Prior to 2006 Abu Garcia had no say in the low profile reel market and I have to say, what they were offering before really sucked, and I bet the Abu reel team agrees. Then all of the sudden out of no where they introduced the Revo reels at the 2006 ICAST. It was Abu’s REVOlution, making a huge dent in the freshwater low profile reel market and even had the guys at Shimano running scared.

So when is Abu Garcia’s Next REVOlution and where are they headed?

Here are my thoughts on where they are going…

1) Abu Garcia rods – They started out with the low cost yet attractive and decent performing Vengeance and Vendetta rods. And recently the Veritas white bass rod that we previewed and also seen on our TackleTour Forum. Just last ICAST we also gave a sneak peek at the new lightweight rod but haven’t seen much of it lately except that it’s in the works. It will be called Verdict and will be super-lightweight and well-balanced. It’s time they introduce higher end rods in the Abu Garcia brand, though Jim at Abu did tell us at ICAST they want to introduce high-performing, JDM looking rods at affordable prices, and of course widely available and easy to buy, with a warranty.

2) The REVO lowprofile baitcast reels, they already have a great product here and only minor changes can be made if any. Nothing will probably happen here for this year’s ICAST unless they are making new reels out of new materials to make it super-lightweight. If it ain’t broken don’t change it.

3) So what’s left for the Next REVOlution? I have a feeling that it’ll be in the freshwater spinning reels and perhaps a high-end line of spinning reels under the REVO name. I was about to review the Pflueger Supreme XT spinning reel which I tested for trout fishing and it performed well but was then told it will be replaced by a newer and better model that will be introduced at ICAST 2010. Someone at Abu also leaked some word of a feather-lightweight spinning reel similar to what we’ve seen in the Revo Premier baitcaster.  This would match with the high-end lightweight rod, Verdict, that’s currently in development. Aside from that they can probably introduce a whole new line of REVO spinning reels here.

That’s where I’m seeing Abu Garcia headed for next year with prototypes being introduced this year at ICAST.

What would you like to see in the NEXT REVOlution?!?

In the recent years Berkley has released a whole new array of high-tech and high-utility tools for advanced anglers. Previews on the new TEC tools  can be seen on TackleTour’s ICAST 2008 article (http://www.tackletour.com/reviewicast08berkleytools.html). Now that I have had some time using these TEC tools I would like to provide a quick review on them.

Starting with the one I have already wrote a full indepth review on, the TEC Pistol Trigger Grip & Holster, but of a larger size for 2009, the TEC Magnum Pistol Grip. This neat fish lipping tool has a good overall construction, it’s ergonomic, and easy to use. The only downside to the original smaller tool is that it does not have swiveling jaws and no built-in scale. The new Magnum Pistol Grip now has a swiveling jaws but no built-in scale, probably due to it’s design they couldn’t incorporate one into this tool. Retail price $89.95.

Since the review of the TEC Pistol Grip, at the ICAST 2008 Berkley introduced a new fish handling tool and this time it has the features we wanted. The TEC Locking Trigger Grip, though not in pistol design, now comes with a swiveling jaws and a built-in scale that can measure up to 30 pounds. The lipping tool has a length of 13 inches which is perfect for most applications. Again, like the Pistol Grip, the Locking Tripper Grip is well built, easy to use, and the jaws lock right in place after you release the trigger. From that point you wo’nt have to worry about the jaws accidentally opening when you’re weigh the fish using it’s built-in scale. And after using this tool I’ve not yet found anything negative about it except for this model with the swiveling jaws and built-in scale, it costs $119.95.

Up next is the TEC Hotwire Line Cutter. I really like this little high-tech tool. Not only can it cut fishing line, it’s excellent on superlines and braided lines. When it burns through the braided lines it welds the end shut so the braids won’t come apart. The Hotwire uses a single battery and from that it supplies enough juice to produce 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. One fresh battery will last over 500 cycles, depending on how you are using the tool.

The tool is designed with a clever switch where you slide to turn it on but when released it automatically turns off, a great safety feature for a tool that gets extremely hot. Not only that, the tungsten tip moves out of a plastic guard which protects not only your hands from getting burned but the tip and everything else it might come in contact with, and then retracts when you release the switch.

The TEC Hotwire Line Cutter includes a spare Tungsten tip just incase the other one gets lost or damaged, and damage it can. We’ve pressed the tip too hard against some plastics and other things while we were using the Hotwire and have bend the tip into a complete U but as long as the wire still makes a complete loop, it’ll still function. The tool comes with a one year warranty and retails for only $24.95.

The amount of reels we at TackleTour spool and de-spool within a weeks time is insane. I used to use a cordless drill for the job but now Berkely has a new TEC tool to replace my expensive cordless drill. Berkley’s TEC Magnum Xpress Line Stripper is awesome for people who changes line often.  The new TEC Magnum Xpress Line Stripper is FAST! The Magnum Xpress rotates at speeds of 10,000 RPM and will strip 300 yards of line in 40 seconds! Super-fast and easy to use, this tool is definitely great for the serious angler.

The TEC line stripper is great for freshwater and saltwater applications as it can handle lines up to 300 pound test. The body has a heavy-duty construction and like other TEC tools uses the ergonomic SofTorx material for controlled handling. That’s the problem though, the magnum size makes it tougher for us to take with us to trips, and we do many of those where we are needing a fresh spool of line for each day. Berkley does make a smaller version but it’s not nearly as powerful as this model. The TEC Magnum Xpress line stripper uses four D-cell batteries that aren’t included, has a one year limited warranty, and retails for $39.95.