Livingston Lures truly fit the bill of unique and out of the ordinary—which is what we were looking for at ICAST.

They didn’t just bring your standard baits to the table. They combine a unique use of cutting edge science with tried and true engineering to create something all their own.

Their trademark bait combines the use of sound (no, not just rattles!) with a proven topwater design.

Let’s take a look at three styles of baits that Livingston brought to the table. [Read more…]

Trigger X is introducing several new baits which include the new Goo Bug, a beaver style bait that is designed to glide as well as having the “claws” when split, stand up when rigged on a jig-head.

Another new bait is the Drop Dead Minnow which is a fluke style bait. According to Davey Hite, the minnow can be reeled quickly but when you kill your retrieve, the bait will fall horizontally with a quivering action that mimics a dying shad.

Davey Hite also helped develop what is called the Slop Hopper which is for all intents and purposes a paddle tail swimbait that is said to produce a lot of thump when retrieved.

Trigger X is producing a new worm called the Buzz Tail Worm. This is similar to a speed worm with a paddle style tail that can be left intact or split for more action.

Of course all the new baits will feature the Trigger X scent and will be available soon.

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…]

ICAST is always full of hundreds, if not thousands of new baits.

Some of them really stand out from the crowd, others don’t. That’s reality.

One of the things that gets me really excited though, are things that can help us get fishing more. Anything that gets us on the water, having a good time, and catching fish is great in my book.

With the new Pathfinder kayak, that is what the folks over at Freedom Hawk Kayaks have done. We were all over the floor at ICAST, and there was nothing quite like this.

It was truly one of my favorites. [Read more…]

If you fish with Sebile products, then you already know the commitment they have to creating products that display an out of the box thinking.

They work very hard to bring innovative designs to market—designs that will catch fish and lots of them.

They are meant to be fished across different species and catch all kinds.

The products that debuted at ICAST 2012 were no different.

There are three products that we will take a closer look at today based on the product showcase. We will have all of these products on the water for proper testing soon. [Read more…]

As you know, we’ve been hunting out the unique, strange and unusual at ICAST 2012.

We found a bait company that is absolutely bringing something unique to the table, and deserves some coverage.

Stinky Fingers Bait Co. has done something with scent that we have not seen before. It isn’t that they’ve developed a new scent or some magic bass attractant that will make bass jump into your boat without effort.

What they’ve done is make huge changes to the way that scent is housed in a bait, and delivered to the fish. They’ve changed the level of scent that you can get into a bait.

There really is nothing else like this on the floor anywhere at ICAST. [Read more…]

You have to love it when two sports start merging together to make something new happen.

BOTE is a company that makes stand up paddle boards. For those of you not familiar with SUP, it’s a hybrid form of surfing that incorporates elements of kayaking as well.

Seeing as SUP is already a bit of a hybrid sport, adding one more thing to the mix seems pretty natural. [Read more…]

I love when a manufacturer really goes for it.

When they put some serious work into their line, and the whole line stands out, it is truly a special thing.

Evolve Baits did just that this year at ICAST.

Every bait in the booth from Evolve had something that made it unique. Whether it was the detail, the styling, the engineering, or the materials, they put care and consideration into their products. [Read more…]