You may think we've covered all the bases with our Award Winning Fishing Gear from ICAST and Yet More Hot New Gear from ICAST articles, but you'd be wrong. This week, folks, we have still more cool new goodies to bring to your attention.
Grundens Tourney Jacket and Bibs
You want a lightweight, breathable, completely waterproof jacket and bibs? Grundens has a new “Tourney Kit” that might be exactly what you’re looking for. Tourney Kit jacket and bibs are PU as opposed to PVC. PU is polyurethane with a textile backing, which breathes better than PVC but still has a rubbery exterior nature. Since PVC can often lead to sweating, this makes the Tourney Kit an ideal choice for anglers fishing in warmer weather. Price: $135 - $145 jacket/$95 - $125 bibs.
St. Croix Mojo Yak
Kayak anglers, you’ll want to know about the new St. Croix Mojo Yak. This rod won the Best Saltwater Rod category at the ICAST show – or, we should say, this rod series. The Mojo Yak line consists of six spinning rods and two casting rods, all of which are designed specifically for kayak anglers. Special touches for the yakkers among us include a shortened handle with a rounded butt that won’t grab clothing or PFDs, a grip that stays grippy when wet, and a Kigan hook keeper. The blank is a SC III high-modulus, reel seats are Fujis, and the rods get backed up by a five-year warranty. Price: $150 to $160. Visit St. Croix Rods, to learn more.
Smartbaits Color Change Fishing Lures
Smartbaits fishing lures may start out chartreuse, but when they hit warm water they change to orange. Wait a sec – if it ain’t chartreuse it ain’t no use, right?? Well, generally we’d agree. But as the folks at Smartbaits point out, the changing colors activate as a lure passes through a thermocline, imitating how fish naturally change color according to their surroundings. The Smartbait folks say that this change will initiate strikes from predators. We can’t vouch for the effectiveness of a color-changing lure and we don’t know if light-bending baits will convince the perch and pickerel to play, but we can say one thing for sure: these things certainly are entertaining for humans to play with. Price: $8 to $14. Visit Smart Baits, to learn more.