Fun stuff

[Deitz Dittrich]

So, yesterday I worked the CSI show. Its somewhat similar to MN version of iCast. its a non public show, but still has all companies and their new stuff. Vendors show up and buy all their spring product. My thoughts...

Trokar hooks.. Wow, unbelieveable sharp.. crazy sharp.. Like bleed if you get within 5 feet kinda sharp.

Salmo- got some new cranks that have wicked paint jobs.. think of kids stickers that change and move depending on what angle you are looking at..

Mr.Twister- Getting away from Exude, and back to the basics but dropped pricing, which I thought was cool. And they got some SUPER SEXI DUDE on the cover of the new 2010 Catalog..

Shimano- new Stradic is amazing.. New Cumara Reaction rods are very cool as well.

Gamma- new 100% floro line, way more limp than the Edge... excited about it.

Strike King. New plastics that were cool.. Got a new bait to go up against the paca craw..

Skeet reece rods.. very bright yellow, but felt nice.. really like the crank rods..

Rapala, new trolling shads and such were cool.

Todays Tackle has a new disk that you put on your ice lures to give them better action.. I thought was a fantastic idea..

Mepps has a new spinnerbait out that caught my attention.. kinda cool.. and added a few new colors to the Black Fury line..

Thats what I saw, but didnt really get to see it all well.. Maybe Agape will chime in as I saw him there as well.. I made sure he saw the SUPER SEXI DUDE on the cover of the Twister Catalog.. LMAO

[Cecil]

I have some of the Trokar hooks, but have not used them yet. They are impressive!

I'm excited about some of the new Raps

[EBass]

What's the Stradic run these days? I have 2 that are about 4yrs old now. They are sweet. Best spinning reel I've ever used/afford.

[river rat316]

Trokar.... 5 for $9.99 no thanks

[polarsusd81]

What picture? Was it one from the 6/15?

Those new Reaction Cumaras are freakin sweet, no doubt about it.

The Skeet Reese rods are interline aren't they? Not too sure how I feel about them.

Saw the new Today's Tackle disks a couple weeks ago at Thorne and chatted with Bruce. Pretty cool deal, see how they work in about a month and a half. Sucketh big time how the Ice Buster was ripped off though.

With how often I loose hooks, I can't afford to plop 10 bucks for 5 of them.

[TonkaBass]

I got to use the new stratic for a weekend and can honestly say it is one of the nicest open faces I have ever used!

[TonkaBass]

What's the Stradic run these days? I have 2 that are about 4yrs old now. They are sweet. Best spinning reel I've ever used/afford.

They are $200 and are black now and really light for that price. I think just a hair heavier than a steez, but not much...

[sicheneder]

the reese rods are not interline. i was surprised to see them at the gander mtn in forest lake last week.

[TonkaBass]

I also saw them at the gander in lakeville...

[olski]

Dick's also has a full line, Pretty nice rods for the money. Has some nice things and some things that make you say oh yea it was $90. trokkar hooks, Supper sharp, very hard so they stay sharp, the only thing I didn't care for is the fact that the top of the hook is sharp also so it cuts your baits up when texas rigging. Dropshot hook........ can't beat it.

[RK]

Hiya -

I got some of the Trokars via a circuitous and somewhat shady route that started with Steve Quinn at In-Fish. Well, really it comes down to me swiping a couple of them from a friend who'd just fished with Steve... Anyhow, man...nasty hooks. I really like the flipping hook. I currently use the Owner straight shank round bend for stuff like Brush Beavers and Jungle Hogs, but that Trokar is a nasty hook. Price stings a little but flipping with 50# braid, it's not like you break them off real often.

Reminds me of when Gamakatsus first came to the US. Couldn't believe how sharp they were compared to the Tru Turn worm hooks we were all using. We used to order them over the phone (pre-internet) from Japan. Those were some pretty funny phone conversations... When we got the hooks in the mail they'd always have plastic Mardi Gras beads in the boxes with the hooks, and we could never figure out why. I had a pile of the things in my basement. Finally figured out that if they put beads in with the hooks they could list them as mixed merchandise on the customs forms and the import duties were less. A lot of monkeying around for sharp hooks. I bet I still have a box full of beads in my office someplace...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Cecil]

I bought some of the flippin hooks, seem great, like I said I have not used them yet. Only think I wish is that they closed the eye completely on them.

[EBass]

$200 for a spinning reel?!? Sheesh - they were $120 when I bought them and that was expensive. Heck the Revo STX was $200 with kick arse Wiley X's sunglasses. The prices on reels jumped faster than the housing market.

[RK]

Hiya -

I hear ya Cecil. I think someone out there makes a welded eye straight shank hook, but I can't think of who it is.

I just tie a knot with braid, rotate it around to the gap and jam it in there, then clip it off close. Seems to work... And if you leave the tag ends long, it looks like your bait has little whiskers

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[RK]

$200 for a spinning reel?!? Sheesh - they were $120 when I bought them and that was expensive. Heck the Revo STX was $200 with kick arse Wiley X's sunglasses. The prices on reels jumped faster than the housing market.

Yeah - $200 is more than I'll spend on a spinning reel.

Was just thinking about this. I collect old fishing books, and found one at a used book store last night. In the chapter about tackle, it had reels broken down by price. The high end, high cost range was $20 to $30... I guess $30 bought a pretty nice reel in 1964.

[Fluker]

RK - I can't remember the brand with the welded eye either. I think the Mihatchii hooks have it, but for some reasons that doesn't seem like the one I was thinking of.

Regarding the flipping hooks, I've been meaning to try those this year, but haven't found a store up here that carries them. And haven't chosen to order any, so I think I'll just pick some up in my "winter order" for next year. Do you have a link to the snell knot, or whatever knot it is that Scroggins uses for those hooks?

[Fluker]

Ah, Youvella is the one I was thinking of. But maybe Mihatchii and Youvella are one in the same? Not entirely sure.

[Cecil]

I use reaction innovations, gammy makes it for them, great hook. But the Trokars point is impressive.

I can't find the Scroggins article, but I know it involves line and wire like spinner bait wire.

[Wayne Ek]

DD, I just got back late last night from the CSI show. It was a long 4 days and I missed the opening of pheasants again. Sorry I did not get to say good night on Sunday before you had to head home, we got a little busy. Strike King had some great new jigs out and some interesting new Rage baits. Ardent has a new reel specifically designed for pitch and flipping. It is really interesting to play with, I'm hoping to have one to try out prior to freeze up. And yes there is a really kool-dude on the catalog cover. I was just wondering who caught the fish for him.

[gritsnham]

Crazy the stradics are $200 dollars now! That was the first high end reel and combo I ever invested in and I loved it. I bought another original stradic and then a stradic MgF last year that has given me some problems. Both original stradics are still working better than ever.

What advantage does a straight shank offer? I got a lot of gammy worm hooks so used those for most of my fishing this year

[TonkaBass]

It is said that a straight shank as a better hook-up ratio on flipping applications like beavers and other creature baits...

[Cecil]

There are 2 advantages to an offset hook.

1. Keeps your bait up on the hook and you don't go through as many baits in a day.

2. If you have a bait like a tube you need the extra wide gap due to the thickness of the bait.