TackleTester.Com - The latest in Fishing Tackle News and Reviews

Duo Tide Vibe Slim on the water part 1

TT — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:01:41 +0000

It’s long slender body is a unique twist on an old favourite. The Duo Tide Vibe Slim is one of the coolest lures we have used in a while. As you will find out, its design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also a real performer on the water.

Traditionally vibes have always been shorter, fatter lures. Think of the the Tide Vibe slim is the super model of the lure world. Its stretched out, slim body is superbly finished to entice even the most hard to fool predators. It’s tide pulsating wobble wiggles its way down the cat walk that is the strike zone.

We found this lure not only great to cast, but an ideal trolling lure on light tackle. The narrow profile creates near on no water resistance which makes it ideal for lighter outfits. It’s tight pulsating wobble still gives off all the right signals. This profile also has made this lure relatively weedless. On the day of testing this particular lure, weed was about and the minnows we trolled along side caught 3x the amount of the week, mostly ont the bibs.

More on the Duo Tide Vibe Slim in part 2. Stay tuned..

http://www.swldistributions.com.au/

Z-Man 5” Grass KickerZ

Josh — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:38:46 +0000

Z-man continues to expand its soft plastic empire with the release of the 5″ Grass KickerZ. They have added this oversized paddle tail to their range, no doubt due to the increasing popularity of similar sized baits. 5″ soft baits have always been a favourite of mine, great for catching just about anything.

The new Grass KickerZ have a tapered nose and a slimmer profile that previous 5″ paddle tails, creating a rather unique silhouette. These two design features have obvious benefits when fishing around weed and heavy cover. The opportunities to fish these plastics weedless will be a big drawing card for anglers. Z-man recommends the rigging with TT SWS or Snakehead hooks. They can always be fished with a standard jig head too for those wanting to get some into some deeper water.

As always Grass KickerZ are made from ElaZtech, which is upto 10x than standard plastic material with out compromising on the action of the soft plastic. The Grass KickerZ comes in a pack of 4 and is available in 8 colours including Opening Night, Redbone Glow and Houdini.

www.z-man.com.au

Richter Lures Jellybabe update

Jamie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:34:54 +0000

Richter Lures have long been producting the Jellybabe, as part of their fantastic Softhead range. They’ve had a few tweaks since release, some new colours here and there, new eyes, but nothing really revolutionary.

We have some of the first pictures of the new colour range, and of the new head design. The cup edge has a little flatspot around the rim, and isn’t quite so steep, to help them hold water better and the compond used for the head is a little firmer.

Ask for them at your local stockists, they were always great for Dolphinfish and Tuna, and now they’re even better.

Jellybabe: new head design and new colours

Shown in the image is 502, Chartreuse, UV Green, 46, UV Blue and the latest addition – UV Pink.

Daiwa Exist 2012 sure to keep Dai-hards happy

TT — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:42:39 +0000

Daiwa has just announced the latest in high end light tackle technology, the new Exist 2012. The 2012 Exist features an all Zaion body and rotor, keeping weight down to as little as 160 grams on the 1003 model. Zaion has been a proven and tested material, designed to reduce weight whilst still maintaining as much, if not more strength that its metal bodied counterparts.

The interesting feature on the new Exist is the mag sealed line roller. We all know how often line rollers are exposed to the harsh conditions and more than often it is the first bearing to corrode. No matter how corrosion resistant bearings are, the line roller always gets a hiding in Saltwater. This new magsealed line roller will keep your roller running smooth.

Each exist is individually constructed, and for those Dai-hards they come complete with a serial number to call your own. The 2012 Exist sports a number of well known other features including a seamless airbail, ABS II, Ultra Tournament drag and ofcourse the original magseal premiered on the current model Certate and Caldias in 2010-11.

Five sizes are to be released in Australia including 1003, 2004, 2508-PEH,2510R-PE and the biggest of the bunch the 3012H.

Available March 2012, keep an eye out for them at a Bream or Bass tournament near you!

http://daiwafishing.com.au/?p=11076

Petzl NAO reactive automatically adjusting Headlamp

Josh — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:31:11 +0000

Until now, head lamps have been only able to adjust to the lighting conditions when the user instructs it to with the push of a button. If you are reading a map, you set the head lamp on low, if you are trying to see a fish washing up on the beach ahead, you set the head lamp on high beam and so forth.

Petzl has created the worlds first smart head lamp. The NAO is a reactive automatically adjusting headlamp, and it uses some pretty exciting and innovative technology to do it. While it still may require the odd button push, the two high powered LED’s are designed to adjust for current light conditions and needs almost instantly.

Using a sensor, the headlamp measures and analyzes the ambient light, and the inbuilt microprocessor tweaks the head lamp to output just the right amount. This has obvious battery life implications, by saving power where it can. Combined with the fact that LED’s use very little power means this unit could effectively have one of the most efficient battery drain times on the market.

Another handy feature is the fact the unit has a lithium Ion rechargable battery. Everybody hates getting ready for a fishing trip last minute, only to find the head lamp batterys have died.

The unit also comes with operating system software, downloaded for free at the Petzl website. You can fine tune your NAO’s performance and personalise it to suit your needs. This giant leap in headlamp technology will be available for purchase around July 2012.

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/headlamps/nao

Spirit Venus Fish Kayak on the water

TT — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:30:59 +0000

Barebone Venusfish getting kitted up for the day

The Venus Fish Kayak has been on the market for some time now. Already a proven angling vessel, Spirit has been continuing to improve the Venus fish, and I was lucky enough to water test one of these fishing behemoths.

The Venus Fish is Spirits premium fishing vessel, and it comes with all the fruit! Rod holders, tie down, fish storage, tackle storage, anchor points and a whole lot more. The Venus Fish is made right here in Western Australia, and I am always proud to see such quality products coming out of our own back yard.

After picking it up from the Spirit Kayaks factory, I was impressed by the sheer girth of the vessel. Knowing that anglers are often of a bigger build, this kayak would no doubt cater to the larger angler. The problem with wide boats is that you do lose out on speed in exchange for stability and buoyancy. Lucky for us, there is no need to set any speed records while wetting a line.

The Venus fish can support up to 250kg of load capacity and has an average weight of 28kg. While it is easy enough for most adults to lift 28kg, the girth again made it difficult to mount onto a high vehicle and we suggest having a spare pair of helping hands when loading the vessel. Not a problem either if you fish in pairs, as many kayak anglers do for safety and enjoyment purposes.

First paddle of the day

It’s a very reasonable 3.7 meters in length and 270mm deep. Realistically you don’t want anything more on a one person yak. The length and width where more than ample to fish comfortably for long periods. Maneuvering the vessel was easier than expected. The boat turns well and got me into the spots I needed.

Spirit has positioned the inbuilt rod holders well. The adjustable rod holder could get in the way while paddling, so it’s important to slide it further forward while on the move. The front hatch was relatively easy to access, although it did require me to squat on the boat, luckily the width made for a stable platform. Importantly my car keys and Iphone were kept dry in the storage port positioned in the floor between my legs.

Overall the stability of the Venus fish was great, but I wouldn’t recommend using it as a stand-and-cast yak. It is much more suited to sitting down and relaxing. I found the boat easy to paddle and got up to a good pace with out too much hard work. There is nothing worth than having to drag a poorly designed boat around, only to be too tired to fish by the time to finally get to your destination.

The new and improved removable fish pod

The new improved poly fish pod on the rear holds an enormous amount of fish, crabs or what have you. The front hatch is easily accessible and the pod is removed painlessly for cleaning and storage. The polyethylene is a super tough and hygienic material, making it a piece of cake to clean out what’s left of your days catch.

The adjustable rod holder is another handy feature. Despite having multiple inbuilt flush mounted rod holders, its always great have an adjustable holder at arms length. This comes in a particularly handy when fishing with multiple rods. See the use of this in the video.

Front Tackle Hatch

The Spirit Venus Fish is a worthy kayak for any angler. The boats size and girth makes it a comfortable fishing platform, and the hoard of accessories fitted or available to fit mean this vessel can be customized to suit just about any anglers needs. This quality, Australian kayak is designed with Australian fishing conditions in mind and they have catered well for us die-hard fisho’s. They are available now and

http://www.spiritpaddle.com.au/

Thomas Stroker PE1 Jigger Update

TT — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:50:10 +0000

Just a quick update on the Thomas Stroker PE1 Jigger that we previewed late 2011. We have used the custom built jigger on a few occasions now and have been very impressed with the performance. We even managed to successfully use the rod as a soft plastic outfit on a few trips of late for something different.

The rod has enough backbone to work jigs around the 80-150 gram mark well yet still enough finesse to fish lighter weighted soft plastics. On a recent trip to Exmouth in Western Australia, the PE1 Jigger boated many local species including the Spangled Emperor you can see below.

As expected the K guides really do make a difference when using braid. We did not have any problems with braid loops or wind knots, even when using light weights.

My only gripe with the rod is that the fore-grip could be an inch or two longer, as it was a tad on the small side. Also, the aluminium reel seat looks amazing but functionality wise, a Fuji deluxe graphite reel seat would be more practical on the spin models. Both of these issues though can be changed when you place an order with Thomas, I guess thats the advantage of Custom built!

Overall the PE1 Jigger was built well and performed even better than expected. Keep up the good work Thomas!

Megabass Spark Rigs making waves in Japan

TT — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:04:47 +0000

Megabass are known for there left of field designs such as there upside down bibbed minnow the Anthrax. Megabass sets the bar when it comes to quality JDM gear and the new Spark Rigs are no exception. Designed off the popular Alabama rig, the Spark rigs are near-on certified fish magnets.

The basic concept is rather simple. Instead of having just one bait, one hook, the Spark rigs create a whole school of baitfish. This means you have 4 or 5 times the hook up rates of a normal lure. The Spark rigs consists of a hard bait at the front of the rig (available with or without a propeller blade) attached to steel rods that keep each of the 5 soft baits out at length to avoid tangles. Think of it like a super sized spinner bait.

For years game fishing anglers have been replicating schools of fish with teasers and having great success. But it’s not until someone changes the game and creates multiple hook up points when things really take a turn for the better.

In game fishing the possibility of multiple hook ups on a single line would be hazardous and down right stupid, but the possibilities for lighter tackle fishing such as Bass are certainly there. I can see two major downsides when using this set up; the shear weight of such a rig and as well as the weed catching ability of dragging 5 baits through the water. Both of these obstacles can be overcome by using slightly heavier tackle and selecting the appropriate underwater conditions to fish such a bait.

While they may not have been the first company to make the Alabama rigs, you can be assured that they have done it right. Any Megabass gear I have used had exceeded expectations and no doubt so will the spark rigs. A JDM take on a american classic is always welcome in my tackle box.

Available now online at http://www.plat.co.jp and other good JDM stores.

Is there a new Saltiga Dogfight on the horizon?

Josh — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:42:59 +0000

In 2011, Daiwa Australia took its infamous Dogfight off the market. No longer available, anglers are still frantically calling around tackle stores trying to chase down one to call their own. While some might say Daiwa is crazy cutting such a popular reel, it’s worked before and no doubt they will do it again.

Daiwa loves to get every drop out their new ranges before bringing in additional “tweaked models”. This is reminiscent of their 2001-2002 release of the original Z series Saltiga’s. It took quite a few years before the limited editions such as the Dogfight and the Oz exclusive S-extreme series were released.

Anglers buy up the original release, get their value out of the reels, and a few years later comes an urge to buy again. It makes perfect business sense to keep something up their sleeves for later. Daiwa’s done this before with their Millionaire series, bringing in the cult favourite Black Sheep after the success of the rest of the range. Again the black sheep is still a highly sought after reel.

So can we hope to see a new Dogfight at some point soon? Probably not. At the AFTA trade show in August 2012 there always a chance of a new release, but considering it took 4 odd years before we saw the last one then it’s unlikely we will see any new limited editions this year. After all, the 6500 sizes didn’t arrive in Oz until the later half of 2011, so much for “2010 Saltiga”.

Realistically we can’t expect anything until 2013/14 so let’s hope the mayans got it wrong. Until then, Daiwa fanboys will have to keep their fingers crossed and eyes open for what Shimano might have to put on the table first.

Shimano Tropical Tackle System

Josh — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:01:52 +0000

After working in the industry for some years, I’ve seen many a customer bring back hardbody lures that have “exploded” in the Australian heat. Whether it’s been sitting on a dash when its 40 degrees celcius out,and double that in the car, or on just sitting the deck of a boat up north, lures and soft plastics can be annihilated by the heat. The lures are more often than not made overseas, and aren’t designed to cope with such extreme conditions. So until the lure manufacturers start taking this into account, it’s up to the angler to keep their tackle boxes at a reasonable temperature.

Shimano Australia seems to have solved this ongoing problem with their new range of protective tackle bags. Shimano’s Tropical luggage. The body is made from a tough tarpaulin to keep the sun out and your gear cool and dry. Waterproof zippers and heavy strapping is standard on all Tropical Tackle models.

Shimano have integrated leader dispensers into the Tropical tackle series, no more tangled leaders is always a welcome bonus. The bags will fit Shimano’s 360 or 370 size boxes, which is roughly the same as Plano’s 3600 and 4000 size trays. More at http://www.shimanofish.com.au