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Las Vegas, Nev. – The BASS ZONE is on location at ICAST, the fishing industry trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. BASS ZONE got to spend a few minutes with three of our sponsor companies, Xcalibur / Yum /Booyah, Quantum and reel Grip, to find out what is new for the 2008 tackle Year.
Xcalibur / YUM / Booyah
PRADCO Brands Public Relations Coordinator, Jeff Samsel walked the BASS Zone through the new additions in the YUM, Xcalibur and Booyah product lines. As BASS ZONE reported last week, YUM introduced two new products designed by Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Terry “Big Show” Scroggins, the Big Show Craw and the Big Show Paddle Worm
(click here). To go along with the Big Show products, YUM adds new colors to the Craw Papi, the Wooly Bug and the Boogee Tail trailer.
An additional new YUM product is the Doozee, a family of tubes that are available in 6 and 8-inch sizes. The Doozee is more slender than other oversized tubes, and Samsel says that it is about giving anglers a bigger overall presentation, but not as oversized as other tubes on the market. “Doozee combines the length and profile of a long worm, with the shape and features of a flipping tube,” Samsel said. “It is effective at dragging for deepwater smallmouth or punching grass mats for Florida Largemouth. Doozee features a solid head, and is available in 12 colors, all fortified with YUM LPT scent.
The Excalibur Xr50 has gained notoriety as being one of the best lipless crankbaits to hit the market in recent years; Xcalibur has added a larger size to the family. “The Xr75 is a very versatile rattle bait,” Samsel told The BASS ZONE. “It is an upsized version of the Xr50, but comes with the choice of regular rattles, and the old ‘One Knocker’ style rattle that Cotton Cordell made famous so many years ago; it will give anglers a choice when the water is pounded by rattle baits.” The Xr75 is available in six colors.
As they have for the past several years, Booyah is making a large splash with the addition of new sizes in their popular Boogie Bait and Swim’n Jig. The Boogie Bait is now available in 1/4 and 1/2-ounce sizes along with an 1/8-ounce Pond Magic Boogie Bait. The Swim’n Jig is now available in a 1/4-ounce size.
New for the Fort Smith, Ark. Firm is a new Double Trouble Buzzin’ Bi-You Buzzbait. The Bi-You Buzz features dual arms that allow tuning, counter-rotating blades and the Leverage hook system to aid in getting fish to the boat. The buzzbait is a 3/8-ounce bait and is available in eight colors.
Also new from Booyah is the new HD spinnerbait, a double willow, compact design blade with part of the 3/8-ounce head hidden in the skirt. According to Samsel, the HD Spinnerbait is very capable as a high speed burning bait, as well as a slow roll bait due to the balance of the head. The HD Spinnerbait features counter rotating blades, the Leverage Hook System and is available in 10 premium finishes. |
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For more information, keep checking
www.lurenet.com
Quantum
The Tulsa, Okla. rod and reel manufacturer continues to bring innovation to the marketplace and the 2008 additions to the Quantum line will continue in that path. BASS ZONE met with Product Manager Chris Strickland, who showed of the new wares.
“We have added a new spinning reel family to the Tour Edition Line,” Strickland said. “The Tour Edition PTiA is a 12 bearing spinning reel that features an improved Line Management System that will get the line to the roller more quickly and smoothly. It also features a new skeletal titanium handle that is incredibly strong, yet reduces the weight of the reel by as much as an ounce and a half.”
On the baitcasting side, Quantum’s popular ‘Burner’ gearing has been added to the Accurist family, giving value minded anglers a chance to experience the advantages that the 7.0:1 ratio brings. |
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Quantum is also introducing new rod lines for 2008. Their new Superlight PT series features a new Fuji ACS reel seats on the casting models and VSS models on the spinning rods, American Tackle Titan guides with titanium frames and Nanolite inserts. All of these features are mounted on Quantum’s HSX72 Hi-Strain Graphite blank. Strickland reported that the 6’6” medium action baitcasting rod weighs in at a mere 3.48-ounces, and the whole family contains 18 models that will retail for $229 per rod.
Also new for Quantum is a 21 model family of Energy PT rods. The Energy PT Series is designed to give anglers the taste of a high quality fishing rod without the high dollar price. At $99, the Energy PT has Quantum’s HSX54 Graphite blanks, a Fuji Hardaloy Concept Guide system, cork handles and a rod for every bass application.
Quantum also introduced a new line of rods called Specks and Reds, designed for fishing shallow saltwater flats for speckled trout and redfish. While not designed as bass rods, the tapers and actions of these HSX72 blanks make them perfect for reaction bait applications; such as, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwaters without the added weight of a glass rod. Specks and Reds offers anglers premium components like Fuji ECS and DPS exposed reel seats, titanium framed guides with SIC inserts and premium cork handles, all at the $199 price point.
Another new innovation from Quantum is a competition line of rods and reels designed for the young angler in your life. “Kids want great gear too, and now they can have it,” Strickland said. “Kids have always had the ability to get high quality gear customized for them in other sports, now they can with rods and reels as well.”
Strickland told The BASS ZONE that the AVS [Advanced Youth Series] is designed for two age groups; the orange trimmed AVS 1.0 for 6 to 10-year-old, and the green embossed AVS 2.0 for the 9 to 14-year-old budding professional angler.
Each AVS series features smaller sized rods and reels with special rod tapers designed to help the youth angler to feel the weight of the lure on the cast and the action on retrieve. The AVS 1.0 has a spincast, spinning and Triggerspin models with three ball bearings, while the AVS 2.0 two spinning and two baitcasting reels that have six bearings each.
The AVS 1.0 rods are 30 million modulus blanks that range from 4’8” to 5’4” while the 2.0 are IM7 Graphite and come in 5’8’ and 6’2” versions. The rod and reel combos range in price from $29.99 to $34.99 for the 1.0 and $39.99 to $59.99 for the 2.0.
For more, visit www.quantumfishing.com
Reel Grip
One of the hottest and fastest growing products to hit the fishing industry in years are the aftermarket reel handle sleeves called Reel Grip. Reel Grip adds comfort and traction to existing reel handles by just slipping them on the knobs of your favorite reel and going fishing. Reel Grip has been a hit with anglers across the country, and has been on a rapid rise to industry stardom since being introduced to the world at the 2005 Bassmaster Classic in Pittsburgh, Pa.
| Angelo Savakis told The BASS ZONE that the company will have a new product out around October 1 that will once again add to an angler’s ability to control their equipment on the water, regardless of conditions. “The Rod Grip will slide up the reel handle and give an angler improved grip and control when casting, flipping and pitching,” Savakis told The BASS ZONE. “We are really excited about this new addition, and the response here at ICAST has been excellent; the Rod Grip will retail for around $10, and should be available for the cool fall season.” |
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Savakis also said that the company is discontinuing the original Reel Grip version, and will focus itself on the upgraded Pro Series, that features a slightly smaller size and ridges inside the grip to reduce slippage and make the Reel Grip a more integrated part of the reel handle.
Visit www.reelgrip.com
for more information
Stay Tuned to BASS ZONE’s on location coverage of ICAST as we bring you more information from the world’s best manufacturers of bass tackle as the show progresses, and afterward.
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