The Vision Edge: Mad Scientist Tackle's APEX Vision Meets Yakima's Mag Lip Lures
The waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond are about to get a serious upgrade
For anglers, outfitters, and fishing boat captains chasing Chinook, Coho, Steelhead, and other predatory game fish, success often hinges on an edge—the right gear, the perfect presentation, and a deep understanding of what's happening beneath the surface.
PATTRIE Productions' Patrick Kalmerton recently sat down with Norm Kester, the "Mad Scientist" and owner of Mad Scientist Tackle, RLVNT Sunglasses, and Quantum Innovations, to dive into a game-changing collaboration. Norm's groundbreaking APEX Vision UV and Infrared coating has been exclusively paired with Yakima Baits' legendary Mag Lip lures, now available only at Rugged Outdoors.
This isn't just a new color pattern; it's a new category of lure that capitalizes on a fish's actual vision system.
A Scientific Approach to the Strike
Norm Kester has spent over 30 years as a scientist, specializing in light and optics, primarily through his company, Quantum Innovations. His expertise in "bending light" for everything from aerospace to medical equipment is the foundation for his revolutionary coatings, which first took the fishing world by storm through RLVNT Sunglasses.
The RLVNT Sunglasses Origin Story
The journey to better baits started with better vision for the angler. Norm realized that existing polarized lenses, while good, weren't optimized for the diverse light conditions and visual needs of the serious outdoors enthusiast.
Customized Contrast: RLVNT lenses use the same base material but apply different coatings to change the visual experience. For instance, in iron-rich waters, a red coating filters out the dominant red light, highlighting the crucial greens and blues to reveal grass and fish-holding structure deeper in the water.
Screen View Technology: A key feature that caught the attention of professional anglers like Patrick was the ability to clearly see electronic graphs, eliminating the frustrating glare that plagues many high-end glasses.
Ultimate Eye Relief: Beyond the competitive edge, the meticulous optical design reduces eye strain. As Patrick points out, your eyes are your most-used asset, and investing in a superior lens means you can spend all day on the water without the headaches and fatigue caused by cheaper optics.
"If you are passionate about what it is that you want to do... this is a tool that's going to help you be better." - Norm Kester
Introducing the APEX Vision Lure Technology
Norm's knowledge of fish biology is what truly sets this collaboration apart. He knew that if he could optimize the angler's vision, he could certainly optimize the bait for the fish's vision.
The Science of Fish Vision
Predatory fish like Salmon and Steelhead, which are the primary targets in the Pacific Northwest, possess incredible visual capabilities that humans often underestimate:
Infrared Vision (Night Vision): Norm explains that Salmon, upon entering a stream from the ocean, chemically activate photoreceptors that allow them to see in the infrared (IR) spectrum. This ability helps them navigate murky, changing river systems to find their spawning sites.
Ultraviolet (UV) Perception: Many fish and birds can see perfectly in the UV range. While some lures absorb UV and re-emit it as visible light, Norm’s APEX Vision coating provides true UV reflection.
How the Coating Triggers the Bite
The APEX Vision coating is not paint; it's the same type of sophisticated coating applied to RLVNT lenses, layered onto the legendary Mag Lip crankbaits. This layering accomplishes three critical things:
Natural Pearlescence: It mimics the pearlescence of a real fish scale, reflecting back whatever ambient light color is present in the water at different angles.
UV Reflection: It brightly reflects light in the UV spectrum, which is a major hunting trigger for many fish.
Infrared Reflection: It actively reflects in the IR spectrum, directly appealing to the "night vision" capabilities of species like Salmon and Steelhead.
The Proven Edge
The results from field testing and tournament usage have been astonishing. As Patrick recounts from a recent ocean trip:
"Out of the 30 bites that they had in one day... 27 of them came out in one flasher with your coating."
Norm notes that the lure acts like a beacon, especially under cloud cover, where visible light drops, but UV and IR remain high. This makes the APEX Vision-coated lure "broadcast brightly" in the spectrum that attracts the fish, leading to:
Aggressive Strikes: Fish, particularly Pike and Musky, attack the coated lures violently at the head—not trailing it—indicating they are trying to kill the bait, not just sample it.
Significantly Higher Hookup Rates: Testing shows that the APEX Vision baits consistently deliver a three times or greater hookup rate compared to identical, uncoated lures.
Get the Edge Now
The combination of Yakima Baits’ renowned Mag Lip's irresistible skip-beat action and Mad Scientist Tackle’s APEX Vision technology creates a new, superior tool for every angler's tackle box.
This exclusive blend of hydrodynamic design and advanced optical science is available only through Rugged Outdoors.
If you fish the rivers and coastlines of the Pacific Northwest or any water system where trout, salmon, walleye, or bass feed by sight, your game is about to change. Stop fishing to catch the fisherman, and start using technology that's designed to trigger the fish.
Head to Rugged Outdoors and grab your APEX Vision-coated Yakima Mag Lip lures today—and give yourself the ultimate vision advantage!
