REVIEWED BY CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD
How fast is the wind blowing? How much rain fell last night or in the past several days? Is the barometer rising or falling? What’s the temperature or wind chill? These and other questions are all things I often need to know before heading out on the lake. Each one can determine where, how or even if I can get out to fish.
It’s all information I can pull up on my computer or smartphone, but how local is it? The information posted on weather sites is seldom taken from readings on or near the lake front. Most of the reporting stations are located a few miles (or even dozens of miles) away from the lake and any Great Lake angler knows conditions are usually different at the lake than inland.
On the theory any job worth doing is worth doing yourself, Bass Pro Shops has licensed a 5 in 1 Weather Center from AcuRite. (I don’t know why they call it 5 in 1 since it reports and displays over a dozen weather details.)
Rather than just reading and recording info gathered in some far off location, it has it’s own weather instrument apparatus you mount outdoors, up to 100 yards away from the receiver. On site details such as wind-speed, direction, temperature, rainfall amounts, barometer and others – the details I need to know at the lake – all show up on the bright, colorful display. The indoor display also reads some “indoor” weather, such as temperature and humidity. (www.basspro.com)
FISHING TOYS 