Often times when we go to buy a new spinning reel or spincast reel we look for something that looks cool and feels good, which are important things.  You might as well enjoy your fishing equipment, because the fish are not always biting, right!

One thing that will help you avoid tangles and misery on the lake or river is by buying a reel that has the right Line Capacity for the fishing you do.  Lets face it, I am as guilty as anyone of putting 12 lb. test line on a reel that is meant for 4 lb. I think it makes us feel tougher or something.

Save yourself time and money next time you are reel shopping. Look on the back of the box or package and you should see a section that looks like this:

Line Capacity (#test/yards) - 6/200, 8/140, 10/120

It is simple enough, but many of us are guilty of skipping over this part and then we go buy too big of line for our reel. To translate, the reel above would be capable of holding 200 yards of 6 lb, 140 yards of 8 lb, and 120 yards of 10 lb test line.

Most of the time you can get away with a little extra, however I have found that you can avoid a lot of tangles and knots in your line by sticking to these guides. Besides, most of the time you don’t need to have that much line out in the water at a time. Less is more!

All of the Fishing Reels that we sell at http://www.muddcreek.com provide information about the Line Capacity.

I hope this helps you make a better decision and avoid wasting Fishing line.

If you are ever caught in a survival situation you can follow a simple rule that will help you prioritize your decision making process so you can focus on what is most important to survive in an emergency situation.

I have seen it written a couple of different ways and heard it referenced by survival experts like Bear Grylls.

Survival Rule of Three’s

1. You can survive three minutes without air
2. You can survive three hours without shelter (Don’t know that I completely agree, but it is one of the first priorities in a survival situation)
3. You can survive three days without water
4. You can survive three weeks without food

Really the point of this is to give you a simple list of what is most important should you be lost out in the wilderness or outdoors. Many people might focus on food before thinking about shelter or water. As noted above, I don’t know that I agree with only three hours of shelter, however, I do agree with the placement of it.

I hope you find this as a good starting point for survival. Just remember that the best survival tool you have is “Your Head”! Stay sharp and determined. However, feel free to check out MuddCreek.com for great Survival and Emergency Gear.

One of the most affordable ways to make life a little easier when you are big game hunting in the back country is a Binocular Harness/Caddy. These handy hunting accessories almost look like suspenders, however they help you to keep your binoculars close and comfortable so you can hike all day long and have instant access when you see that trophy deer or elk you have been looking for.

The majority of these binocular harnesses are made of stretchable neoprene straps that make for a snug, yet comfortable fit. Don’t worry guys, your hunting buddies won’t think you are wearing a “Bro”, especially when you get the bead on that monster whitetail or mule deer buck first.

The great thing about these binocular straps is that they are universal to fit most, if not all binos. They are easy to install and even better to use.

Check out some of the ones we carry in our online store at http://www.muddcreek.com/. Here are just a few of our most popular ones from brands like Butler Creek, Allen Products, and Mossy Oak:

• Mossy Oak Breakup Deluxe Binocular Strap/Harness – MO-DBST-BU
• Allen Deluxe Black Binocular Strap/Harness – 199
• Allen Mossy Oak Break Up Binocular Strap/Harness – 198