Trail Cameras

WOSODA Trail Camera Review: A Full Season on the Back 80
Hunting and Fishing Gear

WOSODA Trail Camera Review: A Full Season on the Back 80

Two cameras, one full whitetail season, and a lot of SD cards. Here is what the WOSODA 2-pack actually caught, and what I would change.

WOSODA Trail Camera vs Cellular Trail Cameras: Which One Fits You?
Hunting and Fishing Gear

WOSODA Trail Camera vs Cellular Trail Cameras: Which One Fits You?

An SD-card WOSODA trail camera against a cellular camera with a data plan. Battery, photos, monthly cost and which hunter each one suits.

10 Reasons a WOSODA Trail Camera Makes Whitetail Scouting Easier
Hunting and Fishing Gear

10 Reasons a WOSODA Trail Camera Makes Whitetail Scouting Easier

Ten practical ways a WOSODA trail camera helps you pattern whitetails, pick stand sites and stay out of the woods until it counts.

The Buck I Never Saw Until the WOSODA Trail Camera Caught Him
Hunting Gear

The Buck I Never Saw Until the WOSODA Trail Camera Caught Him

How a two-pack of WOSODA cameras showed a Minnesota hunter the buck that had been crossing his friend's 80 acres all along.

How to Scout Whitetails With a WOSODA Trail Camera, Step by Step
Hunting Gear

How to Scout Whitetails With a WOSODA Trail Camera, Step by Step

Where to hang it, how high, which settings to use, and how to read the photos so you know where the deer are before opener.

WOSODA Trail Camera Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Hunting and Fishing Gear

WOSODA Trail Camera Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

Two cameras, one full deer season, and the honest list of what the WOSODA two-pack does well and where it cuts corners.

Rangefinders

TIDEWE Rangefinder Review: One Full Season in a Ladder Stand
Hunting

TIDEWE Rangefinder Review: One Full Season in a Ladder Stand

One full deer season in a ladder stand, four charges, and the buck I finally ranged instead of guessed.

TIDEWE Rangefinder vs Vortex Crossfire HD 1400: Which Is Worth It?
Hunting and Fishing Gear

TIDEWE Rangefinder vs Vortex Crossfire HD 1400: Which Is Worth It?

A full season with the TIDEWE, a weekend with the Vortex Crossfire HD 1400, and one clear answer for everyday deer hunters.

10 Reasons Bowhunters Should Carry a TIDEWE Rangefinder
Hunting Gear

10 Reasons Bowhunters Should Carry a TIDEWE Rangefinder

After a full season with a TIDEWE rangefinder, from archery through late season, here are ten reasons it stays on my lanyard.

The 31-Yard Shot I Used to Guess at, and the TIDEWE Rangefinder That Fixed It
Hunting and Fishing Gear

The 31-Yard Shot I Used to Guess at, and the TIDEWE Rangefinder That Fixed It

A Minnesota bowhunter on missed estimates, a ladder stand, and why he stopped guessing yardage.

How to Judge Shot Distance With a TIDEWE Rangefinder, Step by Step
Hunting Gear

How to Judge Shot Distance With a TIDEWE Rangefinder, Step by Step

Ranging landmarks from the stand, using angle mode and setting up a yardage map so you know your distances before the deer shows up.

TIDEWE Rangefinder Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Hunting Gear

TIDEWE Rangefinder Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

One full deer season with the TIDEWE hunting rangefinder, including the parts the product page leaves out.

Spinning Combos

Okuma Voyager Travel Combo Review: A Summer of Walleye and Bass
Fishing Gear

Okuma Voyager Travel Combo Review: A Summer of Walleye and Bass

How the Okuma Voyager spinning travel kit fished over a full Minnesota open-water season, from the boat to behind the truck seat.

Okuma Voyager vs Ugly Stik Spinning Combo: Which Is Worth It?
Fishing Gear

Okuma Voyager vs Ugly Stik Spinning Combo: Which Is Worth It?

A packable Okuma Voyager travel combo against a classic one-piece Ugly Stik spinning combo for everyday lake fishing.

10 Reasons the Okuma Voyager Travel Combo Works for Walleye
Fishing

10 Reasons the Okuma Voyager Travel Combo Works for Walleye

Ten reasons the Okuma Voyager travel spinning combo earned a permanent spot behind the seat of my truck this walleye season.

The Rod That Lives Behind My Truck Seat: How the Okuma Voyager Earned It
Fishing Gear

The Rod That Lives Behind My Truck Seat: How the Okuma Voyager Earned It

A Minnesota angler on the evening bite he kept missing, and the Okuma Voyager travel combo that solved it.

How to Rig the Okuma Voyager for Walleye, Step by Step
Fishing

How to Rig the Okuma Voyager for Walleye, Step by Step

Line, knots, jig and live bait rigs for walleye on the OKUMA Voyager spinning combo, set up the way that actually catches fish.

Okuma Voyager Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Fishing

Okuma Voyager Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

After a full season of evening stops at the lake, the honest verdict on the OKUMA Voyager travel spinning kit, from the drag to the joints to the case.

Tackle Storage

Plano StowAway 4-By Review: A Season of Tackle Without the Mess
Fishing Gear

Plano StowAway 4-By Review: A Season of Tackle Without the Mess

A full season on the water with the Plano Guide Series StowAway 4-By, and what it did to the chaos behind my boat seat.

Plano StowAway 4-By vs a Soft Tackle Bag: Which Is Worth It?
Fishing

Plano StowAway 4-By vs a Soft Tackle Bag: Which Is Worth It?

A hard Plano StowAway 4-By tackle box against a soft tackle bag for boat anglers who want their lures organized and easy to grab.

10 Reasons the Plano StowAway 4-By Helps You Catch More Fish
Fishing Gear

10 Reasons the Plano StowAway 4-By Helps You Catch More Fish

Ten ways an organized Plano StowAway 4-By puts more time in the water and less time digging for the right jig.

The Tangled Tackle Mess I Lived With for Years, and the Plano Box That Ended It
Fishing Gear

The Tangled Tackle Mess I Lived With for Years, and the Plano Box That Ended It

A Minnesota angler on years of tangled hooks and lost time, and the Plano StowAway 4-By that finally sorted it.

How to Organize a Tackle Box With the Plano StowAway 4-By, Step by Step
Fishing Gear

How to Organize a Tackle Box With the Plano StowAway 4-By, Step by Step

A simple system for sorting jigs, crankbaits, terminal tackle and soft plastics in the Plano StowAway 4-By so you find it fast in the boat.

Plano StowAway 4-By Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Fishing Gear

Plano StowAway 4-By Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

The honest pros and cons of the Plano Guide Series StowAway 4-By after a full season on a 16-foot aluminum boat: latches, dividers, the clear lid, and the water that found its way in.

Fish Finders

Garmin Striker 4 Review: A Full Season on Minnesota Walleye Lakes
Fishing Electronics

Garmin Striker 4 Review: A Full Season on Minnesota Walleye Lakes

One open-water season and the first ice on a 16-foot aluminum boat, with the Garmin Striker 4 on the transom.

Garmin Striker 4 vs Deeper Start: Which Fish Finder Is Worth It?
Fishing Gear

Garmin Striker 4 vs Deeper Start: Which Fish Finder Is Worth It?

A transom-mounted Garmin Striker 4 against the castable Deeper Start, and which one earns its place on a boat.

10 Reasons the Garmin Striker 4 Helps You Find Walleye
Fishing Electronics

10 Reasons the Garmin Striker 4 Helps You Find Walleye

Ten practical ways the Garmin Striker 4 helps you find walleye, from reading breaks and weed edges to marking your spots with GPS.

Thirty Years of Guessing Where the Walleye Were, Then the Garmin Striker 4
Fishing Electronics

Thirty Years of Guessing Where the Walleye Were, Then the Garmin Striker 4

A Minnesota angler on decades of fishing blind and the small Garmin Striker 4 fish finder that changed his evenings on the lake.

How to Read the Garmin Striker 4 to Find Walleye, Step by Step
Fishing Electronics

How to Read the Garmin Striker 4 to Find Walleye, Step by Step

Arches, bottom hardness, weed lines and waypoints: how to read the Garmin Striker 4 screen and turn it into walleye in the boat.

Garmin Striker 4 Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Fishing Electronics

Garmin Striker 4 Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

A full season on the water and the first ice with the Garmin Striker 4. The screen, the sonar, the GPS, the mounting, and the things it simply will not do.

All Reviews

WOSODA Trail Camera Review: A Full Season on the Back 80
Hunting and Fishing Gear

WOSODA Trail Camera Review: A Full Season on the Back 80

Two cameras, one full whitetail season, and a lot of SD cards. Here is what the WOSODA 2-pack actually caught, and what I would change.

WOSODA Trail Camera Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Hunting and Fishing Gear

WOSODA Trail Camera Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

Two cameras, one full deer season, and the honest list of what the WOSODA two-pack does well and where it cuts corners.

TIDEWE Rangefinder Review: One Full Season in a Ladder Stand
Hunting

TIDEWE Rangefinder Review: One Full Season in a Ladder Stand

One full deer season in a ladder stand, four charges, and the buck I finally ranged instead of guessed.

TIDEWE Rangefinder Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Hunting Gear

TIDEWE Rangefinder Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

One full deer season with the TIDEWE hunting rangefinder, including the parts the product page leaves out.

Okuma Voyager Travel Combo Review: A Summer of Walleye and Bass
Fishing Gear

Okuma Voyager Travel Combo Review: A Summer of Walleye and Bass

How the Okuma Voyager spinning travel kit fished over a full Minnesota open-water season, from the boat to behind the truck seat.

Okuma Voyager Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Fishing

Okuma Voyager Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

After a full season of evening stops at the lake, the honest verdict on the OKUMA Voyager travel spinning kit, from the drag to the joints to the case.

Plano StowAway 4-By Review: A Season of Tackle Without the Mess
Fishing Gear

Plano StowAway 4-By Review: A Season of Tackle Without the Mess

A full season on the water with the Plano Guide Series StowAway 4-By, and what it did to the chaos behind my boat seat.

Plano StowAway 4-By Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Fishing Gear

Plano StowAway 4-By Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

The honest pros and cons of the Plano Guide Series StowAway 4-By after a full season on a 16-foot aluminum boat: latches, dividers, the clear lid, and the water that found its way in.

Garmin Striker 4 Review: A Full Season on Minnesota Walleye Lakes
Fishing Electronics

Garmin Striker 4 Review: A Full Season on Minnesota Walleye Lakes

One open-water season and the first ice on a 16-foot aluminum boat, with the Garmin Striker 4 on the transom.

Garmin Striker 4 Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not
Fishing Electronics

Garmin Striker 4 Honest Review: What Works and What Does Not

A full season on the water and the first ice with the Garmin Striker 4. The screen, the sonar, the GPS, the mounting, and the things it simply will not do.

Notes from the stand and the boat

One short email a month: what is working this season, gear that held up, and gear that did not.