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3 Decades of Green -
Shimano's 200 M Baitcaster
The refresh of the new Shimano Curado 200 M flew under the radar this
ICAST as the new Stradic FK took center stage. The new Curado iterates on a
proven formula, and while it does not stray too far from the previous version,
it does offer a number some improvements in design and feature-set for
mainstream anglers.
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Catching the BFS Wave with Phenix Rod's New Series
Until recently, most bass anglers turning to finesse techniques relied solely upon spinning gear to present their baits. However, over twenty years ago in Japan, manufacturers, third parties, and anglers were tuning their casting gear to do the same. Today, Bait Finesse Systems (BFS), are all the rage with large, US based manufacturers rolling out reels and rods to support the burgeoning approach. |
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Giving Bass "The Bird" - A New Crawler From Defiant
Defiant is best known for their soft bodied 210 and 247
trout profiled swimbaits which feature a line-through rigging system. The
company has been expanding their product range and last season introduced
a range of braided and fluorocarbon lines designed for big bait anglers. This
Summer the company launches their first hard-bodied swimbait, a full sized
topwater crawler called "The Bird." |
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Not Too Big, Not Too Small, with Versatility That Can Surprise and Confuse : CBC's Mini-Sonar
Born from the need for a consistent big bait
profile for colder water, the Sonar has a build resembling a swimmer, but it is
weighted to behave like a flutter spoon or blade bait - not a spinnerbait, but a
solid metal, fish profile, blade. |
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Abu Garcia Raises the Bar in Their Quest for Speed : Revo5 RKT
Abu Garcia continues to
challenge the speed barrier with their Revo Rocket platform, but with the
latest, Revo5 iteration featuring the same retrieve ratio as the previous
version, the Revo4, has physics and the laws of nature finally won out? Well,
what if we told you, despite identical gear ratios, the Revo5 is actually a hair
faster in inches per turn (IPT)? How is that possible? |
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A Next Level Swinghead from Gamakatsu
The swing head has seen a recent spike in popularity to the point many will
think it’s new and innovative. Now, almost every terminal tackle manufacturer
offers their own take. |
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"New" Slide Swimmer
Glidebait, Same Old Song?
There are countless discussions regarding the merits of the old
versus new versions of the bait including tuning strategies for both and even
methods to convert the floating, wake bait version, the Silent Killer, into a
Slide Swimmer...
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An Instant Classic? Daiwa Japan's '22 Silver Wolf SV TW PE Special
Once the leader in BFS enabled
reel platforms, in recent years, Daiwa Japan has seen competing manufacturers
match pace with their introductions. Still, few can match the manufacturer's
fervor for offering variants to existing platforms built to suit specific
techniques, applications, or game species. |
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Lew's
Goes Lighter with HyperMag and a BFS Oriented Custom Lite Reels
Lew's focused on lighter weight and offering more refined baitcasters this ICAST
with the launch of two new low profile reels, the HyperMag and Custom Lite
Shallow Spool. Both of these reels are designed with better ergonomics, lighter
overall weight, and the ability to cast lightweight baits with ease. |
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Baitcasting Young Guns:
Fresh New Low-Profile Reels
While the reel market is very competitive there has been a number of rod
manufacturers that have introduced their own branded reels, as well as a few
independent reel makers that are entering the fray. Let's take a look at some of
these baitcasting "young guns" that launched new low-profile reels at the recent
ICAST. |
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Hardbaits at ICAST, from
Swimbaits to BFS
This year at ICAST hardbait manufacturers seemed to focus on extremes, with a
number of notable introductions in full sized swimbaits and on the opposite end
of the spectrum a number of tiny lures designed for BFS. There were a few other
interesting conventional baits where manufacturers added patterns or additional
features. |
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The Worthy, Wild, and Just Plain Weird Soft Lures at ICAST 2023
This ICAST there was a wide range of soft-bodied lures introduced by American,
JDM, and even a few independent manufacturers just breaking onto the scene. This
year there was a lot to unpack in the soft lure category with a number of baits
that looked worthy of tying on immediately, some that had wild features, and
others that just looked plain weird. |
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Costa's Most Advanced Frames Yet. Hail the King Tide
Costa has established itself as a leader
in optics and has always done a great job catering to the unique needs and
challenges that anglers face. This ICAST, the brand celebrated their 40th
Anniversary with the launch of their most technical frame to date, the
feature-rich King Tide. |
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Shimano’s Stradic Moves Closer to Stella in Major Refresh
The Shimano Stradic has long been the workhorse reel in Shimano’s spinning
lineup and this season the series gets a major refresh with features that
debuted on the Stella FK. The new Stella FM is designed to be smoother, more
powerful, and offer enhanced durability over its predecessor, yet it remains the
same price. |
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Daiwa’s Tatula 100 Grows Fangs
Daiwa refreshes its top-selling Tatula Series reels
with a completely new form factor that places an emphasis on ergonomics.
However, the redesign is more than skin deep, as HYPERDRIVE features originally
reserved for the company’s higher-end reels now make their way into the new 100
size baitcaster. |
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KastKing Makes Big Moves with
the iReel One
KastKing, once
known primarily for their value reels, made big moves this ICAST with the launch
of their own smart reel. The iReel brings the Internet of Things (IoT) to US
anglers, with the capability of providing real-time data to anglers as well as a
plethora of statistics that anglers can use to identify patterns, make
adjustments, and adapt quickly to improve their on-the-water success. |
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Okuma
Goes Limited and JDM with Wave Off Urban Fishing and ITX CB Reels
Following the success of their previous limited-edition offerings including the
Chroma and GT spinning reels Okuma is now dedicating more resources to creating
unique reels that add to the experience of angling and fishing an Okuma product.
The Wave Off is both the name of the next reel and Okuma’s new “Urban Design
Team” which is responsible for creating these limited-edition offerings. |
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TackleTour ICAST 2023 Live Video Coverage
ICAST 2023 has arrived! After a strange last year we are
excited to be once again on the water and show floor here in Orlando. This year
in addition to our article coverage we will also be providing Instagram Quick
Hit Videos from the manufacturers and pro anglers.
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The Ultimate Poison –
Shimano and Jackall Bring JDM Poison Ultima Rods Stateside
Shimano and Jackall are answering the Enthusiast call by bringing the ultra-high
end Poison Ultima rods to U.S. shores stateside. These rods feature a number of
unique design attributes and performance characteristics that make it the
highest-end Shimano rod made available in the U.S. yet.
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Daiwa's Got Your Bass Covered with 16 New Pro
Inspired Application Specific Tatula AGS Rods
Daiwa will be introducing a number of new products at ICAST this year including
an update to their popular Tatula line of reels and rods. The Tatula Elite AGS
Bass Rod Series gets 16 new technique specific rods built with the latest SVF
Nano Plus Blanks and AGS guides with signature actions and powers favored by
their staff of Pro Anglers.
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Chop
It Like It's Hot. Baitsanity X TW New Chimera Shad
Baitsanity is launching their first shad profiled
swimbait, the Chimera. In addition to a number of unique design features, and
emphasis on chop-style action, one of the things that makes this new swimbait so
interesting is that it was co-developed with the Tackle Warehouse product team
from inception to mass production. |
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Berkley Culls First Batch Cullshad Swimbaits
Berkley is literally asking customers to "cull" all the first run
Cullshad swimbaits to address a production issue that is affecting swimming
action, and launches a process to replace the baits with properly manufactured
ones.
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Z-Man Ready to Launch Drew's Ultimate NED Finesse Rods at
ICAST
When it comes to fishing NED rigs the first bait
company that usually comes to mind is Z-Man, and with good reason. The TRD is a
globally renowned bait and this ICAST the company is launching their own
signature NED rods designed with Drew Reese, a finesse legend himself, and
co-creator of the TRD bait. |
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Drift Mode Enabled: Minn Kota Goes Brushless
with Upgraded QUEST Bow Trolling Motors
The arms race in the trolling motor wars has continued to heat up with
Minn Kota’s biggest lineup refresh in a decade and gets some interesting new
features including Drift Mode. The highest end Minn Kota bow motors have been
re-redesigned with a new dual brushless technology platform called QUEST
offering even more power and efficiency. |
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For the Culture – 7 Takeaways from Toxic Day 4
Toxic Day 4, or TD4, is the creation of Caesar
Chavez, the head honcho at Toxic Baits and is an event that brings together
custom lure makers and anglers from all over the country. Originally created as
a local swimbait show the annual event has grown and transformed into something
much greater...
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Fenwick is Back! A First Look at the Completely
Refreshed Lineup from Eagle to World Class
This coming ICAST Fenwick is looking to refresh of
their entire lineup, getting back to their legacy of innovation, and
re-introducing the brand to both loyal fans and a new generation of anglers. |
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Megabass's Unheralded Spark Shad Swimbait
When it comes to a soft bodied swimbait in Megabass's product line, it's really mostly about MagDraft. Available in two varieties, MagDraft is a proven producer. The Sleeper line is probably a close second, but those are more like jigs. A third less talked about alternative, at least as a stand alone option,
we feel deserves more attention.
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A Reel for Those Who
Like to Cast Fast, but Retrieve Slow : The Revo5 Winch
With each passing revision, one of the Revo platforms I look forward to getting
re-acquainted with the most is the Winch. While the battle for who can build a
small, low profile caster that can pull in the most line with each crank of the
handle endures, I continue to covet the slow, plodding, long game reels like the
Winch.
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Shimano's High End, Light Weight Champion, Vanquish '23
It's only been a couple of years since my first experience with Shimano Japan's
Vanquish line of spinning reels, so when reports of a refresh was in the
pipeline for 2023, I was hesitant. However, craving a new spinning reel for this
season and not feeling the need for a Stella or Exist, Vanquish kind of hit the
sweet spot.. |
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Kickin' It with Yamamoto's Zako Variant
The original Zako, featuring a y-shaped swim tail, is a popular choice as trailer on skirted baits like vibrating and swim jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, etc.. The Kickin' Zako is variant made instead, with a paddletail.
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Megabass's New Sleeper Craw : Just Tie It On, Pitch It Out, and Get Bit
One of the surest methods to get anglers to bite
as both fishermen and consumers is with realistic craw profiles. Anyone who has
fished with live crawdads knows the effectiveness of this little delicacy, so a
bait that imitates the crustacean just makes sense. Unfortunately, not all
realistic craw baits are effective... |
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Shimano
Readies Mastiff Fluorocarbon Line with Nanoarmor Tech
Shimano has been in the line game for a while now with their PowerPro
brand of braided superlines, and this season is introducing a new fluorocarbon
line called Mastiff. Designed and manufactured in Japan, Mastiff is engineered
with a technology called Nanoarmor, which incorporates nano-sized ridges to
deliver several performance advantages. |
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ARK Fishing's Gravity G5, An Impressive Middle Child Casting Reel
ARK Fishing's Gravity G5 casting reel is the current middle child among three options. I say current, because with ARK Fishing's aggressive approach to offering product, the situation is always fluid.
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The Search for One - Reel? Lew's Super Duty LFS
With so many specialized
techniques, it's even more difficult to find a reel, or really, one reel
platform, to handle a wide variety of techniques. However, with the latest
iteration of their Super Duty LFS, Lew's may actually have a contender for the
title. Let's take a look.
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A Reel for Those Who Like to Cast Fast, but Retrieve Slow : The Revo5 Winch
With each passing revision, one of the Revo platforms I look forward to getting
re-acquainted with the most is the Winch. While the battle for who can build a
small, low profile caster that can pull in the most line with each crank of the
handle endures, I continue to covet the slow, plodding, long game reels like the
Winch.
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A Stick That's Difficult to Pin Down : Megabass's US Destroyer P5 F7-75X BMG
Coming off of our positive experience with
Megabass of America's US Destroyer P5 F7.5-76X Mark-56, we felt it appropriate
to take a step back and look at a stick with an appeal for more conventional
techniques. |
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Berkley’s Latest Finesse Worm Doesn’t Fall Flat
Berkley’s PowerBait MaxScent lineup of lures
spans everything from large creatures and trailers to finesse baits. Designed
for finesse applications Berkley’s MaxScent Flat Worms are deadly effective
across a wide range of conditions, and is even designed to perform when the bite
is especially tough and fish are suspended or finicky. |
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Okuma Raises Their Bass Rod Game to
the X-Level
Okuma has been
elevating their bass reel and rod offerings over the last few seasons by
leveraging new technology and materials to improve performance. Unveiled at the
Classic the new X-Series rods are Okuma’s latest creation and designed to raise
the bar for the brand’s application specific bass offering. |
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Going Basic. The Reliable and Affordable Gravity G3
Baitcaster from ARK Fishing
New to the fishing reel market, ARK Fishing follows the
familiar trend set by many manufacturers of using the same frame and sideplate
design for their catalog of casting reels and putting them together in different
ways to meet varying price points. The Gravity G3 is currently at the entry
level of ARK's casting reel lineup... |
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Shimano
BOOSTs Freshwater Hardbait Lineup
In advance of the Bassmaster Classic Shimano is bolstering their
freshwater lure lineup with three new lures that make use of the company’s
patented BOOST CONCEPT technologies. These new offerings include the Enber
jerkbait, World Rush squarebill, and finesse oriented Zumverno jerkbait. |
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A Solid Little Reel With a Bigger Purpose: Lew's American Hero Tier 1 Casting Reel
The American Hero Tier 1 LFS casting reel from Lew's is a
familiar profile from the manufacturer in a size that's roughly equivalent to an
industry standard 100. It is built with an aluminum frame and graphite
sideplates and features an externally adjustable magnetic braking system... |
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Fold to Cast Further – Shimano’s Armajoint Hard Bodied Swimbait
The swimbait segment continues to grow, and it was just a matter of time
before Shimano launched their own hard bodied swimbait. Rather than introduce
just another single jointed glide or dual jointed wake, Shimano’s lure engineers
wanted to put their own spin on a shad-like profile and create a bait that could
be cast further and fished effectively by anglers of all skill levels. |
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Mike Iaconelli's Powerbait Flute Worm by Berkley is no Fluke
We are in the process of looking at some of
their newest PowerBait lures including the Maxscent Flat Worm but before that
review goes live let's take a look at one of Berkley's classics. With the help of Mike Iaconelli
this the Flute Tail Worm was created for those dedicated Neko/wacky/shaky head
fishermen |
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Forward-Facing Sonar Units and the
‘Harass-A-Bass’ Technique Have Changed Bass Fishing Forever
The rumors percolated pre-pandemic of
an electronics guru devouring the competition in America’s largest crappie
tournaments. Fishing in a previously unimagined futuristic manner, from the
not-so-bass-mecca state of Oklahoma, Josh Jones is reported to have caught more
than 200 ten-pound fish in less than five years...
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