Category: ICAST2020

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ICAST2020 The National Angler

ICAST 2020 SPOTLIGHT – Okuma ITX Carbon Spinning Reel

ICAST 2020 SPOTLIGHT – Okuma ITX Carbon Spinning Reel

NEW Okuma ITX Carbon Spinning Reels bring punch to the freshwater and light inshore market.

ONTARIO, Calif.: Okuma has become known as a leader in the spinning reel market around the globe. This year, Okuma introduces the new ITX Carbon Spinning Reels to their lineup of smooth running, powerful spinning reels. The ITX Carbon Spinning Reels are a light weight, compact bodied spinning reel constructed of rigid C-40X long strand carbon fiber. This C-40X process is 25% stronger than standard graphite reels and is featured in the body, side plates and rotor of the ITX making it perfect for your freshwater and light inshore needs. “These compact reels are built tough,” states John Bretza, Product Development Manager. “We developed the ITX as a compact bodied reel, built for the tough conditions of both fresh and light saltwater use making it perfect for everything from bass to snook, redfish and specks.” The ITX features a multi-disc, carbon fiber drag system with Okuma’s Hydro Block Gasket, keeping water out and your drag running smooth. The 7HPG +1RB High Performance, grease packed bearings keep the reel running smoothly along with the precision machine cut brass pinion gear. And the Quick-Set anti reverse roller bearing stops the reel on a dime. ITX reels are designed with Okuma’s CFR, Cyclonic Flow Rotor technology which sweeps water away from the two-toned
anodized machined aluminum spool. The 1,000, 2,500, 3,000 and 4,000 size reels all come standard with 6.0:1 high speed gearing. One of the key features to the new ITX Carbon reels is the machined aluminum, screw in handle design keeping your handle running tight with no more loosening screws.
ITX Carbon Spinning Reels have a retail price of $104.99 to $119.99 and are backed by a 1-year limited warranty. For
more information, please visit www.okumafishingusa.com.

Okuma ITX Spinning Reel will soon be available

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ICAST2020 The National Angler

ICAST 2020 BEST FRESHWATER HARD LURE – Z-Man® / EverGreen International set to unleash new ChatterBait® JackHammer™ StealthBlade™ bladed jig

ICAST2020

PRE-ORDER LINK AT THE BOTTOM 

LADSON, SC – (June 16, 2020) – In a wink, it flashes and disappears underwater. Suggestive of a preyfish tail-kick, the luminous blade hums a subtle but palpable harmony; seems to be singing directly to the bass. As the thin-edged razor cuts water with the speed and precision of a Santoku, it vanishes and reappears in rapid succession. Inside the brains of bass, alarms bells toll. Although they can’t see it at first, predators in the neighborhood can feel its pulse—a sweet tune that pings lateral lines and incites mandibles to snap. A valuable combination of refined energy, unpredictable action and visual stealth, the new Z-Man JackHammer StealthBlade is about to add an exciting new chapter to the book of the bladed jig.

“The StealthBlade is the antidote for bass that have seen endless parades of traditional bladed jigs,” divulges Brett Hite, pro angler and designer of the eminent Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer and its radical new finesse offspring, the JackHammer StealthBlade. “Throw it in clear water. Skip it under heavily-fished docks and laydowns. Cast it for big smallmouths. Pitch it anywhere you want, and present bass with a totally different sound and cadence than other bladed jigs. We’re super pumped about the way this bait turned out; another fish catching collaboration by Z-Man and leading Japanese lure maker, EverGreen International.” Back In 2017, no one could have anticipated the lure that would ultimately turn the pursuit of bass on its head, a bait that would go on to produce more giant fish and more tournament dollars than any other in recent memory. The Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer created a singular subset of pro-grade bladed bass jigs—a lure anglers now bring to almost any lake with the assurance of big fish and mega limits in the
livewell.

“Two years ago, recognizing the rapid ascension of the JackHammer, we were already working on the next lure in the ChatterBait evolution, what we’d eventually dub the StealthBlade,” notes Hite, who has won over a million dollars on bladed jigs. “The first JackHammer created a phenomenon within the bladed jig arena. The success of that lure, in effect, opened a niche for a refined, finesse version smartly
engineered with equally high-end raw materials and components as the original.” On the heels of a new tournament season, Hite notes that the new JackHammer StealthBlade will fit perfectly on West Coast bass waters, clear water reservoirs and lakes ruled by smallmouths—in addition
to highly pressured southern largemouth fisheries. “Few weeks ago, I caught multiple 5-pound smallmouths with the StealthBlade at Lake Mohave, Arizona,” he recalls. “But the ‘Blade’s also been producing big bass in stained water. Actually, I’m really fired up to throw it in Florida lakes where a ton of people use the original JackHammer.”

The driving force behind the patented new ChatterBait design, a clear polycarbonate blade produces a totally different sound and vibration, but like its predecessor, starts thumping intensely with the first half-turn of the reel handle. “I’d say the vibe of the StealthBlade feels a little tighter, hunts with a slightly higher frequency vibration,” asserts Hite. He notes that the clear blade is physically smaller and thicker than that of the JackHammer. It’s beveled on all edges, tapers down to a razor-thin tip and flaunts that trademarked ChatterBlade® shape. “The special, covert blade gives the jig’s head a sweet wobbling action,” he says, “which also activates the different trailers you put on the hook.”

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“The JackHammer StealthBlade does not replace the original JackHammer,” notes Seiya Muro, Senior Manager of Business at EverGreen International. “We crafted the StealthBlade as a finesse ChatterBait with a subtler underwater impact. The two baits are meant to be fished in rotation, with the JackHammer StealthBlade squeezing out extra bites with its quieter, covert footprint.” “Working with Brett Hite and EverGreen, our main goal has been to give anglers as many bladed jig options as possible,” say Z-Man President Daniel Nussbaum. “Partnering with the sharpest bladed jig fishermen on the planet and a cutting-edge Japanese company like EverGreen has reinforced our ability
to put innovative bladed jigs in anglers’ hands. From a product development and manufacturing standpoint, EverGreen brings to the table precise attention to detail and the highest quality possible.” “What’s really cool about the StealthBlade,” adds Hite, “is the bait’s propensity to hunt and juke
randomly, side-to-side, way better than other bladed jigs. You don’t need to jerk the rodtip to activate it. Just quickly speed up the retrieve to make the bait initiate its natural hunting action. That unusual move triggers a ton of extra bites.” Adding further value, Hite calls out the blade’s specialized oval split-ring, which adds more stealth, less surface area and no protrusions to catch vegetation or other snags. Again, stealth rules.

StealthBlade accoutrements include a clear, beveled-edge blade, custom fluorine-nanocoated Decoy hook and select silicone skirts hand-tied with stainless steel wire. Armed with a light, custom Decoy® fluorine-coated hook, the JackHammer StealthBlade can be cast on slightly lighter line and penetrate the jaws of bass with less hook-setting effort. “The fluorine nanocoating let us build the bait with a thinner wire-gauge hook that’s just as strong as the heavier hook on the original JackHammer. The gap on the StealthBlade hook is the same, but the shank is about a quarter-inch shorter for a slightly more compact presentation. The wide gap means I can still use my  same favorite jig trailers, but in a subtler, ‘finessy’ package. The bait won’t overpower the trailer or vice versa.” To preserve the StealthBlade’s high-level, ultra-durable JackHammer heritage and performance, silicone skirts are hand-tied with stainless steel wire. Dual wire trailer keepers pin soft plastic trailers in place for the long haul. The StealthBlade’s low center of gravity, fish-shaped head tracks true and skips easily. When the situation suggests a bladed jig, but instinct advises finesse, the ChatterBait JackHammer StealthBlade becomes the smartest play of the day. Released to the angling public via retailers nationwide in early August, the Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer StealthBlade (MSRP $15.99) will encompass 3/8- and ½-ounce sizes in six pro-crafted color
patterns. For more information, visit www.zmanfishing.com.

The StealthBlade is available for Pre-Order Today.
at Tackle Warehouse. Click below to order!!!

Check out the video from Z-Man!

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ICAST2020 The National Angler

Spearpoint Performance Hooks to Debut at ICAST 2020

Spearpoint Performance Hooks to Debut at ICAST 2020

Visalia, Calif. – June 15, 2020– Spearpoint Hooks, a Visalia, Calif. Based manufacturer, will present two new patent pending fishing hook offerings to the marketplace at Virtual ICAST 2020 in July.  The goal of the company is to provide hooks that help anglers capitalize on more of the bites they receive in a day’s fishing.

The result is the problem of lost fish being solved.

Founded by fishing partners Art Nubaryan and Erik Hennesay, the genesis of the company came from one of the most frustrating experiences in an angler’s life – lost fish.  “We were fishing a bass tournament together three years ago and lost two fish within sight of the boat that would have won the event for us,” said Nubaryan.  “We started talking about it and figured we could come up with something that fixed the problem; Spearpoint Performance Hooks was born.”

 

The pair went to work, forming a partnership, coming up with an initial design and locating manufacturing partners. After three phases of design, and two sample runs, the first two shapes in the Spearpoint Performance Hooks lineup are ready to be unleashed upon fish everywhere. 

 

The initial offerings, The Wide Gap and GP Finesse hooks are designed to impart maximum torque and fish holding power. Both shapes feature Spearpoint’s pat. pend VGrip™ technology that helps keep fish securely fastened once the hook is set.  As a result, Hennesay said that the VGrip™ works overtime for the angler.  “I will tell you this, always have pliers with you; they are hard to get out by hand,” he said.  “There are many times that the hook penetrates the fish’s mouth and turns and penetrates a second time.  We call it a ‘stapling effect,’ because it looks like the fish’s mouth has been stapled from the outside, they really hook and hold.”

Our Gp Finesse hook is a bait Holding machine. Unmatched landing ratios paired with improved bait function.. really... how could you not call us the Hottest New Hook on the Market?!
Our GP Finesse Hook is the definition of Performance. Performance Function Performance Fishing Holding Power Performance Design Spearpoint Performance Hooks
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While there are more styles that will launch soon after the initial introduction, Spearpoint will launch their Wide Gap and GP Finesse versions, both in black nickel finishes, at ICAST. 

The Wide Gap model features a line tie positioned in line with the hook’s needle point to produce maximum power as the point meets the fish’s mouth at hookset.  Along with VGrip™ in the bend of the hook, the Spearpoint Wide Gap features a baitholder barb near the eye of the hook to help keep soft baits in place during presentations. The Wide Gap version will be available in sizes 2/0 to 5/0, will come six to a pack and will retail for $5.39.

The GP Finesse hook is uniquely designed to be the most effective finesse hook on the market.  Engineered to put the eye of the hook in line with the VGrip™ for maximum torque. The GP Finesse hook helps perfectly present finesse soft plastics in Wacky Rig, Drop Shot or Neko Rig presentations, and the premium needle point will deliver the goods every time.  The GP Finesse hook will be available in sizes 3 through 2/0, will also come in packs of six, and will retail for $5.19

For more information about Spearpoint Hooks, visit them on their website at http://www.spearpointhooks.com and for dealer inquiries, contact Art Nubaryan at sales@spearpointhooks.com, and for Media inquiries, Erik Hennesay at team@spearpointhooks.com.