It's a Wrap! Rods, Lures, and Terminal Tackle from ICAST 2011
Date:
8/11/11
Location:
Las Vegas, NV
Admission:
Buyers & Press
only
Manufacturer:
Various
Reviewer:
Zander
Introduction: Before we return to our
normally scheduled review editorial it is time to make one final sweep of ICAST
2011. There was just so much to cover and so little time. We only were able to
cover about 50% of what we hoped to before the lights went off. While we wish we
could have had just one more day with the manufacturers we did see a lot new
tackle this year. Was there anything totally mind blowing? No. But there
certainly was a
lot of very good product.
Another ICAST
in the books
Part of what makes ICAST so
great is not just the product but the opportunity to meet all the people behind
the product, including the designers from all over the globe, the professional
anglers that lend their expertise from the field, and the product managers that
ultimately launch the product.
Robby has
another winner in the Terez Rail Rod
Shimano: We covered
Shimano's reels on the very day of the show and are already beginning reviews of
some of the company's rods. One that definitely deserves highlighting is the
Terez Rail Rod which took home Best of Show in the Saltwater Rod category. Robby
Gant, Rod Product Manager at Shimano, has put together a number of big wins year
after year and the new Rail rods continue that tradition. There are three new
rail rods which are designed primarily for West Coast tuna fishing. These reels
pair up with Shimano's Talica 20II and new Talica 50II. Offered in three actions –
heavy, extra-heavy and XX-heavy, “the ratings dictate the top shot set-up to use
in conjunction with PowerPro braid,” said Robby Gant, rod product manager for
Shimano. The Terez H was built for fishing with 80- to 130-pound PowerPro with a
top shot in the 60- to 80-pound range. The XH was built for fishing 100- to
150-pound PowerPro with a top shot of 80- to 100-pounds, while the Terez XXH
rail rod has a PowerPro rating of 130- to 200—pound to cover top shots above
100-pound.
The Rail Rod
makes use of TC4 blank construction for performance and durability
All of these Terez rail rods
feature Shimano’s TC4 blank construction, and come strapped with Fuji K frames
with Alconite inserts. Shimano utilizes EVA grips which are ergonomically shaped
with flat sides to tuck under your arm, and a flat side on the bottom was
integrated to lay flat on the rail. As with all Terez rods, the rail rods are
offered in five color options which include aqua, sunset red, fighting lady
yellow, emerald green and pearl white.
Castaway
introduces new rods with the Microwave guide
Castaway:
We caught up with the team at Castaway that was highlighting their newest
Skeleton rods which make use of a hybrid guide design which includes the Doug
Hannon Microwave Guide and micro guides. These rods are available in a range of
models which includes application specific sticks including a cranking rod, a
flipping stick, and even a grass master braid rod. There are three saltwater
rods as well which are designed for everything from inshore to wading
applications. All of these rods retail for $179.99 each.
Gena shows us
the new Skeleton rods equipped with micro guides
Strike King: KVD
expanded his bait line this season with the new KVD Sexy Frog. This frog features a fully
sealed nose to minimize water entry and avoid the nose from slipping past the
line tie. It also features free-floating rattle for greater sound emission. One
of the biggest issues with any frog is water seepage problems, the KVD Sexy Frog
addresses this with a self-draining channel in the rear of the frog to prevent
having to squeeze out water.
KVD's new
"Sexy Frog"
KVD was instrumental in
the design of this bait and utilizes it when fishing both open water and heavy
cover applications. There are a range of patterns available including black and
yellow, white, green, and Strike King also plans on introducing new clear water
colors for lakes with excellent visibility, and when a little more finesse is
required to incite topwater strikes. These new frogs will be available this
quarter.
Pro Angler
Shaw Grigsby shows us the new Strike King Frogs
