This is the time of year when you see a lot of new products rolled out for anglers.
Here’s the thing – they all sell at least one time. Anglers are naturally curious and always looking for that edge. They will buy it once and will buy it again – if it works as advertised.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s new baits or new boat models; you have to put a lot of thought into the idea or you’ll waste a lot of money and time. There are design costs, production costs and advertising costs.
As a longtime angler and boat builder, I’ve seen companies make new products or changes for the sake of change. They’re compelled to be pressured into coming out with something new, but without the homework, it comes back to haunt them.
That was at the forefront of my mind when we created the new Phoenix 920 and 921 Elite X Series. The 920 series has been our best seller for years, largely because the running surface provides a great ride and a well-handling fishing platform.
That’s why I’ve been reluctant to make a change. I’ve seen companies take a good-riding boat, change the hull and wind up going backwards.
I’m kind of old school in believing if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
However, a good dealer of ours – and a heckuva angler as well as good friend – urged us to make some changes.
“Gary you need more bling!” Sean Weida of Weida Marine in the Cincinnati area told me.
If you notice, “bling” is a big key to new lures, rods and reels popularity. A case in point is some of the lures that dominated the 2026 ICAST: strands of skirting protruding around a ball of plastic. Crazy as that sounds, it’s the latest trend because some pros had tournament success. Forget the fact that it often doesn’t matter what you throw at bass; if they’re in the mood, they’ll eat it.
Look at the new graphics on new rods and reels and catchy titles manufacturers hang on them. There may be minor improvements, but the bling is what catches your eyes.
Cars and motorcycles offer stylistic changes every few years, and we know new sells, so we gave some more bling in our X series.
The new Elite X line offers a wider front deck than last year’s Elite and styling changes with more edgy deck rail lines from front to back. We have a new style console with a lower platform so we can see over today’s larger-screen electronics. Also, the Elite X series has new style seats, an all fiberglass cockpit area and several other features you should check out.
The new Elite X Series has the bling without disrupting what has made the Elites our bestseller. In the end, customers will be the judge of that, just as they will be with the new baits flooding tackle shops this fall.
