned to rubber. Jack was on the rod most of the time with David standing behind him helping to hold the rod tip up. At the 4 hour mark the team had finally brought the fish up to the leader which was about 30′ behind the boat. The monster fish stayed about 10′ below the surface which gave them their first good look at marlin. The only time the fish jumped and was at the surface was when he first took the bait. What they saw and thought was only 150lbs, was actually only the giant head of the beast.
Finally David grabs the leader (making it an official IGFA catch) and starts to pull him in the direction of the boat when he spooks and runs again. 20 minutes later David grabs the leader for a second time and starts pulling. The crew gets a second look at him and confirms the estimate. The beast turns to starboard and runs and before I can swivel around the drum, the line gets caught in the roller guide and breaks. Jack and David fought the Beast for a total of 4.5 hours. Jack spent about 3.5 hours and David about 1 hour total. Their final estimate was that the fish was over 10′ long without the bill and weighed more than 700lbs.
Jack Dlugitch
http://www.cozumelboatingsupplies.com/
Bioline at the International Sportsmans Expo
Posted on: Jan 05, 2011
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Bioline will be a the International Sportsman Expo this weekend January 6-9 2011. The expo will be held in Denver Colorado at the Colorado Convention Center. Come stop by and look for Bioline which we will be selling at a discount price of 5$. Also Text BIOLINE to 74499 starting tomorrow (The 6th) and receive another promotion. (limit 2 per person, standard data and message rates may apply)
For More information about the event please visit the web site http://www.sportsexpos.com/
bioline is the first, 100 percent biodegradable fishing line on the market. Made from a special combination of biodegradable polymers, bioline is engineered to retain its strength and durability for the first 10-12 months of use and then completely degrade in water or on land within five years. Standard monofilament fishing line lasts over 600 years.
bioline performs as well as monofilament with outstanding abrasion resistance and knot strength while having the clarity of fluorocarbon. bioline is the choice for weekend warriors and top anglers looking for a more earth-friendly alternative.
The degradation process starts at the surface of the line. Microorganisms begin breaking down and digesting bioline with the aid of sunlight and moisture. bioline becomes a combination of CO2, H2O and biomass. After the initial 10-12 months of use, the line begins to lose its tensile strength. The loss of tensile strength allows wildlife caught in lost line to break free. Monofilament does not degrade for 600 years and discarded line entangles birds, turtles and other wildlife.
Eagle Claw strives to be the leader in green fishing gear for anglers around the world and looks for opportunities to work with other organizations committed to conserve our natural resources and waterways.
Eagle Claw® is proud to bring bioline, the first 100 percent biodegradable premium fishing line, to the market. bioline is available in 225 yards spools in 4-12 lb test with a MSRP of $11.99.
Capt. Brad Philipps uses Eagle Claw circle hooks in Catch-and-Release fishing off Guatemala
Posted on: Dec 06, 2010
Posted in: 2, Hooks, Pro Staff News
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Fishing Report – Guatemalan Billfishing Adventures – November 2010
As predicted we have seen some very good fishing this November off Guatemala. The amount of bait and activity out wide has been something to behold. Anglers who have made it to these rich waters have been rewarded with some superb action. Boats have averaged between 15 to 30 sailfish
releases a day with almost daily encounters with blue marlin in the 200 to 300lb range.
Mike Malin, his father Gene, Bill Frint and Rich Dorchak, were the first to join us in November going 7 from 22 on the sails their first day. The following they released 10 sails and strong blue in the 300lb range which Rich Dorchak did a fine job on as the angler. Their third day saw 8 from 21 and then 14 releases from 23 bites on the last day to see out a great trip which the group all thoroughly enjoyed.
Robert Schoenthal and his collegue Alex González made the trip down from a cold New York to enjoy our hot action. The duo released 7 from 16 bites on the 14th to start things rolling. With Alex having high sights on his first blue marlin we stuck to our guns in persuit thereof and were rewarded late the next day when the second blue of the day inhaled the mackeral pitchbait for Alex to enjoy the angling highlight of his life and release a feisty 225lb Blue to compliment the 6 sailfish Bob and he had already released. Day three saw Bob enjoying a relaxing day around the pool catching up on soem work, while we wore Alex out offshore, releasing 16 sails, putting some 30 to 40 pound dorado in the boat and having two blue marlin up we just couldn’t connect on. To say Alex and Bob left happy would be putting it mildly.
The 18th saw our OBX/Decisive team with us from the East Coast to practice fish a day prior to the PCCA’s final event which is historically held in Guatemala. Anglers Mike Viveiros, Dell Dembosky and Craig Johnson got off to an exciting start releasing a blue and 2 sails all at the same time all on 20lb early in the day. Only minutes latter we released another feisty blue to start their trip.
Following our initial plans of exploring prior to the tournament the following day we unfortunately seemed to leave the fish behind as we went looking but it did give us an idea of where not to go the next day.
The 19th saw the tournament start and we found the pick of the bite out west but we just could not get the hooks to stick and ended with a disappointing 13 from 38 bites, but Dell did release an exciting 250lb blue . After a good team talk we were back in high spirits on day two and found our groove, going an impressive 38 from 54 bites in 6 hours of tournament fishing to take top day honors and put us back within 5 fish of the top boat.
With a lot on the table for the final day we were back out west but just couldn’t get it going with a slower pick for everyone. With 45 minutes to lines out we were still 5 fish behind the lead boat and found a pocket of fish for the Decisive to turn it on. First we released a triple, two sails and a blue marlin in the 250lb range, exciting stuff with 20lb tournament line and so much at stake. Next a triple of sails, then a double, then a single, down to the wire it went to tie on points but loose by 7 minutes on time. Not to be disappointed Team OBX/Decisive was victories taking the Grand Championship Team for the Event, with Mike Viveiros taking the Grand Champion Angler for the entire event and Dell Dembosky taking the Top Angler for the Guatemalan Leg. All in all, a fantastic showing, a new PCCA release record with 676 sails, 7 blue marlin and a striped marlin to make for some unbelievable action.
The 22nd and 23rd saw our neighbour Scott Lund and his friend Ron with us. The sailfish were most certainly around and we encountered unbelievable numbers of them feeding on balls of bait, but it was marlin the boys were after so on we pushed in search of the blue dog.
With a few sails under our belt and some 20 dorado we unfortunately were not rewarded with what we were after, but a great time was had never the less.
Our bookings have filled nicely and we are convinced that those that have scheduled a trip will be rewarded with some fine fishing this season. For those looking to treat themselves to the fishing trip of a lifetime we still have some open dates in April and May of next year, so drop us an enquiry.
Until next report, compliments of the festive season to you all. Tight lines, Eagle Claw circle hooks and healthy releases.
Capt. Brad Philipps
“Decisive”
Guatemalan Billfishing Adventures
Bernie Keefe invites you to ice fishing seminars
Posted on: Dec 01, 2010
Posted in: 2, Lazer Sharp, Pro Staff News, Wright & McGill
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Bernie Keefe will be hosting ice fishing seminars open to the public.
Jax sporting goods in Ft. Collins on December 9th.
Gander Mtn. Sports in Aurora on December 10th
Bass Pro shops in Denver on December 11th and 12th.
Please visit Bernie’s web site; http://www.fishingwithbernie.com/
Eagle Claw Treble Hooks
Posted on: Sep 30, 2010
Posted in: 2
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Thanks to your super strong #4 Treble hooks, me and my fishing partner landed the biggest fish of our lives and I just had to say thank you because if it wasn’t for your hooks, we would have lost 2 of the biggest catches of our lifetime. Thank you again and Eagle Claw is the only hook we will ever buy. Attached are pictures of our trophy catches. I’m the one in the red shirt and camouflage overalls the other is my partner.
Joshua Melville of Vermont
Alaskan Halibut Bite Is On!
Posted on: Jun 21, 2010
Posted in: 2, Hooks, News From Chris
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Shane Long from Utah lands this 215 pound halibut on his Alaskan trip.
A Utah man caught the fish of a lifetime June 17 while halibut fishing near Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park.
Shane Long of Talmage, Utah, caught a 215-pound halibut on the carcass of a king salmon he landed the day before.
Long was part of a group from Utah and Colorado staying at Alaskan Anglers Inn in Gustavus, a small fishing community west of Juneau.
“Before this my biggest fish was only four or five pounds,” said Long, who battled the giant halibut for nearly 45 minutes before his fishing guide harpooned it after it reached the surface. The big halibut was then shot with a .410 shotgun before being brought aboard the Icy Rose, the charter boat Long and his friends were fishing from.
During their five-day trip with Alaskan Anglers Inn, Long and his three fellow anglers caught three halibut topping 100 pounds, and dozens of halibut from 50 to 90 pounds. They also landed five salmon from the cold waters of Icy Straight.
The group’s guide, Capt. Andy Martin, saved a few of the salmon carcasses from the previous day and threaded one onto a size 20/0 Eagle Claw hook. The salmon heads had been marinating overnight in Pautzke’s Halibut and Rockfish Nectar. Shortly after Long lowered it to the bottom, a big halibut inhaled the carcass and took off on a long run. The fish stayed near the bottom for 15 minutes before Long was able to begin forcing it to the surface. It was caught in 110 feet of water less than 10 miles from the Gustavus dock.
After filling eight 50-pound boxes with fillets during their first four days of fishing, Long’s group decided to catch and release on its last day. One of the fishermen released a 150-pound halibut, while three more fish just under 100 pounds were let go.
