ICAST Coverage Day 3 (Rods) - Let the Rod Wars Begin! (continued)
 

Kistler: Its been quiet from the Kistler camp this year and new for Kistler this year was a single stick. In answer to the growing craze of swimbait fishing, and in support of their very own Steve Kennedy who set the 4-day BASS weight record with his win on Clear Lake, California, Kistler has developed the first in their series of swimbait sticks.

Cliff (left) holds up Kistler's new swimbait stick while Trey holds up the prototype "new look" LTA

This 8’ heavy action rod is rated for baits from one to five ounces and sits within their Graphite Plus series for $169.99. Clifford Wiedman tells us they have another, lighter action version of this same stick in the works.

The new ergonomic handle on the refreshed LTA

Speaking of items in the works with Kistler rods, their popular Helium LTA sticks are in the middle of a cosmetic overhaul and both Trey Kistler and Clifford Wiedman were on hand to walk us through the in-progress make over.

New winding checks are being evaluated for the refresh

Gone will be the chrome framed guides: instead, the frame of each guide will now be black. The guides will feature the same, blue zirconia inserts that makes the Original Helium LTA such an eye-catcher. They’re playing with different shapes for the cork handle and also with some winding check accents throughout the grip.

New black frame guides add a stealthy feel to the premium rod

The end result should be a rod that will appeal to enthusiasts and match up well with the latest crop of premium reels. These upgrades should breathe new life into the lineup, and hopefully this new look Helium will be as fun to look at as the older version is to fish.