Sneak Peek At Gear, Gadgets, Goodies

Information about the products that will be introduced at ICAST this month has started to trickle out. With the annual gathering shifting more to a media-driven event, the race is on to generate as much buzz as possible in advance of the show.

Some companies will hold their cards close to the vest and delay any new product announcements until the week of ICAST or at the show, while others have already pulled the curtain back on what they've been working on.

We'll use this space as a gathering spot for that new information and images, when available, so be sure to keep checking back as ICAST draws closer.

Beast Mode

The latest addition to the Abu Garcia Revo family is, well, big. The Revo Beast was built for throwing big baits, whether it’s a heavy schooling rig, a large wooden swimbait or other big lures. The Beast is armed with a 22-pound max drag, a deeper spool for extra line capacity, as well as oversized, ergonomic handles and EVA power knobs. Titanium-coated sideplates highlight the exterior and increase scratch resistance. It features seven stainless-steel bearings plus one roller bearing and 7.1-to-1 gear ratio, while the Infinii brake adjusts for a variety of baits or wind conditions. Tipping the scales at just 9.35 ounces, the Beast has an MSRP of $349.95 and will be unleashed in the fall 2014.

Silkier and Stronger

Berkley's IRONSilk monofilament line is formulated to be fished in the most abrasive environments like around zebra mussels, oyster beds, docks or rip rap. It's up to 33 percent more abrasion resistant than other lines of the same diameter, thanks to a reinforced polymer matrix, which means it has structural toughness at the molecular level. The smooth composition of IRONSilk allows it to flow through rod guides 20 to 25 percent faster, delivering anglers longer, smoother casts. New IRONSilk has great UV resistance and will be available in 6- to 20-pound test. A 300-yard filler spool of the new Berkley IRONSilk will sell for $9.95.

Oh, Rats

Bill Siemantel has a strong track record as a swimbait designer and now he's bringing his big-baits-catch-big-fish approach to a new topwater lure called the BBZ-1 Rat made by SPRO. The square-bill wake/walking bait measures 5 1/4 inches (10 inches when including the segmented rat tail) and weighs 2.5 ounces.

Wake Up!

The Rapala BX Waking Minnow is the newest addition to the Balsa Xtreme Series. Built with a balsa core and a copolymer shell, this is a tough bait that casts a mile (it weighs 3/4 oz.) and throws off a tantalizing wake with its rolling action. It measures 5 1/4 inches and is available in six colors, including gold shiner (pictured). (Photo: Rapala)

New Ink

Rasta is one of the new additions to Ike's Custom Ink color palette and will be available on Rapala's DT series of crankbaits. (Photo: Rapala)

Go Blue

Bruised is also among the new colors added to the Ike's Custom Ink family. Shown is a DT-4. (Photo: Rapala)

Sup, Girl?

Girlfriend is one of four new additions to Ike's Custom Ink this year. Shown is a DT-4. (Photo: Rapala)

Workhorse

The Rapala DT-6 is shown here in the new mule color that's been added to Ike's Custom Ink offerings. (Photo: Rapala)

Modern Classic

The Rapala Jointed Minnow has long been a staple in many anglers' tackle boxes. Now, it's available with the Scatter Lip design to give off a more erratic action. It dives 5 to 7 feet and is available in 16 colors, including the classic silver (shown). (Photo: Rapala)

Scaled Down

Rapala has added a smaller Scatter Rap Shad to its Scatter series of hard baits and it should be a hit with anglers looking to match the hatch on fisheries with smaller bait fish. The bait is 2 inches long and weighs 3/16 oz. so it's more of a finesse crank. It'll dive 5 to 7 feet. (Photo: Rapala)

More New Ink

The Rapala Shad Rap Shallow is now available in four Ike's Custom Ink colors, including demon (top) and caribbean shad. (Photo: Rapala)

Lil' Ripper

When fish aren't committing to bigger, bulkier lipless crankbaits, Rapala's new Ultra Light Rippin' Rap could be a suitable alternative. Weighing in at 3/16 oz. and measuring 1 1/2 inches, it's a great multispecies bait that features a loud, BB rattle system to call the fish in stained water. (Photo: Rapala)

Arashi Deep New Colors

Storm's Arashi series of crankbaits have been a hit since they burst on the scene last year. The company has added four new colors to the Arashi Deep lineup. They are (from top to bottom) pro blue, green gold shad, black chartreuse shad and ghost hitch. (Photo: Storm)

Arashi Square New Colors

Like it's deep-diving brother, the Arashi Square family gets four new color additions this year (clockwise from top right): ghost hitch, pro blue, green gold shad and black chartreuse shad. The new colors will be available on the Silent Square 3, Silent Square 5, Rattling Square 3, Rattling Square 5, Rattling Flat 7 and Rattling Deep 10 models. (Photo: Storm)

You Wake?

Storm has added the Arashi Wake Crank to its lineup of popular new hard baits. Designed to run just the surface, the Wake Crank's hard, rolling action creates a pronounced tail kick, creating a wake that will grab any bass' attention. (Photo: Storm)

Stick It To 'Em

Storm added four new color offerings for the Twitch Stick in 2014 (from top to bottom): Ghost Wakasagi, ghost herring, ghost pro blue and ghost hot blue. (Photo: Storm)

Wiggle, Wiggle

The Storm Original Wiggle Wart will be available in four new craw-based colors (from top to bottom): Moss back craw, creek craw, orange brown craw and red craw. Built from Storm’s original molds, the 2-inch Original Wiggle Wart will run to depths of 7 to 18 feet. (Photo: Storm)

Nice Skirt

With the input of Elite Series angler Ott DeFoe, the Terminator T-1 spinnerbait will be available in three new colors (from top to bottom): Hot olive, cotton candy and blueback herring. The new patterns will be available in 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 ounce models and come in two different blade combinations: Tandem willows (one gold, one nickel) and gold Colorado with nickel willow. (Photo: Terminator)

Take a Swing

The VMC Ike Approved Swinging Rugby Jig is designed with an articulated, free-swinging jig head that allows soft-plastic baits to flow and move more naturally on the retrieve. A cross between a traditional round-ball head jig and a football head jig, the Swinging Rugby Jig’s head features a recessed line tie, which helps it come through cover much better than other jigs. It's available in three colors and five sizes, ranging from 1/4 oz. 3/0 hook) to 3/4 oz. (5/0 hook). (Photo: VMC)

Get Hooked

New to the VMC hook family are the Powershot (left) and X-Long Wide Gap worm hook. The Powershot gives dropshot fishermen a bigger hook option (available in 3/0, 4/0 and 5/0) along with the freedom of movement and elimination of line twist. The X-Long Wide Gap hook will be ideal for tubes or hollow-belly soft plastics. It's also available in 3/0, 4/0 and 5/0 sizes. (Photo: VMC)

The Next Step

The third-generation Evoluzion rods feature a redesigned C40 hybrid titanium blank that blends ultra-premium low-resin carbon material and titanium fibers for a crisp, sensitive and powerful experience. Finished off with Torzite guides and the custom tooling and finish that Megabass is known for, the Evoluzion series stands as Megabass’ new flagship performance series. Expect retail prices north of $700. (Photo: Megabass)

Sharp and Slender

A 4-inch hog-type bait with the detail, premium material and flavors you expect from Megabass, the Bottle Shrimp is part of the company's new Custom Worm series that will debut at ICAST. (Photo: Megabass)

Slow's The Way To Go

Designed in partnership with Japanese big-bass experts, the Spark Shad is engineered for linear stability and sensitive tail-action, particularly at slow retrieve speeds. Designed to be paired with the Body Balance jighead. (Photo: Megabass)

Double-Chambered Action

Designed specifically for Japanese waters, the SM-X Spriggan features a new tungsten balancer system with lateral and vertical chambers to encourage erratic “escape” action to trigger reaction bites. MSRP: $19.99. (Photo: Megabass)

Tight Twists and Turns

Designed to perform a flawless “S” swimming action and 360-degree turns with a well-timed snap of the rod, the I-Slide 185 is a 7 1/4-inch jointed, injection-molded swimbait designed to capture trophies. MSRP: $59.99. (Photo: Megabass)

Best of Both Worlds

The Renegade is where swimbaits and buzzbaits collide. Available in a two-blade metal prop or four-blade clear prop, it's designed for a weedless presentation in light cover or grassy areas where one would normally throw Texas-rigs or jigs, adding a new dimension to your high-speed arsenal. MSRP: $16.99. (Photo: Megabass)

Precision Achieved

Based on the popular Deep-X 300, the DX-Free series (2.0 and 3.0) is designed to further divide up the water column to extract maximum bites from productive areas. Featuring a tungsten moving balancer system and precise hydrodynamics, it brings the tight wobbling/rolling action of the 300 to precise target depths. (Photo: Megabass)

Pro-Approved

Megabass will release several new application-specific models in the popular Orochi XX series developed by Aaron Martens, Luke Clausen and Chris Zaldain. They feature the same multi-axis blank construction, performance and 3-year warranty of the original series. MSRP: $275-$299. (Photo: Megabass)

Head Of The Class

Available in a 1/4- and 3/8-ounce sizes, the incredibly realistic Body Balance jighead is designed with a low center of gravity to maintain ideal swimming posture and range-keeping ability. MSRP: $6.99. (Photo: Megabass)

Falling Flat

Featuring a specially blended salt-rich formula, the Dot Crawler (which comes in 4.8- and 5.8-inch sizes) is designed for wriggling, horizontal falls and enticing tremors rigged Texas-style, weightless or wacky. It's part of Megabass’ new Custom Worm series, which will debut at ICAST. (Photo: Megabass)

Not There Yet

The Magdraft is a soft-plastic swimbait featuring wire-through construction and an internal Maghold (patent pending) system that holds the treble hook against the body for a more natural profile and reduced tangle. Featuring an ultra-realistic 6-inch profile and detail, it's already a proven performer in Japan, but is still undergoing final prototyping for the U.S. market. Expect to see the U.S.-tuned swimbait on shelves sometime next year. (Photo: Megabass)

Reel 'Em In

Duckett Fishing will introduce its new line of reels, including the 320, which will be available in three different gear ratios (5.3:1, 6.3:1 and 7.1:1) and in either a black or white finish. It'll have seven bearings, a 14-pound max drag and a wider spool for enhanced castability and thumb control. MSRP: $189. (Photo: Duckett Fishing)

White Lightning

The other model in the Duckett Fishing reel lineup is the 360 model, which features 11 bearings and a one-piece die cast machined frame. Like the 320, it's available in three different gear ratios and comes in black or white. MSRP: $249. (Photo: Duckett Fishing)

Take a Breather

The Fusion Series is the latest addition to STORMR's foul-weather gear lineup and if it's anything like STORMR's original jackets and bibs, the feature-rich Fusion Series should prove worthy of any serious angler's attention. STORMR designed the lightweight Fusion Series for anglers who want to seal out the elements in warmer weather environments. The Fusion Series bibs utilize VAPR Tech (Variable-stretch Advanced Performance Rain-gear) to create windproof, waterproof, breathable shells that incorporate high-stretch neoprene panels for an increased range of motion and superior comfort. (Photo: STORMR)

Seal Out The Weather

The Fusion Series jacket from STORMR should satisfy any angler looking to stay dry and cool when the weather turns dodgy even when it's warm out. Features include VAPR Tech (Variable-stretch Advanced Performance Rain-gear) to create windproof, waterproof, breathable shells that incorporate high-stretch neoprene panels for an increased range of motion and superior comfort. It also features a two-way adjustable and storable hood, pit zips, adjustable sleeve cuffs and with internal neoprene gusset, interior cell phone pocket, two interior mesh gear pockets and reflective graphics and armbands. (Photo: STORMR)

Core Value

Lunkerhunt has come away with awards from the last two ICAST shows and the Canadian company's newest soft plastic product figures to be a contender in the New Product Showcase again this year. The Core Strength line of soft plastics feature a mylar skeleton throughout which adds reinforcement around key joints without inhibiting the bait's action in the water. Much like how rebar works in concrete, Core Strength baits are built to last, plus the mylar adds a little bit of flash to each bait. Two shapes – the Lunker Craw and Lunker Bug – will debut this year. (Photo: Lunkerhunt)

Pop The Top

The headliner of Z-Man's new products is the Pop ShadZ, a 5-inch soft plastic topwater bait unlike anything else on the market. The Pop ShadZ will float a heavy-gauge hook on the pause and it will walk through grass, pads and other cover without snagging, all the while offering a natural texture and ultra-soft feel. The Pop ShadZ has the profile of a baitfish, yet thanks to its cupped face, pops, spits, and chugs when twitched along the surface. Best rigged with a wide gap 4/0, 5/0, or 6/0 hook, its belly slot and shallow dorsal pocket makes weedless rigging and solid hooksets a breeze. Available in eight colors. (Photo: Z-Man)

BatterZ Up

Z-Man's BatwingZ chunk trailer is made from its proprietary ElaZtech super plastic which is incredibly durable and buoyant. It'll be offered in two sizes (2.75 and 3.5 inches) and six colors to cover all jig fishing applications from small finesse jigs to heavyweight football jigs. (Photo: Z-Man)

Muscle Up

Z-Man's new DieZel ChatterBait will appeal to both freshwater and saltwater anglers looking for a heavy-duty bladed bait that will take down double-digit redfish or bass. It comes equipped with a custom, heavy duty, black nickel Mustad UltraPoint hook, red 3D eyes, and a new-for-2015 double-barb stamped stainless keeper that will hold any soft plastic swimbait securely. Each bladed bait is equipped with an ElaZtech 4-inch paddle-tail DieZel MinnowZ and will be available in eight color patterns. (Photo: Z-Man)

Go For a Spin

Built with the same heavy-duty components as the DieZel ChatterBait, Z-Man's new DieZel Spinboasts an oversized Colorado-style blade for maximum flash and fish-calling vibration that produces in even the most stained and turbid waters. It'll be available in six color combinations. (Photo: Z-Man)

Let's Get Dressed

The Z-Man EZ Skirt Finesse measures 2.75 inches and offers a spider-cut skirt profile and premium silicone material to provide tremendous life-like action on jigs of all sizes. (Photo: Z-Man)

Finesse Fun

The Finesse ShroomZ jigheads, designed to be paired with the Finesse T.R.D. to create the perfect Ned Rig, sport a custom wire keeper welded onto the hook shank that not only makes rigging a breeze, but holds baits securely. Offered in custom 1/15, 1/10, and 1/6 ounce weights for various finesse presentations. (Photo: Z-Man)

Tiny, Yet Mighty

The Finesse T.R.D. (The Real Deal) possesses the ideal finesse profile in a ready-to-fish 2.75-inch package. The familiar stickbait profile features a dimpled tail texture, softer ElaZtech formulation, and custom salt content. (Photo: Z-Man)

Getting Jiggy With It

Z-Man’s new Project Z skirted football jig are distinguishable in several ways, including the new Z-Tex textured silicone skirt material that traps bubbles on the descent and gives traditional skirted jigs a full, lifelike, three-dimensional look that fish have not seen before. Made in the USA using high-quality Mustad UltraPoint hooks, the jigs use skirts that feature the patented quick-change, solid-hub EZ Skirt design for swift and simple color changes on the fly. The football jig features a wide, football-shaped head that minimizes snagging on rough terrain as well as a flat face that slams into rocks and kicks up silt. (Photo: Z-Man)

Flippin' Out

The Z-Man Project Z Flip ‘N Cast jig also features the Z-Tex skirt and sports a versatile crawfish-style head that slides easily over and through cover, and is perfect for a variety of casting, flipping, pitching and swimming applications. (Photo: Z-Man)

The Eyes Have It

The Dockside sunglasses from Smith Optics feature ChromaPop polarized lenses that will be available in six proprietary tints to give anglers plenty of options depending on the conditions. The new large, fishing-specific frame provides superior coverage from sun reflection on and off the water. Crafted in Italy, the 8-base wrap design eliminates side glare while retaining a wide field of view. The ChromaPop lenses are engineered to optimize color and increase visual clarity by blocking light wave intersections that create color confusion for the brain, ultimately enabling you to recognize true color, faster. (Photo: Smith Optics)

Easy On The Eyes

Smith Optics will also introduce the Dragstrip frame at ICAST. (Photo: Smith Optics)

Tuf as Ever

TUF-Line's Tournament 8 braided Spectra fiber fishing line is made with nano coating technology that offers anglers a combination of strength and handling characteristics for every fishing application. In utilizing eight fiber bundles in the completed line rather than the more common four- or six-carrier construction, Tournament 8 delivers a smooth exterior finish, exceptional inherent body and supremely round profile. Tournament 8 is available in green and blue in 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 65 and 80 pound tests. (Photo: TUF-Line)

Stay Warm, Dry

Among Simms' new introductions will be additional outerwear products utilizing PrimaLoft insulation like the Kinetic Jacket. (Photo: Simms Fishing)

Best Gets Better

Simms is launching the new G4 Pro Jacket this year. It's the company’s most advanced wading jacket ever. The G4 Pro features a lighter GORE-TEX Pro Shell fabric and revamped features set and pocket array. (Photo: Simms Fishing)

Fresh Look

For Spring 2015, the Simms sportswear will include a new colorway for the award-winning GT TriComp LS Shirt, part of the pinnacle G4 Collection. (Photo: Simms Fishing)

Packed Up

Simms takes waterproof storage to new levels with the new Dry Creek Z Backpack, featuring the rugged TIZIP zipper. The backpack provides ample waterproof storage for angling and travel. (Photo: Simms Fishing)

One Tough Duffel

The new Dry Creek Z Duffel also features the rugged TIZIP zipper and provides ample waterproof storage for angling and travel. (Photo: Simms Fishing)

Hip To Fish

Shore anglers who like to pack light should find the new Dry Creek Z Hip Pack to be a viable option when heading out for some shore or creek fishing. (Photo: Simms Fishing)

Head Honcho

Simms' new Headwaters Gear Bag offer advanced storage of angling tackle and gear, perfect for boat, car or plane. (Photo: Simms Fishing)

Bag It Up

Simms' new Headwaters Tackle Bag offers advanced storage of angling tackle, making a great option for a day trip on the lake or a shore-fishing outing. (Photo: Simms Fishing)

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2014 ICAST Product Previews