The AFTA Show is where we set the bar for the next 12 months. This is the place where all of the goodies we have been working on for the last 12-24 months are shown for the first time to the trade.
This year’s show was extremely successful for us with a dozen or so products introduced to the trade and we were rewarded with a couple of gongs at the Best of Show Awards ceremony.
Let’s take a look at the products introduced to the trade.
Wilson
This year was a massive year of releases for our own brand with the release of an entire tackle storage range that covered everything from price competitive tackle bags all the way up the Best of Show in Tackle Management, the Platinum Tournament Tackle Bag.
Essentially three ranges of tackle storage were introduced – the Platinum, Gold and Price Fighter.
The Platinum series is an elite series of tackle storage with the range making use of the waterproof boxes, ingenious design and radical thinking that gives the tournament angler everything they want. In the range are two tackle bags, a brilliant back pack and the Tournament Tackle Bag, which features 8 trays, a waterproof base and plenty of bulk storage.
The Gold series uses heavy duty clipped trays inside the tackle bags and they have fewer graphics on the outside. These Gold Series bags are a rethink on the current range of tackle storage options, giving anglers high quality gear without the premium price tag.
The Fighter series is aimed squarely at offering a quality bag and trays without the price. Heavy duty construction and trays mean these price sensitive tackle storage options will be a mainstay in tackle stores everywhere.
Wilson also released the new Live Fibre range. These rods feature blanks that now include Toray graphite, Sea Guides and familiar actions that give the power back to the angler. As an extra benefit these rods will also be very price competitive. One of the biggest joys for the team was when the new RLF46FRD won Best of Show in the Gamefishing Rods section.
The last release from the Wilson brand was the GraphWrap series of rods – a range of rods that are built tough to handle the punishment. These solid glass tipped rods have a graphite core and outer graphite wrap and will be priced under the $100 mark to make them accessible to every angler. Tough, durable and workmanlike, the GraphWrap series was a massive hit with the retailers.
Mustad
Mustad released a massive range of fishing accessories and introduced the award winning Triangle Series of hooks.
The Triangle hook series is a new design concept that features new coatings, a radical triangle shank design and several new point sharpening processes and treatments. The entire concept was finished off with packaging made from recycled materials to make these hooks as environmentally friendly as they can possibly be.
Other products introduced in the Mustad brand included the range of tackle protection. Within this range were the neoprene reel bags, neoprene rod tip protectors and elasticised spool bands. Each of these products was warmly accepted by the trade as their quality and convenience proved a hit.
The entire range of Mustad Fishing Gloves was also released, along with neck tubes, arm sleeves and leg sleeves.
The Fishing Gloves range now includes a Fish Handling Glove, Sun Glove, Fingerless Glove and a Casting Glove. Each glove has particular design characteristics that make it unique and give it form and function.
The sun protection gear, such as the leg and arm socks and the Neck Tubes are all rated at 50+ UPF to ensure that when you’re having a long day on the water, you’re not overly exposed to the elements.
Zerek
The new lures from Zerek were eye candy for just about every tackle store that visited the stand. The design, range, paintwork and useability of the Zerek range has propelled it into a lure brand with some serious credentials.
A couple of the more notable introductions included the Runner Up Best Soft Plastic, the 8″ Live Swimbait and the 160mm Fish Trap in 58g and 78g. These two (or three) lures were extremely popular and tackle stores were clamouring to see them and have a play.
Along with these lures, the Tango Shad range was added to with the release of the 1m diving Tango Shad 50mm. This will be a flathead slayer, will appeal to the bream fishers and have trout anglers in a spin. No longer is ultra-shallow water a problem with this lure on the market!
We also showed off the Zerek Affinity, a 220mm long hard swimbait/glide bait that has a uniqueness that grabbed everyone’s attention. The Affinity swims brilliantly, but, the most exciting part was the fact this lure will come with three weight options. The options are unweighted, 10g and 20g (this could change with final production and development) and the weights are easily changed via two screws. The chin weights are formed to the shape of the body and sit very neatly under the gill area making this a very versatile lure.
A couple of other lures worth mentioning include the Maniac Vibe – a 70mm, super loud vibe and the Stream X, a 65mm sinking minnow that will appeal to trout fishers and estuary anglers.
A massive range of releases from Zerek that we will be excited to deliver to the shops in the coming months.
Bone
Last but not least was the Bone releases. Bone rods have a cult following around the globe and in Australia and this following will only get greater as his new releases become available.
In the rod range, Bone released an entirely new range – the Ocean Thug range. These are purpose built ocean rods that include every type of rod an offshore lure fisher would need. There are jigging rods, slow jigging rods, popper/chugger rods and stickbait rods. It’s an exciting release.
Bone also added a few rods to the Voyage and Black River stables, increasing their range with some spin sticks that are built to perform.
Bone didn’t stop at the rods though. He managed to design and show two new lures as well to add to the Bone Dash 90. The new lures are the Focus 130 and the Hover Jet.
The Focus 130 is a 130mm long swimbait with multiple tow points to achieve different swimming depths. The colour range is exquisite and the size is ideal for all manner of Aussie fish. The lure also has a chin weight attachment to allow anglers to fish any depth they want.
The Hover Jet is a brilliant piece of design with this walk-the-dog stickbait transforming into a rear ended prop bait with a simple twist of the rear end. Easy to walk and even easier to fizz, this lure is a brilliant example of Bone’s lure design of multi-purpose lures.
Overall
One of the biggest highlights for the Wilson crew was taking out the Best Large Stand award. This was a real team effort as the entire Sale’s Team puts the stand together and it was a great reward for the efforts.
As a group we are eagerly awaiting the chance to get these new products into the retail stores and look forward to the excitement they will create and the memories anglers will make with these products. It’s always a big buzz seeing anglers catching fish on our gear and that’s something we will never tire of at any time.
2018 Awards
Best Tackle Management – Wilson Tournament Tackle Bag
Best Gamefishing Rod – Live Fibre RLF46FRD
Runner Up Best Soft Plastic – Zerek 8″ Live Swimbait
Runner Up Best Clothing Accessory – Venom Deluxe Head Sock
Best Large Stand
