KEY LARGO, Florida Keys — Team Seraphim of Ocean Reef, led by Captain Jerry Pohl of Miami, Florida, tallied 12 sailfish releases to take top honors at the two-day Billfish Championship, a main event of the Jimmy Johnson Fishing Championship Week that ended March 9 in the Florida Keys.
The Seraphim team earned $405,000 in overall prize money for the victory, as well as authentic, custom-designed Jimmy Johnson’s NBC Championship rings for each team member. [Read more…]
POPULAR SIZE STELLA SW SPINNING REELS CONTINUE SHIMANO’S TECHOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS
LADSON, S.C. – Winter/Spring 2019 Introduction – For Immediate Release – 2.19 – When it comes to saltwater fishing, the right reel with the right features plays a big part for a successful day on the water. Shimano’s thorough understanding of this ‘right reel’ is made clear with the new, re-designed Stella SW 8000PG, 8000HG, 10000PG, 14000XG, now being introduced at sports shows from coast-to-coast and soon to be available from select tackle shops in mid-March.
The new reels will be at the centerpiece of Shimano’s product booth at key saltwater fishing-focused shows this winter and spring, kicking off with the World Fishing & Outdoor Expo this week on Feb. 28, the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach, Calif., on March 3, the Saltwater Fishing Expo in Edison, N.J. on March 15, and the New England Saltwater Fishing Show in Providence, R.I. on March 22.
Joining Shimano’s proven cold-forged HAGANE Gears for lasting durability and smoothness and ultra-durable HAGANE Body, the four new Stella SW reels introduce Shimano’s new Infinity Drive technology and HeatSink Drag to serious saltwater anglers.
Shimano’s Infinity Drive improves the winding experience of these new Stella SW reels “through the use of new main shaft supporting structure to eliminate friction within the pinion gear,” explains Trey Epich with Shimano’s product development staff. “We are able to optimize the winding torque by 26-percent, taking these reels to the next level of incredibly smooth and light rotation when fighting a big striper, sailfish, tuna or roosterfish.”
Especially when fighting bigger fish like yellowfin tuna and 50-pound-plus class stripers, anglers will quickly notice the advantages of Shimano’s HeatSink drag – offered on the Stella SW 10000PG and 14000XG. “With this new technology, we able to dissipate the heat build-up when hooked into a big fish to a special ‘heat sink’ insulation sheet, keeping heat away from the spool surface and drag washer where it can cause the drag to not function as needed,” said Epich. “Plus this also keeps heat off your line so you’ll see less line breakage.”
Featuring Shimano’s proven Cross Carbon Drag, the Stella SW 8000 size reels, both the 4.9:1 gear ratio PG version and 5.6:1 gear ratio XG version, are designed for use with braided line only. “With the drastic reduction in weight to these reels over past versions with our new lightweight spool design, braided line won’t spread and retract like monofilament,” Epich explains.
To handle the effects of saltwater on the reels, the new Stella SW models feature an IPX8-reated waterproof body. “When you add in the reliability from Shimano’s cold-forging capabilities with our HAGANE Gear and HAGANE Body design, durability from our IPX8 waterproof body and our X-Protect labyrinth design construction that offers exceptional water resistance and prevents water intrusion, along with power from the HeatSink Drag and smooth operation from our Infinity Drive, anglers easily can see why we say our Stella reels have no rivals in the saltwater fishing world,” said Epich. “We aim to excel in three key areas – durability, power and operability, and this new Shimano technology and design features found in the Stella SW 8000PG, 8000HG, 10000PG and 14000XG all come together to reach our goal in developing the most durable and strongest reels in the fishing industry.”
To see the Stella SW reels in action, visit this video featuring noted ‘obsessed’ angler Carter Andrews here – Stella SW action in Baja.
Both handling up to 215-yards of PowerPro braid, the Stella SW 8000PG reels in 37-inches of line per crank, while the faster 8000HG cranks in 42-inches. Thee Stella SW 1000PG has a 4.9:1 gear ratio to retrieve in 40-inches of line per crank and can handle up to 215 yards of 80-pound PowerPro or 220 yards of 20-pound mono.
A size known for its popularity among Cape Cod Canal anglers, the Stella SW 14000XG has the capacity to handle 240 yards of 80 -pound test PowerPro or 260-yards of 20-pound mono and has a 6.2:1 gear ratio to pull in 53-inches of line per crank.
For more information on the new Stella SW 8000PG, 8000HG, 10000PG and 14000XG spinning reels, see your local tackle dealer – visit the Shimano web site at http://fish.shimano.com – or call Shimano’s product support team at 877/577-0600 (6 am to 5 pm Pacific Standard Time).
ALICE TOWN, BIMINI – (November 26, 2018) — Wahoo Smackdown X, hosted by the historic Bimini Big Game Club Resort and Marina on November 8-12, 2018, saw 23 boats competing for more than $25,000 in cash and prizes. Out of the 23 competing boats, 22 teams landed fish, bringing 152 wahoo to the scales in the process.
The team from Who’s Your Daddy took top team honors with 16 fish weighing a total of 231.5 pounds, taking home $15,000 in cash winnings.
Second place was the Blitzsea Team earning $7,500 in cash winnings, an 84.7 pound monster. They weighed 21 fish for a total catch weight of 206.4 pounds.
Team Murderize, out of Freeport, Grand Bahama, finished third, taking home $2,500 in cash winnings, with a total catch of 11 fish with a total catch weight of 193.6 pounds.
The team from Little Giant caught the largest wahoo of the tournament at 50.7 lbs.
Tournament festivities included live local entertainment nightly, a cocktail reception poolside for the Captains Meeting, a cookout on day one of the tournament, and a closing awards party on the great lawn, featuring a buffet, live entertainment and a full open bar.
Sponsors for this year’s tournament include American Beverage Marketers www.masterofmixes.com as the Title Sponsor, Bahamian Brewery and Beverage (Sands), artist David Dunleavy. Tropic Ocean Airways, Caza Offshore, Live Wire Tackle, Flanigan’s, CS Custom Lures and Bimini Big Game Club.
