Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
- Details
GILL Report
Gill Waterproof Boot Socks
Cutting the day short due to cold or wet feet is never a good thing. Thankfully, GILL offers an ideal solution in its new, high-performance waterproof and breathable socks. These premium performers are available in two versatile lengths for boot or low-top shoe wear, and are designed specifically for the challenging environments and conditions anglers and hunters face on a regular basis.
For boot-wear, the new GILL Waterproof Boot Sock is designed to pull up to the area just below the knee. They're manufactured with a durable nylon outer layer and a 50% merino thermal inner with wicking capability to treat your feet to incredibly warm and dry performance.
The new GILL Waterproof Sock is the ideal solution for low-top or performance shoe wear. Like the Waterproof Boot Sock, the slightly shorter GILL Waterproof Sock also features a durable outer layer and a thermal inner with wicking capabilities. They pull up to the mid-calf area, and ñ courtesy of a modified inner blend ñ are thin enough for comfortable wear with footwear of all kinds.
- Details
Lowrance Report
Lowrance’s New Brushless Trolling Motor is Quiet and Powerful
Lowrance, a leader in fishing electronics since 1957, announced the new Lowrance Ghost freshwater trolling motor.
Reliable, rugged and built to last, the new ultra-quiet Lowrance Ghost freshwater trolling motor helps anglers fish longer, run faster and get in closer without making a sound. Ghost has a newly designed brushless motor with the most thrust and the longest run time of any trolling motor on the market, plus other benefits including integrated Lowrance sonar options, waypoint anchoring and a three-year warranty. The combination of reliability, power, efficiency and quiet performance give the Ghost trolling motor a winning combination that ticks all the boxes for what anglers want in a premium trolling motor.
“Because Ghost is Lowrance's first trolling motor, we started completely from scratch, which gave us a unique opportunity to ask anglers what was most important to them in a trolling motor,” said Lucas Steward, Navico’s Trolling Motor Product Group Owner. “To get the quality we needed, we had to design and build it in-house. That resulted in the production of a trolling motor that delivers exactly what our consumers want: the most power, greatest efficiency and quietest performance – the ultimate trolling motor versatile enough to fit any bass boat.”
- Details
MotorGuide Report
MotorGuide Tour Cable-Steer Motor
MotorGuide has announced the introduction of two new trolling motors, Tour and Tour Pro.
Tour Pro is the very first true cable steer motor with GPS anchor in the industry.
“We are excited about the launch of The Tour and Tour Pro,” said Kevin Read, MotorGuide senior product manager. “MotorGuide has been on the water since 1947 and we can officially say with these motors: The Tour is Back! These motors have been redesigned from prop to pedal to be the highest performing trolling motors on the market.”
Both Tour and Tour Pro are built for tough conditions with a full 360-degree breakaway mount with integrated bounce buster and a rugged two-piece shaft with metal outer column and composite inner shaft. In addition, both models include a no-flex metal foot pedal that provides the most solid steering in the market. Tour Pro models combine Pinpoint GPS, the most accurate GPS anchor available, with traditional pull-pull stainless steel cables for smooth, responsive steering.
“Our new Tour Series will be the only trolling motors that offer the responsiveness and durability of a true cable steer motor with all the benefits of GPS anchoring,” Read said. “MotorGuide continues to make the most durable, reliable, and easy to use trolling motors on the market so you can make the most of your time on the water.”
The new motors will include MotorGuide’s Zero-G lift assist system, which requires half of the effort compared to the competition, as well as the new Katana propeller – a Mercury designed two-blade weedless prop that delivers more power and up to 30% more battery efficiency than previous props.
Both models also offer options for MotorGuide’s new HD+ universal sonar with both traditional 2D views and high-definition down looking views compatible with most major fishfinder brands. “We believe in giving our customers the freedom to connect to their fishfinder of choice,” Read said. “Our new HD+ sonar technology will offer compatibility with all major sonar brands so you aren’t limited to just one option.”
In addition to sonar compatibility, Tour Pro models with integrated PinPoint GPS also offer chartplotter integration for connecting to Lowrance, Simrad and Mercury Vessel view displays for autopilot and navigation control.
Tour and Tour Pro are offered in 82 or 109-pound thrust models, at either 24 or 36 volts with 45-inch shafts.
- Details
Z-Man Report
A Bladed Bass Jig for the Deep Thinker; New Chatterbait Includes Wobble Head
Effective collaborations aren’t just about merging two cool concepts— e.g. a pair of running shoes with a built-in iPhone, or two killer craft beers in one can. Leading edge brands bring an exceptional talent to the table, and when a terrific twosome becomes one, amazing things can happen.
Already the undeniable trailblazer in bladed bass jigs, Z-Man is set to unveil its newest entrant in the ChatterBait® category, a collaborative effort with Freedom Tackle Inc., innovator of hinged, free-swinging fishing lures. The last time Z-Man teamed with another top tackle brand—Japan’s Ever Green International—the ChatterBait JackHammer™ was born. The sensation created by that influential bladed jig stands alone.
Hailed for its high-performance on deeper structure, the ChatterBait Freedom CFL melds Freedom Tackle’s patented free-swinging football shaped head and hook with Z-Man’s own patented hex-shaped ChatterBait blade.
Freedom Tackle owner and designer Michael Tamburro says the new bladed swing jig exhibits a unique set of perfectly melded component parts. “We used a lead-free zinc football head and exclusive hook attachment that allows the back end of the lure to pivot and swing freely as you retrieve the lure,” says Tamburro. “The patented Freedom hook-release even allows the angler to make quick hook changes, if needed.
- Details
VMC Report
VMC Debuts Heavy Duty Weighted Willow Swimbait Hook
Try a new spin on swimbait fishing with VMC’s new Heavy Duty Weighted Willow Swimbait Hook. A new take on the “under spin” concept, this new Ike Approved innovation features a willow-leaf blade attached via an extended spinner arm, ensuring maximum rotation and flash and optimal blade position.
Trailing the willow blade on a spinner arm gives it additional range of motion. “Every twitch of your rod tip or pause on your retrieve can kick out that willow leaf in any direction, catching light in the water column and flashing,” says Rapala Pro Michael “Ike” Iaconelli, namesake of VMC’s Ike Approved line-up of hooks and jigs. “That flash triggers bites. Pretty much any forage bass feed on, it flashes as it swims around, changes directions, tries to escape.”
What’s more, the spinner arm positions that fish-triggering flash closer to the hook, minimizing short strikes, increasing your hook-up ratio.
With the release of the Heavy Duty Weighted Willow Swimbait Hook, VMC is introducing a newly designed self-centering spring to securely hold soft-plastic swimbaits in place.
“That new spring is absolutely crucial, because when you rig a swimbait, it has to go right down the center,” Iaconelli says. “If it’s off by just a little bit, it won’t run right. So having that right in the center is key.”
Heavy Duty Weighted Willow Swimbait Hooks are forged from hi-carbon steel and feature a needle point. They come two per pack in seven sizes: 3/16th oz, 3/0 hook; 3/16th oz, 4/0; 1/4th oz, 5/0; 3/8th oz, 6/0; 3/8th oz, 7/0; 3/8th oz, 9/0; ½ oz,11/0.