HomeFeaturesICAST 2012 Preview–Pure Fishing Brands story by Dan O’Sullivan – photos courtesy of Pure fishing and Blue Heron Communications ICAST is only a couple of days away now. Before Advanced Angler arrives in Orlando, Fla. to get the inside scoop on everything that is new and exciting for the 2013 tackle year, we checked in with a few companies to see what kind of sneak peeks we could get at items they are releasing at the show. On Friday, we caught up with what’s new from the Wright & McGill Co. and Lazer TroKar companies and took a look at all of their items, today it’s time to check in with the brands of the Pure Fishing Corporation. The Pure Fishing brands include the powerhouses of Abu Garcia, Berkley PowerBait, Trilene, and the recent, immediate impact of Berkley Havoc amongst several other industry stalwarts. The industry can always count on Pure fishing to release multiple products at the mid-summer tackle industry show each year, and 2012 is no exception. We caught up with Kevin Jarnigan, Public Relations partner of the Pure fishing Brands for Blue Heron Communications to find out what some of those items will be on Wednesday. Jarnigan said that there were a few items that he could release to the public now, but that some of the items were being kept quiet until the show floor actually opened for business on Wednesday. Here are the items that he was allowed to release: Abu Garcia Revo Redesign The majority of the Revo family has received a completely new tooling. From the appearance to the internal hardware, the Revo has been re-done to eliminate weight, create a smaller footprint and improve the functionality of the reels. One example of the project is the Revo Premier. The Premier has been one of the most popular Revo’s since its introduction a few years ago, and being one to not sit on their laurels, Abu Garcia has made huge differences in one of their flagship products that will certainly be worth taking notice of. Here are the specs: Abu Garcia Revo Premier Weight – 5.87 ounces Gear Ratio – 6.4:1 and 7.1:1 Frame – X2-Cräftic™ alloy frame with C6 carbon sideplates Drag – Carbon Matrix™ Brake System – Infinitely Variable Centrifugal Brake MSRP – $299.95 Other features Extreme Lightweight Design Infinitely Variable Brakes Ideal for Bass Anglers D2 Gear Design™ Flat EVA Knobs Titanium Coated Line Guide Abu Garcia Villain Microguide Rods Microguide rods have become the rage in bass fishing. The reduced line slap in casting is touted to increase casting efficiency, accuracy and distance, and Abu Garcia has entered the Micro Guide fray on their upper end gear. The Villain rods were released in 2011, and became the upper end of Abu Garcia products immediately. Now, thanks to the inclusion of microguides and a new, redesigned reel seat designed to work with last year’s Best of Show reel; the Revo MGX, the new Villain series should be worth a look. Here are the Additions: Micro-Guides Titanium alloy guides C6 Total Exposure Carbon Reel Seat MSRP – $179.00 Berkley Havoc Pit Chunk When Berkley Havoc Pro and designer Skeet Reese unleashed the Pit Boss design on the fishing world, he gave anglers everywhere an incredible fishing tool, and he gave Berkley its biggest selling Havoc product. Now, Reese and Berkley have turned the Pit Boss into a new Pit Chunk that allows anglers to use the Pit Boss action in a chunk style bait designed for use on jigs. The Pit Chunk features a slightly larger body than other chunk style baits, which allows the angler to thread the body up on the shank of the hook for better longevity of the plastic body. But, the angler still keeps that Pit Boss action. Here are the specs for Pit Chunk: Size – 4 inches Colors Bama Bug, Black, Blue Fleck, Black, Red Fleck, Breen-Clear Chartreuse, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Purple Fleck, June Bug, Pearl White, Perfection Green Fleck Shady Watermelon Candy MSRP $3.49, for package of eight 4-inch Pit Chunk Other Features: Large Profile Jig Trailer Crayfish Type Action High Action Pinchers Berkley Schooling Rig Castable Umbrella Rigs have become all the rage in the fishing industry, and Berkley has decided to come out with their own version. Like anything Berkley does, the Schooling Rig is engineered to allow anglers to present multiple lures at one time. The Schooling Rig features premium components, including 60-pound-test Berkley cross-lock swivels and other premium components. One of the biggest features of the Berkley Schooling Rig is that it is available in a kit that is equipped with everything you need to fish this type of rig; the Rig, five jigheads and five color coordinated Berkley Split Belly Swimbaits. Or, you can purchase the rig itself. Here are the Specs: Premium components Proven colors Lighter weight than other castable umbrella rigs Weight 2.3 ounces fully rigged Swivels Berkley 60-pound Cross-Lok snap swivels Two Colors Pearl White Hitch MSRP Schooling Rig Kit $24.99 Schooling Rig $14.99 Berkley Bait Binders Organizing bags of soft plastics has never been easier. The Berkley Bait Binders come in two sizes that allow anglers to store their soft baits in their original packaging, but keep them organized in their boats. But, don’t think these are only for boaters, these binders come with a shoulder strap that allows the angler to carry them if they need to. These bags will be available in two sizes: Here are the Specs MSRP 1170 Bait Binder $14.99 1490 Bait Binder $19.99 Removable Padded Shoulder Strap Carrying Handle Pliers Holder 7 Heavy Duty Bags Holds Up To 21 Standard Bait Bags (1170 Bait Binder) Of Course, most of the Pure Fishing brands will have something new to show off at the show, but this was all that we could gain early access to. Check back next week as we cover more of what they have to offer.
