Fishing Tackle Reviews & Discounts

Reviews

There are a lot of knots used in fly fishing. I was lost in confussion, until I found this jem. Lefty doesn't waste time getting you to the knot required for a particular joint in your tackle, or teaching you how to tie it. This is on my very short list of the best books I read, which includes fiction and nonfiction.

I would highly recommend this book and DVD to any fisherman, or anybody interested in learning more about knots. I checked this book out in our local library and liked it so much that I purchased it for myself. The DVD is Lefty setting in front of a video camera demonstrating how to tie knots. He does an excellent showing you have to tie and telling what knots to use for different applications.

This is a great format the book and dvd together. Watch the video over and over and use the book to refresh your memory as you tie the knots.

I purchased this book recently when I was having trouble keeping leaders attached to my fly line with braided loop ends. I learned how to make a Whipped Loop End right on my fly line from this book. The DVD, which is included was a great help. On the DVD, Lefty talks about all the basics and also demonstrates all of the major knots that comprise the text of the book. It is a very complete work that starts with 3 basic knots and builds up to every knot a light tackle fisherman will ever need to know. A great work from one of the all time greats of flyfishing.

This would be just another Lefty book, except for the dvd included. Because of the dvd, it's the best fishing knot resource out there.

Reviews

This book gives you more of a "where to go" feel and even specific directions. I followed the directions on one of the suggested pages and it worked out great. The only knock is that it isn't as comprehensive as I would like. There are areas I wanted more info about. I would suggest also getting "Alaska Fishing" by Limeres and Pederson. Together, you get a lot of helpful information. If I had to choose just one of the books, I would buy Haugen's book, without question. I own both books and refer to his most often.

Anyone flyfishing in Alaska needs this book. Tons of info and over 100 maps. Tells you where to go, when to go, and exactly how to get there. Also, if you float remote rivers like me, float trips, this book has very detailed info on dozens of rivers in Alaska. It covers some of the more popular float trips and then some. A must have book. This book and Troy Letherman's "Topwater, Flyfishing Alaska.." are my favorite two books on Alaska fishing. I have about 13, but these two are must haves.

I bought this a few months before my trip to Alaska. I studied the book and read the chapters that covered the places I would visit and the water I would want to fish. I was able to rule out places based on location and quickly was able to get a list of places to visit. I was going to Alaska via cruise, so my time was limited. I was able to find places to fish at every spot where we were there for an extended time. The maps were great and accurate. Once I got to a spot I knew right away where to go after I got my bearings. I would recommend you take the book with you and a compass or GPS. One of my favorite spots was a small lake in Sitka. I had to climb a mountain, found the lake, and caught 3 Brook Trout in the short time I was there. I highly recommend this. Make sure you read the book before you go, look up the sites on the Internet, have a map, take the tackle recommendations, and have fun.

This book is packed with all sorts of detailed, useful information for much of Alaska's destinations. Though it probably doesn't cover everything perfectly (Alaska is a big place) I have compared what the author says to some of my personal experiences, and he is quite accurate. This book goes beyond, the usual "I'll give you the run timings and list guides for you" approach -- it has some real info in it that is good. Though flyfishing is in the title, Haugen recognizes the limitations of that for some of the destinations (e.g., King salmon in most places) and mentions gear techniques also.

Writing a guide to fly-fishing in the huge state of Alaska must be extremely difficult - tantamount to writing a book like "A Fly-Fisherman's Guide to Everything West of the Mississippi." At the outset, the author would have to make some important decisions on which of the literally thousands of the state's waters should be included in the book, and which waters should be left out. A logical way to start would be to divide the state into geographical regions, which is what "A Flyfisher's Guide to Alaska" does, then decide what to highlight in each region. In this book, the authors have done a commendable job surveying a large number of diverse of waters; however, in choosing which waters to exclude, they have left out some important fishing destinations, while at the same time including some inconsequential locations. But before criticizing it too much, I should point out that certain portions of the book are very well done. The regional sections on Bristol Bay, the Kenai Peninsula, and especially Kodiak Island are excellent, providing a high level of detail, with good maps and helpful sidebars containing notes on fishing gear and techniques, options for do-it-yourself fishing, and how to deal with ever-present grizzly bears. Throughout the book, there are lists of contact addresses that the reader will find useful: names and telephone numbers of hotels, fishing guides, air and boat charter businesses, and government offices for each regional selection. The run-timing charts for fish are accurate and helpful, and prospective visitors should pay particular attention to them. In Alaska, where much of the fishing is dependant on anadramous fish, proper timing is everything. But the book falls seriously short for its lack of coverage of some areas. For example, anyone wanting to use the book to gather information on pike fishing in Alaska would be disappointed to learn that perhaps the state's single best location for huge pike has been ignored. The Innoko River, a tributary to the Yukon, is where the current state record pike was taken, and is recognized by pike aficionados as quite literally one of the world's top destinations for these ferocious fish. Granted, this is a remote river, but no more so than many of the other places that are included in the book. I was very surprised to see no mention of it at all. Perhaps the most serious omission is the waters of Prince William Sound and the streams located along the Gulf of Alaska from the town of Cordova to Yakutat. This latter region boasts some of Alaska's best coho salmon rivers, which, due to their size, clarity, and huge runs of salmon, are very popular with fly-fishermen. Prince William Sound itself is a large area of countless islands, bays, and estuaries. While the Sound is not a leading fly-fishing destination, it nevertheless contains some important waters, especially for anglers concentrating on pink or coho salmon. Because of its relatively easy access through the ports of Seward, Whittier, Cordova, or Valdez, (note the key word relatively - few waters in Alaska are easy to access), the book would have been much improved by mentioning at least an overview of the Sound and the Gulf Coast. The coverage for Southeast Alaska has comparable problems. Similar to Prince William Sound, Southeast Alaska is a region of steep-sided islands and fjords and dominated by small streams - few of which could be considered destinations unto themselves, such as the major rivers on the Kenai Peninsula or Bristol Bay - yet these numerous waters still provide a very high-quality angling experience. In this section, the author chooses to emphasize the fishing adjacent to the road systems of the region's small towns, presumably because that's where he assumes most anglers are likely to concentrate their efforts. In doing so, however, some of the territory's best angling is overlooked: many of the lakes, streams, and estuaries located only a short boat or float plane ride from the various towns provide much superior angling than those found on the road systems. For example, the section on Sitka has several paragraphs discussing road-system lakes that provide uninspiring angling for stunted resident trout. Yet within easy striking distance of Sitka are lakes and streams that are enormously productive, with multiple species of fish, and certainly worth the trouble and expense to visit. The book should have emphasized coverage of these places instead. An example of how the author could have improved the Southeast section is his handling of the area near the town of Wrangell. Here, he provides the reader with information on some of the easily accessible roadside fishing near town, yet he also provides detail on more remote areas that are not only close-by but have outstanding fishing and wilderness characteristics. All-in-all, the book is an admirable effort and is generally a useful reference - particularly for some regions of the state. But I look forward to its second edition - one that is backed up by even more research, and one that re-examines the choices on listed fishing spots.

Reviews

I bought this book in preperation for my second trip to Costa rica to fish for snook. It was a delight to read, full of useful info and well illustrated. The author comes across as genuine and passionate, without being snobby. I only wish it covered more Snook localities than just Florida, and mabye had a little more in the way of info on snook subspecies. All in all an excellent inshore book!

Norm Zeigler's scholarly and delightfully written book is a must for those interested in fly fishing for a phenomenal, under appreciated game fish. His efficient and clear explanation of the biology of this fascinating fish, its habitat and ecological considerations are a refreshing prelude to fly fishing methods, flies, and handling of the fish. If you have any interest in salt water fishing with a fly for a great game fish, I highly recommend Norm Zeigler's Snook on a Fly.

Reviews

after years of wall mounted racks we have switched. they were simple to assemble,sturdy,roomy, will never need replaced.

The slim fit of the Okuma rod rack makes it very handy in my crowded garage. I was able to store two dozen rods in a small space and not worry about them becoming intangled.

This item is much smaller in person than it appears. The top of it doesn't reach belt level (I'm not even 6 feet tall). It advertises to hold up to 16 rods... in reality there is NO POSSIBLE way it can hold that many unless you take the reels off of them. Also, the reels make the stand front heavy and it will tip over unless you take some precautions. It actually should be marketed as a holder for toy or novelty rods. The other reviewers who mention bigger, deep sea rods have got to be frustrated. My rods are only little, 4' 6" trout rods. Yet the item tips over from the "weight" of the reels. I didn't really want to mount the 2 units back-to-back, but I also didn't want to anchor the item to my wall. I only have about 6 rods so I was planning to utilize one of the racks and save the other one or give it to a friend. Well... I could only get 4 rods in 1 side of it, and it kept tipping over. So I was forced to mount them back-to-back as seen in the picture. The rod rack is plastic. It says as much in the item description. But this plastic is very flimsy. The manufacturer should probably be ashamed of themselves in the contruction of this item. Overall... not what I expected. Probably not worth the price I paid. Yet for all my complaints, i'll probably keep the item. So go figure.

Nice item for the cost. Wish it was a stronger holder but for the price it works just fine. I have larger deep sea reels so it is hard to get them into the holder. I was only able to use every other slot to hold my reels. For smaller reels and rods, ie freshwater type 6-12 lb test rod/reels no problem. I have another larger rod and reel holder made of solid wood and it has wheels which I use for my 40-80 lb test saltwater rod and reels. Again I like the product and was easy to install. Delivery was quick. Thank You.

This product is pretty flimsy. You have to have it in a very secure place to keep it from falling over. I am not sure we will continue to use it as it is almost too much work to keep it upright.

Reviews

This is an amazing product ! Takes very little space, can be reverted to fly rod, excellent ! Only minus is length of the rod, which could benefit of another 2 segments. This package never leaves my car, and is always "ready to go", so when I see a nice river and have 30 mins, i take any opportunity !

Seems like a good deal except you need to get fly line and "normal" line, a leader and backing. You can get a "ready to fish" kit for about 100 bucks and maybe it won't BREAK THE TIP OFF WHILE YOU ARE SPOOLING LINE ONTO IT!!! This pole is amazingly weak. Would rate it at -1 star as well.

The travel pack came with all that was advertised; convertable pole, 2 reels. The spinning reel was nice and smooth. Never tried the fly reel. Pole is very , very light weight. It lasted about 4 days. On the 5th day it snapped. Easily repaired. I was using 2oz spoon. Probably shouid have used 1oz and under. I bought two kits and will keep the second one just in case.

Shipping was prompt. Product quality and packaging matched the representation of such. Bag and product packaging is handy. Wish both reels came with line

Excellent service from Har-Lee, the kit was shipped the same day it was ordered and arrived two weeks later (I am in the UK). The kit is very good value for money, realy pleased with it. For anyone else in the UK who may be considering purchase my total costs were just under £30 for the kit and carriage (from Har-lee) plus £7.52 payable to the UK post office when it arrived (£3.52 VAT + £4 post office handling fee). Total of £37.52 for a great little travel kit.

Reviews

If each shelf can hold 50lbs then call me Jesus. Not bad if the price was around $35.00. I wouldn't buy again at $75.00.

We were happy with this product. It was exactly what we expected. My 15 year old son put it together. He said the directions weren't real clear but he still got it together.

I saw this on the shelf at my local unamed, ginormous sporting goods store (you know the one with live fish in tanks). It seemed like a pretty clever idea and I was anxious to try it, as my fishing gear always winds up scattered all over the garage and basement depending on which of the kids went fishing. It was slightly cheaper here on Amazon, so I ordered it and it arrived quickly. I was a little surprised the entire thing needed to be assembled and the directions were a little small, but it was not complicated and didn't take too long to put together. I have to admit it helped that we have assembled metal storage shelves that work on the same principle (metal shelves held on position on the poles by plastic sleeves). It's a little tricky doing it by yourself if you've never done it before, but like I said, it's not complicated. I was completing the last step (adding the plastic tray at the top) and putting some pressure downward on the poles when I heard a "crack" and one of the wheels had cracked out of the plastic assembly keeping it in the end of the pole. It was unrepairable and I was quite disappointed. However I called the company number listed on the instruction sheet, but it was the weekend so I had to leave a message regarding my dilemma. I was completely surprised to get a phone call on Sunday from a company employee (owner?) who happened to stop by the office and got my message and thought he'd try getting a hold of me. He understood exactly what happened and said he would immediately send a replacement pole. A few days later imagine, my surprise when the package arrived and found he had sent TWO new poles, TWO new wheels with improved attachments, AND a cool LED light that goes in your tackle box. WOW!!! What customer service! So, now I have a fully functional fishing rack that holds my gear and will likely be joined by a second trolley next year, as this one will soon be filled up. Overall quality is decent (some shelf welds were a little thin). I think it's actually pretty pricey for the size, however I haven't found a similar product, so it was worth it. So, FOUR STARS for the product (would have had five if it didn't break), but FIVE stars for the company, service, and final outcome.