Big Rock East Best in Show Awards
The Penn Slammer III Spinning Reel Series racked up another Best in Show Award in early January at the Big Rock Sports East Show held at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, N.C., January 6-8. The Slammer III Series, which is a reintroduction of a popular reel that had been discontinued, is making lots of fishermen question why it was taken off shelves for several year.
With a selection of several inshore sizes and several larger sizes for big quarry, the Slammer III Series took over where it left off and began to accelerate. The Slammer III Series was reintroduced at ICAST (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades) 2016 during July in Orlando, Fl. and fishermen loved it. Buyers and the fishing press voted it as Best Saltwater Reel at ICAST 2016. At the Big Rock East Show, voting was limited to retailers, who went one level better and selected the Slammer III as Overall Best New Fishing/Camping/Marine Product in the show.
The newly redesigned Calcutta Renegade Cooler topped the polling for the Best Beach/Camping/Outdoor product. The redesigned cooler has improved insulation, a redesigned double layer top, and now comes with straps to make it a backpack and keep hands free.
I liked the new Ego Kryptek nets and tools from Adventure Products, but they didn’t rate as well with the buyers who voted. I visualize them as a very close second to the Cobra Garage Door Storage rack in the Best Fishing Accessory category. The blue Kryptek camo should help it blend well and the fish not see it. That’s probably not as important with the tools as with the nets, but they sure look good.
I liked the Cobra Garage Door Storage Rack when I first saw it at ICAST last summer. It’s such a simple idea and turns the unused space on the back of a garage door into excellent storage for rods, gaffs and a whole lot more.
“We are proud to once again bring Big Rock Sports customers a unique preview of some of the most innovative products to hit the market,” said Bob Hunter, Vice President of Merchandising at Big Rock Sports. “Outdoor retailers use and know the products that they sell better than anyone else. Having these experts weigh in on their favorites is one of the best ways to identify the true winners in the marketplace.”
The New Product Showcase at the Big Rock Sports East Show, which was sponsored by Fishing Tackle Retailer magazine, included 227 product entries across 19 categories. The Fishing/Camping/Marine Products category winners were:
Overall Best New Fishing/Camping/Marine Product: Penn Slammer III Spinning Reel;
Best Saltwater Reel: PENN Slammer III Spinning;
Best Freshwater Reel: Shimano Sahara Spinning;
Best Fishing Rod: Lew’s MACH Speed Stick IM6;
Best Terminal Tackle: Gamakatsu Big Cat Circle Hook;
Best Freshwater Lure: Lunkerhunt Link;
Best Saltwater Lure: Westin Coco the Crab;
Best Line: Daiwa J-Braid
4 Carrier;
Best Fishing Accessory: Cobra Garage Door Storage Rack;
Best Combo: Lew’s MACH II Baitcast Combo;
Best Marine Product: Humminbird Helix 10 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS;
Best Beach/Camping/Outdoor: Calcutta Renegade Cooler.
The Big Rock Sports Show also included hunting and shooting sports. Those category winners were:
Overall Best New Shooting Sports Product: Leupold LTO Thermal Tracker;
Best Handgun: Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 9mm;
Best Ammunition: Hornady Black Ammunition;
Best Scope/Optic: Leupold LTO Thermal Tracker;
Best Laser/Sights: Holosun Sight with Quick-Detach;
Best Tactical Accessory: NcStar Universal Pistol Rear Site Tool;
Best Shooting Accessory: Blackhawk Omnivore Holster;
Best Hunting Accessory: iHunt Bluetooth Predator Call & Decoy;
Best Knife/Tool: CRKT Jettison Folder.
There is also a Big Rock Sports West Show and retailers there chose the Humminbird Helix 10 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS as the top new product. The Humminbird Helix 10 was chosen as the Best Marine Product at the Big Rock Sports East Show. The category winners at the Big Rock Sports West Show were:
Overall Best New Fishing/Camping/Marine Product: Humminbird Helix 10 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS;
Best Marine Product: Humminbird Helix 10 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS;
Best Freshwater Reel: Shimano Sahara Spinning;
Best Saltwater Reel: PENN Rival 20 Line Counter;
Best Fishing Rod: Lew’s MACH Speed Stick IM6;
Best Terminal Tackle: Trapper Tackle Dropshot Hooks;
Best Freshwater Lure: Panther Martin Bearded Banshee;
Best Saltwater Lure: Panther Martin Sonic Sizzle Tail;
Best Line: Daiwa J-Braid
4 Carrier;
Best Fishing Accessory: Mustad Dry Backpack;
Best Combo: Okuma Chameleon Spinning Combo;
Best Beach/Camping/Outdoor: Weego Jump Starter 44.
Hunting and Shooting Sports category winners were:
Overall Best New Shooting Sports Product: Leupold LTO Thermal Tracker;
Best Handgun: Smith & Wesson 686 Plus .357 Mag;
Best Ammunition: Hornady Black Ammunition;
Best Scope/Optic: Leupold LTO Thermal Tracker;
Best Laser/Sights: Crimson Trace LiNQ;
Best Tactical Accessory: Sig Sauer 22LR Titanium Silencer;
Best Shooting Accessory: Radians Bluetooth Quad Muff;
Best Hunting Accessory: UDAP Bear Spray with GrizGuard Holster;
Best Knife/Tool: SOG Sync I Multi-Tool.
