Mention survival gear and most probably think of something that helps you survive a bush plane crash in the Alaskan wilds, a bear attack or a couple of nights lost in the woods. But smaller emergencies - or even irritations - can diminish your enjoyment of the outdoors, too. And that's the thinking behind the Surgeon's Skin Secret Survival Kit. New from Jamark Labs, the kit offers skin protection and healing products for your face, hands and lips. Each kit contains a stick of beeswax moisturizer that rejuvenates dry, chapped, irritated skin; a stick of lip conditioner to prevent and protect dry lips from exposure to wind and sun; a jar of quret drawing salve to soothe sunburn, skin cracks and other minor skin irritations; and a bottle of hand sanitizer to keep hands clean without the benefit of water. The kit is designed to fit into a backpack, tackle box or pocket for use by hunters, anglers, hikers, mountain climbers and others. Suggested retail price is $20.96. For information: call 888-252-6275; or visit www.surgeonsskinsecret.com .
Lure of the week
Lure: Beetle Spin
Company: Johnson ( www.berkley-fishing.com )
Lure type: Soft plastic
Sizes and colors: Available in 1/2-, 1/8-, 1/16- and 1/32-ounce sizes in a variety of colors, including florescent orange crawfish, white with black stripes, white with black spots, yellow with black spots, green crawfish, bullfrog, clear/glitter with red dots, and more. It comes with gold or silver spinners, too.
Target species: Largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappies and bluegills.
Technique: Attach a bobber to the line to suspend your beetle at the desired depth. Fish it shallow in the early part of the year around sunken brush and rocks. Later in summer, fish it around similar structure, but deeper to target fish seeking cooler temperatures.
Sugg. retail price: $1.29 for a 4-pack.
Notable: This is a two-in-one lure in a sense. You can remove the spinner from this lure and fish it like a deep water jig, when necessary.
Tip of the week
If it's early-season bass you want to catch, consider trying a Carolina rig. Perfect for fish moving into the shallows - which warm faster than deeper water - the rig works because it keeps your bait on or near the bottom as well as any other technique out there. Tie a 3/4-ounce sinker on your line, then a bead and then a swivel. Attach a leader about 3 feet long and a hook designed for rigging. Finally, add a bait -- a sinking minnow or a lizard both mimic the prey bass target early in the summer. Bounce those off the bottom and you should get into some fish.
Recipe of the week
Heavenly campfire fish
Ingredients
» trout fillets (other types of fish work, too)
» cherry tomatoes
» lemons
» garlic
» lemon salt
» Sprite or 7-Up
Directions
Take the prepared and cleaned fillets and lay them on a square of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Put a halved cherry tomato, half of a small lemon and a pinch of the garlic salt and lemon salt in the foil. Pour about one-third of a cup of the Sprite or 7-Up over the fish.
Seal the foil tightly so as to not let any of the soda or other ingredients leak out. Place the whole packet onto a bed of hot coals from your campfire. Let it cook until the fish is flaky - usually about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets - and serve.
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