Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 2723 Oct 26-Nov 9 | Page 17

Oct 26 - Nov 9, 2018 VOL.37 • ISS. 23 15 Gear To Keep You Safe & Comfortable presents Gizmos, Gadgets And Comfort Gear For Anglers And Hunters! A < When you are miles from the nearest boat ramp or high on a mountain many hours hike from the nearest road, quality gear becomes critical because when you are in the field you are often completely on your own and you’ll have to deal with any situation that comes up. < Here is a shot of Cal Kellogg’s waterproof Grundens backpack. You never know when an unexpected cloud burst may come down or when a big roller will break into the boat, drenching your gear. With a waterproof pack these situations become non- issues because you know your gear will be dry no matter what! ^ Headlamps don’t cost much, but they bring a lot of to the table. A headlamp leaves your hands free, allowing you to do repairs, prep gear or hike cross country in total darkness. Just make sure you bring two headlamps and extra batteries. ^ When on the water or in the woods, Cal Kellogg always has his Leatherman Wave close at hand. He’s used it to make countless repairs, clean fish and butcher deer. If Cal could only carry one knife, it wouldn’t be a knife at all, it would be a Leatherman Wave! s anglers and hunters, we have tons of gear, rods and rifles, boats and ATVs, lines, lures, bullets and more. Depending on what activity you’re doing everything I’ve listed so far is “core gear” meaning it is central to completing the challenge at hand. Since you’re reading The Fish Sniffer I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that you are all stocked up on core gear. You’ve got rods and reels, line lures and if you’re a hunter you’ve got rifles, shotguns, binoculars and such. This being the case, in this edition of the Jackson Rancheria How To column I’m going to focus on some small items that will go a long way to enhancing your outdoor experience. In most cases if you don’t have the items I’m about to discuss your life will go on, fish will be caught and deer will go into the freezer, but if you do happen to have a few extra bits and pieces your life will be simpler and your experience will be more enjoyable. Headlamp I love flashlights, cheap disposable models, expensive tactical units, Maglites and the rest. I’ve got all of them and they are great for blinding burglars in the bedroom, spotting bears in the garbage can and locating the keys I dropped on the front lawn. But alas, flashlights have one major limitation. In most cases to direct the beam of light, you’ve got to be holding the light in your hand. If it’s dark and you’ve got knots to tie, a shotgun to load or a coffee pot to prepare a flashlight isn’t going to be that helpful since you need both hands free to get these jobs done quickly and efficiently. This is where LED headlamps shine! A headlamp puts the light source on your head, freeing your hands. Where you look is where the light shines. Decent units allow you to adjust the angle of the beam. One angle may be great when working on the drain under the sink. Another angle may be good when hiking a trail and yet another angle will be just what the doctor ordered when reading in bed. (a headlamp is the best “book light” you’ll ever own) Over the past decade, I’ve owned a number of cheap and moderately priced headlamps. The cheap units tend to have limited options and break down quickly. Moderately priced lights are reliable and offer lots of options. The reason I’ve never owned an expensive headlamp is that the moderately priced ones are so good. My current favorite comes from Energizer and retails for less than $20. The unit operates on 4 AAA batteries and since it’s an LED batteries last for an extended period of time. The Energizer unit, like many others, offers a number of beam options such as wide beam, bright beam, dim beam and spotlight. These are accessed with multiple clicks of the on/off switch. The unit also has a red light feature. In my opinion, a red light option is an absolute must. Red light doesn’t destroy night vision like white light does and most game animals can’t see red light. That big buck will spot a cold white flashlight beam a mile away, but he simply cannot detect a red light. The same can be said of coyotes, ducks and turkeys…I’m not so sure about fish, so keep that red beam out of the water until further notice. Waterproof Pack I’ve been an outdoor writer for a long time and I’m always carrying all manner of cameras and other sensitive gear with me, whether I’m hunting or fishing. Now I’ve had very few items destroyed by water over the years due in large part to an endless supply of Ziploc bags and strategically deployed garbage bags. But dealing with all those plastic bags was always a pain and when hunting they make lots of noise. Fish Sniffer how – to by Cal Kellogg CONTINUED ON PG 18