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Product Insight: What We Look for in a Fishing Rod...
Featuring Batson
At ICAST 2013, we got into a thought provoking
discussion with one manufacturer known more for their production of blanks and
rod components more so than built rods. This is understandable since they don't
really offer any built rods direct to the general public. Who are they you ask?
Well have you heard of Alps rod components or maybe Rainshadow? |
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Daiwa’s Steez EX 100XS
offers a Deadly Combination of Both Speed and Precision
So often achieving speed requires sacrifices in refinement but every once
in a while a product comes around that strives to achieve both. Daiwa’s Steez
Series has long been the benchmark of ultra lightweight magnesium baitcasters
and the latest addition to the premium lineup is the 100XS which delivers a
blisteringly fast 7.9:1 gear ratio |
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TackleTour Tournament Interview : Aaron Martens
In what will become a continuing series, we're going to sit down with different pros and go through their tackle selections for each day of the tourney, one at a time. Today, we sit down with
Aaron Martens, 2013 BASS Elite Series Angler of the Year.
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What a Concept! 13 Fishing's Concept-A Reel
is a Bulldog
Even though we had the rare chance to play with a
couple of the prototypes at the 2013 ICAST show,
nothing beats experiencing the finished product. With that said, we were quietly
able to acquire a couple of Concept-A reels for testing and a full lab breakdown
well before their scheduled release to the general public. |
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Factory Tour : Inspiration, Respect, Honor, the Motivation that Fuels Megabass
During our tour of the
Megabass factory, we sat down for an extended discussion with Megabass founder, Yuki Ito to learn more about the continued drive and motivation behind his designs for the company and his products. |
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Okuma Delivers Solid Performance With Their Citrix Suite of Reels
Today, we take a look at a
mid-line product from a manufacturer whose had their share of criticism from
consumers along their baitcaster journey. Is Okuma finally poised to make a move into the low profile baitcaster market? Here's our take on the Citrix suite of reels. |
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G.Loomis
Updates the IMX Series of Bass Rods
In recent
seasons the company has updated their other rod lines including the GLX and GL2
rods, and the middle child that is the IMX Series has had to continue to
patiently wait for their time to shine. The spotlight finally shifted to the IMX
series on the big stage of the Bassmaster Classic where a new lineup of 34 rods
was hard launched.
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SIMMS New ExStream Jacket - Is It Enough?When
TackleTour is
outdoors on the
water or out
camping, chances are
there are a number
of SIMMS products
being used. In fact,
the subject of
today's article is a
piece of clothing,
that at first
glance, one might
consider wearing out
on the snow more so
than out on the
water. Introducing
the SIMMS ExStream
jacket. |
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A Step Forward, An Inside Look at the New Shimano Curado
I
The Shimano Curado was first introduced in 1991 and since that time has
represented Shimano’s workhorse baitcasting reel. These low profile baitcasters
have certainly evolved over time, increasing in both features and refinement.
Officially launched last week at the Bassmaster Classic Expo we were excited to
get the reel back home and on water. |
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TackleTour Tournament Interview : Edwin Evers
TackleTour is
going to hold a bass fishing tournament, but in keeping with our tradition, the
gear is going to play an active roll in how the tourney is structured. In the
past, we've been known concentrate our review seasons around specific techniques
or types of baits. We're going to run our tournament in the same manner. |
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Jackall takes aim at Spybaiting with the
iProp 75
Jackall is working on a range of new baits leading up to ICAST
and this Bassmater Classic the team is introducing a new prop bait created
specifically for this ultra-finesse technique. The Jackall iProp is a sinking
double propped spybait that is designed to target suspending fish in clear water
conditions.
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No
Secret, Shimano’s Curado I Reels Look like the Real Deal
In the last 24
hours Shimano officially unveiled the new reel at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo in Birmingham Alabama, and
for the first time the public was able to get their hands on the new reels. |
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Welcome Back Shimano : The 2013 Metanium
For years, we've wondered why large manufacturers like Shimano go through the effort to make specialized products for one market versus another when the overall applications of each product are more or less the same. Of course, we're speaking primarily about fishing reels, and even more specifically, bass fishing reels.
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Beyond
Spybaiting: DUO Realis Jerkbait 100SP
I
can sum these baits up in just one word: beautiful. DUO is known for crafting
some of the finest baits around, and from a looks standpoint these will not
disappoint even the pickiest of anglers. Not only are the colors both vibrant
and eye-catching, there are a whopping 16 to choose from. |
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Power
Off the Grid – The Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Recharger
These days it seems everything is going digital and even when we are on
the water or hiking down
a steam fishing we are
never truly “unplugged,”
as we rely on our
smartphones, GPS or
headlamps to keep us
fishing and get us home
safely. Goal Zero
produces a variety of
portable power devices
and is a self-proclaimed
leader in consumer solar
power systems... |
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Making
the Cut? The Ardent Rigger Tool
Ardent is
widely known for their
domestic lineup of bass
reels, but many people
may be unfamiliar with
the fact that they make
several other types of
rods as well as fishing
accessories like the
Smart Cull system which
we awarded an Editor’s
Choice to a few seasons
ago. Among the accessory
items in their product
lineup is also a tool
called the Ardent
Rigger. |
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See
Things in Black and White with the Generation 3 Abu Garcia Revo S
As the “entry
level” Revo model, the new S offers some interesting features and an eye
catching appearance. This reel has some stiff competition in it's price
segment; after all, it's playing in the same ballpark as a long time fan
favorite, the Shimano Citica. Does this refreshed Revo have what it takes to
score a home run? |
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The Search For One : Guess Who's Back Building Rods?
What do you do if a rod
building legend called with the simple request of a consultation appointment the
topic of which surrounds brainstorming ideas for a new series of bass rods
they're looking to develop from the ground up? What do you do if this same
legend and his team actually listened to your input...
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Not
Just for Chuckin' Blades: The Megabass Orochi XX F5-610XX Spinnerbait Special
By now, it should be pretty apparent that we here at TackleTour are big fans of
the Megabass Orochi XX series of casting and spinning rods. Offered at modest
prices, they are accessible to a wider range of anglers that were previously
unable to afford the high cost of Megabass' more exotic offerings. |
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Performance at a Premium: The G. Loomis NRX 9 Weight
The
ultra-premium NRX fly rods have taken over the top position as the premier
G.Loomis saltwater and freshwater fly rods. These rods are not simply mild
upgrades over GLX models; they feature all new materials and construction
processes. In this review, I take the 9 weight model out to see how it performs
on some of our local saltwater species! |
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Thru and Thru, Savage Gear's New Trout Inspires Confidence
The Savage Gear Line Thru trout is an eight
inch, soft bodied bait with three body sections. It is built in size,
proportion, and detail just like a three piece hard bodied bait. This includes
the tail which is not a paddle or wedge or any other type of swimming tail
design. |
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Back at the Big Rock 2014
Show Seeking Innovations
There are a lot of reasons why Vegas is a popular location for industry
events like ICAST and the Big Rock Show, and the non stop entertainment options
after the official event hours are high up on the list of reasons why. My first
stop after the end of the show... |
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New Lures at the Big Rock 2014 Show in Las Vegas
The New Year is upon us and to kick things off in
4014 we head to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2014 Big Rock Sports Dealer Show where
tackle manufacturers meet directly with dealers to showcase their newest
products. We attended the show this year to see if we could find out more about
some of the new offerings for the coming season.
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Daiwa Completes Their Suite with the Tatula Casting Rods!
What we're here to look at
today is the original Tatula reel's partner. Who could that partner be you ask?
It's a fishing rod of course! Introducing our first look at the Tatula series of
casting rods, the TAT721HFB (7'2" Heavy). |
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2013 Bait-the-Finesse Finale : Daiwa T3 Air
The T3 Air came
away from our late March 2013 Product Insight article with the early lead in
this shootout. It is a reel based on Daiwa's first generation T-Wing platform,
the T3. Made in Japan, the T3 AIR is a modified version of the flagship variant
in this line and not the Ballistic which is made in Thailand instead of Japan.
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2013 Bait-the-Finesse Finale : Shimano Aldebaran BFS
As its name
would suggest, the Aldebaran BFS is built off of the Aldebaran, Shimano's 2009
compact magnesium baitcaster introduction known stateside as the Core 50Mg. The
interesting note here is that while the BFS shares the overall same dimensions
as the original Aldebaran, there are a few differences. |
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Autopsy: Meshing with Savage Gear's 3D Line Thru
Trout
Mads
Grosell, the lead designer at Savage Gear, took an actual trout and 3D scanned
it to create the new Line Thru Trout’s profile, but like so many of the
company’s baits there is more to this bait than what anglers, and fish, see on
the outside. |
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Silent
but Deadly: The Molix SB Crank 55 Silent
Square bills have
come a long way, and now you'll find many different configurations and colors
available from a variety of manufacturers. Based in Italy, Molix has refined the square bill with their
exciting new SB Crank 55 Silent model. Will this new bait from the land of
exotic sports cars prove to be something special? |
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13 Fishing Gears
up to Launch New Proprietary Low Profile Baitcasting Reels
13 Fishing
has never been a company to shy away from taking chances and breaking the mold and this fast
rising brand is bucking the trend once again with the announcement that they
are gearing up to introduce not one, but a complete line of proprietary low
profile baitcasters.
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A
Weapon For The Water: The Redington Vapen Red 890-4V Fly Rod
At ICAST 2013 in
Las Vegas, we had a tour of new products from several manufacturers, including
fresh rod lines from Redington called the Vapen and Vapen Red series.
Technically the same rods, the Vapen sports traditional cork grips while the
Vapen Red comes equipped with a red polymer non-slip grip. WHAT, a fly rod
without a cork handle?
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Megabass's New Design Engine Additive : STW
The acronym is STW and no, it's not an additive for your fuel tank to make your engine run smoother, but Megabass is hoping their Support To Win program is does add a little pep to their design engine so they can more efficiently add to an already potent product line.
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Sharing a Passion for Fun and Big Bass : BIG BASS DREAMS
Big Bass Dreams is a documentary mostly about one man's journey chasing big bass. The hours of dedication, the meticulous care of his gear, the shear joy of hooking and landing big fish, taking a photo, and letting them go to fight another day. We sit down with the man behind the video, Oliver Ngy, to learn a little bit more about his journey...
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Daiwa Tatula Type R - Worth the Upgrade?
Earlier this year, Daiwa teased
their ICAST 2013 introduction with a series of short tease videos broadcast on
youTube. Simultaneously, they shipped us what we came to find out was a very
late model prototype of that very reel, the Tatula, for a full blown review.
Then, when all the hype was lifted, we find out at ICAST that there are two
versions of this reel, the regular Tatula and the "tuned" Type R |
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Compact and Strong: The Lew's Super Duty SD1H Baitcaster
In my over 20 years
of fishing I have fished countless reel brands, but never a Lew's. That all
changed when I had the opportunity to test the new Super Duty model SD1H casting
reel. There has been a good amount of buzz regarding the refreshed lineup, so I
was excited to see if it was indeed the truth or nothing but a bunch of bologna. |
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2013 Holiday Gift Guide Part 2 -
Fill those Stockings with Lines, Tools and Enthusiast Tackle
In the second part of our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide we
explore some of our favorite tackle categories including fishing lines,
tools, optics and of course a few picks for Enthusiasts. |
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2013 Holiday Gift Guide Part 1 - Tis the Season
for New Reels, Rods and Baits
The weather outside is
frightful, and the bite is less than delightful, so if you're stuck inside, come
enjoy TackleTour's 2014 Holiday Gift Guide!!! Yup, it's that time again. The
holidays are here and we've assembled a list of some of the hottest tackle to
recommend for that fisherman on your list. |
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