Kennesaw, GA — Fishing-gear manufacturer Abu Garcia cornered both the Favorite Baitcasting Reel and Favorite Baitcasting Rod categories in the most recent Game & Fish Magazine Readers' Choice Awards.
Ranger Boats also took two categories, Favorite Bass Boat and Favorite Aluminum Boat. The Ranger Z185 dominated the Bass Boat category with the nod from more than half of all voters. And the metal RT198p solidly edged out Alumacrafts' Trophy 185 31.0 percent to 20.9 percent.
More than 2,300 readers voted for the latest fishing gear in 12 categories, from rods and reels to sunglasses and coolers. Complete results of the voting are in the March issue of Game & Fish Magazines, on newsstands now. Award trophies will be presented to winners at the 2017 ICAST show in Orlando.
An Abu Garcia rod or reel has won at least one category in each Readers' Choice Award since its inception in 2012.
"It's obvious that Game & Fish readers appreciate the attention to detail, advanced technology, and on-the-water performance of today's ABU low profile and spinning reels," said Hunter Cole of Pure Fishing, Abu Garcia's parent company.
Abu's Revo ALX had a dominant showing this year and topped Shimano's new Caenan 150 by a vote of 36.5 percent to 23.2 percent. Quantum's Smoke Speed Freak took third with 15.1 percent of the vote.
In the spinning categories, Shakespeare's Ugly Stik took Favorite Spinning Rod and Shimano's NASCI 2500 was selected as Favorite Spinning Reel.
A majority of the respondents considered themselves expert or advanced bass anglers. They fish about 50 days each year, according to survey results. More than 1 in 5 fished more than 75 days, with 220 anglers fishing more than 180 days. More than a third of respondents reported catching more than 75 fish, while 21 percent caught a boat-swamping 200 or more. The average was 100 fish.
Most fished in lakes and reservoirs (81.3 percent), while 59.2 percent fished in rivers and streams. Anglers who primarily fish in saltwater add up to 24.4 percent, and about 10 percent float their boat in the Great Lakes exclusively.
Game & Fish conducts two gear-related surveys each year: one for fishing and one for hunting. Voting in the hunting survey begins soon. To be considered "new," the products must have been introduced in the last three years. The magazine then queries a large sampling of readers, subscribers and e-newsletter recipients to determine favorite picks.
Manufacturers can e-mail nominees, plus one high-resolution photo of the product, to john.geiger@outdoorsg.com. Be alerted to future votes by signing up for an e-newsletter at gafmag.com.
Winners in each category:
FAVORITE SPINNING ROD
Shakespeare Ugly Stik Elite
46.3%
RUNNERS-UP
St. Croix Bass X
16.0%
G. Loomis E6X Walleye
12.1%
FAVORITE SPINNING REEL
Shimano NASCI 2500
35.3%
RUNNERS-UP
Abu Garcia Revo STX
26.2%
Quantum Throttle TH30
17.1%
FAVORITE BAITCASTING ROD
Abu Garcia Veritas 2.0
24.0% (statistical tie)
RUNNERS-UP
St. Croix Bass X
22.6%
Quantum Smoke
13.4%
FAVORITE BAITCASTING REEL
Abu Garcia Revo ALX
36.5%
RUNNERS-UP
Shimano Caenan 150
23.2%
Quantum Smoke Speed Freak
15.1%
FAVORITE CRANKBAIT
Rapala Shadow Rap Shad
63.7%
RUNNERS-UP
Berkley Digger
10.0%
Cabela's Mean Eye Square Bill
9.5%
FAVORITE FISHFINDER-GPS
Humminbird Helix 10SI
42.7%
RUNNERS-UP
Lowrance Elite 7 Ti
37.0%
Garmin Striker 7sv
19.3%
FAVORITE GEAR BAG
Cabela's Versa Tuff
48.8%
RUNNERS-UP
Wild River Tackle Tek Nomad
25.0%
Plano Series-A
10.3%
FAVORITE COOLER
YETI Flip
53.1%
RUNNERS-UP
Cabela's Polar Cap 40
38.0%
Canyon Prospector 103
8.9%
FAVORITE SUNGLASSES
Costa Rafael
33.4%
RUNNERS-UP
WileyX Boss
25.6%
Viscious Vision Smoke Venom
15.7%
FAVORITE BASS BOAT
Ranger Z185
50.2%
RUNNERS-UP
Nitro Z18
24.2%
Triton 21TrX
17.6%
FAVORITE ALUMINUM BOAT
Ranger RT198p
31.0%
RUNNERS-UP
Alumacraft Trophy 185
20.9%
G3 Sportsman 19
13.7 %
FAVORITE MID-RANGE OUTBOARD
Mercury 115 FourStroke
41.9%
RUNNERS UP
Yamaha VMAX SHO 115
22.7%
Evinrude E-TEC G2 150 H.O.
20.6%
About Game & Fish Magazine
Game & Fish is a nationally distributed magazine with more than 400,000 monthly subscribers and newsstand sales, and a monthly readership of 6.4 million, according to a Media Market Research study.
About Outdoor Sportsman Group – Integrated Media
As a premier destination for the most avid outdoors enthusiasts, Outdoor Sportsman Group's Integrated Media division is widely recognized for its strong special-interest multichannel brands, with 15 leading magazines – including Petersen's Hunting, Guns & Ammo, In-Fisherman, North American Whitetail, Game & Fish – that reach more than 29 million readers. Its network of 19 websites, including BassFan.com, attract more than 82 million annual unique visitors, and hundreds of TV episodes of original branded hunting, sport shooting and fishing programming that airs on Outdoor Sportsman Group's broadcast entities. Visit http://outdoorsg.com for more information. #AdventureToGo
Ranger Boats also took two categories, Favorite Bass Boat and Favorite Aluminum Boat. The Ranger Z185 dominated the Bass Boat category with the nod from more than half of all voters. And the metal RT198p solidly edged out Alumacrafts' Trophy 185 31.0 percent to 20.9 percent.
More than 2,300 readers voted for the latest fishing gear in 12 categories, from rods and reels to sunglasses and coolers. Complete results of the voting are in the March issue of Game & Fish Magazines, on newsstands now. Award trophies will be presented to winners at the 2017 ICAST show in Orlando.
An Abu Garcia rod or reel has won at least one category in each Readers' Choice Award since its inception in 2012.
"It's obvious that Game & Fish readers appreciate the attention to detail, advanced technology, and on-the-water performance of today's ABU low profile and spinning reels," said Hunter Cole of Pure Fishing, Abu Garcia's parent company.
Abu's Revo ALX had a dominant showing this year and topped Shimano's new Caenan 150 by a vote of 36.5 percent to 23.2 percent. Quantum's Smoke Speed Freak took third with 15.1 percent of the vote.
In the spinning categories, Shakespeare's Ugly Stik took Favorite Spinning Rod and Shimano's NASCI 2500 was selected as Favorite Spinning Reel.
A majority of the respondents considered themselves expert or advanced bass anglers. They fish about 50 days each year, according to survey results. More than 1 in 5 fished more than 75 days, with 220 anglers fishing more than 180 days. More than a third of respondents reported catching more than 75 fish, while 21 percent caught a boat-swamping 200 or more. The average was 100 fish.
Most fished in lakes and reservoirs (81.3 percent), while 59.2 percent fished in rivers and streams. Anglers who primarily fish in saltwater add up to 24.4 percent, and about 10 percent float their boat in the Great Lakes exclusively.
Game & Fish conducts two gear-related surveys each year: one for fishing and one for hunting. Voting in the hunting survey begins soon. To be considered "new," the products must have been introduced in the last three years. The magazine then queries a large sampling of readers, subscribers and e-newsletter recipients to determine favorite picks.
Manufacturers can e-mail nominees, plus one high-resolution photo of the product, to john.geiger@outdoorsg.com. Be alerted to future votes by signing up for an e-newsletter at gafmag.com.
Winners in each category:
FAVORITE SPINNING ROD
Shakespeare Ugly Stik Elite
46.3%
RUNNERS-UP
St. Croix Bass X
16.0%
G. Loomis E6X Walleye
12.1%
FAVORITE SPINNING REEL
Shimano NASCI 2500
35.3%
RUNNERS-UP
Abu Garcia Revo STX
26.2%
Quantum Throttle TH30
17.1%
FAVORITE BAITCASTING ROD
Abu Garcia Veritas 2.0
24.0% (statistical tie)
RUNNERS-UP
St. Croix Bass X
22.6%
Quantum Smoke
13.4%
FAVORITE BAITCASTING REEL
Abu Garcia Revo ALX
36.5%
RUNNERS-UP
Shimano Caenan 150
23.2%
Quantum Smoke Speed Freak
15.1%
FAVORITE CRANKBAIT
Rapala Shadow Rap Shad
63.7%
RUNNERS-UP
Berkley Digger
10.0%
Cabela's Mean Eye Square Bill
9.5%
FAVORITE FISHFINDER-GPS
Humminbird Helix 10SI
42.7%
RUNNERS-UP
Lowrance Elite 7 Ti
37.0%
Garmin Striker 7sv
19.3%
FAVORITE GEAR BAG
Cabela's Versa Tuff
48.8%
RUNNERS-UP
Wild River Tackle Tek Nomad
25.0%
Plano Series-A
10.3%
FAVORITE COOLER
YETI Flip
53.1%
RUNNERS-UP
Cabela's Polar Cap 40
38.0%
Canyon Prospector 103
8.9%
FAVORITE SUNGLASSES
Costa Rafael
33.4%
RUNNERS-UP
WileyX Boss
25.6%
Viscious Vision Smoke Venom
15.7%
FAVORITE BASS BOAT
Ranger Z185
50.2%
RUNNERS-UP
Nitro Z18
24.2%
Triton 21TrX
17.6%
FAVORITE ALUMINUM BOAT
Ranger RT198p
31.0%
RUNNERS-UP
Alumacraft Trophy 185
20.9%
G3 Sportsman 19
13.7 %
FAVORITE MID-RANGE OUTBOARD
Mercury 115 FourStroke
41.9%
RUNNERS UP
Yamaha VMAX SHO 115
22.7%
Evinrude E-TEC G2 150 H.O.
20.6%
About Game & Fish Magazine
Game & Fish is a nationally distributed magazine with more than 400,000 monthly subscribers and newsstand sales, and a monthly readership of 6.4 million, according to a Media Market Research study.
About Outdoor Sportsman Group – Integrated Media
As a premier destination for the most avid outdoors enthusiasts, Outdoor Sportsman Group's Integrated Media division is widely recognized for its strong special-interest multichannel brands, with 15 leading magazines – including Petersen's Hunting, Guns & Ammo, In-Fisherman, North American Whitetail, Game & Fish – that reach more than 29 million readers. Its network of 19 websites, including BassFan.com, attract more than 82 million annual unique visitors, and hundreds of TV episodes of original branded hunting, sport shooting and fishing programming that airs on Outdoor Sportsman Group's broadcast entities. Visit http://outdoorsg.com for more information. #AdventureToGo
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