I don’t get to fish often in Nebraska. When I’m home, there are too many distractions, but I love to fish, and the opportunity to fish saltwater is a tremendous draw for me. This year, I’ve been on the road quite a bit with a trip to Fort Myers, Florida, a couple of trips to the Florida Keys, and this last week, a trip to Oak Island, NC. This year, I added to my arsenal a couple of new rods and reels and some fishing tools from Toadfish.
Toadfish Stowaway Travel Rod and Reel Kit Review
I picked up a Toadfish Stowaway travel rod and reel kit at the beginning of the year. I took this rod with me to Fort Myers and my first trip to the Florida Keys. The Stowaway rod setup was incredibly easy to travel with and handled everything I could throw at it. In Fort Myers, I used the rod for some canal fishing and wasn’t really having any luck before we jumped on a boat to chase tarpon, sea trout, and snook, and I used rods provided on the boat. In Key West, I used the rod to catch some snapper and fish from the shore, and I had quite a bit of luck catching small snapper off the shore and having a blast. Most nights, I was sneaking out after dinner to try and catch a few fish before bed just to get in some time on the water. I wasn’t in Key West to fish, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try.
Toadfish Inshore Essentials Tool Kit Review
After my last trip to Key West, I wanted a little bit of an upgrade, so I got the Inshore Essentials kit to have some tools with me that I can easily travel with on all of my trips. The pliers in this kit are great, the grippers are super lightweight and fit well in my pocket, along with a pair of braid scissors that are fantastic. I really enjoy having these tools with me, and they are easy to travel with. The pliers come with a case, and both the pliers and grippers fit in the case together. I clip the scissors to the case when traveling. I also travel with a small backpack and a simple small tackle box and some lures. This entire setup, along with the reels, can go right in my checked luggage along with a couple of knives, and I am ready to fish anywhere.
Toadfish Carbon Elite II Rod and Reel Review
I also upgraded my rod and reel to the Carbon Elite II 2-Piece Rod and the Carbon Elite II Spinning Reel to get a little more feel in a two-piece rod for inshore fishing. I wanted to be able to have the versatility to fish for bigger fish as well as have the ability for some boat fishing as well as my passion for shore fishing. My goal is to have a complete setup that includes everything I need that will fit all into one duffel bag for fishing that I can grab and go on any trip and can easily pack into my truck or drop into checked baggage for any trip and into a rental car.
Oak Island Fishing Experience with Toadfish Gear
My last trip to North Carolina had me toting the Carbon Elite Rod and Reel and a small amount of gear for a mixed bag of fishing. Day one, I got a bluefish, and Captain Dave got several, and he also got a flounder. Day two, I got skunked, but the wind was cold, it was Thanksgiving, and we were more interested in picking up shells to take home for a home decor project. Day three, I had just a few hours to fish, so I stopped into Oak Island Sporting Goods and picked up some fresh shrimp, some cut mullet, and some advice on where to fish. I got set up on a pier fishing the Intracoastal Waterway and started to catch some croaker, a sea trout, and a couple of blues for a mixed bag of fishing in the 2.5 hours I had available. This was a fun trip, and I was able to catch fish for the price of some bait and a local NC fishing license. All of the fish got released on this trip but it was still fun to get out and watch the boats travel up and down the waterway.
Toadfish Conservation Mission: Oyster Restoration
Toadfish is more than just a rod and reel company, and I recommend you check them out. They are a mission-driven organization that is working hard to put oysters back into the water. Oysters filter water and help to clean up to 50 gallons of water per day for each oyster. Toadfish has planted enough oysters to filter 82 million gallons of water each day. Every purchase from this brand helps to make a difference toward the mission of clean waters and replacing oysters into coastal waters with projects around the country.
