LADSON, S.C. – From down south at Lake Guntersville and the Harris Chain, to Texas at Lake Fork and in the Midwest at Lake Winnebago, and up north at the St. Lawrence River and Lake Champlain, leading pro bass anglers from the U.S. and Canada will be relying on the best Shimano tackle, G. Loomis rods, PowerPro braid and Jackall bass baits as they all compete to be the best. And from this, what can avid bass anglers hope for out of it all? All the Shimano brand tackle – be it reels, rods, braided line and lures, receiving the hardcore on-the-water testing by a special group of anglers that can only make the tackle better in coming years.
During the 2020 professional bass circuits, Shimano continues to support many of the leading pros with their tackle needs. Keith Combs, using Shimano reels and rods including select Curado cranking rods helped design; New Jersey-pros Greg DePalma and Ed Loughran are both full-bore Shimano tackle users; Jeff Gustafson is casting Shimano reels spooled with PowerPro, all rigged on Shimano and G. Loomis rods including the special NRX 901S to fish one of his go-to baits, a hair jig; and Bernie Shultz is exclusively using Shimano rods and reels, where he especially likes the Metanium DC reel when casting frogs into the wind. They all fish the Bassmaster Elite events.
“While all of us affiliated with the Shimano brands appreciate the exposure these pro anglers bring to our tackle, and we cheer them on in hopes they all cash a check at every tournament they fish,” said Shimano pro staff manager Blaine Anderson, “it’s the input they provide to our product development staff that benefits our efforts, with the winners being those who use our tackle to enjoy a day on the water now and in the future. It’s nice hearing that many of them still use some reels that they have had in the rod lockers for a good number of years – if even after all those hours of fishing, many have such a comfort and confidence level in the reels they don’t want to give them up.”
Interested in the latest in baitcasting reels? Watch pro anglers Aaron Martens and Bernie Schultz showcase all the technology features and fishing benefits they provide in Shimano’s new Metanium 150 low-profile reels, now with CoreSolid Body design and MGL III spool here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZS1zKPxdQU.