Some companies begin their ICAST previews a little earlier than the rest, and Pure Fishing, as a whole, has been one of the earliest to display their new wares.

Today, we can show you a vast majority of the new Pure Fishing Consumables that will be unveiled at the Las Vegas Convention Center in July; a little more than six weeks from now.

Here are sneak peeks at releases from Johnson, Berkley Gulp, Berkley PowerBait, Berkley Havoc, Berkley Trilene, Firewire, Spiderwire and Shakespeare with Advanced Angler’s Managing Editor Dan O’Sullivan

These are items that we will be catching fish on throughout the next year.

“This is a partnership we’re really excited about,” said Mike Hastings, tournament director. “General Tire is one of America’s best automotive companies and brings a reputation for building a quality product that our anglers recognize. We’re thrilled to have them on board for 2013.”

General’s Grabber line of light truck tires include Grabber UHP, Grabber HTS, Grabber AT2 and the marquee Red Letter Grabber, providing the comfort, grip and durability necessary for anglers to get from one location to the next. With more than 2.5 million anglers in the state of Texas, the Texas Team Trail Series is an ideal fit for the General Tire brand.

“The Texas Team Trail Series reaches a core demographic for us with regards to the General Tire line of light truck tires,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for General Tire. “We’re looking forward to being part of the series and welcome the opportunity to speak to this very loyal audience.”

The tournament circuit, designed exclusively for team competition, includes four qualifying events, plus a year-end championship on legendary Falcon Lake, October 12-13. Registration for the upcoming Cedar Creek event is already underway. Anglers can secure an opportunity to win a free Minn Kota Talon shallow water anchor by registering before Thursday, May 30.

Anglers with questions or anyone interested in more details on the event are encouraged to visit www.texasteamtrail.com or call 210-788-4143.

2013 Scheduled Events

June 1 – Cedar Creek Lake

Championship – October 12-13 – Falcon Lake

For more information on General Tire, or to locate a dealer near you, visit www.generaltire.com.

Jason Christie, who topped the previous edition of the Rankings, dropped to 3rd. Todd Faircloth, who was No. 1 earlier this year, remains No. 2, followed by Bryan Thrift and Brent Chapman. Thrift last held the top slot in 2011 and Chapman was No. 1 prior to Faircloth’s ascension.

Skeet Reese, the winner at the West Point Lake Elite Series and currently 2nd in the AOY race, moved up 13 slots to 7th. Other big jumps were made by Aaron Martens (28th to 16th) and Alton Jones (31st to 14th).

Eufaula FLW Tour winner Randy Haynes has competed in only three tour-level events and his overall body of work is too small for his performance to be reflected in the Rankings. He currently sits at No. 244.

The next event that will impact the Rankings is the Grand Lake FLW Tour (June 6-9). For full listings, follow the link: http://www.bassfan.com/rankings.asp?archive

Trade Show Executive’s “Fastest 50″ award is determined based on growth in attendance over a two-year period of time (2010 – 2012). ICAST was ranked number nine on the list. The Trade Show News Network placed ICAST on its Top 25 Fastest-growing Shows by Attendance for 2012.

“We appreciate Trade Show Executive’s and the Trade Show News Network’s recognition of this important industry event,” said Trade Show Director Ken Andres. “This is an exciting time for recreational fishing and all outdoor sports and the event’s continued success reflects both the strength of the industry and our member companies who exhibit at the show.”

Andres further said, “The growth in attendance is a direct result of our efforts to improve the show by expanding our business seminars and refining our marketing and public relations strategies.”

ICAST 2012 was held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. ICAST 2013 is being held July 9 – 12, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

For more information about ICAST, go to www.ICASTfishing.org.

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The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade association committed to representing the interests of the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry a unified voice, speaking out on behalf of sportfishing and boating industries, state and federal natural resource agencies, conservation organizations, angler advocacy groups and outdoor journalists when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. ASA invests in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous, as well as safeguard and promote the enduring social, economic and conservation values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America’s 60 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways through KeepAmericaFishing™, our angler advocacy campaign. America’s anglers generate over $48 billion in retail sales with a $115 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for more than 828,000 people.

Producing hard-core action, Storm’s new Smash Shad portrays a deliberate, steady cadence on the swim with a stable rolling action at all speeds.

“This bait is packed full of action and is ideal for all fishermen,” said Storm Pro-Staffer Chris Gilman. “Whether you’re casting or trolling, the Smash Shad runs with a perfectly timed and steady top-to-bottom rolling action that mirrors a panicked minnow on the run.”

Loaded with a high frequency, multi-ball rattle system, Smash Shads call in active fish, providing anglers with an added punch for long casts. Pair that with the bait’s external scales and holographic 3D eyes and anglers will have fish careening in for the kill from all directions.

Standing out of the pack, the Smash Shad is available in 22 enticing colors, including six UV Bright finishes.

“Not only are Smash Shads chock-full of action, the exclusive UV Bright finishes allow them to reflect more light for a longer time, boosting their visibility to hungry fish,” Gilman said.

Featuring premium VMC® Black Nickel Treble Hooks, Smash Shads are available in three sizes: 05, 06 and 07. Size 05 is two inches long, weighs 3/16 ounce and runs four to eight feet deep. Size 06 is 2 1/2 inches long, weighs 1/4 ounce and runs 5 to 10 feet deep. Size 07 is 2 3/4 inches long, weighs a hefty 3/8 ounce and runs 6 to 12 feet deep.

Tie on a Smash Shad and start smashing your personal-best catches!

Find out More Here – http://www.rapala.com/Smash-Shad/Smash%20Shad,default,pd.html?start=8&cgid=storm-newArrivals-hardBaits

My wife is finishing her protocol with Pancreatic Cancer. We will be entering the monitoring phase soon. She passed her six month scans and check up! Donna has made incredible strides to normalcy.  She just wants her job back as a mom! I can’t blame her. My domestic skills have increased over the last seven months. I still can’t fold and wash clothes the way she wants!

Staying at home has allowed me time to do things with my children. Professional anglers have windshield time, practice time, and tournament time. This does not take in to account the promotional events. It was baseball time this weekend. My son’s team is starting to learn where the ball needs to go. They are starting to hit the ball very well. Max drove the tying run in the last game. His team scored a win with a walk off double. They won the game 5-4. This was an exciting game for both teams. Watching the evolution of these seven year olds has been a blast. They are really improving weekly.

My next event will be the Skeeter Owners Tournament at Lake Fork in Texas. This will be an anniversary event for Skeeter. This hourly big bass event will give away two Skeeter Boats this year! The event is expecting up to 1,000 boats! It truly is a family reunion for all the boat owners. We will fish, compete, and eat at the event! I always look forward to the Skeeter Bug Shootout. This is a two hour tournament for the hourly winners to fish with a Skeeter Pro for a special prize. I have been the runner-up twice! I would love to help an owner win the event this year!

We are looking forward to a very special summer. Kentucky Lake will be a destination I want to go to as well. I’m just about ready to put my Skeeter Boat in the water soon! I need some fishing time!

The XB-1 will feature premium components throughout, but its most innovative feature is a weight transfer system utilizing a tungsten ball bearing. The lure remains buoyant, but casts like a rocket.

“The XB-1’s weight transfer system will separate it from the rest of the field,” said Xcite pro-staffer Grant Goldbeck, a Texas-based veteran of Elite Series competition. “There’s nothing better than a shallow-diving crankbait when it’s windy, but with a lot of the smaller baits you give up accuracy when you’re casting in tight quarters, around laydowns and other heavy cover. This one goes straight like an arrow. You can roll cast it and lay it in softly, even from a distance, which allows you to stay back off the cover to avoid spooking the bass.”

Goldbeck also worked closely with Xcite’s designers on a palette of 14 color schemes that cover all possible water clarities and forage possibilities. Eleven of the patterns were developed with the assistance of renowned painter Custom Lures Unlimited. “For years many of us have bought our crankbaits and then sent them to a custom painter,” he explained. “That’s an additional $10 or $15 for each lure. Now you can have a custom product for $7.99”

“I have a squarebill tied on at every Elite Series event,” he continued. “It’s a confidence bait, one that you can use to fill out your limit or win a tournament. You can’t be competitive without one, and this is the best one I’ve ever fished.”

Leading tackle stores and online retailers will begin stocking the XB-1 the week of May 27th.

Greg Hackney James Niggemeyer talk about a fish catch

As a part of Advanced Angler’s partnership with Strike King Lure Company, Advanced Angler will be airing complete episodes of the 2011 Strike King Pro Team Journal season as it aired on Network Television in order of airing during the 2011 Pro Team Journal Season.

Over the next several months, these episodes will broadcast approximately every other week, and the episodes will air in their entirety.

The first episode features Strike King Pro Team members Greg Hackney and James Niggemeyer doing what they do best – fishing heavy vegetation.  The episode was filmed in Texas, and the pair of Bassmaster Elite Series pros give detailed information regarding fishing heavy grass using Strike King’s Rage Tail Game Hawg with the Flippin’ and pitching techniques, as well as swimming the lure around and over the grass.

So, enjoy our Strike King Pro Team Journal Rewind with Greg Hackney and James Niggemeyer featuring the Game Hawg.

River2Sea Rover – Bigmouth

While surface lures can be effective many times throughout the year, from the postspawn period through the fall is when most anglers consider topwater baits a prime weapon.  One of those baits that we’ve grown to like over the years was the River2Sea Rover 128.

This walking bait was always a quality product that drew big strikes, but thanks to River2Sea pro staffer Scott Martin, it became an excellent bait.  Martin had used the Rover before he became a pro staffer.  As a dealer of the products at Mary Ann and Roland Martin’s marina at lake Okeechobee, he was familiar with its effectiveness.

However, he found one modification that made the lure even better.  He added a small amount of weight to the rear of the bait, and it popped the nose up in the water slightly, making it have a much more erratic side to side walking action.

River2Sea Rover Hooks

Product Features
The Rover 128 is made of hard plastic, features a high quality finish, has great hooks and dual rattles that can make a huge difference on the water.  When Martin made his suggestion, the company added a slightly larger stationary weight to the rear of the bait to achieve the desired effect.

By changing the stationary weight, it allowed River2Sea to retain the tungsten ball in the rear chamber that creates the loud knocking sound that has been driving bass wild for years.  River2Sea also included glass rattle beads in the head chamber that create a high frequency rattling noise that can attract strikes as well.

River2Sea Rover Tail Feather

The remodel of the product line also included a complete refinishing as well.  The Rover got 10 new colors; which they sought the input of all of their team on, and it received color coordinated hand tied feathers on the rear treble hook.  Many of the colors have a foil finish on the gill plate area, which means that every movement of the lure will create a unique flashing into the water; translucent finishes also have a foil insert in the middle for added flash.

Speaking of hardware, the Rover comes with River2Sea’s premium Big Bite hooks.  These black nickel short shank, round bend hooks feature a stiffer wire to make penetration a breeze.  Couple the strong wire with needle sharp points, and these hooks grad and hold.  The lure also comes with an oval shaped line tie on the nose for increased action.

Application
The Rover128 is a walking topwater; similar in action to many of the cigar shaped topwater baits found throughout the marketplace today.  However, the cupped mouth and precision positioning of the bait in the water make the Rover one of the more versatile walking baits on the market.

River2Sea Rover Face

Short, sharp snaps of the rod tip can make the lure slash wildly from side to side with reduced forward motion, and a more subtle, longer tug can make the bait glide more from side to side.  Either one has fish drawing power, depending on the conditions an angler is faced with and the mood of the bass.

Rover is also durable. We are told that pull tests rate it highly enough, to make it suitable for use with all species of bass, and possibly even quality striped bass.  It probably would not hold up to the rigors of peacock bass or golden dorado, but we know it will handle quality fish without fail.

In the Real World
We love the Rover on a 7′ to 7’6″ medium heavy crankbait rod matched with a 6.4:1 retrieve reel and 30-pound-test braided line that is smooth.  We like braids such as Spiderwire Ultracast or Sunline SX-1 because of their smoother weaves which helps with long casts and less friction in the rod guides.

If the water is clear, we prefer to use a monofilament leader which we tie to the mainline with an Albright knot.  This combination gives us the ultimate combination of casting distance, positive hooksetting and stealth because of the braid to leader matchup.

The River2Sea Rover is available in 10 colors, and two sizes which retail at $9.99.  This is an amazing value for this price point.  Find more info at www.river2seausa.com, or pick them up at www.monsterfishingtackle.com