It's a Wrap! Rods, Lures, and Terminal Tackle from ICAST 2011
(continued)
Tightlines:
The expert in UV lures introduced a wide range of new baits at the show. We made
it to the booth minutes before the show ended and met with Pro Angler Bill Lowen
who walked us through a number of new baits including his own UV "Bill Lowen"
Tube which is slighter longer than the company's other tubes at 4 1/2" and
features a slightly tapered design towards the rear of the bait.
Like the company's other baits this plastic
looks like any other normal lure to anglers, but fish see things differently,
and under a UV light these tubes glow brightly. The Bill Lowen Tube comes 6 per
pack and retails for $5.99.
Tightlines
lures light up under UV light
Another new lure is the "Big
Fat Jerk" which features a shad versus a minnow look and is designed to come to
life when retrieved. This new bait is available in a wide range of patterns
including white, chartreuse, Tennessee Shad, and Pearl Blue Black. These baits
are available now and come 6 per pack for $5.99.
Pro Angler
Bill Lowen shows us his new Signature Tube
Chain Gang:
Like the name implies Chain Gang makes use of chains in the company's designs.
The company offers a wide range of lures which make use of these chains as
skirts including a spinnerbait and jig but what really caught our attention was
the new "Flex Buzz." The Flex Buzz is a collapsible buzzbait that uses a chain
to connect the blade instead of a wire. This 45lb tensile strength chain
connects to a head that is designed to rise and plane faster than traditional
wire based baits.
The Flex Buzz
features a collapsible design
The Flex Buzz is armed with a long shafted hook
hidden by a curly tail. The ability to collapse drastically reduces the fish's
ability to use the lure's own blade or wire (on traditional buzzbaits) as
leverage to throw the bait. The Flex Buzz is available in a wide range of
patterns and retails for $7.99 each.
The team at Chain Gang now have a wide range of offerings equipped with their
signature chains
PowerTeam Lures:
We first met the crew from PowerTeam Lures last year and immediately liked the
attention to detail on the company's plastics. New for this year is the 5" "Sick
Stick" which is specifically designed to be fished with a weighted wacky head.
Meet the Sick
Stick, a new plastic designed for fishing with a weighted wacky head
The Sick Stick is neutrally buoyant and features a
square core encased with round rings which are designed to add more flash as
well as a controllable vibration as the bait falls. The lure can be weighted
with different heads ranging from 1/16-3/32oz. for varying rates of fall and a
tight subtle wobble. To achieve a wilder "rock and roll" wobble when targeting
more aggressive bass anglers can use heavier 1/8-3/16oz. weighted wacky heads.
The lure can
be fished with various weights for different action
Though designed to be wacky rigged the Sick Stick
can also be fished effectively Texas or Carolina rigged. This lure is available
now in 14 patterns and come 7 in a pack and are now available online for $4.39.
Hog Tonic is
loaded with amino acids
PowerTeam is also introducing a new attractant
called "Hog Tonic." This formula was created specifically to target bass and is
loaded with amino acids which is designed to not only convince bass to strike
but also keep them holding on longer. Hog Tonic can be applied in the field
using the easy to use 2oz. bottle or simply spray it into the plastic bag and
let the lures marinate. Each 2oz. bottle of Hog Tonic retails for $9.99 and is
available now at Tackle Warehouse.
The team at
PowerTeam shows us their new lures and attractant
Buckeye Lures:
Buckeye is probably best known for their popular Spot Remover jigheads but the
company also has a wide range of other lures worth mentioning including
Buzzbaits, a jigging blade, and a wide assortment of jigs. The most interesting
jig is definitely the 2 part jig which makes use of a football head cap that
actually comes loose off the jig after setting into a fish.
The 2-Part Jig
separates on impact
Just like a line-thru swimbait
this design reduces the fish's ability to use the weight of the lure to throw
the bait during the battle back to the boat. The 2-part jig will become
available later this month and comes in two configurations of 1/2 and 3/4oz.,
and 3/4 and 1oz. for $5.49 each.
