Anglers select tackle based on three simple principles: simplicity, durability, and effectiveness. Those core principles also guide new product development at Light Tackle Anglers, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of innovative lures and tackle components for both freshwater and saltwater angling. At ICAST 2026, Light Tackle Anglers will reveal innovative products across 4 New Product Showcase categories, each designed to help every angler catch more and bigger fish.
Freshwater Soft Lure: Uncle Ted
The new Uncle Ted from Light Tackle Anglers reimagines freshwater finesse fishing with a pre-rigged, Ned-style soft lure that is uniquely effective, right out of the package. Uncle Ted is engineered around a patent-pending jighead that inverts the hook point into the “catch” position to improve hooking efficiency. The conical end of the lead-free, non-toxic jighead is cast into the hook, providing a secure locking mechanism. The hook eye protrudes from the insert-molded soft plastic body to maintain a clean jigging presentation, with a mid-body pull point that creates a subtle quivering action on the lift. Every Uncle Ted is insert-molded with a super-elastic, cut-proof and slick polymer, so that it slices through the water and acts like a fleeing baitfish. Unlike conventional soft plastic lures that can tear easily or create excess drag, Uncle Ted is engineered to move efficiently through the water while maintaining its integrity and effectiveness. This combination of durability and action is critical in finesse fishing, where subtle presentation must be paired with real-world toughness.
“Anglers shouldn’t have to choose between finesse and fishability,” notes Ted Putnam, Managing Member of Light Tackle Anglers and Uncle Ted’s namesake. “With Uncle Ted, you can take that subtle Ned-style presentation and fish it anywhere in North America. With its unique jighead and an innovative soft body, every pre-rigged Uncle Ted remains true to the principles that define successful finesse fishing, while making this ultra-effective technique accessible to every angler. If you can tie a knot, you can catch fish – bass, walleye, and more – with Uncle Ted.”
Debuting in the Freshwater Soft Lures and the First Time Exhibitor categories, Uncle Ted (MSRP $8.50 per pack of 2 pre-rigged lures) measures 3 inches, weighs 1/8-ounce, and is available in 8 color patterns: Brown Ale, Brown Ale Spawn, Stout, Stout Spawn, Purple Haze, Purple Haze Spawn, PB&J, and PB&J Spawn.
Saltwater Soft Lure: Mister
The new Mister from Light Tackle Anglers is designed for anglers chasing inshore saltwater predators, from striped bass off Cape Cod to bull reds in the Louisiana marshes. Each Mister soft plastic stick bait consists of a durable elastomer body that is pre-rigged on a unique, lead-free jighead. Because the soft body is insert molded directly onto the jig, the entire 1-piece lure is ready to fish directly from the package, and is incredibly robust and durable: a must-have feature for any lure designed to trigger aggressive saltwater predators.
“Our design philosophy with Mister is not focused on duplicating every minute anatomical detail on a baitfish, but instead, replicating its strike-triggering action,” asserts Chuck Marshall, Managing Member and Chief Engineer for Light Tackle Anglers. “At the heart of every Mister is a proprietary soft plastic formulation developed specifically for real-world fishing conditions. Mister leverages the same super-elastic, cut-proof, and slick polymer that we use to craft every Light Tackle Anglers lure, with an elliptical body shape that incorporates a 10-degree offset in the body, distal to the hook bend. This gives Mister a natural swimming action on a straight retrieve, while a subtle or aggressive twitch of the rod tip makes Mister dodge and dart like a baitfish trying to flee an apex predator.”
Mister’s innovative features aren’t limited to its soft body; indeed, Mister’s jighead is an integral component of the lure. Manufactured from a lead-free, non-toxic alloy and incorporating a strong, saltwater-ready hook, the jighead has uniquely-engineered features that lock the soft body in place during the insert-molding process. This makes every Mister ready-to-fish right out of the package and ensures that the lure withstands numerous encounters with predatory fish without needing to be re-rigged or adjusted in any way.
Debuting in the Saltwater Soft Lures category, Mister is available in two lengths and weights (5-inches and 1/2-ounce with MSRP $9.95, and 7-inches and 1 1/2-ounces with MSRP $12.95) and five proven color patterns: White, Black, Pink, Luce, and Treuse.
Terminal Tackle: Johnny Boy
The new Johnny Boy Shrimp Jig from Light Tackle Anglers delivers innovation to live bait fishing for near-shore saltwater fish like speckled sea trout, pompano, flounder, and more. Johnny Boy leverages a patent-pending jighead design, in which the conical end of the lead-free, non-toxic jighead is cast directly onto a wide-gap, 3/0 hook for live-lining shrimp. This innovative design allows Johnny Boy to deliver a more natural jigging presentation that orients the bait vertically in the water. Because the hook point is always facing upward when jigging, anglers enjoy improved hooking percentages and ultimately, more fish in the boat.
“An overlooked advantage baked into every Johnny Boy is that the tie point is physically separated from the lead-free weight,” continues Marshall. “This keeps the knot away from sand, rocks, and shells on the bottom which could abrade the line, ultimately leading to knot failure, lost tackle, and lost fish. Just like Uncle Ted and Mister, if you can tie a knot, you can catch fish – lots of fish – with every Johnny Boy Shrimp Jig.”
Debuting in the Terminal Tackle category, the Johnny Boy Shrimp Jig (MSRP $6.95 per pack of 3 jigs) weighs 1/4-ounce, has a size 3/0 hook, and is available in three productive color patterns: Chartreuse, Chello, and Pink.
We invite you to support Light Tackle Anglers with your votes for Uncle Ted (Freshwater Soft Lures and First Time Exhibitor), Mister (Saltwater Soft Lures), and Johnny Boy (Terminal Tackle) in the New Product Showcase.
Learn more about all of our easy-to-use, durable, and effective lures and tackle components by joining us at Booth 4617 at ICAST 2026.
Dealer and Media contact:
Ted Putnam
ted@lighttackleanglers.com
617-820-4056
About Light Tackle Anglers
Light Tackle Anglers was started by two degenerate fishermen who have had the good fortune to travel the world catching our favorite game fish. We spend most of our time in the prized lakes of western Ontario, the expanse of Boston Harbor, the gulf of Louisiana and the South Florida coast. Our favorite quarry is Small Mouth Bass, Walleye, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Redfish, Snook, Specs, Jacks, Tarpon and Pompano, but really we will catch anything that bites.
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