Lots of great stuff debuts at Big Rock show
Many fishermen are aware that the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) show is held each July to introduce new fishing tackle. It is a closed show, open to media and buyers only, and some anglers would consider donating body parts to be able to walk the aisles and see all the fishing tackle and accessories.
A smaller version of a super tackle show is held in Raleigh each January. Big Rock Sports Group, which began in Morehead City in 1996 after acquiring Henry’s Tackle Company, hosts its Eastern Dealer Show at the Raleigh Convention Center — a very large show filling all the exhibition floor that’s as close to ICAST as many smaller tackle shop owners and buyers will ever get. It’s not inconsequential, either, as a growing number of tackle and accessory manufacturers are introducing new products at the Big Rock shows. Many products were still in development when the 2015 ICAST show hit Orlando, Fla., but they’re ready and can’t wait for 2016 ICAST, as much of the prime fishing season will be completed before that show.
Several new products caught my eye at the recent Big Rock show in Raleigh, and they should be arriving at your favorite tackle dealer very soon if they aren’t already on the shelves.
With offshore fishing on the horizon, the latest lures from Blue Water Candy (www.bluewatercandylures.com) are a must-have for anglers trolling in the bluewater. The Hampstead company was born about a decade ago, focusing on lures, skirts and rigs used by its owner, Capt. Jody Gay, and his friends. Some of his new lures caught my eye.
The Flyin’ Jag, Flyin’ Scooter and Razzle Dazzle are flying-fish imitations that use a longer, wider and tapered piece of mylar to flash like the wings of a flying fish just before it launches. The Flyin’ Jag begins with a 3.5-ounce bullet-shaped head, then adds a squid body and the mylar wings. It can be used in daisy chains, as a lure pulled alone, or as a lure rigged with a ballyhoo or strip bait. The Flyin’ Scooter is similar in using a squid skirt and mylar wings, but it is a shorter lure built on a chugger head. The Razzle Dazzle is short and rigged on a chugger head like the Flyin’ Scooter, but its skirt is all mylar for maximum flash.
The Dancin’ Flyer is for fishermen who want a multiple-lure rig but don’t want to make it themselves. It begins with six Flyin’ Scooters to create a commotion in the water, trailed by a Flyin’ Jag to make an irresistible dropper chain. All the lures are available rigged or unrigged, so fishermen can use them as they like.
Mark Nichols founded DOA Lures (www.doalures.com) with a soft-plastic shrimp that really looked like a shrimp, and he has expanded the company into multiple lure families over the years. He recently expanded into bass fishing with 5- and 8-inch worms in his CAL line and is adding a snake lure for 2016. That’s great news for bass fishermen, but saltwater anglers can appreciate this lure, too, as it can also be used as an eel. This lure should be deadly on bass, fresh and saltwater stripers and cobia.
The DOA snake/eel lure is soft plastic that begins at about 10 inches and stretches out a little more as it swims. It can be rigged on a jighead or with a wide-gap worm hook and fished a variety of ways. It is so realistic, it will make you turn your head. The snake/eel lure should be available about the time snakes begin moving about in the spring and before cobia arrive.
Nichols said one of the secrets of the snake/eel works is that it comes with small, plastic tabs holding it in a spiral in the package. You remove these tabs when you put it on the jig or hook and it doesn’t lose its spiral resting shape, which is what makes it swim so well as it stretches out.
Adventure Products has come out with two new Mini Grippers in its EGO Fishing Gear (www.egofishinggear.com) accessories line that look to be just right for wading anglers and kayak fishermen. The only difference in these grippers is the magnetic release on one model. The grippers are on a lanyard with a carabiner clip to secure the lanyard; the magnetic release comes with a second carabiner clip to attach it where you would like to hold the gripper.
I thought of this first as a kayak-fishing accessory. One of the unwritten rules of kayak fishing is that if you have to have something at the end of the day, it must either be tethered to the kayak or float. For years, I added floats to other fish grips for when they fell overboard. It worked, but sometimes the float got in the way, as it had to be fairly large to be able to float full-size grippers.
The EGO Mini Gripper solves the size issue and uses a coiled tether rather than a float. An added benefit to the tether is that if the fish twists and pulls it from your hand, it is attached to you or your kayak and can be used to pull the fish back in. It will also easily clip to a belt or fishing vest for a wading fisherman.
I like the magnetic-release Mini Gripper and see it as well worth the additional $2. It can be attached wherever you would like to hold the Mini Grippers, and it is pretty strong.
These were several new lures and accessories shown at the Big Rock Sports Show in Raleigh earlier this year that caught my eye. There certainly were a few more new things that I missed because the booths were busy with crowds of dealers placing orders to stock their shops. These new items and the latest versions of long-time favorites should hit the shelves in your favorite tackle shops very soon, if they aren’t there already. Go by and check them out and then head for the water. Spring arrives later this month and it’s time to go fishing.
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