LURE OF THE WEEK
Lure name: Wameku Shad 70
Company: SPRO
Lure type: Lipless crankbait
Sizes and colors: Available in a 2.75-inch, ¾-ounce model in eight colors: crawfish gold, crawfish chartreuse, chrome shad, purple rain shad, Rayburn craw, matte sexy shad, delta craw and black back gold.
Target species: Largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleyes and northern pike.
Technique: “Wameku” means loud talking and noisy, which tells you all you need to know about the bait’s main feature. Its internal rattle chamber produces a high-pitched knocking sound that the manufacturer promises is different from anything else on the market. That can convince fish accustomed to — and wary of — the multitude of rattle baits out there to strike. These kinds of rattle baits are particularly effective in spring but will take fish in summer, as well.
Sugg. retail price: $10.59.
Notable: The Wameku Shad 70 comes with two line ties. Use the top line tie for more subtle action when you want the bait to go deeper. Use the bottom line tie in shallow water, where it exhibits a more erratic action.
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TIP OF THE WEEK
For a lot of us, the scale is the enemy, or at least a deliverer of bad news. But there’s one case where a scale can be your friend, and that’s in weighing your backpacking gear. The goal should be for it to weigh no more than 20 percent of your body weight at a minimum. And less is often more. So how does your gear stack up? Use a scale to figure that out before leaving home. Then, if your pack is too heavy — and it likely will be until you get a routine down — you can make better decisions on what to take and what to leave behind.
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RECIPE OF THE WEEK
S’mores quesadillas
Ingredients
• 4 6-inch flour tortillas
• ½ cup mini marshmallows
• 1 graham cracker, broken up
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
You can only eat so much oatmeal on a camping trip, especially if it’s a backpacking trip. This is an alternative that’s light, easy to carry, easy to make and fun, too.
In fact, kids love these, however you get to the campsite.
Prepare much of this at home by combining the marshmallows, chocolate chips and graham cracker pieces in a zipper-style plastic bag. Put the butter and tortillas in their own separate bags.
When you get into camp, put half the butter in a skillet. Melt it, then put a tortilla in your skillet. Top with half of the marshmallows, ships and crackers. Cover with another tortilla.
Heat until chocolate and marshmallows melt. Flip and toast the other side.
Use what’s left to make a second s’mores quesadilla.
