FISFISHIINNG FISSPHEINCIGAL SPECIAL

2020 2020 BE ST BEST HOOK BEST FRESHWATER HARD BAIT

BLADED ERRATIC SHINER BEST TACKLE STORAGE HYBRID TREBLE SHORT ICAST should give a free pass to Canadian tackle Named best new terminal tackle at ICAST, maker Grant Koppers—his Livetarget lures win EDGE this premium black-nickel hook sports a small at least one award every year. The latest con- If you think lure storage can’t be improved, willow-leaf blade attached to the base. The vention was no exception, with Livetarget cap- you haven’t seen the Edge series. These hook comes in sizes 2 to 8, so you can swap turing three honours, including best freshwater boxes feature a watertight seal, corrosion- a Bladed Hybrid for the rear treble on your hard lure for the Erratic Shiner. This transpar- preventing base, transparent lid and vented favourite jerkbait, crankbait or surface lure to ent lure has the action of a spoon, with an inner dividers impregnated with desiccant to soak GEAR get an entirely new look, sound and vibration. core replicating the exact size, shape and mark- up moisture. There are 10 models designed For years, we’ve dressed hooks with bucktail ings of a shiner. It comes in four sizes and 10 for every kind of lure, from jigs to spinner- BY GORD PYZER and feathers, but this is more attention grab- unbelievably natural colours. Livetarget Lures, baits to terminal tackle. It’s no surprise Edge bing. Trust me, it’s a winner. Normark Canada, 1-888-231-4448; www.livetargetlures.com earned best new tackle management hon- (905) 571-3001; www.vmchooks.com ours at ICAST. Plano Molding, 1-800-226-9868; www.planomolding.com

THE YEAR’S TOP NEW RODS, REELS, LURES, ELECTRONICS AND ACCESSORIES FOR IN CANADA

BEST BAITCASTER THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR LIGHT LURES of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) is TATULA ELITE the world’s largest fishing trade show, Daiwa turned a lot of making it the place to learn about the lat- heads at ICAST with this est new products for anglers. The quan- baitcasting reel. It has BEST BLADE BAIT tity and variety of tackle, accessories eight ball bearings, Iand apparel on display each year is truly an aircraft-aluminum BEST TECHNICAL FISHING AID BLADE BAIT astonishing, and the latest show was no frame and a sideplate When the water is cold and the fish are down VIRTUAL different—highlights included bold new that locks the internal gear deep, a blade bait is often unbeatable. I like system into place, all making for a smooth Are you ready for this? Abu Garcia has unveiled this new model from Freedom Tackle because directions from industry heavyweights, performance and outstanding long-dis- the first-ever Bluetooth so you can of its unique hooking options. In particular, the innovations from scrappy upstarts and tance casting. At 6.6 ounces, it’s much record details of your latest catch on your double hook can go in the usual spot on the everything in between. Here are my top smaller than comparable reels, allowing smartphone via the free ANGLR app. Just push a bottom, or be moved to the top of the head picks of the new products best suited to you to cast smaller, lighter lures a long button on the rod butt to mark the precise way- (as pictured above) to help avoid snags. in Canada. way without backlashing. I don’t have point of your catch, along with weather, water anglers can also attach their line at the nose, large hands, so I also love the way the and lure details. No cell service is required. and fish the lure vertically like a flash spoon. Tatula fits like a glove.Daiwa, 1-800-736- There are 10 spinning and baitcasting rods The Blade Bait comes in ½- and ¾-ounce sizes 4653; www.daiwa.com in the Virtual series, but you have to wonder, and 10 colours. Freedom Tackle Corp, (416)

MANUFACTURERS where do we go from here? Abu Garcia, (519) 748-7250; www.freedomlures.com 750-0100; www.abugarcia.com

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BEST MOTORS

FORCE & GHOST Some of the biggest news at ICAST was the debut of trolling motors from electronics companies Gar- min and Lowrance. Garmin won the overall Best BEST BEST TRANSDUCER FISHING of Show award with its whisper-quiet brushless GLOVES motor, the Force. So many of the Force’s features MEGA 360 IMAGING BEST CUTTING-EDGE LURE are wireless, including the foot pedal, that it con- Named best electronics at ICAST, Humminbird’s trols as smoothly as a cable drive. It also wirelessly latest transducer provides a high-resolution, ANIMATED LURE connects to Garmin chartplotters, and both the 50- 360-degree view around your boat. Offering When I first saw the self-propelled Animated Lure and 57-inch models have an integrated transducer, image clarity that’s three times crisper than in action, I barely believed my eyes. Developed in with CHIRP, Ultra High-Definition ClearVu and BEST FISHING GLOVES traditional units with 455kHz frequencies, the Silicon Valley, the three-section articulated bait is SideVu scanning capabilities. Garmin, 1-800 654- Mega 360 mounts independently to the trolling electronically programmed to swim in a random, 3415; www.garmin.ca FREE STYLE motor and scans in a circle up to 125 feet from lifelike pattern after hitting water. Charged via Those who’ve tested CUSTOM FIT GLOVE the boat. Anglers will also appreciate the seam- USB, the robotic lure can swim for up to three Lowrance’s Ghost, I know what you’re thinking—that these are less integration with MinnKota Ultrex, Fortrex hours under a float or while suspended beneath meanwhile, says it’s just gloves—but they’re so much more. For and Maxxum trolling motors. Johnson Outdoors, the ice. Available in three sizes and a wide variety so powerful—25 per starters, you can customize them by cutting (905) 634-0023; www.humminbird.com of baitfish patterns, it is a great lure for the tough- cent more than tradi- off the fingertips for better dexterity and feel est to catch fish.Animated Lure, 418-889-0909; tional units—that you’ll when fishing, and the snug four-way stretch www.animatedlure.com get whiplash the first time material won’t fray or split along the seam. you step on the pedal. It’s Providing UPF 50+ protection, these quick- also stunningly quiet, letting drying gloves also feature non-slip palms you sneak up on fish. The all- and built-in wire pads to protect your hands BEST BASS ROD aluminum bracket is super- from line cuts. Fish Monkey, 1-888-659-8864; strong, and you can loosen www.fishmonkeygloves.com MOJO BASS GLASS the shaft collar from inside For the second year, St. Croix won all three fish- of the boat, so no more leaning over the ing-rod categories at ICAST, something no other water. And naturally, the Ghost fully inte- company has achieved. Named best new fresh- grates with Lowrance chartplotters and water rod, the fibreglass Mojo Bass Glass offers transducers. Lowrance, 1-855-361-1564, BEST DEVICE SAVER the flex and feel that many bass anglers prize www.lowrance.ca for fishing crankbaits. And thanks to St. Croix’s KOALA new technology, it’s as light as an expensive When fishing, there’s always graphite rod. The series includes four baitcast- the risk of accidentally drop- ing rods and one spinning rod, all with premium ping your cell phone into the guides, reel seats and cork handles. St. Croix, watery depths. You can eas- 1-800-826-7042; www.stcroixrods.com ily avoid that, however, with the Koala super-grip phone harness and tether. Made BEST PROPELLER BEST TOOTHY CRITTER LURE of soft silicone, the harness BEST wraps snugly around any MX-1 I-WING 135 smartphone, with or without OPTIMUM This revolutionary propeller debuted after the A US$60 surface lure is a non-starter for many its case. The sturdy tether, Precision trolling for salmon latest ICAST, but it’s sure creating a buzz. The anglers, but the i-WING 135 could be a big-fish meanwhile, anchors to the and trout on big water has finally MX-1’s cool-looking loop design reduces drag, game changer. On slow retrieves, it rocks from likes of your clothing, PFD or arrived. The Optimum electric down- letting you boat faster and farther, with better side to side thanks to an internal weight, while tacklebag with a secure clasp, rigger lets you precisely position your can- handling in tight turns at high speeds. Thanks the customizable wings buzz like a school of and stretches up to four feet nonball and lure via an integrated full-colour to extensive computer modelling and in-water excited baitfish. When you quickly retrieve this in length. So smart. Hangtime display showing the depth, trolling speed and testing, the propeller also promises to run 5 hefty 1 ⁄8-ounce lure, on the other hand, it’s like Gear, (505) 226-2185; water temperature. And by connecting wire- quieter, significantly smoother and nine to 15 a Whopper Plopper on steroids. The i-WING is www.hangtimegear.com lessly to the Cannon mobile app or a Humminbird per cent more fuel efficiently than traditional designed to catch big bass, but I think muskies chartplotter, you can simultaneously control up to propellers—and that’s at any speed. Sharrow and pike will also devour it. Megabass, four Optimums. Johnson Outdoors, (905) 634-0023; Marine, www.sharrowmarine.com (412) 503-4443; www.megabassusa.com www.cannondownriggers.com

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BEST LURE-TIE SYSTEM RAIL SHAD BEST LINE BEST TOOL The tie-on point on this clever vertical lure is a split- BEST WINTER LURE ring that slides along a wire rail. This lets the ring slip ADVANCE OUT TOOL to the front for easy casting and a fast sink rate, then EYE-BALL SPOON FLUOROCARBON No one wants a big toothy critter clamping down on slip back again so the lure is positioned for vertical I would just as soon use the eye The near-invisibility of fluorocarbon their fingers when removing a lure, yet there have been . While designed mostly for vertical presen- from a yellow perch or walleye to line has always come at a cost— few improvements on traditional jaw-spreaders—until tations, the bait can also be ripped back. Featuring tip a jig or spoon than use live bait, despite manufacturer claims, the now. To operate the tough, corrosion-resistant OUT a feathered tail hook, the two-inch, half-ounce Rail especially in the winter. Why? I think stuff is persistently wiry and tends Tool, simply squeeze the handle with one hand and Shad comes in six finishes. I’m betting this will be the predator fish zero in on the eyes of to jump off reels, especially spinning the spreaders ratchet open up to six inches. And once first of many lures with such line-tie systems. their prey like a target. Northland outfits. Enter Sufix’s promise that you’ve removed the lure, just engage the spring-loaded Salmo, www.salmousa.com Lures has seized on this behaviour its Advance Fluorocarbon is “virtu- release. Extracting hooks has never been easier with its new Eye-Ball Spoon, which ally memory free.” The improved or safer—for both fish and anglers.JPK Outdoors, looks just like, well, an eye. It comes performance is based on new 1 1 (580) 761-1399; www.jpkoutdoors.com in ⁄16-, ⁄8- and ¼-ounce sizes and 18 chemical processes resulting in a colours. You won’t want to go pan- much heavier, denser line that sinks fishing again without one.North - quickly and stays down in the strike land , 1-800-786-3474; zone longer. Normark Canada, (905) www.northlandtackle.com 571-3001; www.rapala.ca BEST FRESHWATER SOFT BAIT PHANTOM SPIDER Named the best freshwater soft lure at ICAST, the Phantom Spider is another ingenious, ultra-realistic lure from Canada’s Lunkerhunt. While the bait’s body is just two inches long, its eight huge legs make it look much larger—and downright scary. Made for fishing in weedy areas where you’d use a hollow-belly frog, the BEST SCENTED BAIT BEST BAITCASTING REEL Spider truly excels when you cast it into open- ings, crawl it a bit, then let it sit. Largemouth SPINFISH SLX DC bass are going to gorge on this thing. Lunker- I love ingenious fishing inventions Shimano has taken the hunt, (416) 792-0385; www.lunkerhunt.com like Yakima’s SpinFish. It looks just unique digital braking like an old-school FlatFish, but system from its pricier with a hollow core you can stuff Curado DC baitcast- with shrimp, nightcrawlers, min- ing reel and added it to the nows—you name it. In the water, it more affordable SLX series. BEST FISH-ATTRACTING SYSTEM BEST TOPWATER BAIT spins, vibrates, flashes and exudes BEST Named ICAST’s best fresh­ FISH- scent to drive walleye, trout and SCENTFLASH ATTRACT- SPRINKER FROG water reel, the SLX DC has four ING SYS- salmon totally crazy. Available in 20 braking settings to match your Trout and salmon can smell up to 100 timesTEM bet - What do you get when you mate a weedless hollow- UV-coated colours and three- and line type and casting tech- ter than a bloodhound—that’s how they find their body frog with a Whopper Plopper tail spinner? This four-inch sizes, the lure comes pre- nique, plus a high-efficiency home rivers, and detect food. The new ScentFlash 4½-inch hybrid lure, created by legendary Japanese rigged with tandem single hooks. gear­­ing system. Weighing just scent-dispersing flashers capitalize on that trait tackle designer Hideki Maeda. I’d hesitate to throw Yakima Bait Company, (509) 854- 7.6 ounces, the baitcaster by creating a tantalizing trail that leads fish right the Sprinker Frog into spots where stringy float- 1311; www.yakimabait.com OC comes in three models with to the bait. Just soak the reusable pad with fish ing grass could bind up the spinning soft-plastic gear ratios ranging from 6.3:1 scent and snap it into place. The eight-inch paddletail, but in weedy areas with moderately to a speedy 8.2:1. Shimano UV Triangle Flasher spins, while the 11-inch open stretches, it should be a killer bait for bass and Canada, 1-866-491-5229; UV Paddle Flasher has a removable fin to northern pike. Teckel, www.teckellure.com FISHING EDITOR GORD PYZER LOVES CHECK- fish.shimano.com adjust its movement. Mack’s Lures, (509) ING OUT THE LATEST IN FISHING TACKLE. 667 9202; www.mackslure.com

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