What’s New On The Water?

By Margie Anderson

Every year the fishing industry gathers to show off their latest gear and get together to do business. This year, ICAST was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, July 16-18, and as usual there were plenty of cool new products to make your fishing and boating experiences better than ever.

REELS

As far as I’m concerned, the best news for fishermen came from U. S. Reels, Wave Spin Reels, and Ardent Reels. U.S. Reels is introducing a radically new baitcaster called the SuperCaster SC1000.

At first glance you might not notice much difference, but a closer look shows you that there is no eyelet in front for the line to go through.

Instead, there is an oddly slanted bar that revolves as you turn the handle. Not only that, but cast with it once, and you’ll see that the spool revolves backwards. I know it sounds goofy, but this thing is awesome.

With no eyelet to create friction, the SuperCaster reel can make longer casts, and the backward revolution makes birds’ nests practically a thing of the past because it turns into your thumb instead of away from it.

If you do somehow get a backlash, it comes out really easy. The SuperCaster SC1000 is the perfect reel for a novice or a pro. They should be hitting the stores in November, and you are definitely going to want one.

Make sure you pick one up for your kids or grandkids who are ready to graduate from close-faced reels, too. Go to www.usreel.com to learn more.

The Wave Spin Reel is the brainchild of legendary bass angler Doug Hannon – “The Bass Professor.” Hannon has caught more trophy bass than most tournament anglers have ever even seen.

He designed the Wave Spin reel, not to reduce the loops and tangles that occur with spinning reels, but to eliminate them. The front of the reel has a wave design on the edge so that as line comes off or goes on, each loop slips over a wave and is placed or removed from the spool smoothly. So — no tangles.

You can make longer casts and fill the reel fuller for even more distance. Plus, when it’s time to re-spool, the whole front unscrews so you can just pull all the line off in one fell swoop. This is the ideal spinning reel for everyone – kids can fish it without getting frustrated, and so can pros.

It’s got all the features an avid angler needs and wants, plus it makes fishing the pleasure it should be. Check it out here: www.wavespinreel.com.

This last reel is one that has an admittedly small market — Ardent’s new F500 Flip-N-Pitch reel is specifically designed for flippin’ and pitchin’. The drag system is factory set at 22 pounds, which is more than any conventional reel.

The spool has a very narrow space for line, so you thumb the spool instead of the line, and you don’t waste a ton of line like you do with regular reels. The spool has a small metal loop that you tie the line to when you spool it up, so it is impossible for the line to slip around the reel, even when you are using braid.

It costs about $150, it’s made in the United States, it looks cool, it works great, and it’s built to last. What more could you ask? Go to www.ardentoutdoors.com for more information.

LURES AND BAIT SOLUTIONS

Of course there was no shortage of lures at the show. Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits is coming out with crappie grubs, which is great news — now crappie fishermen will be able to take advantage of the color choices and superlative action that Yamamoto has always offered to bass anglers. Watch for them to show up in tackle shops in November, and go to www.baits.com to order online.

Uncle Josh has a new Bump-N-Run buzzbait and a Bump-N-Run jig. The heads on these lures can be turned so that the lure will run to one side or the other.

You can fish it along the edge of the riprap, and it will just keep running into the rocks and bouncing back. Really cool! Visit them at www.unclejosh.com.

The Bait Shuttle looks like badminton bird. Put it on your line, and before you make a cast, place the hook and bait inside the Bait Shuttle.

It protects the bait when it hits the water, so the bait doesn’t fly off the hook. Once in the water, the Bait Shuttle turns over and releases the bait and hook into the water, then begins to fulfill the role of bobber.

You can even get Bait Shuttles with replaceable glow-in-the-dark tops for night fishing. These are the nuts! Check them out at www.thebaitshuttle.com.

BOATS AND ACCESSORIES

The Twin Troller is a small boat with two electric motors. The motors are in recessed niches in the bottom, and they have counter-rotating props.

The Twin Troller, therefore, turns on dime, and it is incredibly stable because of a sort of suction effect from having the motors in the recesses. This would be the absolutely perfect boat for a community lagoon, an urban lake, or any of the small lakes up north.

A single person can load this boat into the back of a pickup truck, or you could tow it on top of your pop-up tent. The Twin Troller is $1,895 this year, $2,195 next year. Really cool. See them at www.twintrollerboats.com.

Cannon has a new line of rod holders that are on a track system. They have various models that are adjustable in a variety of ways, and they also have a system that allows you to attach the base to a cleat rather than having to drill holes in the gunwales. Go to www.cannondownriggers.com for details.

Durasafe makes all kinds of locks for boats and trailers, and now they offer locks for electronics and trolling motors. The depthfinder lock replaces the knob on one side of the unit. It comes with a kit of bolts to make it fit any depthfinder, and costs just $25. The trolling motor lock costs $17, but only fits certain kinds of trolling motors. This is great for the angler who worries about leaving his $600 unit on the deck when he runs inside to grab a bite to eat or use the head.

Findyourwater.com is where you can find free interactive fishing maps for all kinds of waters. You can even upload your own data to add to the content — videos, photos, notes, etc. There are several Arizona lakes already included, and since they constantly update the maps, we can expect more soon. This is a really cool site, so be sure to check it out.

The Zip Vac is sort of like mini Space Bags for food. They have zipper seals that open up so you can put the fillets in, then once you zip them closed, you use a little pump to suck the air out via a one-way valve.

Way easier and cheaper than a machine! The starter kit is around $40, and bags are about $10 per package. See more at zip-vac.com

Some of these products are so new that the information isn’t on the Web sites yet. Keep checking, and look to see these things in stores by the end of the year – hopefully even sooner in most cases.

Editor’s Note: We also suggest checking with local AZBW advertisers and other Arizona outlets first.

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