Terminal Tackle Preview 2014

[dropcap size=small]F[/dropcap]or decades, these basic tools of bait delivery—hook, sinker, swivel, snap and float—were the simplest of staples. Rare was the tiny twist on convention, let alone genuine innovation.

No more!

Each season, tackle makers fine-tune our once primitive tools with terminal tackle tailored to new techniques and powered by more refined materials, better designs and fresh delivery concepts. Added value translates into bigger profit margins, happy customers and motivation to keep rolling.

Getting Down the Three Cs

Bass and walleye anglers have driven terminal tackle innovation in recent years, but the trends find the tide turning to the three “Cs”—catfish, crappie and carp.

Catfish tackle lifted a season beset by an inordinately long winter, according to TJ Stallings of TTI Blakemore, marketer of Team Catfish, Daiichi, Tru-Turn and Mr. Crappie brands, among others. He notes that catfish generate two markets for retailers.

The first is trophy cat fishing. Giant catfish, which can top 90 and even 100 pounds, call for stout hooks, including big J-hooks and circle hooks, and weights and rigs that will deliver a bait properly in deep water and challenging current.

The second market comprises anglers who are out to catch channel cats in the 16-18 inch range for fun and an evening fish fry.

To the latter, Team Catfish has introduced a series of pre-rigged 18-inch leaders and hooks featuring Furry THaNG material to hold dip baits. For double-digit brutes come the Team Catfish 4/0 Double Action Circle Hook and MIGHTY Wide Bait Hook in four sizes from 3/0 to 9/0.

The Little Stinker brand of Uncle Josh Bait Company will bring new dip bait rigs to market in 2014. The parent brand will also introduce pre-tied leaders with shaft-spring hooks for trout: Uncle Josh Red Trout Hook Single and Uncle Josh Natura Premium Smelled Springed Trout.

Crappie anglers are bowing more frequently to customized convenience with purchases of pre-tied minnow rigs.

Bullet Weights adds to its line of Mr. Crappie Troll Tech products with two new pre-tied rigs. Mr. Crappie Slo-Troller Rig with the three-way swivel and camo leader is a Wally Marshall (a.k.a. “Mr. Crappie”) signature rig designed for slow trolling. The Mr. Crappie Double-Drop Rig is designed for both slow-trolling and fishing vertical cover.

Sophisticated European and Asian carp techniques have grown in popularity among American anglers in recent years.

“Our carp tackle sales showed double-digit growth last year, and we are seeing new customers all the time,” notes Paul Pezalla, owner of the Wacker Bait & Tackle carp specialty shop in Broadview, Illinois.

Pezalla now markets pre-tied carp rigs under his Wacker brand to store and online customers as well as to other retailers. His Anvil rig features a three-foot leader material with a soft dense inner core that forces the leader to lay flat on the bottom.

Snaps and Swivels

ROSCO, Inc. will offer two new products during 2014. First is a Stainless Steel Sinker Eye, available in the same sizes as the company’s brass version. Also set for company launch in 2014 is a Drop Shot Clip.

“It’s a clip that makes it possible to turn any hook into a drop shot hook,” according to Jack Butts, ROSCO president. “You can slide your favorite hook on and attach your weight quickly and easily.”

New AFW Stainless STeel Ball Bearing Swivels and Snap Swivels from American Fishing Wire & Hi-Seas have a patented bullset shape for fluid rotation and reduced water resistance. Stainless steel bearings and body withstand wear and corrosion, even in saltwater. Double-welded rings and tournament-grade snap provide added insurance.

Designed by FLW pro Shin Fukae, the new stainless steel Gamakatsu G Finesse Tournament Snap has eliminated accidental opening with a snap design that remains permanently closed. It is available in medium and large sizes.

Aquateko’s success story with the InvisaSwivel, the first non-metal alternative to the conventional swivel, has a sequel. An InvisaSwivel Snap Swivel will debut in the first quarter of 2014.

“Everyone has been asking us to introduce an InvisaSwivel with a snap,” notes Keith Kessler. “We worked on it for three years. No it’s ready…a no-rust, slow sink, invisible-under-the-water snap swivel!”

Making Their Point!

Angling success culminates at the hook point. Gamakatsu, a pioneer in super-sharp hook technology, adds to that tradition this season with hooks made from its Nano Smooth Coat Tournament Wire. “It is 30 percent stronger than our regular wire,” explains Syd Rives. “It’s a proprietary method of hook coating that delivers quick penetration.”

New this season is an Aaron Martens signature G-Finesse TGW Worm Nano Smooth Coat Hook. A G-Finesse Treble TGW is also due out for 2014.

Eagle Claw takes its premium-priced TroKar brand to the sea with an array of new products.

New for 2014 comes the TroKar TK6 Kahle Circle hook, a new design that couples the functional advantages of both popular hook styles. Available in 1/0 through 9/, the three largest sizes also feature a brazed eye that eliminates slip and line chafing.

TroKar Vapr Bait Hook comes to market in two straight-shank “J” hook designs (TK12 & TK13). Two new Lazer TroKar Open-Eye Siwash hooks (TK440 and TK440B) feature a fresh redesign and high-carbon steel given to multiple tempering processes. Made for Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest trout and salmon anglers who replace treble hooks with the single hook Siwash option.

A Better Mousetrap

Sharpness aside, treble hooks saw few changes until the advent of short-shank trebles—the Mustad KVD Short Triple Grip Treble Hooks and recent Gamakatsu EWG Short Shank Treble Hooks being two of popular note.

But Decoy Hook, a leading Japanese manufacturer of premium hooks for bass anglers, has dared to build a better mouse-trap, replacing the “irreplaceable” treble with a four-point option called the Quattro Hook!

“Decoy Hooks has fine-tuned the hook making process,” says Munenori Kajiwara of Japan Import Tackle, exclusive U.S. distributor for the line. “But the Quattro Hook demonstrates that it is one of the most innovative hook makers, too.”

New hooks customized to specific soft plastic bait styles and techniques continue to fulfill the needs of bass anglers. May offer plastic bait keeper features that extend the hook life of soft plastic baits.

O. Mustad & Son’s Grip Pin Swim won the Best Terminal Tackle award a ICAST’s 2013 New Products Showcase in Las Vegas last July. Designed specifically for soft swimbaits, it features an effective bait holder design that keeps baits from tearing and slipping.

Rapala’s terminal tackle arm brings the VMC Drop Dead Weighted hook to market.

It features a tapered locking spring to hold soft plastics to the nose of the hook with minimal tear.

Eagle Claw’s Lazer Sharp line adds an L13 Flipping Hook featuring thich carbon steel wire, premium injected molded double barb keeper and needlepoint. Lazer Sharp will go light too, with the L18 Light Wire Finesse Worm Hook and a Lazer Sharp L19 Tube Hook.

Gettin’ Down!

Dropshot technique continues to get help from hook manufacturers. Companies like Gamakatsu, Decoy Hook and VMC have addressed the bothersome dropshot line-twist issue int he past two years with swivel-integrated hook designs.

Gamakatsu’s Swivel Shot Worm Hook is an extension of the popular Swivel Shot design finesse anglers have enjoyed. The new model facilitates presentation with larger soft plastic worms and creature-style baits.

After introducing its Jig Rig in both lead and tungsten in 2013, Owner has come back with a new pricing strategy as well as a line extension.

“The Jig Rig sold moderately well in 2013, but I think our biggest obstacle was price,” said Owner’s Tony Shitanishi of the rig that features a tear-drop singer linked to the hook eye. “We recently dropped our SRP by $2. We will sell a lot of the Jig Rigs throughout the souther states in 2014.”

Owner’s line extension for 2014 is the Twistlock Jig Rig— a concept that adds to its predecessor’s quick-rigging facility and bait-holding capability the Owner Twistlock feature.

No More Knots

Pre-tied Sabiki rigs continue to gain momentum.

Ahi USA (American Maple) tailored the new SB-700 Sand Dab Rig to slow-drift fishing for sand dabs and other small ocean panfish. The rig configures 12 pre-tired 1/0 glow-in-the-dark shrimp attractants between two snap swivels. Anglers can fish the rig either vertically (weight secured to bottom snap) or horizontally (weights secured to both top and bottom snap). Ahi also introduces a Glow Hook Sabiki Rig for baitfish and small panfish designed for low-light fishing.

Gremlin Green

Soaring raw materials prices coupled with a weak economy retarded the advance of sinkers made from alternative (non-lead) metals. But green is not forgotten!

The new Gremlin Green Premium Steel Sinker line is the latest eco-friendly line from Water Gremlin. The Premium Steel line will come in four styles: Dipsey Swivel, Egg Sinker, Slip Sinker and Drop Shot.”

“The steel line has opened new avenues” notes Water Gremlin spokesman Jeff Stephens, noting that stainless steel sinkers offer a less costly non-lead option to tungsten. “A lot of our customers won’t spend $11 on a pack of tungsten sinkers, but they will spend $2 to $6 for stainless.”

Stephens notes that the company’s round and removable tin split shot has also enjoyed a sales bump.

Eagle Claw is thinking green too, extending its terminal tackle offerings with a line of brass worm and Carolina weights, Carolina Ready Rigs, Brass Carolina Clakers, and brass and glass bead assortments.

Spinner rigs have always held a cherished place in the hearts of walleye anglers. Now, they are on the ascent again.

Bemidji-based Northland Fishing Tackle’s Hauler Speed-Spinner is a versatile spinner that revolves at virtually any trolling speed. It features a holographic baitfish images and rotates on a durable “pike-proof” stainless steel wire harness.

Also joining the line is the Jointed Gum Drop Floater featuring a foam float ahead of the Crawler Hauler Hook, which also is available separately.

Berkley will release a new line of pre-tid Flicker Rigs consisting of spinner blades, beads and clevises in June. Flicker Rigs Mono (on monofilament leaders) will have a MSRP of $2.99. The flourocarbon rigs will retail for $3.49.

The brand hopes to strengthen its brand presence in the walleye world with additional offerings, too.

“They are extensions of the products we have today,” says Brian Farrell. “We’re extending the colors of our rigs, and now you can buy our components, too.”

Bass anglers in the U.S. and Japan are adding spinners to soft plastics with deadly effectiveness! The ecogear Blade Spin has become a favorite tool for that function. This season, it will be available in botho rouna nd willow blade options and added sizes. Japan Import Tackle distributes the Marukyu-owned brand.

In the wake of the Screwbait craze, Decoy Hook offers the Screw Hook, a worm hook fitted with a revolving propeller at the hook eye.

Floating High and Bottom-Bouncing

As part of its new steelhead program, Eagle Claw will offer a broad line of floats in different styles, colors and materials.

Eagle Claw Steelhead Floats will include red and clear (FSHCLR) and red/yellow and clear (FSHCLRY) product families in four sizes with a weight rating marked clearly on each float. The line also  includes a balsa float in three sizes and a clear stem float for drift and float fishing.

VMC’s new LF Lighted Slip Float lays cliam as the first water-activated bobber. It turns on automatically the instant the float hits the water. It derives its 30-hour runtime from two replaceable coin batteries. It is available in three sizes balanced to 1/16, 1/8, and 3/16-ounce presentations.

Matzuo comes to market with two new bottom-bouncing innovations. Its new Fast Slide Clip Bouncer is a free-sliding vertical wire sinker in five sizes (1/2 to 2 ounces) that attaches easily to lines of any diameter and offers easy quick-change. Also new, the Matzuo Stand Up Floating Bouncers adds a long buoyant stem above an arced bottom walker to create “the first ever floating stand-up bouncer.”