Next week is the ICAST fishing tackle trade show, which is the traditional place for new-product launches. BassFan staffers will be there to get the skinny on all the new stuff, but we obtained a few details ahead of time about some of the new products to be introduced at ICAST.
Following is just a small, quick taste, by category – and it's by no means comprehensive because a lot of companies want to wait until ICAST to officially launch their products.
Baits and Terminal Tackle
Berkley Gulp! Alive!
Berkley Gulp! hasn't taken the bass world by storm as it has in the saltwater world (how about 15 tourney wins so far this year?), though it has become a go-to bait for some smallmouth fishermen on Erie. But Berkley's coming out with Gulp! Alive!, which is supposed to be 20% more effective than regular Gulp!.
High points:
> More Gulp! juice – the baits float in it and look alive, hence the new Alive! name.
> Baits retail in a "bucket," so they don't get jammed or bent in a bag – which means better action.
> Ergo the 20% improvement in effectiveness in Berkley tests.
Notable:
> The Gulp! Alive! "bait buckets" mean that you can drop other baits in there to see if they can soak up some of the potent Gulp! juice.
> The Gulp! Alive! juice will also be available for the fist time in a spray bottle in crawfish, garlic and nightcrawler flavors.
> To learn more about Gulp! Alive! and see it in action, click below:
Other New Berkley Baits
> 3-, 4-, 5- and 7-inch PowerBait Realistix Manic Shad – This looks interesting, a soft-plastic with a "collar" so it can be cranked like a crankbait.
> 10-inch Gulp! Turtle Back worm
> 4 3/4-inch Gulp! Slim Shaky worm
> 4-inch Gulp! goby
> "Power Packs" from Berkley pros (Larry Nixon – Shakey worm; Jay Yelas – Texas Rig; Skeet Reese – Finesse; Mike Iaconelli – Ike's Jig)
> 4-inch PowerBait Sabertail Burly Bug
> 5-inch PowerBait Sabertail tube
Rapala: X-Rap Shad
Here's Rapala's new X-Rap Shad.
> Combines the tight action of a Shad Rap with the characteristics of Rapala's X-Rap line of lures.
> Translucent body with internal scale patterns, displays a holographic foil appearance and feathered tail hook.
> Internal long-cast mechanism, suspending action
> Two sizes and 15 color patterns: 2 1/2 inches with a swimming depth of 6 to 11 feet, and 3 1/8 inches with a swimming depth of 7 to 10 feet.
> To be released in September.
Tru Tungsten: Tru-Life Swimbait
> Developed with Matt Newman and Ish Monroe.
> Available in trout, bluegill, tilapia (silver and gold) and shad.
> Anglers can add tungsten beads to a chamber in the bait to change the running depth.
> Cool feature if true: When you stop reeling the bait back to you, it turns 180 degrees.
Tru Tungsten: Tungsten Impregnated Plastic
> The baits have tungsten powder added to them so they can sink without a weight.
> Weights will be 1/32-, 1/16- and 1/8-ounce.
> Baits include the Stinger, which is a 6-inch straight worm with weighted head; Reverse Stinger, same bait with the rear weighted; Dart, is a 5-inch finesse worm with the head weighted; Reverse Dart, same bait with the rear weighted; Quiver, a weighted Senko-style bait; and the Depth Shad, a 4- and 5-inch Fluke-style bait.
Picasso Lures: Shakedown jighead
> Finesse jighead designed in conjunction with western phenom and championship hammer Luke Clausen.
> Shakedown heads use a patented flexible nickel titanium spring (bait keeper) along with a cross-eye Gamakatsu hook to give anglers "the best" shakey-style head on the market.
The Picasso Shakedown jighead was designed with the preferences of Luke Clausen.
> The "give" of the spring allows the entire hook gap to be maintained during the hookset, and allows anglers to lock down and shake their plastics in cover or skip docks without tearing their baits.
> 3/0 hook in the 1/16-, 3/32-, 1/8- and 3/16-ounce sizes, and 4/0 for the 1/4-ounce size.
> Available in black, brown/purple, green pumpkin, blood red, junebug and watermelon seed.
Picasso Lures: Jared Lintner Finesse Spider Jig
> Developed with 2006 BassFan Rookie of the Year Jared Lintner.
> Recessed eye minimizes hangups and picks up fewer weeds.
> Slides through weeds, wood and rocks, but still stands up at rest.
> Gamakatsu hook and available in sizes 1/16, 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 ounce in eight colors.
Picasso Lures: Fantasy Football Jig
> Designed with Ken Cook, and previously covered on BassFan.com here.
Picasso Lures: Shake-E-Football
> A football jig with a titanium spring inserted in the head of the bait.
> Available in sizes: 1/16, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 ounce in 10 different colors.
> Available January 2008.
Line
Berkley: Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon
> Boyd Duckett's Bassmaster Classic-winning line, previously covered on The Bass Buzz here.
> To see Hank Parker and Al Lindner talk about this line, click on one or both of following vids:
Stren: Stren Microfuse
> The first superline with a fluorescent glow above the water, and low visibility underwater (color: glacier blue fluorescent).
> Blue color is UV-activated to fluoresce on cloudy and sunny days, and is also great for night-fishing with a light or black light.
> Hundreds of braided Dyneema fibers are thermally fused together which, among other things, gives a "super smooth surface for increased casting distance."
> Check out Bill Dance's take on Stren Microfuse:
Spiderwire: Ultracast Invisi-Braid
> Patented translucency for the first braided superline that is nearly invisible underwater.
> Patented cold-fusion process reportedly makes this the strongest braid available.
> The line is constructed with a higher "pick count" to make it more round (which helps with longer and more accurate casts) and durable.
> Kelly Jordon: "Spiderwire Ultracast outcasts and outlasts any other braid, and is amazingly thin and sensitive. Now with Invisi-Braid it's the ultimate braid, letting me flip and pitch into mats of vegetation in the clearest of waters without fear of the fish detecting my line."
Rods and Reels
Fenwick: Elite Tech rods
> Check out the details in this story on The Bass Buzz. There's also a vid there where Hank Parker talks about the rods.
Abu Garcia: Revo Premier
> Click here to read about it.
> Jordon: "It's awesome. It doesn't weigh anything – like 6 ounces. It doesn't even feel like there's a reel in your hand."
Abu Garcia: 704LX
> All-aluminum spinning reel with stainless steel components.
> "Deliberately overbuilt for added strength," Abu stated.
> Abu's waterproof Carbon Matrix Drag.
Other
Berkley: Tec tools
Berkley's Superline Shears are designed to be fast as well as good.
Berkley is coming out with a whole new line of tools. A couple we can't wait to try right off the bat are the Superline Shears (designed for fast cutting, not just cutting, which is cool) and the Trigger Grip for those unintentionally-caught toothy critters.
Spro: Siemantel/BBZ-1 DVD
What's the number-one barrier to most anglers trying a swimbait? Pick: They're expensive, they're big and heavy, it sounds like you need to know a bunch of swimbait-specific knowledge to fish them properly.
Spro has a winner in the BBZ-1, designed by Big Bass Zone columnist Bill Siemantel, and it's coming out with a DVD featuring Siemantel that it thinks will go a long way to helping people understand that a swimbait can be easy to fish – and catch bass with.
Here's the trailer for the new DVD.
New Plano products
> Keep fishing lines tangle-free and organized with the 1084 Line Spool Box. The 1084 Line Spool Box holds six spools of fishing line up to 1-inch wide.
> The 3758 Guide Series Gear Bag includes one 3543 Waterproof Spinnerbait utility box, one 2-3500 ProLatch StowAway utility box and one 3750 ProLatch StowAway utility box. The sturdy, EVA-molded base provides deep bulk storage. This bulk interior comes with a Velcro divider that can create one to four compartments.
