by Gord Pyzer photos: Roger Yip What An Angler Wants From sonar to soft baits, our annual guide to the year’s hottest new fishing gear covers it all Think of it as a reconnaissance mission. This past July, Outdoor Canada ventured to Las Vegas for a hands-on preview of the top new fishing gear for 2002. Our ultimate destination? The 44th annual International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, better known simply as ICAST. As the sportfishing industry’s largest trade show, ICAST offers the perfect venue to suss out what’s bound to be hot on the water for the coming year. With that, here’s our pick of the crop for 2002. Quantum Performance Tuned Baitcasters It’s no coincidence that pro angler Kevin Van Dam flipped and pitched his way into the winner’s circle at the 2001 BASS Masters Classic using prototypes of Quantum’s new Performance Tuned (PT) baitcasting reels—the Energy PT and Accurist PT. Why? These souped-up baitcasters have been modified and super-tuned to get the most out of every single component. Ceramic drag washers and a ceramic level wind, for example, have been incorporated to dissipate heat, reduce wear and eliminate noise. Now that’s attention to detail. Quantum, 1-800-588-9030; www.quantumfishing.com Lakes End Gator Ripper Lakes End’s new Gator Ripper bucktail for pike and muskellunge is based largely on the company’s highly successful Pike Tickler. With the Gator Ripper, Lakes End has added an extra half-ounce of weight to the shaft to make it a full two ounces, while scaling down the spinner to a #7 French blade. Now you can cast the 7 1/2-inch-long bucktail a country mile, as well as fish it fast and deep—the three things that turn on big muskies and pike. Plus, the premium-quality bucktail makes for a long, lush, shiny bait. Lakes End, (403) 528-9979; www.lakesend.ab.ca Berkley Trilene Sensation After decades of refinements, you’d think that modern monofilament lines couldn’t improve much, but Berkley’s new Trilene Sensation is even better than ever. The reason is a breakthrough technology called “complex polymer alloy,” which blends five different polymers. The finished product is a monofilament line that’s 35 per cent more sensitive, 25 per cent stronger and 70 per cent more flexible than many competing brands. Packaged in both 330-yard and 3,000-yard spools, Sensation is available in clear or green, and it comes in 11 line strengths ranging from two- to 30-pound test. Pure Fishing Canada, 1-877-857-3467; www.berkley-fishing.com Lowrance X71 The debate over the merits of liquid crystal display (LCD) versus flasher sonar is over. The new Lowrance X71 offers the best of both flasher and LCD technologies in a single unit. In LCD mode, the X71 offers a 160-by-160 pixel, high-contrast screen for high-resolution detail and target separation—even in direct sunlight. And with 1,200 watts peak-to-peak transmission power, the X71 relays accurate bottom and fish information in water as deep as 800 feet. With the push of a button, meanwhile, you can switch to full-screen FasTrack mode, which displays instantaneous flasher sonar returns. Lowrance Canada, 1-800-324-1356; www.lowrance.com Read more on the top tackle of 2002: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4