Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Friday, October 10, 2025
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Ever Green Report
Ever Green XV-5 Shad-like Crankbait
Where’s there’s shad, there’s gamefish—and once located, you better have on a bait that looks and acts like the predominant food.
Enter the Ever Green XV-5 crossover, a shad-bait unlike anything on the market.
Again, designed in Japan to service bass anglers used to difficult, discerning bass on waters like famed Lake Biwa, the XV-5 was painstakingly designed and tested to catch fish when other methods fail—even $30 artisan-painted jerkbaits, which Japan is also known for. The bait does not feature a knocker or internal rattle—also a plus for targeting clear, water pressured fish. The tight wobbled produces all the vibration and sound necessary to draw the lateral line detection of bass, stripers, wipers, white bass, walleyes, and trout.
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Berkley Report
Berkley Slobberknocker
Berkley has announced its version of a bladed jig for 2023.
The Berkley Slobberknocker features an innovative through-head design that is completely unique from other bladed jigs. After countless hours spent testing on and off the water, Berkley Labs scientists fine-tuned this unique design that not only delivers a consistent vibration but is also perfectly suited to come through heavy cover while staying engaged.
It features a hand-tied Berkley silicone skirt infused with PowerBait flavor to help ensure that every fish that bites will hold on longer, it also features a chip-resistant paint finish and sticky sharp Fusion19 hook. And, to match the hatch, it's available in 12 premium forage matching colorways.
Suggested retail is $13.99.
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Gamakatsu Report
Gamakatsu's G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
Gamakatsu's G-Finesse Drop Shot hooks are now available in the popular size 4.
Gamakatsu developed the G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook with help from the late, great Aaron Martens. G-Finesse results from endless hours of product testing from some of the world's leading pro anglers. Martens' product testing showed using the Drop Shot hook improved his hook-ups by 30 to 40%, and he was rarely missing a fish.
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Mercury Report
New Mercury Marine 25 HP Four Stroke
Mercury Marine has introduced its next generation of 25 and 30hp FourStroke outboards – engineered from the ground up to be lighter, faster and easier to operate and maintain.
These outboards feature a 3-cylinder, 500cc powerhead with electronic fuel injection. For the first time, electric-start models in 25 and 30hp come standard with Mercury SmartCraft® digital technologies, allowing boaters to connect to the most advanced digital gauges in the industry and to mobile devices through VesselView Mobile™.
“Mercury’s new 25 and 30hp platform brings new capabilities and a better consumer experience to a wide variety of recreational and commercial boats,” said Chris Drees, Mercury Marine president. “In addition to being lighter, faster and quieter, the new engines in this lineup deliver what boaters have asked for with exciting new options like digital technologies and an ergonomically positioned tiller handle.”
Starting at just 132 pounds (60 kilograms), these new 3-cylinder engines are 16% lighter than the previous generation and offer class-leading fuel economy. The outboards come in 25 and 30hp FourStroke, 25hp SeaPro™ and 25hp ProKicker™ models.