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HOME | TACKLETOUR FORUMS | EDITOR'S CHOICE | REVIEW ARCHIVE | ABOUT US | Latest Articles : Reels | Rods | Lines | Lures | Terminal Tackle | Tools | Storage | Watercraft | Apparel | Enthusiast | Interviews | Events | Maintenance | Autopsy Hot Articles ICAST 2019 Update Coverage --------------- One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimnao Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII --------------- Small but Mighty, the Megabass Dark Sleeper Swimbait --------------- SOLID! The Shimano Bantam MGL Baitcaster --------------- Selecting the right Rod, Reel, and Line for Your Walking Bait Arsenal Latest Featured Articles A Collaboration Between Two of Japan's Finest, Ito & Imae - The IxI Shad More Bang for the Buck : The Shimano SLX DC Baitcaster Series No Hedge In This Bait, Just Hogs : Megabass of America's SonicSide Crank Casting with Veracity : Abu Garcia's VRCTY79-9 Taking Some Time with a Jr. Clone by Skinny Bear Baits Ready for Battle: Abu Garcia Introduces New ZATA Series at the Classic The Best Tatula Yet? The Tatula SV TW103 Baitcaster is a Worthy Baitfinesse Option Are You a Big Bait Addict? If So, Kistler Has the Rod for You, the KLX7107XXH Additional Recent Articles Hybrid Powerhouses - 13 Fishing's Limited BOSS Series Baitcasters 13 Fishing is known for introducing products that stand out from the competition in terms of technologies and designs, and is definitely not one to shy away from bold styling. Last ICAST the company introduced a limited run of premium baitcasters, the BOSS series, which make use of a combination of bearing types with more robust brass gearing. Anything but Ordinary – Okuma’s Limited Edition Chroma Spinning Reel The Okuma Chroma is the most visually stunning spinning reel that Okuma has created to date, and was inspired by contemporary art and tuned to provide a unique extremely limited edition product for anglers. Casting Wind Sprints with Big Baits : Abu Garcia's Beast Rocket There's no question we are in the midst of a speed war with manufacturers raising the rate of retrieve in low profile casting reels each passing year. Seven point something used to be considered incredibly fast but is now the new five point something as we see several reels cresting ten to one ratios hitting store shelves... Purple Reign : Phenix's Reinvigorated M1 is a Winner It's been a good seven years or more since we took a look at the MX72H from their M1 series . Well, the wait is finally because Phenix Rods has unveiled a totally revamped, refreshed, and renewed M1 series with an updated look, feel, and appeal. We took the M1 MX72MH our for a test run. Cranking it Up with 6th Sense's Speed Glide S ometimes, don't you just want to tie something on, toss it out, and feverishly work it back to you so that you can fire it back out again and again? If this is you any percentage of the time out on the water, 6th Sense has a lure you might want to consider. Here's our look at their Speed Glide 100. Be Ready for that Next Storm with Hodgman's H5 Storm Suit Hodgman has been outfitting fisherman with apparel specific to their activities since 1838. They are one of the oldest and most respected names in the world for outdoor gear. At ICAST the company introduced us to their latest in winter storm protection and today, we take a closer look at their H5 Storm Bib and Jacket. ARK Rod's New Series Delivers Reinforcements for Your Enthusiast Soul As we grow more and more conditioned to the different formulas (blank + components + grip material and design) for assembling a fishing rod at the various price points, it becomes increasingly difficult for an individual fishing rod or series thereof to capture our attention. What else can a manufacturer do to stir our enthusiasm? Abu Garcia Puts It All Together in the REVO 4 Premier As with previous generations, the gen 4 size and shape of the Premier is the same as that of its siblings. The differences are in finish. The Premier features a glossy, semi-metallic black finish with gold highlights and comes with a very attractive, swept carbon handle capped off with contoured EVA foam knobs. A Surprisingly Good First Offering from FishLab - The Bio Gill Swimbait and Glidebaits The FishLab brand, the creation of the Okuma team of designers, was recently launched this past ICAST. The company introduced a wide range of freshwater and saltwater baits at the show, including a particularly robust bass offering led by the company's Bio-Gill Series of bluegill swimbaits. Shake Rattle and Sting'em with Salmo's Rattlin' Sting Jerkbait Salmo Performance Fishing Lures out of Poland has been in the fishing lure business since the early 1990s and only recently begun spreading their influence to North American shores. Relying upon a staff of fishery biologists and anglers alike, they bring their unique insights and experience into the business of helping us catch more fish... Trippin' In Abu Garcia's IKE Finesse Series Abu Garcia's recent refresh of their Mike Iaconelli signature series of rods is divided into three sub-categories. Our recent look at the MIKEC76-6 introduced us to the Power Series. Today we're concentrating on one of seven sticks from the IKE Finesse Series. Introducing Abu Garcia's IKE Finesse Series MIKES74-4. Come Along for the Ride and Bring Your Wacky Saddle Most anglers make use of standard O-rings or small rubber bands and some manufacturers now even imbed O-rings within their soft plastic stick baits. Billy Hines recently introduced us to an intriguing wacky rigging aid designed by Greg Gutierrez that we felt was worth a close look. Introducing the Frenzy Baits Wacky Saddle O-rings. Lew's Takes It To The Next Level : Pro-Ti SLP Baitcaster Encouraged through my experience with Lew's best selling, $99.99 Speed Spool LFS , I felt it was about time we took a look at the brand's flagship model. Featuring an aluminum frame and sideplates, the Lew's Pro-Ti SLP is touted as the best reel Lew's has made to date. Does it stand up to the hyperbole? Let's find out. The Evergreen Bream Slide Comes to Life on the Snap Evergreen International's Bream Slide is a six inch (6"), three ounce (3oz) bait resembling a sunfish. It comes with hand tied, feathered hooks (that you must install yourself) and is every bit as JDM as it gets implying it's almost too pretty of fish - almost. An Affordable Cranking Stick for Spinning Rod Fans - The Abu Garcia Veritas Last year, we shared with you our thoughts on Abu Garcia's new Revo Winch W30 - a low gear ratio spinning reel designed for moving bait enthusiasts. But no cranking or any technique specific reel is complete without a corresponding rod, right? Naturally, Abu Garcia knows this to be true and makes a stick to perfectly match with the Revo Winch W30... The Defiant 247 and 210 Swimbaits – A One Two Knockout Fishing big soft bodied swimbaits successfully requires a heightened state of focus and patience, and even if you do get a strike keeping that fish pinned typically comes with a whole new set of challenges. To help redefine what is possible with this class of baits a new company, Defiant, entered the swimbait scene a few seasons ago... Sinking Braid? YGK's G-Soul WX4 F1 OhDragon SS140 Hybrid Braid/Fluorocarbon Line Everything from rods to reels to lures to hooks are all designed with specific techniques in mind. It was only a matter of time before this approach of technique and application specificity reached one of the more critical components of your arsenal - fishing line. No Joke About It, Berkley's Powerbait Jester is a Contender During ICAST we came across a new bait for Berkley in their Powerbait soft plastics, the four inch Jester. It's a crawdad imitator designed to move in the subtle and not so subtle ways depending on current and how much movement you try to impart to the lure through the movement of your line. We brought some in for a closer look. SLURPOWW!! Bull Shad Swimbait's Bull Wake Bull Shad Swimbaits's Bull Wake is a three-piece, six inch bait in a generic shad profi...