Given the week’s significant weather changes, Stetson Blaylock admits he does not know what to expect during the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota. He is, however, confident that he has the right rods and reels to handle whatever he encounters.
That’s because Blaylock will employ the new lineup of Academy Sports and Outdoors H20X Evo rods and reels, which make their debut at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by U.S. Army. Anchoring Blaylock’s confidence is his personal involvement in the tackle design.
“Academy Sports and Outdoors has had H2O Express as their in-house brand for several years, but they’ve rebranded it to H2OX,” Blaylock said. “I’m helping develop rods and reels for (Academy) and he ones I’m using in the Classic are the Evo Series.”
The H2OX family has three lines — the entry-level Premier, the mid-range Ethos and the top-tier Evo. The idea was to create a line for all ability and budget levels, but as Blaylock points out, even the “high-end” Evo products are surprisingly affordable.
“Retail for the rods is $89.99 and retail for the reels is $99.99,” Blaylock said. “People want to know, is this what I’m using. You can look on my deck and that’s what I’m using. It’s a great product for the price point.
“Their whole goal is to make products for anglers of any level. I think it’s a really good move for Academy to relaunch their store brand as H2OX.”
Warming conditions with likely showers could alter the Classic playing field and shuffle the deck. Blaylock said that fishing with gear he helped design removes any performance concerns.
“For me, it’s important to know when I pick one up what it’s going to do and what it’s going to feel like,” he said. “I’ve been with (Academy) for several years now and we’ve been able to work on getting things right.
“I know if I’m changing bait sizes, I know if I need to go longer, go shorter, go more parabolic, a little stiffer — it doesn’t matter. I know we have the correct rod in the lineup.”
At the retail level, customers can purchase a product with the specs and preferences of a picky pro who’ll be using the same rods and reels in the sport’s biggest event.
“Academy gave me the opportunity to build a full series of Evo rods exactly how I wanted them with the right actions and balances,” Blaylock said. “So I’m 100% confident that my equipment is going to do its job.”
