Terminator is entering the fray with their own Umbrella rig which will feature titanium wires as opposed to steel and comes in models ranging from 5 inch arms to 10 in arms to address the various sizes of swimbaits now being offered specifically for the A rig.

Of course Terminator will continue to produce spinnerbaits but this year adds a 3/4 ounce version to their line-up for those deeper presentations.

In terms of jigs, they will introduce a 1/4 ounce version finesse jig for when the situation calls for a smaller profile.

The rest of the line-up will continue virtually unchanged but these new additions were designed to address specific situations that before now, the company didn’t really have product to match.

Shimano offers so many quality products, it can become easy to get lost in all of them. We took a look at all of the new offerings at the booth, and were pleasantly surprised that they were able to continue to make improvements this year.

For the new season we start with the new Saros FA Spinning reel. They introduced a new graphite called XGT7. The claim is that it is amost 200% stronger than current versions. It features a two bearing supported pinion gear, a new rapid fire drag that takes less turns to increase or decrease the pressure. It will come in four sizes, 1000 through 4000 series.  [Read more…]

Wright & McGill are adding to their line-up with a new Rick Clunn Cranking Reel. The colors are designed to match the rods that Rick designed for them and it features a 6.3:1 gear ratio.

Yes, it isn’t what you would usually think of these days as the ideal speed for cranking, but Rick Clunn explains that he tends to fish these plugs faster than the average guy and he can always slow down if he needs to.

The rods will continue from last year and, like all Wright & McGill products that Rick endorses, are value priced.   [Read more…]

The next category in our ICAST 2012 preview series of post is all about rods.

While the vast majority of new reels this year are experiencing face lifts and slight tweeks and improvements, rods are a whole different ballgame.

The vast majority of new research and engineering is going into rods.

We won’t hit everyone with something new in this preview (check back for the live updates tomorrow for that), but we want to give you a few things to look forward to. [Read more…]