The ISE celebrates its 30 year anniversary in style by showcasing new tackle in San Mateo, CA
 

Introduction: Just one week apart from the Fred Hall show we were not sure just how much exciting tackle we would find at the ISE San Mateo show, but to our delight we found plenty to talk about. Whether you are a devoted bass angler, die hard saltwater fisherman, or dabble in the fine art of flyfishing, the 2006 San Mateo ISE has plenty of tackle offerings to see and play with firsthand, lots of great deals to take advantage of, and even a few surprises.... 

We were greeted with the familiar line at noon, as eager attendees wait to get in to the show

We have attended the show for a number of years, and if you would like to get a feel of what events you can see at the show we recommend checking out one of our seven previous show coverage articles. This year we went to the ISE with a singular purpose, and that particular purpose was to dig up as much exciting tackle as we could find....and dig we did.

Daiwa: Big surprises from the Team at Daiwa. Just when we had thought we had seen it all from Daiwa in terms of Q1 offerings they release a brand new variant of the TD Advantage series. The limited edition Daiwa Black Widow II doesn't look much like the original at all. Like the original this new Black Widow reel features a black finish, and that's just about where the similarities end. The Black Widow II features the same body and profile as the TDA with a brightly colored ported spool and cast spool tension knob. The reel felt very smooth, and makes use of 6 ball bearings and 1 roller bearing. We were very pleased to see Magforce-Z anti-backlash control. Like the Coastal the drag star is composite, and the knobs are the same as the Advantage HST and the Fuego.

This limited edition reel is very attractive and sure to please Daiwa mainstream fans. The finish of the reel is very attractive and reminded us of the Daiwa premium Presso ultra finesse reel. Perhaps most impressive of all is not the reel's mean good looks, but the aggressive  retail price of only 119.99!