How Good Could these $80 Rods Be? and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

In case they slipped by you, following are the most read fishing stories of the week. At Just $80, How Good Could These New H2OX Carbon Rods Be?; How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight; Is this the Year of the Coike? The Strange Japanese Bait is Silencing Its Doubters

1.) At Just $80, How Good Could These New H2OX Carbon Rods Be?

Academy Sports' H2OX Carbon rods deliver great performance at a budget-friendly price. | Joe Shead

introduced three new rod series to its H2OX lineup: Carbon, Factor and Angler. And to sum it all up, these are great rods that you'd expect to pay twice as much for. But shhh! Don't tell them that.

Let's focus on the H2OX Carbon lineup. This is Academy's top-of-the-line rod series. They look classy, with wrapped-carbon handles, cork grips and sharp logos, but looks don't matter when the fish of a lifetime is on the line! But rest assured, these rods won't let you down when you hook up with a real trophy…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

2.) How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight

Brown Trout Fly Fishing — Big brown trout are out and about at night. | photo by Jasper Taback

For most of us, fly fishing is a visual sport. We take in information with our eyes and adapt to it. For example: I just pulled my dry fly out of that trout’s mouth – maybe I should try waiting a damn minute before setting the hook next time.

Fly fishing for trout is hard enough with good visibility. For a long time, I assumed the buddies that fished at night were either looking for something stupid to do or avoiding something at home.

Both may be true, but it’s also when the biggest trout eat…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

3.) Is this the Year of the Coike? The Strange Japanese Bait is Silencing Its Doubters

Closeup of a Hideup Coike frozen in midair as it is cast by an angler out of focus in the background. — The Hideup Coike—the bait that won Santee Cooper—remains nearly impossible to find in stock. | B.A.S.S.

Two months ago, during my Media Day interviews at the Bassmaster Classic, I asked the anglers if there was a trend in bass fishing they thought was overhyped. The crazy, spiky, Hideup Coike, urchin-style baits came up a lot. But Chris Johnston offered a realistic, level-headed take on the hottest bait in bass fishing. In hindsight, we all should have known what was coming.

Johnston said, “There’s hype for it, but there’s a reason for it. So, I think it’s justified.”   I followed up my question with, “Do you think that trend will stick around?”…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

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