By Mike Frisch
I attended the annual ICAST fishing trade show late last month. There, I got a chance to see and hold lots of new fishing products including reels, rods, baits, and more. Here are a few of those products that I am looking forward to fishing with!
I have long been a fan of the Lew’s brand of rods and reels. In fact, I remember back to the 1970’s and fishing with my grandfather who had a couple of the innovative (for the time) Lew’s Speed Spool baitcast reels. I have fond memories from those days and my liking for the Lew’s brand and their innovative products remains very high today. One of the Lew’s products that caught my eye at ICAST is the new Custom Pro Baitcast Reel. This reel features what is called the ParaMag® ITB (Inertia Transfer Braking) – the highest-quality cast control on the market. What does that mean? In short, this reel casts great distances effortlessly while maintaining top cast control, minimizing backlashing. Plus, I was impressed with the reel’s low profile frame and how it fits in my hand.
In addition to reels, Lew’s also introduced new rods. I was drawn to the new LFS Series as these rods have a “high-end look” and they feel “just right” in my hands. This is a comprehensive series with 29 rod models. The blanks are lightweight and powerful and the spinning and casting models both come with split grip cork handles. At ICAST I visited with top National Walleye Tour pro angler Jason Przekurat who has had a chance to sample some of the models this summer. Przekurat has been using several of the spinning models for various fishing applications and said he likes the models he has sampled a great deal. Again, these rods look and feel high-end, but at an affordable price point (starting around $130).
In addition to rods and reels, lots of new lures and baits were introduced at ICAST. Wally Marshall, aka Mr. Crappie, has been a guest on our Fishing the Midwest TV series a couple times. During those television shoots I have been very impressed with several of the Mr. Crappie baits and how well they caught crappies and big bluegills on our TV shoots. Now, Marshall, working with Strike King Lure Company, has brought a mini size of some of his favorite plastic shapes to market. Called Teen-Zee baits, I really liked the samples I saw. Sometimes crappies want a bit smaller bait and these new baits fit the bill. They should be dynamite when the crappies are a bit finicky and I can see them being very, very effective as bluegill and perch baits too. Look for these baits to “star” in upcoming Fishing the Midwest TV episodes!
There you have them, just a small sampling of new products that are coming for the 2025 fishing season. Look for more information on additional baits in my future writings!
As always, enjoy your time on the water and remember to include a youngster on your next outdoors adventure!
Mike Frisch hosts the popular Fishing the Midwest TV series available on the Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, and more. Visit www.fishingthemidwest to learn more.
PHOTO – The innovative new Custom Pro reel.
