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Finally, Affordable Versatility from Daiwa - The Lexa 100
Daiwa's
last attempt at a mid to entry level product in the low profile baitcasting
department was the TD Advantage; a reel that faired reasonably well in our tests, but for some reason just never caught on. Well, last Summer, Daiwa debuted their latest offering in this market segment, and here now is our look at the Lexa 100. |
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Affordable Storage Flexibility, Plano’s Flex N’ Go Satchel
Ask hunters, campers or even general outdoor enthusiasts and they not
only probably own a few Plano boxes but chances are their very first tackle box
or gun case was a Plano. The company never seems to stop inventing and last
season they rolled out a new take on tackle storage, the Flex N’ Go Satchel
which is a hybrid design... |
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Easier
Hookups with the Trailer Valet
There
are a few situations when you are most likely to hear anglers yell out four
letter expletives, when they miss strikes or break off big fish or when they are
doing the dance of backing their vehicle back and forth trying to position their
hitch under their trailer receiver. To make the
entire process easier a company called SuperTech has introduced a new product
called the Trailer Valet. |
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Shallow
Crankin' With the ABT X-2 Square Bill
Based in
California, ABT lures' X-2 series of shallow square bills are new offerings in
the crankbait world. Based on visuals alone, these baits look clean and
attractive. Will they prove to be a standout, or just get lost in the jumble of
other products out there? Let's find out, shall we? |
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Better
the Second Time Around? The iRod Genesis II IRG744C-MH
The Genesis II
lineup takes over where the original Genesis series left off, in hopes of
offering anglers an improved bang for the buck value. Does this new series
hit the mark? Having no experience with an iRod of any type, I was eager
to find out what these rods were all about! |
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TackleTour Re-Calibrated Rating System
We've taken our GoNative theme to heart this year and feel it is time to add another wrinkle to our scoring system. Specifically, we're adding more detail to how rods and reels are scored in each category of our scoring matrix. |
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Simple
yet Deadly Effective, the Savage Gear Sandeel
The company features a wide array of lures, and product development is
driven by Mads Grosell, an innovative angler who has long studied and targeted
predatory fish and has created an assortment of lures that are designed to be
effective even when the bite is tough. One of his most popular creations is the
Savage Gear Sandeel... |
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How Does 832 Stand Up to Sudden Impact? It Might Just Make Your Day
If you read the piece about our
new FPI
(Fluorocarbon
Performance Index),
you already know
we've reformatted
and standardized our
line review metrics
per line type, and
today we debut our
BPI (Braid
Performance Index)
with a look at
Sufix's popular 832.
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Bait the Finesse?!? Shimano -v- Daiwa Product Insight
In bass fishing, there's a certain fascination
with baitcasting reels. Among experienced bass fishermen especially, there
exists a stigma associated anyone who favors spinning gear over baitcasting
gear. Anglers who fit this description are simply not taken seriously... |
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The Father of Flipping Continues to Innovate : DT Guides by Dee Thomas
With all Dee has seen, done, and designed, you'd
think all his ideas would have been tested and tried by now, but savvy minds
always wait for the right opportunity to share that which inspires them. So what
could a meeting between the Father of Flipping and your source for the hottest
tackle mean? |
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More
Than Just Rods and Reels: The Shimano Technical Softshell Hooded Jacket
While
rods and reels are
Shimano's claim to
fame, they do also
offer a few types of
apparel.
Introduced at ICAST
2012, their new
Technical Softshell
Hooded Jacket
promises to keep
anglers warm and dry
when the weather is
less than ideal. |
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Product Insight: Megabass's Blueprint of Success - The Vision OneTen
For the last several years, each time we sit down
to type up our thoughts on the latest incarnation of Megabass's flagship
hardbait, the Vision OneTen, the manufacturer debuts a new version of the bait.
Given how popular and effective the original bait is, how many versions of the
Vision OneTen do we need or even want and are there really any differences?
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Truly
the One? The Sage ONE 590-4 Fly Rod
A favorite of many
anglers, even to this day, is the XP series. Of course rod manufacturers must push things forward, and after a long run they
were replaced by the Z-Axis series. Met with a bit of criticism at launch,
these rods proved to be quite popular, though arguably maybe not as much as the
good old XP series. |
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ProducTTPreview :
Got'Em Coach Real Gillz Swimbaits Bring the Detail to Design
First to be revealed are the new 6” Snack
Size Real Gillz which are now becoming available in a wide range of patterns. We
take a preliminary look at these new-fangled baits as we kickoff our in-depth
tests. |
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Quite Possibly the Ultimate Fishing Shirt : Simms' Solarflex Hoody
Earlier this year, I caught wind
of Simms' new
Solarflex Hoody - a
long sleeve pullover
shirt with an
integrated neck
gaiter. I ordered
two right away to
check out. This long
sleeve shirt
features finger
loops like a cycling
shirt, a gaiter with
a meshed breathing
panel, and UPF 30
sun protection.
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Abu Targets Enthusiasts With Their New MGXtreme!
Last year, we reviewed the Revo MGX, a 5.4 ounce low profile baitcaster built mostly for finesse, but that we beat up in the Amazon Rainforest. This year, at the BassMaster Classic, Abu Garcia is set to introduce a new, tuned version of this reel. Here's an inside look at Abu's ne Revo MGXtreme!
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Introducing TackleTour's FPI - Fluorocarbon Performance Index
In case you hadn't noticed, we've been in a bit of a hibernation mode regarding line reviews. With our acquisition of The Machine, we're looking to change that starting right now. Over the last several weeks, we've been in deliberations back at TT Headquarters developing a method of testing line, evaluating data, and translating all the results... |
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Not a
Follower: The Airrus Stargate ASG721HF-C
Airrus
has always been a company that doesn't like to follow what everyone else is
doing. Looking at their rod lineup, you'll find very unique qualities in their
designs and construction. It seems that they are constantly tinkering with
different materials and concepts, trying to stay one step ahead of everyone else
or set the next industry standard. |
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Lock it
Down with Durasafe’s Codeable BOLT System
DuraSafe has
continued to gain popularity since 2003, making an assortment of locks and
towing devices designed to solve challenges. One of their signature products are
the innovative BOLT (Breakthrough
One-Key Lock Technology) locks which we take a closer look at in this review. |
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Catching Some AIR, Bearings with HedgeHog Studio
Few topics fuel the collective curiosity of our superTTuning crowd as fervently as the discussion of bearings. Despite the fact many of today’s reels come equipped with adequate enough components to get our casting and retrieving duties done, the term “good enough” is rarely adequate amongst our readership. |
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Creature Fever: Getting serious with the Power Team Diesel
Craw
While
certainly not one of the largest bait manufacturers out there, relative newcomer
Power Team Lures makes a modest range of quality plastics from drop shot worms
to bulky creature baits. Keeping up with our ongoing Creature Fever theme,
we decided to get our hands on some of their premier craw imitations, the 4”
Diesel craws. |
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Hard to Kill, the Bass Mafia Bait
Coffin
When is
a utility box more than just another typical utility box? Crank up the
personality and durability tenfold and you get the Bass Mafia Bait Coffin, a new
take on the popular 3700 form factor. The Bait Coffin is designed to store a
wide variety of baits with a fully configurable internal divider system and also
includes additional features like enhanced corrosion resistance and
waterproofing. |
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Drastically Different : The St.
Croix RAGE RC71MHXF Rod
This rod makes a pretty bold statement in the looks and features
department. You won't find anything really average or “run of the mill”
about the design, which can be a good or bad thing depending on who you are.
For me, I fall somewhere in the middle.
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Creature Fever : Jigging, Worming, and Chopping with G.Loomis's GL2 804C JWR
For bass fishermen, GL2
represents G.Loomis’s entry level stick, yet at roughly $190, they’re still a pretty hefty investment for anglers just starting out. As part of our Creature Fever themed year, we take a look at their six foot, eight inch (6’-8”) heavy powered stick. Introducing our review of G.Loomis’s GL2 804C JWR.
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Seven Tools in One, the Leatherman Skeletool
More than
just pliers the
Leatherman “Multi-Tools”
are designed to provide
outdoor enthusiasts with
a device that can be
utilized on a wide
variety of occasions. We
take a look at one of
the company’s newer
tools, the Leatherman Skeletool,
which offers seven tools all in one compact pocket sized form factor. |
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Double Trouble: River2Sea Twin Vibe 65
River2Sea always offers
products with a variety of great color schemes, and many items are very
reasonably priced. One of their hard baits in the freshwater arena is the
Twin Vibe 65, a compact lipless crankbait. Exhibiting several noteworthy features, it was time to hit
the water and put them to work. |
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Regaining His Edge : Bass Rods by Gary Loomis
We visited with Gary, his partner Jon Bial, and
the entire crew in preparation for this debut and here now is an exclusive,
inside look at the factory and a peek at some of the prototypes in action. |
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Going Rogue, Simms Hoody Style
One garment that seems to be a staple among bass anglers is the good old
fashioned “hoody,” and
while Simms does have traditional cotton based pullover hoodies, it is no
surprise that they have introduced a premium technical version as well. Meet the
Rogue Hoody, a new take on an old favorite. |
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Creature Fever: Causing Havoc with the Berkley Hawk Hawg
Berkley is by far one of the most prominent names in fishing.
Boasting an enormous product lineup and impressive array of sponsored pros, it's
hard not to notice the familiar red Berkley logo from time to time. Taking
the input from leading Bass pros, their Havoc lineup of soft baits are designed
to professional standards and specifications. |
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Cranking at a Higher Level, the New G.Loomis GLX
Over the last few years G.Loomis has continued to refine and reinvent a
number of their rod lines, and it was just a matter of time until the GLX Series was also due to receive an update. Two decades
after the original GLX rods were introduced G.Loomis took to the task of
reinventing one of the most popular series of rods the bass world has ever seen. |
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An
Inside Look: The TackleTour Lab - Bring Up
Over the last two
years we have
received a great many emails asking for a behind the scenes look at the lab, and to
kick off 2013 we are winding back the clock a few years to show you just how the
lab came to be. Come join us for a peek at the place we call “TT HQ.” |
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From Coast to Coast with the 13 Fishing Omen
OBC73M
At ICAST 2012 in
Orlando there was a newcomer to the scene named 13 Fishing. While en route
to various appointments and meetings at the show, I really caught nothing more
than a brief glimpse of their booth and honestly wasn't even keen to exactly
what they were exhibiting... |
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Creature Fever
: Demon versus Valiant
Presenting an exclusive
Creature Fever Feature : Super Red Demon versus Wild Stallion Valiant. Yes, it's
Megabass versus Evergreen International. |
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