Tackle Tactics » LATEST-NEWZ » AFTA 2022 Trade Show Wrap Up
Related Products...
AFTA 2022 Trade Show Wrap Up
By Justin Willmer
The AFTA, Australian Fishing Tackle Association, Trade Show was held on the Gold Coast recently, after two years of cancellations due to Covid, bringing together fishing tackle manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers on the Thursday and Friday (August 4 and 5), with a trade morning and then public day on the Saturday from 10am – 3pm. Behind the scenes there is catalogues and websites to be updated, new products and new packaging to be completed, stands to be designed and manufactured, then a truckload of gear taken to the Gold Coast Convention Centre on the Wednesday before the show for a full day of set up.
Tackle Tactics and the team have been attending these shows for many years, however after a couple of years off and a loss of match fitness, it was a wild adventure getting everything together, finalised and set up on the day. The event went extremely well, with many Australians currently holidaying within Australia and turning to fishing to escape the crowds and catch a fresh feed of fish for the family. There was also plenty of interest in the many new products that Tackle Tactics had assembled for the show.
In this article I wanted to share a look at the Tackle Tactics AFTA 2022 stand, for those that couldn’t get there on the public day and a sneak peek at some of the exciting new products released at the show, that will be arriving over the coming months. For those that made it on the public day, plenty enjoyed the ZMan Trick Shots board, shooting 10X Tough ZMan plastics at targets to score prizes, catching up with the team, checking out the new gear and subscribing to our free weekly Tackle Tactics Inspire Fishing Newsletter. As well as our monthly subscriber prize, we also had a couple of bonus draws on display at the show and running in September, giving away a couple of Limited Edition, Okuma GT spinning reels. If you’re not a subscriber, you can subscribe online at - https://tackletactics.com.au/Subscribe
Let’s take a quick look at some of the new Tackle Tactics releases from the show, across the brands. Stay tuned to upcoming issues of the newsletter and Tackle Tactics socials for more information on these products and when they drop. Fish on!
TT Fishing
It’s been a big year for TT already with the release of the new logo and a stack of new apparel featuring the logo, including tees, hoodies, caps, and a straw hat. Since last AFTA Show we have also seen the release of products such as the Big EyeZ jigheads, Snake EyeZ weedless jigheads and NedlockZ EWG weedless Ned Rig jigheads.
A couple of highlights from the show included the ChinlockZ SpinZ, weedless, belly weighted underspin jighead, which had the bass, barra, cod and jack anglers pumped for starters, along with a painted series of HeadlockZ Finesse jigheads for the light line sport fishers. This selection of popular models will be available in 4 colours – Orange, Black, Motor Oil and Bloodworm – featuring UV paint to attract fish and trigger strikes. The best just got better and there are sure to be many bream tournaments won on these heads, featuring world class Gamakatsu fine wire hooks, ‘head lock’ keepers and a bullet head design with flat sides for tracking and increased plastic action.
There were also some additions to the TT range of rods, including baitcast versions of the popular Copperhead, Red Belly and Black Mamba rods, along with Black Adder heavy baitcast models and the Slo Jig R range of slow jig rods, beautifully colour coded to their PE rating for ease of identification when the bite is red hot. These rods are all about the quality and value you would expect from TT, built of Toray Carbon blanks, and fitted with quality Fuji components.
Another category addition for TT is line, with the development and release of Pursuit Braid and Pursuit Fluorocarbon Leader. Pursuit Braid is an 8 carrier, premium PE braid, made in Australia from a newly developed fibre that is colour infused, reducing fading, and minimising the need for coatings and dying. With no dying required and minimal coatings, Pursuit is extremely thin and supple for excellent line lay and long casts, even with finesse presentations. This is going to make this braid extremely popular for tournament anglers and keen social fishos alike. Initially available in breaking strains from 6lb to 80lb, in 150m and 300m spools, complimented by Pursuit FC Fluorocarbon, a 100% quality Japanese Fluorocarbon, with more fluoro for the angler’s dollar.
ZMan
We have seen loads of new ZMan releases since last AFTA Show, including the 2.75” TRD BugZ, GOAT family, Pro CrawZ, 6” DarterZ, 5” & 7” DieZel MinnowZ, 4” GOAT ToadZ and more, plus a stack of new colours, such as Gitter Done, Slam Shady, Beer Run, Fried Bologna, Dark N Stormy and more.
Gareth, Tackle Tactics Managing Director, also managed to sneak away from ICAST 2022 in the US with a couple of new surprises fresh out of the mold, landing back in Australia just a week before the AFTA show. These two exciting new 10X Tough finesse plastics are the 2.5” ST GrubZ and the 2.5” PrawnZ, both of which created plenty of interest at the show.
The ZMan 2.5” ST GrubZ features a deeply ribbed body that feels soft and realistic, creates micro vibrations, and will hold plenty of scent for when the bite is tough. They also feature a split tail design, whereby the end of the tail feathers into four sections for a subtle, fluttering fall and even more action on slow retrieves and on the pause. Bream anglers were super pumped on this release, however we have seen the ZMan 2.5” GrubZ catch hundreds of species around the world in both fresh and salt water, so we are confident that this little curl tail will have mass appeal and giant killing attraction.
The ZMan 2.5” PrawnZ has been prototyped and fished through several versions to get to the finished product and it created loads of excitement at the show. This 10X Tough, bite size prawn imitation is going to appeal to a stack of species, thanks to its realistic profile and its design features include natural antennae and 3D eyes, enough bulk in the head to effectively house a jighead, tapering rapidly to the tail to encourage maximum action and a realistic prawn flick and glide. Legs extend directly out each side of the PrawnZ, slowing the fall and allowing it to parachute down around pontoons, mangroves, rock walls, boat hulls and other higher structure, rigged on a TT HWS (Hidden Weight System) or HeadlockZ Finesse jighead. The legs can also be trimmed off, if required, to create a faster sink and glide, combined with that natural prawn hop or flick.
The ST GrubZ will be available in a dozen colours, with 15 colours in the PrawnZ, so loads of cool options, including laminate (two-tone) colours. Other additions include ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ in Slam Shady, Houdini and Gold Rush, along with two new additions to the Oil family, Dirty Oil and Blood Oil, so stay tuned to socials for release dates.
Okuma
There have been so many additions to the new era of Okuma, so I would suggest joining the Okuma Facebook and Instagram pages, if you haven’t already, as the range blew a lot of heads off at the show.
The award winning Hakai finesse baitcast reel is a prime example, built on a completely new platform and featuring featherlight mag alloy body, 6+1 premium bearings, Flite spool and shafts from Dream Tackle Design and 10-point cast control for long and accurate casts, even with ultralight lures.
A crowd favourite was the new Ceymar HD, with its stylish red and black aesthetics, HDG-II oversized high-density gearing, EFR-II Even Flow Roller System with DLC Coating, lightweight machined alloy screw in handle, frictionless main shaft design, 7BB+1RB and loads more, with its price blowing anglers away. This reel will be in sizes from 1000 – 5000, starting at just $129.90.
Bluewater anglers were not forgotten with the release of the new Azores high and low speed reels, Cedros series and a sneak peek at the new Salina platform, along with the high-end Tesoro series with its IPX7 rating, lightweight Alumilite body, oversized titanium spool shaft, Carbonite drag, 12BB+1RB corrosion resistant, stainless steel bearings and loads more, packed into a stunning looking reel.
Make sure you check out the Okuma Australia Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with Okuma releases as there will be so many dropping in the coming months, including Azaki and JAW combos, Tesoro, Cedros, Azores XP, Ceymar HD, Hakai, Serrano, Solterra SLX and more across the reel range, along with Terzetto Nibble Tip (multiple tips), JAW, Coronado, Komodo Spin and more in the rod range.
Platypus
There have been some awesome additions to the Platypus range along with a few refinements. New Australian Made braids have included Pulse X4, Pulse X8 and Bionic X9, along with new releases, Downrigger Braid and HC-X16, 16 carrier hollow core braid that can be fished as a mainline or used for creating wind on leaders and is available in 40lb to 550lb.
Cutting edge Pulse Mono has become an instant favourite, after challenging our line techs to design and manufacture the best monofilament line in the world. The latest in materials have created a line with balanced stretch and a finer diameter, without sacrificing abrasion resistance and knot strength, in a Ghost Clear colour that mirrors its surroundings, much like a fish scale. Requests have seen the addition of 500m spools, following the initial release in 300m spools.
Other developments in monofilament saw the release of Hard Armour Supple and Tough Leaders, with requests seeing lighter breaking strains added, including 10, 12 and 15lb in the Supple and 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 15lb in the Tough. Hard Armour Leader is built around increased knot strength and up to 20% more strength and abrasion resistance when compared to equivalent diameter leaders from leading brands. It’s also made in Australia and being a nylon monofilament leader, it doesn’t sink like fluorocarbon, making it an excellent topwater and general purpose leader, with more metres for your money.
The popularity of the Hard Armour range has seen the expansion of this range into Hard Armour Game Leader in both hanks and reusable lure wallet packs, in breaking strains from 100lb to 600lb. Don’t forget, we also manufacture Shooting Line (speargun cord) and Downrigger Line right here is Australia. Thanks for supporting Australia’s longest running fishing tackle brand, family owned and operated and made in Australia since 1898.
Toadfish
Toadfish has been another exciting addition to the Tackle Tactics range, including a selection of quality and innovative products to suit those that love the outdoor Australian lifestyle and those who enjoy the magnificent seafood that this country produces. From cutting edge seafood tools, amazing non-tipping drinkware and innovative BBQ tools, to folding fillet kits, dry bags, and Non-Tipping Dog Bowls. If you haven’t checked out the range, visit toadfish.com.au.
New releases at the show included Black and Green in the amazing Non-Tipping Can Cooler, Non-Tipping Tumblers, the stainless steel, double wall vacuum insulated Wine Chiller, Multi-Purpose Scissors, Ultimate Grill Set, Stowaway LED All Purpose Lantern and more.
Overall, the show was great for Tackle Tactics, the team, and the brands we represent. It was exciting to display all our exciting new products that we have been working on in the background, catch up with our friends in the industry, from other brands and the stores around the country, and to meet some of you on the public day and shoot a few ZMan 10X Tough plastics at targets to win some prizes. We are very much about developing products for anglers, based on feedback from anglers, so these face-to-face catch ups are priceless.
Thanks for your ongoing support of an Australian Owned and Operated Family Business, we hope that some of these new products tick the box for you and you’re hooked up soon. Remember to stay tuned to the Tackle Tactics Inspire Newsletter, along with our socials, for the roll out of these exciting new additions. Fish on!
See you on the water…
Cheers, Justin