The ISE celebrates its 30 year anniversary in style by showcasing new tackle in San Mateo, CA (continued)
 

Shimano: Shimano shared some very exciting news with us regarding a number of their reels. Both the Tekota and Tyrnos family of reels will receive new variants or upgrades very shortly. The Tekota will soon be available in a 300 size which is quite a bit smaller than the the current TEK500. The reel will be available in both line counter and conventional variations. The ratio of these smaller Tekotas will remain a powerful 4.2:1, and the reels will weigh 13.3oz for the TEK300 and 14.3oz for the TEK300LC (line counter version).

The Tekota 300 is the smallest in the series, and should be a great crossover reel. The reel will be available with and without a line counter

When it comes to bigger game the Tyrnos has been growing in popularity among anglers looking for a affordably priced big game reel. The Tyrnos features oversized gears and when testing the one we have we always wished for a 2 speed version of this reel. Well it looks like our wishes have come true as Shimano confirmed that the TYR20 and TYR30 will both be available shortly with two speed gearing. The two speed switch will be on the handle, exactly like the higher end models in the Shimano lineup. The high gear ratio will remain 5.0:1 while shifting down will bring an abundance of more power at 2.0:1. This translates into 18 inches of retrieve in low gear versus the 45 inches per crank of the current Tyrnos. The price increase for this upgrade in both versions is $100 on top of the original, which is $349.00 for the TYR20II and $359.00 for the TYR30II.

Shimano isn't just about reels anymore and the company's rod business has grown tenfold. One of Shimano's hottest rigs right now is their top selling Trevala rods paired up with a Trinidad or premium Torsa. At the show we also got to play with Shimano's diverse series of Compre rods. This series is almost like three different series under one umbrella. First there are the standard Compre's which are much improved over the 2005 models, then there are the technique specific Muskie Compre rods, and finally the Walleye trolling models. While the standard and Muskie Compre rods feature IM-8 graphite blanks, the Walleye version is built with high modulus TC-4. What we really liked about the Walleye versions was the black diamond reargrip which is designed for non-slip durability and ease into and out of rod holders, making this rod perfect for trolling planer boards.