Best Topwater: Sammy 105
Best Boat Accessory
Cool Foot
The black foot controls on most trolling motors absorb heat on hot summer days and are anything but foot friendly. Enter the plush foam Cool Foot, a grooved pad that covers the foot pedal so you can steer in comfort. It takes just 30 seconds or so to apply the self-adhesive Cool Foot, and the comfort and traction is noticeably better. I've even used it barefoot once or twice. There's a custom Cool Foot for every make and model of electric trolling motor, and even one for your throttle pedal. Plus it's available in 14 cool colours. Central Coast Bass Fishing, (805) 466-6557; www.coolfoot.biz

Best Spinnerbait
Redemption Spinnerbait
Lucky Craft's Redemption Spinnerbait, the brainchild of Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese, just may be the best spinnerbait ever designed for clear, open-water situations. Indeed, the Redemption is bound to take spinnerbaits to an entirely new level. With its translucent, tungsten head, complete with a rattle chamber, the lure looks just like a baitfish. Not only that, each willowleaf blade spins independently, the skirts are dazzling, the Gamakatsu hooks are needle-sharp and the six colour schemes are drop-dead gorgeous. Available in weights from 1/4 to one ounce, the Redemption is decidedly in a class by itself. Lucky Craft, 1-800-270-3117; www.luckycraft.com

Best Topwater
Sammy 105 (shown above)
If the original Lucky Craft Sammy is already your topwater bait of choice, you're sure to be impressed with the new Sammy 105. With its much slimmer profile, the 105 will attract fish accustomed to sleeker forage. The new design also allows the bait to sit horizontally on the water's surface, rather than nose up or tail down. Add in the clacking sound chamber and the three perfectly placed, razor-sharp trebles, and the Sammy 105 is sure to be a killer Canadian lure for smallmouth bass. Lucky Craft, 1-800-270-3117; www.luckycraft.com


Best Muskie Rods
Muskie
Pick up any of the five new G.Loomis Muskie rods and you'll be impressed with how long, powerful and strong they are given their light weight. The shortest and lightest of the premium, one-piece rods is eight feet long and rated for 25- to 50-pound-test line and one- to four-ounce lures, which gives you a sense of its power. The awe-inspiring 8'6" stick, meanwhile, is built to comfortably handle 60-pound-test line and throw giant baits weighing up to 10 ounces. These are the finest muskie rods I've ever seen. Shimano Canada, 1-800-361-6215; www.gloomis.com

Best Crankbait Rods
TOUR KVD
When Kevin Van Dam, the most successful angler in bass-fishing history, agreed to design a series of six new crankbait rods for Quantum, he asked for and received total control over the construction process. And a good thing, too-the resulting bright-red Tour KVD rods are expertly matched for every conceivable crankbait technique. Perfect for accurately casting small crankbaits into tight situations, for example, is the 6'6" medium-light model, the lightest rod in the series. The 7'10" model at the other end of the scale, meanwhile, is designed to throw the biggest crankbaits a country mile. Quantum, 1-800-444-5581; www.quantumfishing.com