Despite grim economic forecasts, the most recent ICAST Show, a major fishing industry showcase for new products, featured a positive outlook and lots of great new tackle. While one might expect companies to resist retooling and other spendy initiatives, many instead offered numerous new line-ups of rods, reels, lures, and tools. Here’s a peek from the ICAST aisles and beyond.

Reel Innovation

No category expressed more futuristic trends than reels. Three trends were evident: elimination of the level wind in baitcasting reels; reduction in weight with no loss of power; and greater range in gear ratios of baitcasters.

Bye Bye Level Wind: This feature enabled evolution of present day reels that cast smoothly and pack line neatly. But the angle of line from the reel spool to this moving part varies, and at more extreme angles can cause friction that slows the spool, limiting casting range.

The eyelet also can contribute to backlashes when it’s positioned at the opposite end of the spool from the line. In that situation, the spool hesitates momentarily as the line catches on loops below, then accelerates as the eyelet moves directly in front.

Previous reel tinkerers have tried to eliminate this device, but never successfully. Today, two new designs have promise. Ardent Reels, famed as the only company to completely build reels in the U.S., has released the F500 Flip-n-Pitch Reel, with a snout-like ceramic line eye and super- narrow spool to reduce line friction as line shoots straight off it. With a Perma-Lock Drag System factory-set at 22 pounds, and 6.3:1 gear ration, it’s for toe-to-fin action in heavy cover.

U.S. Reel’s SuperCaster 1000 is remarkable with its Reverse Rotation Spool and what’s called the ABLe Levelwind that pivots up and down to load line evenly onto the spool. Reverse rotation means line leaves the spool from below, said to be more efficient from a physics standpoint. Its gears also have been redesigned for compact assembly and a smooth drive train. Models with 6.6:1 and 7:1 will be available this year.

Lighter and Tougher: Another major trend is smaller, lighter reels with no reduction in spool size or power. That’s a tall order, but several companies have ambitiously tackled it. Shimano introduces the Curado E series of 5 baitcasters. The 200 size reel weighs but 7.6 ounces and is built on a frame smaller then previous Curado 100 models, but with the same line capacity of previous editions. The Curado 200E7 and left-hand 201E7 have 7.0:1 gear ratios, while the 200E5 provides cranking power with a 5:1 ratio. Right- and left-handed 300-size Curados with 6.2:1 ratios also are available. Citicas also have undergone weight reduction, now at 7.8 ounces, thanks to aluminum frames, graphite sideplates, drilled handle shanks, and aluminum Lo-Mass spools.

Meanwhile, Quantum engineers went to the shop with a goal of creating sleeker, slimmer, and smaller profiles for both spinning and baitcasting reels. Tour Edition, Energy, Kinetic, and Catalyst lines have been retooled in what Michael Whitman of Quantum refers to as an evolutionary process.

“The key to reel design is balance,” he says. “New materials such as carbon fibers have allowed weight reductions, but where metal still is used you must be careful. If you remove too much, you sacrifice durability. And cost is a factor in fishing products, especially in today’s economy. We could make reels even lighter, but costs would be prohibitive for most anglers and we couldn’t sell enough.”

Not to be outdone, Abu Garcia shaved ounces off new editions of the popular Revo line, rendering the Premier at 6.35 ounces and the SKT, colored yellow and black to match pro Skeet Reese, weighing in at 6.8. Daiwa, however, appears to have the lead in the weight reduction race, offering two models of its svelte new Steez, the 5.6-ounce 103SA and the 100HSA at 5.7. The latter has a high-­capacity U-shaped spool to accommodate heavier line tests. Both come with a 7.1:1 gear ratio. Pflueger, too, has cut weight from its Supreme XT Series, yielding light reels with fast retrieves and lots of power.

Gear Ratios: Back in 1987, Daiwa was the first manufacturer to break the 7:1 gear ratio barrier, and now most manufacturers offer fast reels favored for speedy presentations or quickly retrieving line when pitching. Daiwa ups the ante again with the Team Daiwa Zillion, featuring a 7.3:1 ratio, billed as the world’s fastest. Available in right- or left-handle models, Zillion retrieves an amazing 32 inches of line per crank. Its free-floating, perforated aluminum spool works with the Magforce-Z automatic anti-backlash control to deliver long casts.

At the other end of the spectrum, many anglers like slow reels for fishing crankbaits. To fill this role, Abu’s new Revo Winch has a 5.4:1 ratio, along with 11 HPCR bearings and a carbon matrix drag. And Daiwa’s Team Daiwa TDZLN100PA, in their Zillion line, has a 4.9:1 ratio. Both right- and left-handed models are available. Bass Pro Shops lowers it a bit more with the David Fritts Signature Series reel, with 4.7:1 gears that the crankbait master favors.

purpose-built rods

To match the many presentations used for bass, manufacturers have embraced technique-specific rods. Over a decade ago, G. Loomis began building their collection, beginning with a CrankBait line, moving to jigs and spinnerbaits, then adding an entire Bronzeback series for smallies. For 2009, 3 new crankbait actions have been added, along with 2 ShakyHead models, and 2 for spinnerbaits.

Quantum’s Tour Edition Signature Series began with models like Gary Klein’s flipping rod, a Kevin VanDam spinnerbait stick, and Mike Wurm’s Finesse Worm Rod. Since then, 10 pros have helped design 15 different models to their specifications for favorite presentations.

All Star Rods has a new ASR Series, constructed of IM-10 multimodulus graphite blanks, designed for 10 applications. These rods have a new Split Grip Design for better balance and sensitivity, while cutaways on the seat and foregrip are part of Total Touch Technology to give anglers every sensory advantage. Kistler’s Graphite Plus Freshwater Series and Magnesium TS Rods also offer an array of lengths and actions labeled for specific lure types and conditions.

Fenwick’s Elite Tech Bass Series now includes 23 models, crafted to match the requirements of 16 techniques using various materials, reel seats, and handle styles to increase fishing efficiency and comfort. For the first time, they’ve been designed using Fenwick’s 50-year database of rod research.

Crankin’ Sticks: Crankbait fishing is hot, with a greater array of depth-specific baits, and rod companies have also focused on this category. In their Team All Star series, All Star has added 4 Cranking Rods, covering ­applications from light shallow runners to big divers, for which the 7-foot 10-inch Big Crankin’ Stick was designed.

For 2009, Quantum offers the Tour Kevin VanDam rods, designed by the cranking whiz kid himself. Daiwa’s new STEEZ SVF Fle-X-Lite Rods are designed for different cranking and jerkbait applications, using blends of new SVF (Super High Volume Fiber) Graphite. Unidirectional graphite fibers provide strength and flexibility for cranking, while keeping weight down. Three casting models and 2 spinning are available. G. Loomis’ additions include a 7-foot 1-inch GLX model for maximum feel and a 61⁄2-footer of blended graphite for accurate casting.

The Hot Bait

Phenomenon

Plastic worms and other softbaits continue to be the most used and most successful lures. They’re not going away, and new designs, materials, and colors continually make them more effective. But a few other categories can be considered hot baits for 2009. ­Certainly swimbaits fit this bill. Check the feature “Tackling Up for Swimbaits” in this Bass Guide for more specifics on lures, riggings, and rods. And crankbaits continue to develop, with greater sophistication in depth control, sound production, and action components. A look at a couple of smaller but no less exciting categories follows.

The Spoon Thing: When ­In-Fisherman TV portrayed techniques for catching big bass on casting spoons, starring Editor In Chief Doug Stange and Lake Fork legend Rick Loomis, our phones rang off the hook and anglers went to great lengths to obtain these lures. While spooning originated, it seems, at Fork, it has proven successful on hill-land reservoirs across the land, both in summer and winter.

Joe Spaits at Weedless Lures sells all the Big Joe Spoons he can make, and other companies have gone into production. Check Nichols’ new 4- and 5-inch Lake Fork Flutter Spoons, available in the company’s patented 3-D Metal Flake hues, Blue Shad and Bar Fish, as well as a new Shattered Glass Hologram finish. In their Talon Series of Custom Lures, Leadhead Lures introduces the Big Dandy Custom Lake Fork Spoon, designed with input from Texas pro Ben Matsubu. Sixteen natural baitfish colors are available in the shorter and heavier 4-inch 400 Series and in the longer, thinner 5-inch 500 Series.

Since Strike King has added the Sexy Spoon, they haven’t been able to keep up with demand for the 51⁄4-incher weighing 11⁄4 ounce and the 4-inch 3/4-ounce model, both available in 5 colors, including Sexy Shad, a VanDam creation. And don’t forget an old favorite for pike, the 1-ounce Len Thompson spoon, as it’s great for this tactic as well.

Funky Frogs: Although frog lures date back almost as far as spoons, fake amphibians also have been the rage the past couple of years. They’re fun to fish and often get bites from the biggest and meanest bass around. Professional frog phenom Dean Rojas had a hand in designing the Bronzeye line for SPRO, while winning hundreds of thousands of dollars fishing them around the country.

Late last summer, he won with a prototype of SPRO’s Bronzeye Pop, fishing it in New York’s Erie Canal, of all places. This 1/2-ouncer has a cupped face to spit water, and also walks around and through cover, while doubling as an open-water lure. This bait brings SPRO’s frog family to three members.

Snag Proof has added the Bass Kicker, a hollow-body frog like their classic Tournament Frog, but instead of skirt legs, this frog has a pair of ­paddle feet to buzz across the surface. Since it floats and can be paused in a pocket, it works for both fast and slow presentations. Along with some hot new colors in Bobby’s Perfect Frog (including the amazing Fred’s Frog finish) and Bleeding Frogs, Snag Proof offers The Frog Works, a kit for customizing all sorts of floating frogs, including Scent Wax, hooks, skirts, weights, rattles, and more.

Southern Lures, makers of the famous Scum Frog, also has a hybrid called BigFoot Frog, with a hollow body and paddle feet, available in 2 sizes. The latest is Crawdaddy, shaped more like a crawfish than a frog, but with a hollow body and paddling feet. It comes with steel balls of different weights, to be inserted in the head to make it run deeper, with a wild kicking action.

Optimum Baits, a company on the cusp of lure development and importation of Japanese baits, adds Basirisky, a frog-shaped topwater, in their Deps line. It’s rear-weighted with a single hook and features a pair of curved legs that make it sashay across the surface like a Jitterbug.

Soft-body frogs have been highly successful, too, and several new ones merit a look. One of the hottest baits at lake Guntersville and other grassy reservoirs last fall was Stanley’s Buzz Frog, incorporating a buzzbait blade in front of a Ribbit. Secret Lures released the Chubby Frog with clear paddle feet for a subtle look. Canyon Plastics has added 2 sizes of Weedless Frog, a hollow-bodied high floater. The Three Legged Frog from Gene Larew has an extra appendage for increased action. And in their new Rage Tail line-up, Strike King offers the Rage Toad, a 4-inch frog with specially designed legs that buzz and spit water on the retrieve.

While most frogs today are either hollow floaters rendered weedless with a big double hook tucked tight to the abdomen or soft-bodied surface kickers, an innovative hard-body frog also is making ripples on the pond. The Maxx-Rev Original Frog Lure from Revere Maxx-Fishing is a unique design that simulates a frog diving below the surface to escape. It has outstretched legs, as though the critter is high-­tailing it for the bottom where frogs bury to hide. A prop at the rear gives a burst of bubbles when you jerk the lure below the surface, then it glides back on top. Twelve colors are available in this 1/2-ounce, 5-inch bait.

Specialty Stuff

Bass anglers need a lot of accessories—just check the storage boxes of any weekend warrior. There’s more to the game than picking lures and casting them about. Push poles are essential for fishing slop, and they also excel for pinning a boat in place to fish for spawners, or any other stationary approach in shallow water.

The Kicker Stik, designed by Steve Swisher of Elite Bass, Inc., with input from his son-in-law, accomplished pro Fred Roumbanis, is several steps beyond standard push poles. Its knobbed top provides sure handling, and a tether rope can be used to tie the boat, ­holding it in a key spot. Two 41⁄2-foot sections screw firmly together, while its sealed graphite construction enables it to float. A sharp spike at one end helps punch into hard bottoms, and a soft foot attachment aids poling through muck or silt. It also doubles as a lure retriever.

Continued developments in handling fish are important for all conscientious competitive anglers. Glory Bags represent a big leap forward. Tommy Bass, a lifelong angler from Virginia, had sought ways to make tournament culling and processing less stressful for fish and anglers.

The result is a set of 6 zippered bags of fine, yet strong, soft-plastic mesh. Place bass in a color-coded bag, zip it shut and place in livewell. Weigh it if you wish, with loops on the bag, and record weight. Bagged bass relax and do not jump, race about, or bump into livewell walls. In their cocoon, they breathe easily and can readily be retrieved for culling or placement in a tournament weigh bag at the end of the day, with no handling and minimal time out of water. No more holes in the jaw, fish jumping onto the floor or out of the livewell, or time out of water hanging on a balance beam. I used Glory Bags in tournaments throughout last season and they worked great, with the exception of a bass or two that escaped into the livewell when zippers weren’t completely closed.

Ardent Reels has a new device that adds another dimension to Glory Bags or any other culling system. Their SmartCull Professional Culling System, devised by bass pro Pete Ponds, includes a heavy duty clip and cable with protective coating attached to 6 color-coded floating balls. Each ball has adjustable numbers to record weight in pounds and ounces, allowing quick culling without writing on a pad or board.

In their TEC tool series, Berkley offers a kit that’s neat, too. The 35-Pound Scale & Culling Kit includes a scale that can be programmed to track fish size and indicate what to cull, up to a limit of 8 bass; 8 color-coded poly clips with buoyant cords and clips that securely hold in the jaw without puncturing; and a plastic weight card to record weights and other information; all enclosed in a compact weatherproof pouch.

The Just Keepers Zip Bag from Duncan Enterprises prevents the ultimate disaster—a bass leaping from a weigh bag on the dock, or the whole bag bursting at the seams. It’s built of durable EVA material that holds a lot of water and resists punctures, with a marine-grade zipper, available in black or clear.

This topical review represents but a portion of exciting new items available for 2009. Other new tackle you’ll find in features in this Bass Guide. And on the pages of this year’s ­In-Fisherman magazine, more will be displayed, often with great tactical advice on using them. Have a great season!