Author: Zane Hinrichs

Accurate Reels Accurate is arguably the originator of the “big fish, small reels” mantra that has swept over the sportfishing industry over the last several years. If you ride sportboats, you have seen this evolution first-hand. When it comes to Accurate reels, smooth drag is simply understated. There is nothing worse that hooking a big fish and realizing that your drags are not up to the task as evidenced by the lurching, erratic bouncing of the rod as the powerful fish explodes on that initial line melting run. Above all else, this is the reason to own the patented twin-drag…

I grew up fishing the Southern California inshore and offshore scene and spinning reels, aka. coffee-grinders, were looked at with disdain. Complete and utter contempt might be more accurate. Spinning reels at the time fell short in several important categories including line capacity, drag capability, and reliability to name a few. Several important things happened to change the equation. Advances in spinning reel technology resolved the drag capability and reliability issues, but it was braided line that remediated the line-capacity issue once-and-for-all. Despite the theoretical paradigm shift, I still needed to see and experience for myself how a spinning outfit…

Big Island Bomboy Beast Kailua-Kona, HI – On Wednesday, November 19, 2014, Captain Bomboy Llanes, running a half-day honeymoon charter aboard the Lanakila, and against the odds, landed a 1,041-lb blue marlin. The famed waters off of Kailua-Kona, along the southern coast of the big island of Hawaii are known to produce ‘Granders’, as in marlin surpassing the 1,000-pound mark are called, with some regularity. However, November is not considered prime time for grander fishing. In fact, until this day, November was the only month of the year in which this feat had not been accomplished. Now, you can consider…

Just in time for the upcoming offshore season, prototypes of the new Axis series rods were previewed at the Fred Hall Show, Pacific Coast Sportfishing Festival, and Day-at-the Docks. This new line covers the full-spectrum of saltwater applications from the 12-30# rated HAX 680 ML, which will be perfect for fishing the Anchovy all the way up to the 80-200# rated HAX 780 X4H, which is designed to be a player in the rail-rod application for big tuna. The Axis is a sick looking rod with its dark blue blank color and backs it up with a high-tech helix composite…

BD’s Zane Hinrichs got a chance to catch up with the founders of West Coast Bait Wraps to see what all of the buzz is about. Q:Who are the principals or owners, partners, etc? A: Rich Whitaker, Billy Egan, Brian Sanford and William Ting. We all own 25% of the company. Q:Where did the idea come from? A: Billy Egan started wrapping swim baits for freshwater bass back in 2008. Rich Whitaker met him by coincidence and asked him to teach him the process. Q:How long have you been in business? A: We have only been in business for about…

Rigging a ballyhoo as demonstrated by Julio of the Hotel Buena Vista Boat, Vagabundos. Step 1: Select a large ballyhoo. Step 2: Cut the belly from the anal vent to gills and remove the guts and airbladder. Step 3: Determine the length of double line to set the hook back near the tail.(perfection end loop or crimp). Step 4: Insert the hook and leader into the belly cavity, allowing the leader to exit through the mouth. Step 5: Starting behind the gill-plate, begin sewing back to the anal vent with a needle and rigging floss. Step 6: Continue sewing forward…

Phenix Rods have built a loyal following of fans in the angling and custom rod-building community. In the saltwater market, their Black Diamond and Black Diamond Hybrid rods have achieved an almost cult-like following, especially in the San Diego private and sportboat scene. From a technical standpoint, this is because they use advanced materials, formerly the exclusive domain of the aerospace industry. This has allowed them to fabricate a super-strong blank that has a thinner diameter and weighs considerably less than other rods in its class. The Black Diamond series rods are created with a proprietary blend of high-modulus graphite…