Koppers, the company who has produced the Live Target series of baits is at it again this year, expanding and fine-tuning their baits. To begin with, they are introducing new colors in the Live Target Crawfish Crankbaits. The idea is to get even more realistic with the use of transparent palettes. These baits should be more effective in clear water than they have been up to this point. [Read more…]
ICAST 2011: Koppers
July 22, 2011 by ·
ICAST 2011: Pinnacle Fishing
July 22, 2011 by ·
Pinnacle has been putting out value priced reels for the last year and this year they are upping the ante with the new Optimus XiHX Hand Tuned Casting and Spinning reels. Hand tuned means that every one of these reels is tuned by an individual before it leaves the factory to Pinnacle’s specs. When you get it, there is a card inside the box that allows you in one year to send it back to them for a one time free “tune-up”. [Read more…]
ICAST 2011: Lew’s
July 22, 2011 by ·
Lew’s made a big splash last year with the introduction of a quality line of casting reels and this year are introducing some new products to their line-up. The Lew’s TPS1 is getting an upgrade in line capacity and is available in both right and left hand retrieve and features their dual braking system which consists of both magnetic and centrifugal cast control elements. [Read more…]
ICAST 2011: Seaguar
July 22, 2011 by ·
Seaguar has been around longer than most of the guys fishing the tournament trail these days. They are known for and continue to produce some of the best fluorocarbon lines around. This year they are getting into the braid market with Kanzen. This line is tightly woven and is said to reduce the noise through the guides because it maintains its round shape. Kanzen will come in two colors, green and white and should be available in the next few months.
Seaguar is also expanding into the monofilament market with Senshi Monofilament Line. This is a low stretch line that is said to be soft, supple and castable while having the strength to move big fish out of cover. Expect this in stores in the next few months.
ICAST 2011: G Loomis
July 22, 2011 by ·
Last year G. Loomis introduced their new NRX rods which were an immediate hit. This year, the folks have re-designed their GL2 line of moderately priced rods. This is the entry level bass rod for Loomis and while, in the past, they were rated to handle a number of techniques, this year this series is very technique specific. [Read more…]
ICAST 2011: Luck E Strike USA
July 22, 2011 by ·
Luck E Strike is introducing the Rick Clunn Square Bill Crankbaits this year in a new size, the size 4. This is the largest of the popular series which now comes in 4 sizes, 1,2,3, and the new 4, which is the largest of the bunch. Rick Clunn designed these baits from custom carved wood baits that he used back in the 70’s.
The difference is that now, they are of course hard plastic. Like the smaller versions, the series 4 is a silent, no rattles bait and has the same wobble as its smaller siblings. The colors will be uniform across the board offering anglers a bigger profile bait for that big bite. [Read more…]
ICAST 2011: Wright & McGill
July 22, 2011 by ·
The big news from the Wright & McGill booth is the introduction of four new rods in the Skeet Reese Micro Honeycomb line. Two each of casting and spinning models. The new casting models are shorter versions of existing rods in the line while one of the spinning rods is a heavier powered stick for football head and heavy jig fishing with the other being a brand new 7’2” drop-shot rod.
Of course they will all feature the black and yellow motif that Skeet is known for and share the components of all of the rods in this series.
Wright & McGill have also teamed up with Rick Clunn to produce the Rick Clunn Glass Rod Series. These rods will be technique specific and provide an instruction booklet for the angler in which the optimum uses and techniques are explained. These should be in stores and ready to purchase shortly.
ICAST 2011: Ardent
July 22, 2011 by ·
Ardent has been a company that has been producing some rather unique reels over the last few years and this year are showcasing their all new designs including the Ardent Edge Series Pro Edition Casting Reel. There will be five reels in the Edge series whose single biggest technological advancement is what the company calls drag tracking technology. [Read more…]
ICAST 2011: Jackall
July 22, 2011 by ·
Jackall has introduced some new products beginning with the new Aska 60 SR (shallow running) Squarebill Silent Crankbait. This little crank will run in the 3 – 4 foot range. It features a circuit board lip, fast wobble, belly hook ring that has molded stops on each side to keep the hook more centered and prevent it from getting hung up on the lip or the rear hook and will be silent. The Aska will come in approx. 8 colors and should be in stores by late fall.
The Jackall Clone Fry is a 3” soft plastic that has a split tail design that will lend itself to drop-shotting, Texas rigging or other finesse techniques. The colors are very natural and realistic looking. This bait is being produced in more than a dozen patterns and once again, should be in stores by late fall.
Its sibling is the Jackall Clone Gill 2.5. This bait is a realistic imitation of a Bluegill. It comes in at 2 1/2 inches which represents a spring time gill in size. The Clone Gill can be used as a bed fishing tool, on a drop-shot rig or on a wacky rig. There will be about 8 colors which should all be in retail outlets by late fall.
Jackall is showing its first frog offering this year. They designed this bait with a keel shaped bottom to facilitate walking-the-dog easily. The frog is molded around the hook, has a soft body, a welded front eyelet and uses rubber multi-strand legs as opposed to silicon. The availability of these frogs should coincide with the other new offerings from Jackall.
And finally, Jackall has introduced a new bait based on their very popular Crosstail Shad named the Super Crosstail Shad. This bait maintains the basic design of the original Crosstail Shad but adds the 3D eyes and holographic body cosmetics that make it much more realistic looking than the original. The unique patterns that the Super Crosstail Shad will be produced in should allow for use with more finesse techniques.
ICAST 2011: Humminbird
July 22, 2011 by ·
Humminbird has make some major upgrades to their products this year. All series down to the 300’s will now have down imaging. A great tool for focusing on structure. Additionally, all 1100, 900 and 800 series will be internet and radar capable among other goodies. These amenities will allow the angler to share way points and other information over the net.
Humminbird has also introduced their Select Program for purchasers of the 1100, 900 and 800 series. This program will give you an extra 1 year warranty, e-mail alerts for down loadable upgrades, priority status on technical support and other helpful features.