Six New Items for Traveling Anglers at Tackle Warehouse
I’m unrepentant about the fact that I peruse the Tackle Warehouse “New Items” tab daily and still order far more gear than I can ever use in a lifetime – although I’ll die trying. In recent years my focus has turned from the bass tournament game to angling travel, so while those two tackle categories clearly overlap I’m always looking for better options for global adventures. Here are six of the most intriguing that they’ve added recently.
Whether you’re chasing lightning-fast peacock bass in the Amazon or tigerfish in the Zambezi, or just want a 9.5:1 burner for largemouths, this bright red option from Lew’s should stand up to a long-distance beating. Early super-speed baitcasters had insufficient drags and gears, but they’ve beefed this one up for maximum fighting power, while keeping it lightweight and eminently reasonable in price.
This DIY solution makes any rig into a castable umbrella rig, simply by locking the three-blade apparatus into place with the included peg stoppers. Whether a multi-hooked Alabama Rig is not legal where you’re headed or just a pain in the ass to pack, this adds a simple solution. I’d love to throw it in front of a small swimbait or lipless crankbait in Mexico, or with a swim jig on the Rio Negro.
I first became aware of BKK through my research into exotic saltwater popping tackle, where their beefiest trebles seem to be ubiquitous. Now the Chinese company has added a Florida office, and they’ve brought their premium toad-grabbers to TW. If you’re looking for replacement trebles, they offer both round-bend and wide-gap versions in sizes 1 to 8, for a surprisingly competitive price.
Terminal tackle storage is one of the biggest issues for me when flying to a distant location. For now, mostly out of fear that I’ll dump a box and create absolute havoc, I’ve settled on a combination of small Ziploc bags inside of dedicated small storage boxes. Buzbe may have a better solution with this airtight, “overengineered,” modular box.
I’m immediately wary of anyone who describes the weight of their purported trophy fish but doesn’t have a true scale weight to back it up. We’ve been using the Brecknell scale (or occasionally a Boga Grip) on our bass travels and we’ve been happy with it, but it only goes up to 22 pounds. I’ve heard very good things about the Accu-Cull scales, and this one that goes up to 110 pounds may prove valuable and necessary as our saltwater range expands – although I can’t imagine hoisting an 80 pound yellowfin long enough to allow the weight to register.
I’ve enjoyed all of the many AFTCO products that I’ve purchased over the last five years, but of all of them the Reaper stands out the most. It is fashionable, well-made, and beyond functional. I have two of them that get rotated during the coldest periods of the year. If you don’t have one, and you ever fish where it gets below 45 degrees, make it your next purchase. If you didn’t like the previous color selections, maybe the three new ones – Green Digi Camo, Khaki Digi Camo, and Navy Digi Camo -- will be more to your liking.
I’m almost certain that several of these will find their way into my shopping cart in the near future. If you’ve tried any of them out, or plan to do so, please send us your feedback so that we can incorporate it into future articles.
