What happened? Ike no longer with Daiwa?????

Here’s a Pure Fishing release that came out today.

Renowned angler Michael Iaconelli and fishing industry leaders Abu Garcia, Spiderwire and Berkley entered into agreement for the upcoming 2010-tournament season. Beginning January 1, 2010, Iaconelli will fish Abu Garcia rods and reels, Berkley and Spiderwire line and Berkley PowerBait and Gulp! products exclusively.

“We are very excited to have Mike join our Abu Garcia and Spiderwire Teams,” said Chris Derrick, Brand Manager. “He is one of the best athletes in the sport and this partnership will help us develop new and innovative products while helping Mike elevate his game.”

The Pittsgrove, NJ native has enjoyed an illustrious career on the fishing tournament trail wrapping up 6 first-place titles, 42 top-ten finishes, 67 top-twenty finishes and amassing over $1.6 million in career earnings. Iaconelli also claimed the 2006 Angler of the Year title and hosts City Limits Fishing that is featured on the Versus network.

“This partnership is huge,” said Iaconelli. “It is a privilege to be working with Abu Garcia, Spiderwire and Berkley.  When you think about fishing these are the big names that everyone recognizes. The partnership with these major fishing brands is one that holds a lot of promise. Their technologically advanced products will be a tremendous asset to me on the competitive circuits. I look forward to continuing a very successful relationship with the folks at Pure Fishing.”

Are you ready for more baits? Berkley is again introducing a large amounts of new baits for anglers to use to entice fish to strike with both their Powerbait and Gulp! scents. We’ll cover them at ICAST but here’s one that is being introduced in Australia this month that might make it to the States.

The Berkley MF40, hybrid lure technology that combines the best of both worlds. The benefits of a vibe lure with the fish attracting scent of Berkley Power Bait.  Imagine a lure with a tight fish attracting vibrating action, weighted for excellent casting and controlled descent, oversize 3D eyes for maximum reaction, natural finishes in a wide range of colours, soft texture that mimics the feel of a live baitfish, built in PowerBait scent, so the fish hold on, plus the pliable PowerBait body enhances the tight vibrating action for a more natural presentation, finished off by supersharp Yakiba hooks. Available in 2 weights 5.9gms light and 8.6gms heavy, the Berkley MF40 is a revolution in lure design by Matt Fraser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AD6YqGMBJc

Two in a pack and available this month.

Berkley is proud to announce the upcoming Berkley Big Bass Challenge to be held June 6-7 on California’s Delta Lake. The hourly weigh-in format allows any registered angler to bring one fish to the scale each hour to compete for one of seven hourly checks, plus a shot at driving home a new 2009 Toyota Tundra Double Cab truck with a retail value of over $25,000.  The first 150 anglers to register will be in a special raffle on Sunday to win a day on the water with 2009 Bassmaster Classic Champion Skeet Reese.
 
The amateur-friendly event focuses on the big fish, but strategy plays a key role when determining when to bring a fish to the scales.  Anglers can choose the best time to weigh in their best fish to increase their odds at scoring a nice check. Top tier tournament anglers on the BASS and FLW tournament trails cannot compete. Over $16,000 in prize money is on the table for anglers using Berkley baits to catch their fish along with the Toyota truck that is guaranteed to be awarded regardless the size of the field.
 
“While everyone always thinks of big fish and large sacks, the format for this tournament makes it easy for amateurs and novices to win some cash”, said Andrew Marks, Sr. Marketing Manager for Berkley.  “The hourly weigh-in makes for some interesting strategy as to when to weigh in your fish and the largest fish one hour may have placed 3rd or 4th in another.  It definitely adds for some fun and exciting times when anglers literally have cashed checks with bass weighing less than 2 pounds”.
 
The Berkley Experience Trailer will also make an appearance at Russo’s Marina throughout the weekend starting at 3:00 P.M. on Friday, June 5th.  The Berkley staff will be on hand to help all anglers with knot tying skills along with the product demonstrations, interactive screens, Wii Fishing game and other fun elements.  Berkley baits will also be on sale under the tent with special promotions available on certain Pure Fishing products.
 
Registration is now open and anglers will also be able to register at the event starting at 3:00 p.m. June 5th. Registration and Details about the Berkley Big Bass Challenge can be found at www.anglerspress.net

Berkley gave bass anglers a treat with the 2009 Classic winning Crazy Legs Chigger Crawl bait, and now they have just introduced a few new baits for crappie, bluegill, perch, and trout fishermen. The micro-sized bait are all biodegradable and are delivered in Berkley’s Gulp! Alive! formula.

If you fish micro-tubes you will like the new Berkley Gulp! Alive! 1 inch Minnow Heads. This bait reminds me of a tapole except it has three tails instead of one, giving this tiny bait more action as you cast it out there with 2 pound or less fishing line. Not only that the one inch Minnow Heads are great when used to tip spoons and jigs. And this next part is kind of shocking as the Minnow Heads have lifelike gill and eye detail on the small head.

Another effective bait that’s introduced is a 1 inch Fish Fry. This micro-sized, quivering tail action and Gulp! Alive! scent turns sniffers into biters. These baits can be rigged on a bare hook and fished under a bobber or rigged on a jighead for a swimming twitching action.

Small and effective action is the key here and that’s what we’ve been seeing with the two baits above. Lastly there’s the Berkley Gulp! Alive! 1.5 inch Jigging Grub. This tiny grub offers a proven shape that works perfectly for panfish. You can rig it with a tiny jighead, as a trailer, or directly on the hook and effectively catch crappie, bluegills, and much more.

These new Berkley Gulp! Alive! Panfish baits are now available at your favorite online store and  local tackle shop. Many colors are available for all three baits and the great thing is that with artificial biodegradable baits, there’s no mess, refrigeration, aeration, or sticky stuff to deal with as with real dead bait.

The Berkley Experience Trailer is headed to the Bass Pro Shops store in Rossford, Ohio. The trailer will roll in March 6 – 8 and will offer demonstrations and interactive games for kids and adults.

The Berkley Experience Trailer gives the everyday angler the opportunity to view baits in the Berkley line and chances to see the baits in action. Kids and adults alike will enjoy fishing games and competing in knot tying contests.

“We want everyone young and old alike to enjoy the Berkley experience,” said Andrew Marks, Berkley Marketing Manager “In addition to our bait and line interactive displays we will have Abu Garcia reel demonstrations, interactive touch screens to learn how to “Catch More Fish” and a showcase for our latest and most innovative fishing products.”

Special sales and promotions will be offered wherever the Berkley trailer stops. If you are unable to make it by the trailer and test the interactive components in Rossford, Ohio, look at the upcoming events.

March 6 – 8
Bass Pro Shops – Rossford, Ohio
1000 Bass Pro Blvd.
Rossford, OH 43460
Phone: 419-891-3900

Upcoming Events
March 13 – 15 – Bass Pro Spring Classic, Cincinnati, Ohio
March 20 – 22 – Gander Mountain, Washington, Pa.
March 27 – 29 – Bass Pro Shops, Harrisburg, Pa.
April 3 – 5 – Scheels Des Moines, Iowa
April 17 – 19 – Cabelas Rogers, Minn.