Readers' Choice Awards 2016: Best Fishing Gear

Readers' Choice Awards results are in! More than 2,700 of you voted for your favorite new fishing gear in 12 categories.

This year, we were impressed at how the new Ugly Stik Elites dominated both the Spinning Rod and Baitcasting Rod categories. YETI again put a lid on the competition. There were a few close calls, too, like a Cabela's-Terminator head-to-head in the Soft Bait category.

Thanks to all who voted!

Spinning Reel

Shimano | Stradic FK

35.9%

"Great, smooth reel with enough ball bearings to do the job and great line pickup." — Mark Ray, NC

Runners-Up

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Plueger President Limited - 19.4%

Abu Garcia  MGX - 17.3%

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Baitcasting Reel

Abu Garcia | Pro Max Low Profile

30.6%

"I am just struck on the new Pro Max. It has an ultra-smooth feed-off, a great retrieve speed and absolutely no skip or jump."  — Steve Garner, NC 

Runners-Up

Shimano Curado 200 - 28.1%

Quantum Tour MG - 17.6%

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 Hard Bait

Rapala | Shadow Rap

40.2%

"Rapala Shadow Rap ... Awesome lure. I use it for multiple species. It has incredible action with innovative creativity. " — Daniel Middleton

Runners-Up

Rebel Bluegill - 13.7%

Booyah Bosspop - 8.8%

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Spinning Rod 

Shakespeare | Ugly Stik Elite 

38.7%

"The Ugly Stick can pull a bucketmouth out of the nastiest stuff any lake or pond can offer."  — Dick MacLaury, NY

Runners-Up

St. Croix Legend Elite - 16.8%

G. Loomis E6X - 10.5%

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Baitcasting Rod 

Shakespeare | Ugly Stik Elite

37.1%

"Inexpensive and lasts forever. I use it for catfish, lake trout - — even jig-and-pig for largemouth bass."     — Dennis Kudron, NE

Runners-Up 

St. Croix MOJO Bass - 13.5%

G.Loomis E6X - 11.4%

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Soft Bait 

Cabela's | Go-To Swim Minnow

"The swimming action is superb at all speeds. This is easily the most versatile swimbait I have ever used. It works great as a trailer on a swimjig or Chatterbait and Texas-rigged. With a weighted swimbait hook, the lure has a slight roll and a great kick." — Alex L., WI

Runners-Up

ZOOM Z-3 Swamp Crawler - 13.2%

YUM! Christie Critter - 12.9%

Rapala | Terminator Walking Frog

18.3%

"I've caught big bass and muskies deep in the thick pads and grass."  — Mike Muscatiello, PA

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RainGear 

Cabela's | Angler Jacket

44.4%

"This keeps me dry. It cuts the wind to nothing. It meets all my needs while fishing in bad weather."

— John Brackin, KS

Runners-Up

SIMMS ProDry - 19.6%

Columbia Force - 12 15.8%

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Sunglasses 

Vicious Vision | Venom Smoke

39.9%

"Good eye protection at higher speeds and great protection in bright light like in the Florida Keys." — Mark Konrad, WI

Runners-Up

Costa Del Mar Rooster - 31.5%

WileyX Tide - 28.6%

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FishFinder-GPS 

Lowrance |  HDS Gen3

47.2%

"Been using Lowrance products for 45 years, and I've never been disappointed. Outstanding customer care and state-of-the-art technology. The fishfinder leader in the industry."  — Martin Sierocki, OH

Runners-Up

Humminbird Helix - 7 41.1%

Garmin Panoptix - 11.7%

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Cooler 

YETI | Tundra

57.1%

"I have tested this in extreme heat, 90-plus degrees, and it kept ice for five days. It performs as advertised and is made of high quality materials. — John Iker, OH

Runners-Up

Cabela's Polar Cap Equalizer - 14.3%

Pelican ProGear Elite - 13.9%

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Bass Boat

Alumacraft | Competitor 205  

31.1%

"The hull configuration is great! Price-wise, it's very comparable to a lot of over-priced boats on the market." — Jon Wilke, NE

Runners-Up

Ranger RP190 - 29.2%

Triton 21TrX - 23.3%

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Outboard

Mercury | 115 FourStroke

43.4%

"This Mercury is quiet and easy to maintain. It's a good-running motor that is good on gas." — Brian Baynes, MD

Runners-Up

Yamaha VMAX SHO 115 - 19.0%

Honda BF100 - 16.9%

Readers who voted in our Readers' Choice Awards represent a dedicated bunch of anglers.

More than 1 in 5 fished more than 75 days. Some 220 of you fished more than 180 days. That's three straight months of fishing! No wonder you know so much about your gear and are obviously passionate about it. Most voters fished about 44 days in the past 12 months.

But how successful were you? According to the answers, more than a third of the 2,700 entrants caught more than 75 fish. A full 21 percent caught a boat-swamping 200 or more!

If you're wondering where everyone is fishing, most in lakes and reservoirs (81.3%), while 59.2% fish in rivers and streams. Anglers who primarily fish in saltwater add up to 24.4% and about 10 percent float their boat in the Great Lakes.

Sign up for our e-newsletter at the bottom of gafmag.com for a heads-up on the next round of voting.