Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Friday, June 12, 2026
Friday, June 12, 2026
Thursday, June 11, 2026
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VMC Report
New VMC Bladed Hybrid Treble Adds Flash to Your Lures
We’ve all seen a fish make Mike Iaconelli freak, but soon the tables will be turned. Ike is outfitting his favorite baits with the new VMC® Bladed Hybrid Treble, the tweak that makes fish freak.
“We’re in a day and age where making your bait stand out from the norm is so important,” says Iaconelli, a VMC and Rapala® Pro.
The Bladed Hybrid Treble does just that, making your favorite baits extra-fishy by being extra-flashy. It comprises a small silver willow blade attached by a resin-sealed split ring to the back of a 1X-strong, wide-gap, short-shank, high-carbon steel VMC Hybrid Treble. On the split-ring, the willow-leaf trailer can rotate 360 degrees, so a bait’s built-in action can make it kick out in any direction. Each time it does so, it will catch any light penetrating the water column and flash.
“That little extra flash in that bait is a triggering mechanism,” Iaconelli says. “Every type of baitfish I know of, if it’s a forager swimming in the water, guess what? It flashes.”
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Zoom Report
Zoom Rolls Out Versatile Z Craw Worm
Zoom Bait Company announces the release of the new Z Craw Worm, which combines the body of the company’s Mag Finesse Worm with the tail of the ultra-popular Z Craw, to create a package unlike anything the fish on your home waters have seen before. It provides exactly the right combination of bulk and finesse to create a profile that will lure fish under any conditions.
Veteran tour-level pro Dan Morehead played a key role in the Z Craw Worm’s development. His home waters of Kentucky Lake are the epicenter of “high-hopping a worm” and “stroking a jig,” but the fish there are educated. He took a cigarette lighter to two of his favorite offshore baits to produce something altogether new. “They see a lot of ribbon tails out there, but they acted like they’d never seen anything like this before,” he said. “It has a good hard action and a proven profile. I was only able to keep it under my hat for a little while.”
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G. Loomis Report
Aaron Martens
One of the most consistent anglers in the professional bass fishing ranks, noted angler Aaron Martens will be relying on G. Loomis’ complete line-up of IMX-PRO and NRX bass rods in 2020.
Martens left Enigma to join the Loomis Pro Staff team.
The former Bassmaster Elite Series pro who now competes on the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour, Martens notes that similar to the performance he has with his Shimano Metanium and Stella reels, he’ll be on the water with rods consistent in performance and that can enhance his known natural fishing ability.
“I’ve been a lifetime Shimano reel fan and came to realize I needed that same on-going quality, technology, innovation and performance in my fishing rods,” Martens said. “With the G. Loomis brand being part of Shimano and being aware of how they have taken rod manufacturing to a next level, I had an easy decision once they asked me to fish with all the high-end G. Loomis rods.”
With G. Loomis’ expanding rod line-up for the bass fishing market, ‘having someone with Aaron’s credentials from both his fishing expertise and tackle knowledge shows bass anglers our commitment to continue to grow the sport,” notes Blaine Anderson, field marketing manager for all the Shimano brands, including G. Loomis.
While fishing the technique-specific IMX-PRO, GLX, NRX and Conquest bass rods, Martens will interact with G. Loomis’ product development staff on future rod introductions. “Knowing the special passion Aaron has for bass fishing and quality tackle, we absolutely will want to rely on his input,” said David Brinkerhoff, rod product engineer at G. Loomis.
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p>Shimano Report
Shimano Adds Sedona Ice Fishing Combos
Taking its ice-fishing rod and reel line-up another step, Shimano follows the wave it made in 2018 to continue with its ‘next level’ ice rods now offered in the new Sedona Ice-Fishing combos.
All matched with proven Sedona spinning reels featuring Shimano’s durable HAGANE Gear and Propulsion Line Management System, combos with 500 size reels include those with 24- and 30-inch ultralight power rods, 26-inch light power and 34-inch medium-light versions, and two with 28-inch rods in medium-light power and medium power. Matched with larger capacity Sedona 1000 reels for bigger walleye, northern pike and lake trout action, Sedona ice-combos offered include ones with a 28-inch heavy power rod, a 36-inch medium power, and a 40-inch medium-heavy power rod. All nine combos retail for $99.99 (USD).
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Shimano Report
Shimano Offers Special Pricing on Loomis/Shimano Baitcast Combo
For the first time in the 20-plus years G. Loomis Rods has been part of Shimano, bass anglers are being offered a limited-edition combo now available from select tackle shops nationwide.
The combo matches up Shimano’s high-performance Bantam MGL reels with a special model G. Loomis IMX-PRO 863C JWR rod – normally a combined $675.99 value, for the special price of $499.99.
“This is a great opportunity for those anglers who want to experience bass fishing at a higher level, with what many consider one of the best reels and best rods available,” said Trey Epich with Shimano’s product development staff. “We take great pride in the Bantam MGL as one of our legacy reels, and the IMX-PRO rod showcases the advancements in G. Loomis’ rod manufacturing that have happened since Shimano’s ownership role starting in 1997.”
With the Bantam MGL reels – offered within the combo in three different gear ratio models in either right- or left-hand retrieve, anglers can experience Shimano’s ever-expanding technology to its original low-profile baitcasting reel. The reels feature Shimano’s ‘CoreSolid Body’ design providing rigid, solid and sensitive performance, while the super-light MGL spool allows added casting distance, even with lighter lures, along with smoother flipping and pitching.
Designed within its extensive IMX-PRO line-up, the versatile 7-foot-2-inch medium-heavy power IMX-PRO 863C JWR is ideal for a wide range of bass fishing applications. The rod relies on G. Loomis’ proprietary Multi-Taper Design blank construction, tangle-free Fuji K-Frame guides to help with slackline techniques, and a tapered full cork rear grip that gives the split-grip feel many bass anglers favor.
Only a limited number of these special baitcasting combos are available – just in time to brighten the holidays for any avid angler on your list or to even just treat yourself. For the tackle shop locations offering the baitcasting combo, visit here – BANTAM MGL/IMX-PRO 863C Limited Edition Combo.