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Trailmaster Rods – Better Then Ever
Posted on: Oct 26, 2009
Posted in: News From Chris, Product Info
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Trailmaster rods from Eagle Claw have been one of the best known and widest sold rods lines in the United States. Countless Trailmaster rods have been enjoyed and passed down through generations of new anglers and memories made while spending nights around a roaring campfire sharing successful fishing stories.
For 2010 the Trailmaster gets a complete makeover and upgrade while keeping its tried and true versatility and rugged durability.
The Trailmaster lineup is available in five models all in four and six piece travel designs with custom a Cordura zippered case. A new model added this year is the Trailmaster combo featuring a six ball bearing reel matched to a 6’6” spinning rod. The take down reel seat uses an exclusive screw tight design to ensure a solid connection of the reel seat to the rod blank but still allowing for a compact design for easy packing
Each rod features IM-7 complex composite blank construction, titanium oxide guides, and custom cork handles with rubberized fore-grip and butt cap for added durability. The engraved reel seat is made from high-grade aluminum and features dual locking rings to ensure a solid connection.
As always, Trailmasters come with a lifetime warranty – the best in the industry
Collegiate Bass Fishing
Posted on: Oct 07, 2009
Posted in: Hooks, News From Chris, Pro Staff News
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Eagle Claw is happy to be involved in many of the collegiate bass events around the country. North Carolina State University is one bass team we sponsor. They continue to howl in college bass events. NCSU sent two teams last week to final qualifying events, one finished 2nd and the other 6th. The picture is of Will and Kolby who finished 2nd. NCSU now has 5 teams (a new record!) qualified for the FLW College Bass Regional Championship! Nice work guys, looks like you have a bright future ahead.
Look out Skeet and G-man!
Dave Mercer Unites Fishing and Baseball
Posted on: Sep 22, 2009
Posted in: News From Chris, Pro Staff News
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Professional angler and host of Facts of Fishing THE SHOW® Dave Mercer has made the Major League Baseball history books. On September 21st at 7:00pm Dave became the first person in the history of the league to “cast” (with rod and reel) the opening pitch, kicking off the game between the Toronto Blue Jays® and Baltimore Orioles.
The historic cast took place at the Rogers Center® in downtown Toronto, and created an excellent opportunity to raise money for a great cause. In conjunction with the Blue Jays a “Facts of Fishing” section of seats was created where $5 from every ticket sold was donated by the Jays to Dave Mercer’s Casting for a Cure charity benefiting the Canadian Cancer Society. Casting for Mr. Mercer created a Cure in honor of his late mother, Ann Mercer who lost her battle with cancer and has since raised over $100,000 for cancer research.
Not the first place one would expect to see a “cast”, Dave continues to be a great ambassador for the sport of fishing. By putting the sport in front of mainstream audiences such as those watching the game Dave has been able to introduce new people to the sport who otherwise would never
have given it a chance. Dave stated, “My most vivid memories from my childhood were the times spent with family in the boat. So many people never get the opportunity to experience all the things this great sport has to offer. My goal is always to get one more person out there to give
it a try.”
ABOUT DAVE MERCER:
Fishing funny-man, Dave Mercer, host of television’s Facts of Fishing® THE SHOW and the Facts of Fishing Tip Series spends over 250 days a year on the water fishing for just about anything that swims. He is one of today’s most sought-after seminar speakers and his off-the-wall blend of
edutainment has had audiences across the country rolling in the aisles. This unique and original mix of humor, entertainment and education has made Dave one of Canada’s most recognized and revered anglers.
Texas Fish and Game’s Blog
Posted on: Sep 15, 2009
Posted in: Hooks, Lazer Sharp, News From Chris
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Just got back from a fishing and hunting excursion to New York. Yeah, I know…New York?
You’re thinking bright lights and big cities but I experienced the Finger Lakes region and lots of forests and agriculture.
I had the great pleasure of fishing Owasco Lake near the town of Auburn and caught some nice lake trout. On the second day of our fishing we had some motor problems and ended up drifting into some shallows why we waited for help. The water there is super clear and there were hundreds of perch feeding in the shallow grass beds. The problem with this some fish can be super finicky in clear water and in fact they kept stealing our worms and small pieces of cut bait.
To correct the problem I broke out some Eagle Claw Circle Bait Hooks and started catching the small perch and rock bass immediately. Nearly every fish that hit ended up getting hook. With the standard j-style hooks we were using we maybe got one fish per 10 strikes. The circle hooks made a big difference. You hear very little about using circle hooks for panfish but that is about to change. They are not only great for conserving catches of big fish by hooking them in the corner of the mouth but also increase the number of fish landed.
The author and a beautiful yellow perch caught on an Eagle Claw
Circle Bait Hook.
With Eagle Claw Circle hooks, the large number means larger hooks.
Saltwater 24/7 fishing tips and Tactics
Posted on: Aug 13, 2009
Posted in: Hooks, News From Chris, Pro Staff News
2 Comments »
There is a hot new site on the internet, Saltwater 24/7, with some great “how to” and informational videos. Of course some of the first up relate to Eagle Claw and Lazer Sharp hooks and how to rig ‘em. What else would you expect. After all the hook is the only thing that ever touches a fish. Without a good hook, that expensive rod and reel is not much more than a fancy stick. Check these out:
Choosing a Hook and Rigging Live Bait
and
Eagle Claw on Americas Got Talent
Posted on: Aug 07, 2009
Posted in: News From Chris, Pro Staff News
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If you are a fan of America’s Got talent you know the name Kevin Skinner. The chicken farmer/singer who wowed the judges the last few weeks. Well, you may or may not be a fan of Kevin, but Kevin sure is a fan of Eagle Claw.
Check out this link and look closely.
That favorite tan hat he wears proudly states Eagle Claw 1925.
Since he wears it backwards it can be tough to see but trust me, it’s there.
World Record King Salmon?
Posted on: Jul 29, 2009
Posted in: News From Chris, Pro Staff News
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On July 17th, Eagle Claw and Wright & McGill pro staff guide, John Whitlatch, guided his client Joe Atchison to what could be a world record breaking King Salmon on Alaska Kenai River. This monster was released immediately after snapping the photo so the only evidence remaining are the measurements taken of the fish – 58″ long with a 34″ girth and this great shot of the trophy fish. John, a well respected veteran guide on the river, estimated the fish weighed at least 91 pounds.
Shortly into the fight I told Joe, “man, it’s a big fish,” said Whitlatch, owner of Reel Adventures guiding service of Soldotna. “It went on one run and then went back up the river slow and with some real authority, like there’s nothing you’re going to do about it.”
Nearby anglers cooperated by steering clear of the big fish. After working around a bend in the river and heading downstream, the fish tired. Whitlatch and Atchison maneuvered him close to the bank to be netted. After some measurements and photos, Whitlatch released him.”It went incredibly smoothly,” Whitlatch said. “A real quick-and-easy deal. We tried not to stress the big fish out at all.”
Atchison said he had no second thoughts about releasing a fish that may have been near the world record. “I felt good about it.” So did the fish.
“He took off like a rocket,” Whitlatch said. “He almost took my shoulder off.”
“But to me, the real story is for somebody to actually be conservation-minded and choose to let it go. Johnny pushes catch and release. This fish was really fresh and still heading upriver to spawn. By releasing this fish we help the chances of having giant fish in the river in future years.”
“Kenai kings are genetically unique and need to be protected.”
Whitlatch, who grew up in Palmer, moved to the Kenai Peninsula in 1995. For years, he has advocated catch and release among his clients.
“With a little education and effort, we can save these big fish. They’re special,” he said.
John, we may never know for sure if this was the new world record, but we do know this was a real world class trophy fish. Thanks for giving us all the chance to find one in the future.
Customer Feedback
Posted on: Jul 11, 2009
Posted in: Hooks, News From Chris
3 Comments »
Here is one of them
hi – I just wanted to say thanks for making such great durable products. I always use your snelled hooks when I use live bait. recently I was fishing with my ultra light rod and reel along with your hooks and landed a 5 pound walleye. He put up a good fight but when it was all said and done I realized the hook was what got him in. He actually bent the hook but the hook never broke loose from my line. after removing it and bending it back it was still sharp and usable and I caught plenty more fish on it. So thanks again. I have included a picture of the walleye, as I am very proud of it. To date it is the biggest fish I’ve landed thanks to your hooks!!!
Nice Fish Karmela – you should be proud. Eagle Claw snells account for lots of fish every year. I am happy to know it is your biggest to date! Chris
If you have a good fish story we would love to hear it. Send you photo and story to info@eagleclaw.com
Okoboji Vacation Fun
Posted on: Jul 03, 2009
Posted in: News From Chris
2 Comments »
I was on vacation last week. We have some great friends who always vacation on Lake Okoboji Iowa. It has been their family tradition for years and this year we were invited to go along.
These friends of ours, The Browns are a great family with two small boys about 6 and 4. They spend lots of time on the lake: boating, swimming, tubing – whatever, but not much time fishing. As we planned the trip over the last several months there was always talk of fishing (mostly on my part). And I found out the boys, Jakob and Joey had never caught a fish. I had promised to fix that. We spent the first day running around in the boat, checking out the lake and just relaxing after the long drive from Denver. As we came back to the dock in the afternoon I could not help but notice bluegill by the plenty waiting for an easy meal under the dock. .
I asked the boys if they were ready to try a little fishing and with an excited “You Bet!” in unison they race up to the beach house to get their gear.
I followed close behind to retrieve some of the tackle I had brought along. Small jigs, floats and hooks we could use off the dock.
I rigged up with the help of my two kids, Scott and Kyndra and showed the two the plan. Since both Scott and Kyndra can keep up with anyone catching fish I had plenty of help to keep the tangles to a minimum and the boys busy. My first try was a couple small 1/16 oz hair jigs we could drop to the bottom and see just how interested the bluegill were. We helped Jakob learn how to get a good jigging motion down and rigged Joey with a float above his jig so the waves from the passing boats could do the work for him until he got the hang of it.
We watched in excitement as the small, bright colored jigs descended into the clear water. We could see the fish dart over to check out our offering but we had no takers. With no live bait with us at the time I reeled up the jigs after a few minutes and added a dab of Eagle Claw Grease in chartreuse to each one thinking a little added scent would do the trick.
Within seconds of Jakob’s jig getting to depth a willing Bluegill jumped on the now scented mini jig. With a somewhat surprised yelp Jakob set the hook just like we had instructed and reeled in his first catch. With huge grin of accomplishment and pride Scott and I helped hold his prize catch up for a quick photo and inspection. Both boys were amazed at this little guy we had tricked to take our lure. They inspected the shape and colors and commented on the bright blue patch just below the gills – giving our little trophy his name. With a soft feel by each boy Kyndra gently released him back to the depths under the dock. Jakob was so excited he had to take time to relive his story and explain all the details to the rest of the family huddled around the dock.
I turned my attention to Joey to see if we could get the same results for him. We dropped his jig down to the bottom just in time to see a few larger torpedo shaped shadows pass under the dock. I wondered what these new visitors might be and told Joey to hold tight to the rod and get ready. With a few more bounces of the rod Joey felt a strong tug and let out a little gasp as we struggled to pull the rod up out of the water. The line darted well under the dock and out of sight as I realized we had hooked into one of the new mystery fish. With a little assistance holding the rod Joey pulled and cranked with all his might and a nice, about 15″ Walleye can into view. After a few more short runs the walleye came to my careful grasp and was hoisted to the dock for all to admire. Joey was all smiles and very excited as we looked at his prize. We checked out the scales and sharp teeth while comparing the size of these new specimens eyes with the Bluegill we had admired moments before.
As the boys looked on, Jakob said, maybe with just a hint of jealousy “Joey, yours is lots bigger then mine.” Joey responded without hesitation, “Yeah but yours had more colors I like that”
The boys decided the walleye should join his friends back under the dock and he slipped back into lake Okoboji.
Needless to say we caught lots more fish off the dock over the next few days on jigs and Eagle Claw Aberdeens tipped with a little worm but none more important then those two. 
There is nothing quite like helping a young child catch his first fish and I could not have been more proud to see how my two teenagers were excited to help out and the smiles and fun they had from assisting Jakob and Joey over the next few days. My kids are lucky to have learned to fish at an early age and they get the chance to go often. In today’s busy world fishing is easy for many families to forget how fun fishing is and many of us so called “anglers” are so wrapped up in the latest technique, fast boat, or new rod we forget to pass on our sport.
The 4th of July is just around the corner. Take a minute this summer and teach a neighbor kid or family member to fish. All you need in a little patience, a few worms and probably the local pond or lake will be the perfect setting. No need to get fancy or catch something big.
The kids you help will remember it for a lifetime and you may even be helping your next fishing partner get started.
The happy ending of this story for me – I received a text message from Jakob and Joey’s Dad after we left. Joey, the youngest was out on the dock a couple nights later telling all the adults who would listen how to hold the rod and move it just a little to make the jig work.
“Because Chris said so, and he taught me how to catch ‘em.”
Memorial Weekend
Posted on: May 29, 2009
Posted in: News From Chris
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The holiday weekend we call Memorial Day has passed us by for another year. It is easy to get caught up in the BBQ’s and cookouts and forget what Memorial Day really stands for. My good friend and co-worker Lisa made me stop and think what it’s all about. She told me about her fishing trip with her step son Jason who serves in the Army and his dedication to his country. How that dedication spills over to the family he loves and the sacrifices they make as well. Lisa got to spend a little time with Jason over the weekend. Here are a few of her own words
Somehow enjoying the simple things in life are where it’s really at. Or should I say the “little” things in life. It’s hard to imagine dedicating your life for the freedom of others. This career Army guy is truly my hero. Thank you Jason and all the Jason’s out there who keep this country safe so we all can enjoy the “little things in life”.
Lisa
Don’t worry – he caught bigger fish too!
Thanks to all the past men and women who have served our great country.
Thanks to everyone out there who does it every day right now.
We apprcaite you all
Eagle Claw
