New tools and tackle to elevate your ice catch this winter – Outdoor News
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Ice anglers again have reason to be excited about the new fish-catching tools available for 2024-25 hard water.
Tungsten jigs and lures remain at the forefront, while some new additions to old lures and spoons should increase their fish productivity even more. Glow jigs and spoons that make a lot of noise and shed light are sure to be hot items, as are rods and reels designed for specific fish species and fishing situations.
Several added accessories, new spins on tip-ups, and fishing line designed entirely for ice fishing will all help tip the odds in your favor this winter. Here’s the line up for this ice fishing season.
Clam Pro Tackle
While portable shelters and ice suits might be Clam’s calling card, they continue to build on their solid line of tackle as well.
This year, they’ve added the Rattlin’ PT spoon, which features the same slicing, fluttering action and loud rattles of the famous Rattlin’ Blade Spoon, but it’s taken to the next level.
The Rattlin’ PT Spoon has two stainless steel bearings that click and clack inside a Pyrex-glass housing, while its life-like features and painted treble hook lures fish in and entices them to bite. This might be the loudest lure you drop down a hole this winter.
The Pinhead Mino has been a staple in many ice anglers’ tackle boxes for years. The next generation of the Pinhead is here, the Pinhead Pro PT. Its injured minnow profile dances in place when jigged and its classic sleek spoon design gets down to the school fast.
The Pinhead Pro PT also features a painted treble hook and is made of environmentally friendly zinc alloy that provides a unique flash, sound, and vibration in the water. Both spoons are available in three sizes.
Clam has also added two new jigs to this year’s winter line up – the Confetti Drop Jig and Confetti Drop XL.
Both jigs glow extremely brightly, are made of tungsten, and feature a “flat tie eye,” which allows you to adjust where you situate the knot. The Confetti Drop XL also features a hook that’s two times larger for the jig size. Both are available in three sizes and 12 glow colors.
The plastics game has become huge for winter anglers, and Clam remains at the forefront by adding four options for this season: the Niku Twitch Fly, Niku Flutter Fry, Niku Soldier Fly, and Niku Bolt Minnow.
These plastics are less than 2 inches long and imitate most common underwater food sources. They do some amazing things under the ice, dancing like no other plastics can, and pair perfectly with any jig built to entice panfish.
MORE ICE FISHING COVERAGE FROM OUTDOOR NEWS:
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What does the future hold for ice fishing in Ohio this year?
Ice-line technology: How’s it different from open-water lines?
Snyders Lures Flutter Star
Are you looking for that perfect panfish lure? The Flutter Star from Snyders Lures might be it, with its ability to attract crappies, bluegills, and perch like no other. It’s a slow-falling lure that attracts fish from great distances.
The Flutter Star also works great for dead-sticking walleyes, because it constantly moves with the slightest twitch. The concave blade and custom Colorado blade add action that fish can’t help but hit. It’s available in 12 color combos and three hook sizes.
New color options from Acme Tackle and Moonshine Lures
Acme Tackle and Moonshine Lures have teamed up for a “glowing collaboration” this ice fishing season by infusing Moonshine’s signature UV glow paint onto some of Acme Tackle’s most popular spoons and lures.
The Ice-Winder, Hyper-Rattle, and legendary Kastmaster are now available in several custom glow colors. You’ll now find the Ice-Winder and Hyper- Rattle available in Wonderbread, Purple Squirrel, and Barbie.
The Hyper-Rattle also is available in two new sizes – a larger 3-inch and smaller 1 1 ⁄2-inch lengths. The new Kastmaster color glow options include Wonderbread, Purple Squirrel, Barbie, Firetiger, JJ Mac, Bloody Nose, Liplock, and Purplez-It.
In addition, Moonshine Lures is introducing six new color options to its popular Shiver Minnow.
This proven fish producer now comes in a hammered-gold series, with glow blue, glow green, glow red, or pink and purple dots. Also available in three sizes.
New lures from VMC
When the new Hatchet Spoon from VMC hits the water this winter, its intense fluttering energy will deliver amped up action and vibration, sure to grab the attention of aggressive fish.
The Hatchet Spoon features a marabou teaser tail, which conceals a super sharp VMC treble hook. An oversized holographic eye, four sizes, and a variety of custom colors are sure to attract anything that swims. Its available in 16 ultra glow and UV bright color combinations just to make sure that fish see the Hatchet Spoon at lower depths, in stained water, and at night.
VMC’s new Tungsten Roach Jig uses naturally flowing marabou to create life-like action and mimics natural prey. It delivers your presentation to the strike zone faster and with a better live sonar return than lead.
The jig is complemented with VMC’s exclusive Power Gap hook, which features a wider round gap, greatly increasing an angler’s hook rate percentage. The Tungsten Roach Jig comes in eight colors and three sizes.
Building on the proven success of its Bull Spoon, VMC is introducing the new Bladed Bull Spoon this season, which is sure to be another must-have spoon for ice anglers.
The Bladed Bull Spoon has an erratic, wounded baitfish action, quick sinking, minnow-shaped profile, and life-like 3D holographic eye. A super-sharp bladed hybrid VMC treble hook produces maximum flash and vibration. The Bladed Bull Spoon comes in two sizes and eight UV Bright and Ultra Glow color finishes.
New rod case from Lakewood Products
Lakewood Products has a durable carrying case for just about everything and now they’re introducing a new case for this winter that accommodates longer ice fishing rods.
This case has all of Lakewood’s signature features: internal foam bottom and sides, plus additional foam added to the lid to help hold rods in place, Velcro straps for additional rod security, heavy-duty ABS construction, outside pocket, and a easy-carry shoulder strap.
The new case holds six-plus rod-andreel combos with rod lengths up to 46 inches. Its outside dimensions measure 47 inches long by 12 inches wide by 4 inches high.
Ice lines from Sufix
When you’re on the ice, you’re looking for every edge you can get to attract and hook what’s lurking below and Sufix understands that. So, in addition to making the toughest and strongest ice fishing line available, they came out with two new colors that will give ice anglers that extra edge they need to put more fish through the hole.
The Sufix 832 Advanced Ice Braid is the strongest, most durable small diameter ice braid ever, and it’s now available in new Fire Camo.
The 832 Advanced Ice Braid uses eight fibers with 32 weaves per inch. Gore Performance Fibers add incredible fray and abrasion resistance for unmatched durability, while providing strength and sensitivity. Hydrophobic water-repellent protection helps the line resists freezing.
In addition to being available in Fire Camo, 832 Advanced Ice Braid also is available in Ice Camo, Ghost, and Neon Lime. It comes in six tests – 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 20-, and 30-pound strengths.
Ice Magic from Sufix is its high performance monofilament line. It’s for ice anglers who want a
little stretch in their line and now it’s available in new Glacier Blue, so perfect for clearer water.
Ice Magic stays true in frigid water and has been developed with additives that deter water absorption that causes ice build up. Ice Magic is available in 100- and 300-yard spools and comes in six tests – 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 6-, and 8-pound.
Rods and reels from Clam
Clam Outdoors adds to its line of ice fishing rods and reels with several new options for this winter.
The Jason Mitchell Meat Stick Rod line continues to grow. These rods are built around a proprietary, precision sanded Lapis composite blank with a feather-light tip that leads to a hefty backbone. The Meat Stick rods are balanced to load perfectly with heavier search lures yet enables anglers to watch for the lightest pickups.
The Meat Stick lineup uses a handle that adds weight above the reel to balance the tip for increased sensitivity and create a better gripping surface for anglers. Check out the new medium action, 28-, 32-, 36-inch models.
The Clam Spooler Elite Reel has been popular with ice anglers for years. When using a spooler reel, the line has far less coiling effect, which can help anglers feel extremely lights bites and lessen lure spin for shy, finicky fish. What separates the Clam Spooler Elite from the competition is its 2.3:1 gear ratio.
The Spooler Elite Combo is built around Clam’s Spooler Elite Reel. They paired the reel with a custom rod to complement the reel.
The rod features Clam’s lightweight Tsuka handle and fly style guides with the perfect lengths and actions to round out the combo. The Spooler Elite Combo is available in a 27-inch ultralight with spring bobber, 28-inch ultralight, and 30-inch noodle.
Beaver Dam tip-ups and more
Beaver Dam is introducing two new tip-up options for this season, which were the winning designs from their Facebook contest earlier this year. Both will have limited production runs.
The first is a dark stained board with a colorful northern pike painted on it. The second is a pink cancer awareness model, with some proceeds donated to a cancer charity.
Both tip-ups offer legendary Beaver Dam Smooth-Spool Technology and freeze-proof grease to ensure that even finicky fish won’t drop the bait.
You can also hit the ice in style this winter with the all-new Beaver Dam rod-and-reel ice fishing combo, featuring Busch Light logos. This special edition combo is more than a conversation piece. It’s available in 26- and 30-inch, medium-light actions, which is ideal for panfish.
A foam handle ensures a comfortable grip, it’s spooled with 4-pound monofilament line, and features a bright colored tip that provides excellent visibility for detecting subtle strikes.
New options from 13 Fishing
Building on a proven line of ice fishing rods and reels, 13 Fishing has added several new options heading into the ice fishing season.
The new FreeFall Ghost Aluminum ice fishing reel features the groundbreaking FreeFall trigger, enabling anglers to reach specific depths and achieve immediate hookups by releasing the trigger within the desired strike zone. The reel’s precision-engineered aluminum spool facilitates the quicker dropping of lighter lures, it boasts a new, ultra-smooth competition drag system, and features 3+1 stainless ball bearings for ultra-smooth, one-handed operation.
With features like no line twist, drop-speed control, and a tangle-free spool cap, the reel’s user-friendly design streamlines line management and it’s available in left-hand and right-hand models. It runs a gear ratio of 2.5:1 and retrieves 18.9 inches of line per turn.
The new FreeFall Special Edition Trick Shop ice fishing reel features a lightweight carbon fiber frame and the ultra-responsive FreeFall trigger mechanism. It delivers lightning-fast drops to precision depths with zero line twist and the system instantly re-engages to maximize your strike to hook-up ratio.
The line guide paired with a magnetic drop system allows for micro-adjustments between lightweight jigs and lures. The new FreeFall Trick Shop reel is available in left-hand and right-hand models and has a gear ratio of 2.5:1 and retrieves 18.9 inches of line per turn as well.
The new Heatwave ice fishing rod-and-reel combo offered by 13 Fishing is ideal for all ice anglers. The smooth ball bearings of the Heatwave reel, combined with the durable spool material, will get the job done.
It features two ball bearings, along with instant anti-reverse, a lightweight graphite spool, and a fat bail wire design. The Heatwave reel is paired with a durable fiberglass rod blank that is fitted with stainless steel guides that have polished inserts. The Heatwave is finished with a premium EVA handle.
The Heatwave comes in four models – a 24-inch ultra-light power model, a 24-inch light power model, a 26-inch medium-light power model and a 28-inch medium power model.
Source: https://www.outdoornews.com/2024/11/26/new-tools-and-tackle-to-elevate-your-ice-catch-this-winter/
