2011 FISHERMAN DREAM BOAT CHALLENGE GRAND PRIZE

Come along with The Fisherman Magazine as we give you an up-close look at our 2011 Dream Boat Grand Prize, a Hydra-Sports 2300 Center Console Boat powered by a 250-HP Evinrude E-TEC outboard with electronics by Lowrance and a Trailer provided by Riverhead Trailer. All you have to do to win this boat is be a subscriber and catch a fish. It's that easy!

ROD BUILDING BASICS

Master rod builder Steve Petri shows you how to properly replace your rod's guides and re-wrap them like new.

Editor's Tip: SLAP THAT PLUG

When casting plugs or live eels for stripers from a boat or the beach, especially over calm water, finger your line to soften the impact of the landing so that the lure “slaps” the surface, rather than just splashing down. That slapping sound draws the attention of feeding stripers, rather than spooking them, which you are likely to do when a plug simply comes crashing down out of the sky.

Insider's Tip: CRUSH THOSE BARBS

Crushing the barbs, especially those on treble hooks, makes unhooking and releasing fish dramatically easier, whether you are fishing from a kayak, the beach or a boat. It will also be a lot easier on you should one of those hooks find its way into your skin. Use a pair of sturdy pliers to flatten the barb against the point of the hook.

Reader's Tip:
WORK THAT BUCKTAIL

Working a bucktail with a hard snapping action will cause the lure to dart forward and up, before slowly fluttering back down prior to the next snapping action. This behavior most closely resembles a crippled or dying baitfish in its final throes and is especially appealing to all gamefish.

HOW TO THROW A CAST NET

Bait is gathering in the canals and back bays and with one effective toss of a cast net, you can fill your boat's livewell and, in turn, up your odds at catching fish. Here, The Fisherman Magazine's cast net expert, John Unkart, shows you how to properly throw your cast net for maximum results.

WE WANT YOUR FISHING VIDEOS!

Would you like your fishing movie featured in The Fisherman Magazine’s e-Newsletter? Are you the next WFN, Versus or Outdoor Channel angling superstar? Then send us your best fishing videos and we’ll pick one reader video each month to feature in our e-newsletter and share with thousands of other anglers and aspiring fishing filmmakers.
Send your videos and links to your vids for review to psciacca@thefisherman.com

IN THIS ISSUE:

COSTA’S LADY
ANGLER EYEWEAR

By Patrick Sciacca

Anglers are acutely aware that having a reliable pair of polarized sunglasses offers an advantage when looking through the water for fish while also providing vital eye protection from damaging sun glare. Costa is a company that has long been at the forefront of eyewear technology, and now it has developed a line of sunglasses for the lady angler in your life.

Four new eyeglass styles, which debuted earlier this year, offer wearers a variety of frame shapes, colors and lens types (including the yellow-light-blocking 580 lens). The first model of this series is dubbed the Hammock (seen here), which sports a wide nylon frame in an oval shape with spring hinges for an easy fit. It also comes in three frame colors, including tortoise, black and salmon/white crystal.

Sporting an equally large frame, but in a rectangular shape, is the Little Harbor, which features frames in tortoise, black and black/coral. For those in need of small frame, a pair of Costa’s Tippet may fit the bill. Like the other two models, this one features the spring-hinges to easily set the sunglasses on your head when resting in the shade of a boat’s saloon. They also feature a no-slip nose pad. The Tippet is available in tortoise, black and white.

Costa’s final offering, known as Islamorada, features a butterfly-shape frame with “full eye” coverage and comes in tortoise, black, white and black/coral. All of these sunglasses range in price from $149 to $249, depending upon lens choice. They can also be tailored to a customer’s prescription. For more images, information and specifications, please visit www.costadelmar.com