The cleverest bass tackle of the spring is not the strongest or the flashiest, but the smartest. In his latest review, Tactical Bassin's Matt Allen singled out a new generation of gear that does part of the work for the angler, both at the reel and at the business end of the line.
Allen sets a high bar, hunting for "the rods and reels that will tangibly help you catch more fish." He is also blunt about the budget market's pitfalls, warning that the under-100-dollar category is littered with reels that "look good and then they take your money and they fall apart," while praising Daiwa's Pro Rex X LT as an exception.
His headliner was Abu Garcia's Revo X Voltic and SX Voltic, electronically controlled baitcasters that adjust their own braking in real time without batteries, powering themselves as the spool spins. "It's applying pressure in ways that we can't possibly do with our thumb," Allen said, crediting thousands of micro-adjustments per cast. Turned up to its maximum setting, he added, the reel "just became user-friendly, like true user-friendly" for anyone learning a baitcaster.
The reel's lowest three settings, reserved for experienced casters, hold off braking entirely at the start of the cast to let the spool reach maximum speed before the system steps in, maximising distance. The two models retail at roughly 199 and 249 dollars.
The second standout was Berkley's Lab Series soft plastics, which pair the MaxScent formula with sharper colours. A former scent doubter, Allen said the bass have convinced him. "Bass definitely accept that as real food, as opposed to plastic that needs to be spit back out," he said. A powder on the baits turns to gel on contact with water, releasing what he called a "scent cloud and trail tailing that bait" that helps persuade a fish to commit.
Alongside revamped Shimano Zodias rods and heavy-duty Owner Jungle hooks, the message of the review was consistent: the most interesting bass gear this season is the gear that thinks a little for you.
