A Push for True Market Alternatives : The Shift Baitcasting Reel Last year we looked north of
our borders and sampled Rapala Canada’s new Shift bait casting rod and liked it
enough to coin a new phrase in “CDM” or Canadian Domestic Market fishing tackle.
But as any tackle aficionado would know, in order to be considered a true
alternate market for tackle, let alone a manufacturer who caters to this market,
there has to be available, reels to go with those fishing rods...
Coming full Circle
over a Decade, the Stradic is Back Exactly ten years ago, to the
day, we took a look at the Shimano Stradic FG series of reels which featured
striking white paint, and though I was not initially sold on the finish the
reel’s performance won me over and it became the first a spinning reel to ever
take home a TT Editor’s Choice Award.
Lock and Load with
the Daiwa T3 T-Wing System The Daiwa T3 is perhaps
the most eagerly anticipated premium freshwater low profile baitcaster this
season and debuted just a few months ago at ICAST. The T3 features a number of
innovations including Daiwa’s MagForce 3D cast control system and the very
anomalous looking T-Wing design which flips the front of the reel completely
open during casting.
The Shimano Caenan, a Mainstream
Contender
Two seasons ago Shimano introduced the Caenan, a new reel that featured a
number of elements from their previous spinning and baitcast reels, all within a
newly designed form factor. Since then the company has now introduced a number
of new reels based on the same mold including the Citica and Curado G reels
which debuted at the recent ICAST 2011.
TT EXCLUSIVE!! : Daiwa's PX/PXL Type R is Here! Wouldn't you know it? Just as our review of the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) PX68 goes live, we catch word of some pre-ICAST
information about Daiwa USA, and the news is rather significant. The reel we had
anticipated for over a year is finally coming to US shores.
Shimano Stella!!!! ... Wait Again? WT-FE? Shimano’s line of Stella spinning reels rarely
ceases to impress. With its shiny, gunmetal blue finish and gold highlights,
this reel just exudes “flagship” status. But, and there’s always a “but”, for
some reason, the FE interpretation of this reel feels much more understated than
the FD version.
The Speed Spool
returns – Lew’s Tournament Pro baitcaster
The Speed Spool series returns with four new reels from legendary tackle
manufacturer, Lew’s. We take a look at the Tournament Pro. Does this new
baitcaster have what it takes to introduce a new generation of anglers to the
brand?
Daiwa’s Zillion
Type-R, Rev up to High Speed The Type-R is designed to be
the most sophisticated Zillion yet and is a natural replacement for the Limited
Edition Anniversary reel. The Type-R makes use of some additional tuning
components that increase both the performance and price of this sleek new reel.
Daddy’s Lean and
Mean, the Magnesium Pflueger Patriarch Spinning Reel The appropriately named
Patriarch is the “daddy” of all other Pflueger reels and displays the highest
end materials and overall feature set. This lightweight spinning reel combines
magnesium and carbon fiber design into a single package that on paper looks like
the company’s best spinning reel yet.
Not
just “Smoke” and Mirrors, possibly the best Quantum Baitcaster yet?
Last ICAST the company garnered a great deal of press for their new Smoke
reels which are designed to be lightweight aluminum based baitcasters with all
the bells and whistles, yet retail for a very reasonable price. It all sounded
too good to be true, and we took a close look at this new series of reels to see
if there really is more than just smoke and mirrors here.
Making
Victory affordable, Skeet Reese’s signature W&M baitcaster
As far as big names in professional fishing go
Skeet Reese is definitely among the bass elite, especially here on the West
Coast. Over the last season Skeet partnered with W&M (Wright & McGill) to
release new series of reels that are designed to pair perfectly with his popular
line of rods.
The Fast Crowd, High
Speed with the Daiwa Aggrest Hyper Speed Baitcaster Looking for a lightweight
high speed reel at a reasonable price? Daiwa’s Aggrest baitcaster is designed to
be a cost effective reel that features a number of proven Daiwa features. Does the Aggrest have what it takes to
attract anglers in the highly contested sub 200 dollar range?
Judgment Day for the Lethal
Calais 200ASV Baitcaster
The Calais CL200ASv looks like a weapon sent from
the future to destroy all other reels and while it may not be as ominous as the
liquid metal Terminator T-1000 in the movie T2-Judgment Day, I can’t help but
reflect on the deadly shape shifting assassin when examining at the Calais’s
glossy almost organic shaped form factor.
Catching the Wave(Spin) One More Time Two years ago we took a close
look at a then, relatively new product, the Wavespin DH3000. The product has since gone through some modest enhancements including new 5000 (DH5000) and ultra light (DHxL) sizes. Today, we take another look at the WaveSpin reel and see what the DHxL has to offer.
Still on Fire? Daiwa's new Fuego-A Spinning Reel
While the previous generation Fuego made use of a magnesium frame the
new reel now is constructed from Zaion, Daiwa’s own super-carbon material, which
first debuted on the Zillion rod seats. Is this new reel all “sizzle” or does
the Fuego-A “fizzle” out in comparison to other competing reels? Let’s find out.
Will you Twitch or Slide?
Pinnacle’s Vision Slyder Baitcaster
Pinnacle introduces a baitcaster that features a second
retrieve system, meet the Vision Slyder which is equipped with a “finesse wheel”
on the non-handle sideplate. We take a look at this new reel and compare it with
the nearest competitor the Daiwa Megaforce, will you choose to twich or slide?
A Preview of Pinnacle's upcoming Tournament Class Reels
This ICAST Pinnacle will be introducing new
"Tournament Class" reels that are designed for anglers looking for
baitcasters and spinning reels that exhibit both superior build quality and a
rich overall feature-set. Leveraging the expertise of their pro-staff these reels
are designed to be the highest end reels that Pinnacle has introduced to date.
Abu Garcia Introduces the Revo Premier Spinning Reel With
NanoShield Technology
This
year at ICAST Pure Fishing will be further improving their line of spinning
reels. We just recently previewed what Pflueger will
introduce and Abu prepares to debut something even more high-end, a completely
new Revo Premier spinning reel that uses a new material which they call NanoShield.
A
first look at the new Zillion Type R - Separating Fact from Fiction
Back at the Bassmaster Classic Daiwa unveiled a new prototype Zillion
under glass, this reel has now come to reality and is available at Tackle
Warehouse. We take a look at the new Zillion Type R to separate fact from
fiction and see just what this new reel is all about.
The Stradic FI
spinning reel series for the complete range of applications We complete our extended
test of the Stradic FI 4000, pitting it against everything from striped bass to
steelhead. The Stradic FI reels are designed to be the do-everything series with
a complete range of size offerings capable of targeting everything from panfish
to offshore big game.
The little reels
that could, Accurate Boss Magnum E-Series 197 & 270 We complete a year long
test of the Accurate Boss Magnum B197C and B270C reels just as the company is
introducing the new BX series. These reels may be from seasons past but
they still deliver exceptional performance for anglers looking to take on big species
with small reels spooled with superlines.
Not just for
Saltwater, the Daiwa Zillion Coastal
Daiwa continues to expand their popular Zillion lineup and the Coastal is
designed for inshore anglers looking for an ultra fast low profile baitcaster
with provisions to address the harsher saltwater environment. Though designed
for these applications the Coastal is a natural replacement for the Zillion LE Hyper Speed reel and feels right at home in freshwater.
Low Speed Cranking Reel Shootout : And the Winner Is...
It is time, the moment cranking fans have been
waiting for, this is the main event! In all four corners we have reels designed for
low speed power cranking, all have their eyes (or gears rather) set on
becoming the low speed cranking champion.
Relevant once again, the new Shimano Stradic CI4 Gone are the days of the
memorable pearl white or mundane silver Stradic spinning reels, the series gets
a major makeover in every way with the debut of the new carbon based CI4 model.
Designed to be both light and rigid the Stradic CI4 is Shimano’s newest spinning
reel intended for light line fishing...
2009 High Speed Reel Shootout : And the Winner Is...
The moment of truth. We've thrown all the scores out the window, tore each reel apart, compared components, put them back together, mounted them on identical rods and compared performance statistics head to head. The winner of our 2009 High Speed Reel
Shootout is...
