The late hour and the cool night air comforted the angler as his wandering thoughts recalled the trophy bass he caught that day. Soft music streamed from his tackle box, adding calm to the atmosphere of success and satisfaction flooding the angler’s daydreaming mind. Say what? No kidding, the new Rogue freshwater tackle bag from the Wild River Tackle Tek collection has a built in stereo speaker system.
The high quality built in stereo speaker system connects directly to your iPhone, iPod or MP3 device. The speaker system can be powered by AC transformer, 12V DC adapter which is included with the bag, or 4 D-cell batteries when travelling off the beaten path. Whether you are in the boat or at the fish camp you can enjoy stereo music to your heart’s content. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the sound when I connected my iPhone to a radio station and played it through the Rogue’s speakers.
To measure the adaptability of the bag to personal storage preferences I ask several fishing buddies to identify the most unusual item they brought on the boat with them when fishing. I picked up a few tips in the process and was able to determine how the Rogue would handle them. In fact it handled all of them well, except for bigger items that were identified like oxygen bottles and 24 sets of fishing rods and reels that one pro angler named.
One friend identified a mini dental pick as the most unusual thing he brings on board his boat. He uses it to get knots out of braided line. It fit easily and safely in the permanently mounted molded sunglass holder along with his sunglasses. This easily accessed feature is basically a hard case eyewear protector included as an integral part of the bag.
Another friend, who fishes in the everglades, always brings a hatchet and a small saw on board. I discovered that they would easily fit along side the four large 3700 size storage boxes with adjustable sections in the main compartment as long as they were 14 inches or shorter. If more room is needed some of the trays can be removed. As my friend reported, “You never know what’s up some of the small creeks in the glades.” alt
A local fishing guide named three necessary, although not unique, things he always brings on board when fishing. First was as a hook sharpening stone. He likes to finish the point of his hooks before use, even when they are new. The second item was a cloth measuring tape to be sure fish were legal before harvesting. Finally, and in his words, “my favorite tool,” an ARC Dehooker. The dehooker is used to release fish without injury, allowing them to fight again another day.
The dehooker fit easily into the long side pouch and the stone and tape stored easily in either of the three end pouches. One end of the Rogue has a full size zipper pouch and a smaller Velcro flapped pouch for easy access, while the other end has a full size pouch with a clear internal pocket to keep license, maps, etc. protected and visible.
My fly angling friends tend to have their own snap closing boxes with built in plastic channels to hold the flies upright, or boxes with rippled foam that allow them to stick the hook in the foam and keep the flies in neat little rows. As far as the Rogue goes, fly anglers can either purchase it without the large storage trays and use the main compartment for the fly boxes, or put them in the end pouches or side pouch if they want the large storage trays too. There is plenty of room either way.
Now, with my friends’ unusual items stored, what else doe the Rogue have to offer? In the first place, it is constructed with heavy material for long-life and durability. The zippers are heavy duty and smooth operating.
In addition to the storage possibilities mentioned already the Rogue can store 2 medium 3600 size trays and 2 smaller 3500 size trays. With these storage tray possibilities dozens of plastic and hard body lures are stored with ease. The boxes that aren’t used for lures can be filled with favorite hooks, sinkers, swivels, and other terminal tackle. alt
Outside web pouches allow visible storage of often used items like Reel Magic, sun protection or bug repellant. The Rogue also has removable plier holder that slips off the bag and on to your belt. There are web loops at each end to secure miscellaneous tools and a removable and self-retracting steel cable lanyard that is perfect for clippers or small tools. If the weather turns bad an easily deployed rain cover pulls up from the speaker side of the bag to cover the Rogue completely.
Anglers merely have to load it up, connect the large adjustable padded shoulder strap for hands-free transport and head for the boat ramp or down the shoreline. There is plenty of room for everything the angler will need in this premium bag from Wild River, including his or her favorite digital music!
See the complete line of Wild River Tackle Tek bags at http://www.gowildriver.com – Written by Capt. Ron Presley