The Gear in Review (2020)

[Slobber Bob]

For years on the Revo I kept to her Bohemian ways and always did a poor mans anchor by grabbing the nearest spartina and weaving it into a friendship bracelet with my paddle holders. It worked ok, but the Slayer required a more sophisticated, dignified holder, so the YakGear Bush Grabber was bought. Yes, I know it sounds like something you get at a Nascar rally, but when fishing for reds in Georgia the name works. The Grabber holds tight on to anything (heck, look at the picture, those grass blades are from three weeks ago in Beaufort!) . There were so many trips i relied on that to hold me me in place. Unlike the stick pole, the Grabber is for quick no-brainer holds, three or four casts to an eddy. By the way, i tie one end to a tent stake pole, with that $3 Amazon float in the middle. The stake pole is good for mud banks.
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I bet that grabber would work great for docks or pilings too. Have you tried that with it?

I used to use an cheap-o A-clamp that I would clip onto dock boards, dock, bolts, or piling bolts to stay in place when tog and sheepshead fishing. I'd hook it to my anchor trolley so I could move the clamp to the bow or stern to prevent being tied up to the current sideways. Being cheap-o clamps that weren't meant to be in saltwater the clamp springs usually rusted out quick though.

[dsaavedra]

Going back to the OP, that RAM X-grip is a totally excellent piece of gear. I have used it for so many good fish pics and it is truly indispensable when fishing alone or when you're too far away to ask you buddy to come take a photo. Below are some catches I was glad to have the X-grip for...

My biggest snakehead, 8 lb 8 oz:


My second biggest snakehead, 7 lb 2 oz (my buddy was way too far way to ask him to come take a picture):


A nice 4.5 lb bass I caught while taking my dad out for his first ever kayak fishing trip on Father's Day... again, he was too far away to ask him to come take a picture for me:


As for new gear I've acquired in 2020, after much trial and error I think I finally found a net I like for my kayak. It's this foldable, rubberized Promar landing net: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Prom...ge-PROSLN.html I like that it's collapsible with a relatively short handle, that the netting is rubberized so hooks don't get stuck yet it is not as heavy as a fully rubber net, and that the hoop is plenty big and the basket plenty deep for those 30+" snakehead.

After discovering my Berkeley Big Game Lip Grips could be opened with slight upward pressure from a thrashing fish (I lost my personal best snakehead pictured above due to this design flaw, just moments after that picture was taken) I decided to get some of the plastic locking fish grips. I got the Rapala version and have been very happy with them. I like that they have a larger surface area that clamps onto the fish's lips as opposed to the metal lip grips... it seems to cause less stress/damage to the fish. That being said, I have found the plastic jaws to be quite bulky and at times extremely difficult to fit into the mouths of snakehead which can be notoriously lock-jawed once you get them in the boat. So I bought a cheapo pair of thinner metal grips which don't open with upward pressure, are very thin so they're easy to slide into a lock-jawed snakehead, and have a nifty tape measure built in (we'll see how long that stays functional in brackish water). So far they have worked very well for securing stubborn snakehead and to my surprise the scale was actually dead on when I bought it (again, we'll see how long it stays accurate after use in potentially corrosive environments) https://www.amazon.com/Entsport-Grip.../dp/B01C85DN3U

I have also become very fond of UPF clothing... lightweight, quick-drying, moisture wicking clothing that protects from UV rays. With a combination of a hooded long-sleeve UPF shirt, baseball cap, neck gaiter pulled up over my face, full length UPF pants, and UPF fingerless gloves I can be completely protected from UV rays and sunburn without ever applying a drop of greasy, stinky sunblock. The one thing I'd like to improve is some way to protect my ankles and feet as I like to wear Crocs in the kayak... I have had more than my fair share of sunburned ankles and dots across the tops of my feet from the holes in the Crocs.

[summersoff]

Dave,
Awesome pics! Man, I’m glad to see that X-Grip phone holder really works. My pictures suck can’t wait to use it. Do you have a phone tether you use?

About the UPF clothing. I really like it too, but man some of those shirts get stupid expensive. I first started using them in Florida where they are required and I guess with such demand they can charge $80 for a glorified t-shirt. I stumbled across this site and have been happy with them. I bought a couple of long sleeve UPF’s for $16 and they have hooded ones for $20 on Amazon
https://www.baleaf.com/collections/b...sleeved-shirts

If I remember correctly, from my old fly days, Orvis used to sell sun protection for the ankles - I may be wrong, but check with the fly guys - they invented most of that sun protection gear

[summersoff]

I bet that grabber would work great for docks or pilings too. Have you tried that with it?

I used to use an cheap-o A-clamp that I would clip onto dock boards, dock, bolts, or piling bolts to stay in place when tog and sheepshead fishing. I'd hook it to my anchor trolley so I could move the clamp to the bow or stern to prevent being tied up to the current sideways. Being cheap-o clamps that weren't meant to be in saltwater the clamp springs usually rusted out quick though.

Bob,
That thing will hold onto anything. I haven’t used it on pilings, but down south almost everywhere I fish has an area they call ‘The Boneyard’ which is a glen of sunken dead trees that has the tops sticking out of the water. They are an Extremely cool areas to fish for specks. You have to anchor up to the trees to fish it properly. Sometimes the current is tough, which makes it hairy because you don’t want to get pushed into the other trees. The Bush Grabber (insert teenage snicker) works great for that area, giving you ability to move from branch to log easily.

Sounds like I used the same wood shop clamp as you did. Always rusting and spring eventually braking. This is a really effective alternative. Unlike the clamp, this doesn’t slip.

[dsaavedra]

Dave,
Awesome pics! Man, I’m glad to see that X-Grip phone holder really works. My pictures suck can’t wait to use it. Do you have a phone tether you use?

About the UPF clothing. I really like it too, but man some of those shirts get stupid expensive. I first started using them in Florida where they are required and I guess with such demand they can charge $80 for a glorified t-shirt. I stumbled across this site and have been happy with them. I bought a couple of long sleeve UPF’s for $16 and they have hooded ones for $20 on Amazon
https://www.baleaf.com/collections/b...sleeved-shirts

If I remember correctly, from my old fly days, Orvis used to sell sun protection for the ankles - I may be wrong, but check with the fly guys - they invented most of that sun protection gear

The X grip comes with a tether, it's a rubber thing you stretch around the back of the X grip and over the corners of your phone. I don't keep my phone in the X grip all day and feel like I'd be more likely to fumble around and drop it while taking the tether off, so I don't use it on the X grip. I do, however, use the tether on a lanyard attached inside my life jacket pocket, that way the phone is in quick reach when I need to use it and I don't have to worry about dropping it and losing it. To take the photos I just pop the phone in the X grip and use the forward facing camera on a 5 second timer.

The hooded long sleeve I have is the one from Baleaf with thumbholes (helps keep sleeves from riding up over the gloves). My non-hooded UPF shirts are these ones made by Hanes, $18 for a 2-pack

[toadfinger]

x2 on the Baleaf shirts. I now wear them all the time and they make a nice light undergarment when layering for colder temperatures.

Also, Texas Eye jigheads (still recommend a bead above the jig) were key for speck and red fishing in grass beds on the eastern shore. Paired with white or pink ZMan Streakz Jerk Shads really helped in boosting my catch rate in the Honga when winds or crab scrapers stirred up the water.

And, Mirrolure Heavydine 18MR- compatible with single in-line hook conversion, which greatly reduces excessive hook damage to fish, largely eliminates entanglement in nets, piercing of clothing and human flesh. As a sinking lure, they can be slow-trolled from a kayak and are as effective as the more traditional, treble hook-laden 52MR. As with most Mirrolures baits, using lighter test lines & leaders and anchoring are key to fishing them properly but they are worth the learning curve.