It's been a while since we saw a bold innovation like this in wader design. The Rapala Reflection Waders from Rapala's Eco Wear range took top honours in the Apparel category at this years EFTTEX, in Amsterdam.
The innovation is two-pronged.
There's a big tick in the box for the Eco warriors amongst us. Rapala worked with DuPont's Cerenol technology - a first in waders - to create a highly waterproof and breathable wader using sustainable material derived from agriculture. The result is a product manufactured with 30% less fossil fuel and 35% less greenhouse gas emissions.
If saving the planet doesn't turn you on, there's still a big draw. The material used has reflective qualities that are said to mimic underwater light reflections, blurring angler outline and creating the perfect camouflage in certain light conditions.
Recently I exposed my guilty pleasure of ultra light lure fishing, mostly with soft plastics. Now with hours of LRF experience under my belt, a few successful lures are starting to stand out above the dozens I originally purchased (without too much know-how).
In another monster category of 19 qualifiers, Strike Pro won the 2011 EFTTEX exhibition prize for best new hard lure last week with their Twin Minnow.
One of the biggest categories in this year's EFTTEX awards was for Best New Soft Lure. Out of the 15-strong short list, the Savage Gear 25cm Soft 4Play lure came through to be crowned overall winner.
Power Pro fought off stiff competition to be voted Best Braided Line at the recent European Fishing Tackle Trade Exhibition (EFTTEX) with new Power Pro Super 8 Slick braid.
