Rapala Report

Rapala balsa bait -- the OG Rocco 5Rapala balsa bait -- the OG Rocco 5

Fresh from the wood shavings and sawdust of Ott DeFoe’s Garage, comes a new Rapala balsa bait -- the OG Rocco 5.

A big-body, square-bill crankbait, the OG Rocco 5 is built to burn through heavy cover and trigger bites from big, burly bass and other gamefish.

“You’re able to fish it faster in those heavy-cover areas,” said DeFoe, a Rapala Pro, Bassmaster Classic Champion and winner of 11 other top-tier Bassmaster and Major League Fishing (MLF) tournaments. “You can burn it and trigger a reaction bite.”

Integrating DeFoe’s exacting design specs and Rapala’s engineering expertise, the OG Rocco 5 deflects off cover and recovers better than any other square-bill that DeFoe has ever banged off wood or rock in his storied career.

The OG Rocco 5’s size, balsa-wood engineering and construction all contribute to its superior, bite-triggering deflection ability.

“It’s a pretty good-size hunk of balsa, and the more you’ve got there, the more buoyancy you’re going to have,” DeFoe explains. “So, when you reel it down into a crack in a laydown, or a piece of rock, or something like that, you can stop it, and that bait has enough buoyancy to back out of a lot of those situations, so you can keep your retrieve going.”

Abu Garcia Report

Abu Garcia Revo Rocket spinning reelAbu Garcia Revo Rocket spinning reel

Gone are the days of losing fish because you can’t catch up. The new and improved Abu Garcia Revo Rocket spinning reel features a blistering fast 7.6:1 gear ratio which is unusual to find in today’s spinning reels.

The new Revo Rocket features an asymmetrical X-Craftic alloy body design that gives anglers a more compact, lightweight body. The Rocket also features the new AMG2 gear system that is 17% larger than the previous generation, allowing for extra gear strength and the ability to create the Rocket’s extreme gear ratio.

The Revo Rocket spinning reel fills a gap in the arsenal with a faster gear ratio for finesse applications. Long casts can prove difficult in picking up line slack and lead to lost fish and missed opportunities. 

Frabill Report

Frabill WITNESS Weigh NetFrabill WITNESS Weigh Net

The Frabill WITNESS Weigh Net is the first all-in-one fish net, scale and ruler for fresh and saltwater anglers.

With a built-in 30-pound scale, anglers can now quickly get the weight of a fish and release it without having to hang the fish on a handheld scale.

Designed to make a day on the lake hassle-free, the WITNESS Weigh Net is the innovative way to capture a fish's weight, length and snap a quick photo before returning the fish safely back into the water. Simply scoop up any fish up to 30 pounds and remove the hook. Turn on the scale and hold the net in a vertical position with the net portion down to record the quick weight of any catch.

Gamakatsu Report

G-Finesse Feathered Treble MHG-Finesse Feathered Treble MH

Gamakatsu has introduced the G-Finesse Feathered Treble MH.

The design was based upon the input of the late great, Aaron Martens. The existing medium-heavy G-Finesse Trebles took the bass world by storm six years ago, and the addition of life-like and vibrant feathers fills the lineup.

Like their predecessors, the G-Finesse feathered trebles utilize Tournament-Grade Wire construction, allowing the points to remain sharper, longer. That means anglers will use fewer of them while ensuring better hook-up percentages as the fishing day goes. Furthermore, they are stronger than hooks of the same diameter wire. They come with a Nano Smooth Coat that makes penetration even easier.

These new trebles come two to a pack, adorned with either white or chartreuse premium feathers and tinsel, hand-selected by Martens to tempt even the most finicky fish.

They are offered in sizes 6, 4, 2, 1, and 1/0.