It’s been just over four years since my move from Long Island to Cape Cod and each year, I’ve experimented with different reels, waders, deck boots, and more plugs and lures than I care to admit. This year was no different. I started my season casting jigs for largemouth bass, which is a nice precursor to the spring run of striped bass. By mid June, I was wet wading for fluke in shallow backwaters and, come fall, it was back to grinding in the surf before filling the freezer with some sweet tautog fillets. These are a few pieces of gear that I enjoyed using regularly throughout the 2025 fishing season.
– Matt Haeffner, Assistant Editor
Check out the rest of the OTW Staff’s Field Test Favorites from the 2025 Fishing Season
Grundens Portal Gore-Tex Wading Jacket
I’m a slightly stingy fisherman and, as a result, I lean toward versatile apparel that can serve more than one purpose. This wading jacket has been excellent both as a surf top and a rain layer when I’m fishing in sloppy, wet conditions which, come fall in the Northeast, are common. Whether it’s blocking out sea spray in a nor’easter or keeping my warm layer dry during a rainy day on the bass pond. Some of the features I like the most are the protective high collar, snug-fitting hood, and neoprene sleeve cuffs, which work together to keep me dry, comfortable, and casting.
I also stuff the pockets with spare pre-tied leaders, TA Clips, my cell phone — things that I like to have access to without de-layering. There is no shortage of storage space in this waterproof layer.
Sporting Wood Danny Metal-Lipped Swimmer (Parrot)
Every time I’ve asked Larry Welcome about his favorite pattern — whether it be a North Bar Tackle Bottle Darter or a Sporting Wood Danny — he’s answered “parrot” without hesitation. This season, I worked on building confidence in metal-lipped swimmers across a range of spots and scenarios, and the parrot-colored Sporting Wood Danny produced results when other similar plugs went untouched. There were times when I was uncertain whether bass were present and, especially in dirty water, the swimming action of the Sporting Wood Danny was enough to seal the deal. It provides plenty of feedback on the retrieve as it wobbles across the surface and, at just over 2 ounces and 6.5 inches long, it’s a manageable size for most surf rods. I’ve had great success with it in harbors and salt ponds when river herring returned in the spring, and on open beaches when there was no visible forage that stripers were feeding on.
XTRATUF x Rugged Seas Wheelhouse Ankle Deck Boot
Unfortunately, I have big, wide feet, so I’ve struggled to find a deck boot that doesn’t squeeze my foot like a narrow running shoe. But when I slipped on a new pair of these spacious deck boots in early 2025, I felt genuine relief. A little extra wiggle room goes a long way when you’re spending 6 to 8 hours on your feet, bouncing around on a boat. The extra comfort these boots afford me has noticeably minimized the soreness and fatigue I felt wearing other deck boots and even standard XTRATUF Ankle Deck Boots. Bonus points for the reinforced toe and heel (which are typically the first areas to show signs of wear) and the extra cushioned insoles. Swag points for the commercial fisherman skull artwork.
Costa Sunglasses Mainsail XL Frames
My head, like my feet, is wide. I’ve run through more pairs of sunglasses than I care to admit because either they squeeze my temples too tight for comfort, or worse — the hinges fail. Embarrassing stuff. Fortunately, Costa accounts for folks with big ol’ craniums like me. The Mainsail XLs still boast a secure fit but are not so tight that I get a headache (yes, that really happens). They are medium-coverage frames, so they aren’t oversized, and the hooding and side shields work together to keep the sun out of my eyes at all angles. The vented nonslip nosepads are a bonus; they reduce fogging and maintain the position of my shades even during the peak of summer heat when I’m sweating on the flats while casting for fluke. I sport green mirror lenses because they’re designed to minimize shadows and contrast in shallow inshore applications and sight fishing under high sun, which is practical when I’m wet wading in bay waters from late June through early September.
AquaSkinz Bucktail and Tin Holster
I won’t go surf fishing without a few bucktail jigs on me, but for too many years, I tried to strategically stuff them into my plug bag. I could never grab the one I needed without pulling out a handful or knocking a few to the bottom of a tube, where they inevitably tangled with rear plug hooks. After a couple of seasons with my plug bag attached to the hip via wading belt, I switched back to the shoulder strap and freed up some valuable real estate. This bucktail sleeve now permanently resides on my wading belt for easy, tangle-free access. It has a strong Velcro flap to keep the jigs secure, and each of the five jig slips can fit up to two jigs and has a drain to protect the hooks from rusting. It may be the best $30 I’ve ever spent.
YETI Loadout GoBox 15
I am chronically overprepared, so when Jimmy Fee asked me for spare fluorocarbon leader during a lunchbreak albie blitz, I sent him to the cab of my truck where this handy and compact gear case lives year-round. Inside, the removable caddy is filled with eight spools of different variations of Seaguar leader material. Each spool sits snug in the caddy, arranged by breaking strength, so I can make quick and easy adjustments on the fly without making a mess of my gear. The rest of the caddy is stuffed with packs of TA Clips, Spro Power Swivels, extra jig strips, a spare headlamp, line nippers and zip-ties, and in the main compartment beneath it, I keep a bait knife, shears, a spare set of pliers, paracord, and a first-aid kit, among other necessities — like a bottle opener for those days when the bite is worth a celebratory beer. And when I need all the above for a full- or multi-day outing, it comes with me on the boat where it can be easily stowed until I need it.
12’ MH Shimano Tiralejo XX and Shimano Ultegra XR 14000 XSD
This combo is probably the most purpose-built setup I own. The surprisingly light moderate-fast action rod and slow-oscillation reel make me feel like I can cast a 3.5-ounce pencil popper across the Cape Cod Canal. The rod loads really nicely, but that’s only one of the features that boosts this combo’s casting distance. Shimano’s Spiral X and Hi-Power X construction — which consists of inner and outer layers of diagonally wound carbon tape on the blank — reduce the rod’s weight and increase its torsional rigidity so I can really whip it without worrying about blank twist.
The Tiralejo XX pairs perfectly with the Ultegra XR 14000 XSD, which features a RigidCast spool that is engineered to minimize flexing of the main shaft, rotor and Hagane body. The reel’s super slow oscillation improves line lay which, in turn, increases casting distance. It’s packed with other essential surfcasting technologies like Infinity Drive, which leads to light winding and exceptional cranking power, and X Protect to minimize saltwater intrusion.
Grundens Tourney Bibs
I don’t get out on boats as often as I’d like, but when I do, I’m sporting these lightweight, athletic fit bibs. In fact, I own two sets in different colors. The Tourney Bibs are made from a polyurethane-coated polyester, so they shed water with ease and provide just the right amount of stretch. High-wear areas like the knees and seat are reinforced, the adjustable ankle cuffs seal out moisture, and the waterproof chest and cargo pockets provide accessible storage for spare pre-tied leaders, Zyns, or a cell phone, which is convenient when I need to snap a quick photo or ignore a call because, well, I’m fishing.
Beast Coast Lil’ Magnum
Growing up on Long Island, there were few bodies of water in which I could fish a jig for largemouth bass without reeling in a clump of algae and pond scum. Our neighborhood ponds were, for the most part, shallow and overgrown with dense vegetation like invasive water chestnuts, so I often reached for weedless-rigged swimbaits and Senkos. Once I moved to Cape Cod, where deep pebble-laden kettle ponds pepper the landscape, jigs joined the regular rotation. It didn’t take long for me to recognize they are a staple among Cape Cod bass fishermen. My friend, co-worker, and in-house bass guru Robbie Tartaglia, introduced me to the Beast Coast Lil’ Magnum and after a few outings, I realized it just has the juice. Even though it’s molded with 97% tungsten, when I want a slow-sinking craw imitation, the 3/8-ounce Lil’ Magnum in the natural craw pattern is tough to beat no matter the season. I can cast it into 30 feet of water or less than 10 feet, and whether I’m slow dragging on bottom or hopping it over rock and wood, I feel confident in its action and appearance.
