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TackleTour Holiday Gift Guide 2006
| Date: |
12/12/06 |
| Tackle type: |
Various |
| Manufacturer: |
Various |
| Reviewer: |
Team TT |
Introduction:
This year before you hit the
stores, check out our Editor’s picks for the best products in each of the
following categories: Reels, Rods, Lures, Apparel, Fly, and Enthusiast tackle.
Whether it’s a gift for your fishing buddy or a well deserved toy for yourself,
these products are sure to usher in a little more color and excitement into your
holiday season. Getting together to make our picks out of the many products we
have reviewed or currently are in the process of reviewing is always
entertaining. In fact it can get rather heated in our office as we put in our
personal votes for the best gifts this season. We take into account performance,
application, price, and even fun factor. Because you never know who that gift is
for we make picks along a wide range of prices ($16.95 to $695.00), so there is
something here for everyone.
Reels are
the single most popular category on TackleTour, and anglers spend more on these
“centerpiece” products than just about any category. So this year we split the
category up to delve down to both freshwater and saltwater applications.
Freshwater
casting reel:
Abu Garcia Revo STX
($199.99)
Abu Garcia
certainly gets kudos for the most revamped casting/baitcasting lineup in the
industry, and the new Revo series really elevated the company’s offerings to
bass anglers. The STX is the flagship of the lineup and offers a range of
features that rival even the most established baitcasters on the market. In fact
when it comes to reels of this size the Revo’s drag is simply amazing,
exhibiting 24lbs of drag pressure when locked down!
Freshwater Spinning Reel:
Quantum
Energy PTi (139.99)
Still one of the slickest looking reel series’ on the market, the Energy PTi is
sure to “wow” anglers that haven’t yet been exposed to the very cool titanium
vacuum deposition coating found on these reels. This reel got even better this
season, and features a thinner more compact body, all of which is constructed
out of aluminum. The reel is smoother than the previous model, comes armed with
10 polymer/stainless hybrid bearings and extra hard PT gears. The reel also
features the latest revision of the easy to use TiMag III bail and magnetic trip
system….and of course lets not forget the Quantum Hot Sauce lubrication.
Saltwater
Casting Reel:
Shimano
Curado 300DSV ($249.99)
The first time that we have considered a non-round reel in this category…the new
Shimano CU300DSV is designed to accommodate both freshwater and saltwater
anglers. The reel isn’t all that much bigger that the 200 series, but features
an extra deep magnumlite spool enabling it to hold 190 yards of 14lb line. The
fast 6.2:1 retrieve coupled with Shimano’s High Efficiency Gearing make this one
very versatile reel. In fact it is designed to handle some of the world’s most
aggressive freshwater fish including peacock bass and golden durado. When
anglers are not off fishing in exotic locales the reel will perform just fine
when targeting saltwater species like snook, jacks, tarpon, yellowtail, calicos,
and even albacore tuna….certainly not what you expect from a low profile
baitcaster.
Saltwater
Spinning Reel:
Van
Staal VSB100G ($659.00)
What do you give the saltwater angler that has everything? A Van Staal of
course! No other reel on the market looks just as good on a mantle as it does in
the pounding surf. The VSB100G is a winching machine, loaded with a sealed drag
system, and ultra tough gearing capable of tackling fish many times its size
class. The new titanium bail makes the reel even easier to use and with vertical
jigging at a fever pitch the VB100G is a perfect gift for anglers that adore the
technique.
Enthusiast Reel:
Shimano Conquest
100/101DC (~$550.00)
Round reels just do not get enough respect. While for some reason,
the larger sized DC reels from Shimano do not perform very well in pitching
presentations, such is not the case 100 sized wonder. The 2005 SuperCast
Shootout winner was the reel that Cal reached for most in 2006.
Fly Reel:
Galvan
Torque Reels ($280.00 - $470.00) The term “machined to perfection” comes to mind when you first see
and hold Galvan’s high end Toque fly reels. These reels have just about all the
aluminum gutted out of them, yet are extremely rigid and lightweight.
“From
the first spin of the spool, the quality becomes apparent. Does form follow
function, or does function follow form? In the Torque, it all folds into one.”
The reel’s
exotic appearance is matched by the reliable thermoplastic drag system that is
completely saltwater safe, and designed to
perform
under the harshest conditions from the flats to secluded mountain streams.
Next Section: Rods, Lures,
Storage & Apparel
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