ISE Show 2011 – Reels, Accessories and Watercraft
(continued)
Abel:
Known for their premium fly reels and pliers Abel has recently expanded their
offerings with additional hardgoods including belt buckles and money clips. New
for this season are a number of new custom painting options called “High
Definition” finishes. These finishes feature two different painting methods
including a bead blasted base and another more traditional paint finish for an even more richly
detailed look and feel.
Abel introduces new HD finishes
Also new this season is a
new machined nipper that features extra strong jaws capable of cutting through
braided lines. These jaws are replaceable and come with a two year warranty
while the nipper frame is warranted for life. On the right side of the nippers
anglers will find a hook cleaner that is pressed fit into the aluminum body.
Also new from Abel are cleverly
designed premium nippers
On the back of the nippers is a stainless lanyard ring which is also
machined to stand up to torque. The nippers weigh .7oz. and are rated for
saltwater applications since the aluminum body is completely anodized.
The nippers are available in a
wide range of patterns including the company's custom fish patterns
As you might expect with a
product from Abel the nippers are available in a dizzying array of solid
patterns and for those anglers looking for something more exclusive the company
can also paint the nippers with any of their custom fish patterns. These nippers
are just starting to become available and retail for 50 dollars each for the
solid finishes and 100 dollars each for the hand painted fish patterns.
Abel has partnered with Surefire
to introduce custom LX2 flashlights
Abel is also offering Surefire LX2
flashlights finished with both solid and custom fish painted patterns. These
American made flashlights are fully machined and are produced under contract
with SureFire. They weigh in at 4.3oz. and are 5.40 inches in length, the
flashlight is equipped with dual output settings of 15 and 200 lumens. These
flashlights are just as premium as the company's reels and retail for $250
dollars for solid matte finishes and custom fish patterns cost an additional 50
dollars.
Jeff Patterson, Director of Sales,
showed us the latest products from Abel
Promar: From the net specialists at
Promar comes
a new trout net that is appropriately called the Crystal Clear Net. This net
features non-snag rubber netting that us clear and molded so that it uses less
plastic making it both clearer and lighter.
The Crystal Clear Net is designed
to be both lighter and more stealthy
The netting is replaceable and each Crystal Clear
Net retails for only $29.99 and is available now from retailers. Quite a deal
for a net that won't spook fish and will help protect them during the landing
process.
Ben shows us the new net offerings
from Ahi
Phoenix Boats: The coolest bass boats at
the ISE show didn't come from the normal big name players, instead they came
from the fast rising Phoenix Boats brand. These boats are the product of Gary
Clouse, President of Phoenix, and the boats are designed to redefine quality,
performance and fishability through quality design and innovation.
Zander reads about "Operation
Outdoors USA" while Jarrett shows us the details on his rig
From the outside these boats looks like
traditional high performance bass boats but look closer and the detail in design
is impressive. We met with Pro Angler and TV Host Jarrett Edwards who walked us
through the in depth features that make the Phoenix boats so unique.
Phenix boats feature a well laid
out sporty console
Like most other bass boats the Phoenix boats
feature a nice clean layout but there are differences starting with the hull
itself. The hand laid hull features a tighter knit fiberglass cloth and an all
composite construction. The company only uses Ashland AME 5000 resin and Jarrett
stressed that each boat sits in the mold for 4 days to ensure a proper bond.
Boats are available with the complete range of motors, Mercury, Yamaha, Evinrude
and Honda outboards.
The second console pops out with a
single lock
Some of the cooler features include the removable
second console and when it comes to storage this boat offers more than anything
we have seen to date. Starting with a completely flush net holder that holds
even the hoop and a massive center storage locker that organizes a ton of
standard boxes. In the lid anglers will find a measuring board as well as areas
to stow lures and bags of plastics on the fly.
Jarrett shows us the huge storage
capacity...
Rigging up before the sun has come up? Not a
problem, the Phoenix boats come with a LED snake light right inside the box that
can be angled any direction to aid with selecting and tying on the right lures.
...as well as the included LED
snake light
If that wasn't enough anglers will find the
"rotary tackle system: which is basically a lazy susan that holds even more
tackle boxes on a rotating system underneath the stool in the next box.
Under the stool is a rotary tackle
system!
Jarrett shows us the fiberglass
weave used on traditional bass boats...
...versus the much tighter
fiberglass cloth utilized on each and every Phoenix boat
In the lineup is the 721 ProXP, 719 ProXP and the
619 Pro. The President, Gary Clouse was a Bassmaster Open Series Angler and you
can tell that his influence can be found throughout as there are many clever
features that anglers will really appreciate. A number of pro anglers are
starting to migrate to the Phoenix brand including 3 time Elite Series Champion
and 9 time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier Greg Hackney.
Jarrett Edwards and Karen Hartung
of Delta Marine show us the very sweet new rigs from Phoenix
These boats are available now and each boat is
handmade in Tennessee. Karen Hartung of Delta Marine brought these boats to the
show and the response was excellent. Jarrett had one of the boats wrapped with
his colors and Veterans signed every angle on the boat. This particular boat is
part of his "Operation Outdoors USA" campaign and Veterans have the opportunity
to join Jarrett on a trip to Lake Powell and the boat will be donated to the
Lone Survivor Foundation who will utilize it by helping today's wounded warriors
heal on the water. We can't think of a more noble cause.
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