FISHING TACKLE INDUSTRY NEWS
With the arrival of fall comes the deluge of information for retail buyers to prepare us for the 2003 fishing season. Some companies like to send samples, others send full color brochures or simply advertise in our industry magazines. Through these sources we have found many upcoming changes for the 2003 season.
Ray’s Distributing, manufacturer of the Texas Tackle Line just announced to its customer’s dramatic changes to their company. They will no longer continue the tackle distribution portion of their business and will dedicate their resources to the manufacturing of their Texas Tackle Factory lines and the recently acquired Team NuMark line. Consumers should see greater availability of the Texas Tackle Factory favorites like the Texas Trout Killer, Texas Red Killer and the recently released Texas Trout Killer II. Another new item to hit store shelves with great success is the Rattl’n Jig Head. Available in 1/8, ¼ and 3/8 sizes, these jig heads have a brass bead rattle affixed to the head.
As expected, MirrOlure is preparing for distribution of the "He-Dog" 95MR. Offered in twelve colors, this bait is designed for trophy redfish, trout, snook, stripers and tarpon. According to Fishing Tackle Retailer, September issue, "The ¾ ounce, 4 ¾ inch plug has two high pitched rattles and is best suited for choppy waters or for when large presentations are desirable."
Rebel will be celebrating its 40th anniversary with a new holographic design on the Minnow. Available in 10 iridescent "broken scale" patterns all will have oversized 3-D eyes.
Stycorp LTD, has begun distribution on the TALS 500 Practical Tackle System. Each pack, which can either be worn on the chest or on the waist, opens with a zipper and Velcro strap to expose an elastic storage system. The Velcro system supports 8 plastic tackle tubes in 3 different sizes. This lightweight product is great for wade fisherman and for use in kayaks.
Hilton Offshore Maps has made a Lower Texas Coast Fishing Map. The three -dimensional structure map gives GPS coordinates for offshore fisherman. An atlas for this map should be available soon. The upper Texas coast map and atlas are available from your favorite retailer now.
Reelures is currently distributing their "Live Swimming Shrimp" unlike the "Popp’n Shrimp"; these lifelike shrimp come with a lead head for easy rigging. They submerge slowly in a horizontal pattern and can be used alone or with a bait attractant.
With the introduction of these products and many others the 2003 fishing season is sure to catch a fisherman or two.
Michele Leach
David’s Tackle Box