KASTKING UNVEILS iREEL: NEW SMART REEL AT ICAST 2023
Intelligent iReel Blends Smart Technology with Industry-Leading Casting Performance
Modern low-profile baitcasting reels exhibit an array of features and capabilities that didn’t exist even a decade ago. In another 10 years, it may be hard to recognize the newest class of casting reels—not from their looks but from the intuitive user experience they deliver. Offering a glimpse into the future, KastKing’s Bluetooth-equipped iReel represents a new category in intelligent freshwater fishing reels.
The most innovative piece of fishing equipment anglers can wrap their hands around, iReel’s radical design initiatives incorporate modern materials and manufacturing technologies to achieve an unprecedented level of casting precision and control. Not one to stand idle, KastKing is poised to transform how the baitcaster interacts with its angler.
Using Bluetooth to pair the iReel with your smartphone and the KastKing App, the initial setup begins with inputting the line type, test, and diameter. On the water, iReel employs highly accurate motion capture sensors in the spool assembly to provide anglers with precise casting metrics, including the number of casts made, average distance, farthest cast, retrieve speed, and more.
By providing real-time access to this valuable information, anglers can enhance their understanding of the fishing environment, analyze their successes and failures, and make necessary adaptations based on the prevailing conditions.Technology is clearly changing the way we fish, and gone are the days of relying solely on manual adjustments and an educated thumb to prevent backlashes—iReel introduces Intelligent Frequency Control (IFC) to evaluate casting variables such as spool speed, inertia, and line tension to optimize performance in real-time, mitigating backlash and ensuring smooth and accurate casts regardless of wind speed or lure weight.
Braking is essential to the baitcasting experience, but not all braking systems are created equal. Unlike any bass reel ever developed, iReel integrates IFC microcontroller sensors within the frame and side plate that analyze spool data and automatically apply or release a sophisticated electromagnetic braking system in a non-linear fashion.
Ushering in a new era of precision and efficiency in fishing, KastKing’s iReel allows professionals and weekend warriors alike to fish with confidence—especially when throwing backlash-prone baits like crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and skipping around docks and shallow cover with lightweight finesse baits.
During the forward cast, the momentum of the lure’s weight pulls line off the spool upwards of 550 revolutions per second. With iReel’s precise control over spool rotation speed, anglers can achieve higher line velocity during the cast. Elevated speed translates to longer and more accurate casts, providing a distinct advantage in reaching distant targets.
KastKing’s proprietary Axis Eye line guide is yet another innovative mechanism designed to enhance castability by reducing friction as line exits the reel. The uniquely shaped and mobile Axis Eye line guide features a super slick silicon nitride coating that offers excellent heat dissipation allowing braid, monofilament, and fluorocarbon lines to glide freely across the surface with minimal restriction.
Depressing the spool-release button in advance of a cast rotates the Axis Eye 90 degrees horizontally, presenting a very wide line-out aperture and a straight shot off the reel and through the rod guides. The smooth and efficient delivery provides longer and more consistently accurate casts. When the angler engages the handle, Axis Eye returns to its locked position where it evenly distributes line lay across the spool during the retrieve.
KastKing’s advanced cold forging technologies provide the framework for smooth performance and impressive durability. iReel has no perceivable friction due to the tight tolerance of the main gear machining and 11+1 double-sealed stainless steel bearings. With its sleek and stylish electroplated matte finish, iReel features a low-profile, 41.5mm design for ultimate comfort and control in hand. This is especially important for those who palm their reel while twitching jerkbaits or prefer to keep a finger in contact with the line as a lure is falling in deep water.
The aerospace aluminum frame renders extreme rigidity for efficient power transmission and incorporates a carbon fiber side cover to minimize weight. Surprisingly, being so feature-packed with intelligent internal workings, iReel weighs just 6.98 oz. and is a pleasure to hold all day.
The emergence of KastKing’s advanced electromagnetic braking system delivers never before seen functionality helping anglers build their confidence and skillset at a rapid pace. Embracing new technologies and modernizing the angling experience, iReel aims to disrupt the baitcasting category by establishing innovative analytics to support experiential learning through quantitative data like casting distance, line release speed, retrieval speed, number of casts made, and duration of a fishing trip.
As the KastKing intelligent fishing ecosystem continues to develop, anglers will soon be able to incorporate a host of exciting functions utilizing wearable tech ranging from Bluetooth watches to wireless earbuds and FishIQ Eyewear with directional audio and AR-enhanced elements that present data from the iReel to the angler in a hands-free format, allowing interaction in a way that is natural and intuitive without losing focus of the surroundings.
In today’s rapidly evolving world, technology can be found at the touch of our blistered fingertips. With this comes convenience and enhanced performance, cascading down to the modern angler with iReel in hand, seeking an immersive experience to gain every edge that technology can provide.
Now available in two models:
iReel IFC Features: Digital Braking System
- IFC (Intelligent Frequency Control)
- Axis Eye line guide
- 6.98 oz. lightweight aluminum alloy frame
- 200-meter capacity of 12 # PE
- 11+1 double-sealed stainless ball bearings
- 40mm wide spool
MSRP: $349
iReel AMB Features: Mechanical Braking System
FEATURES iReel AMB:
- AMB (Auto-Adjusting Magnetic Braking System)
- Axis Eye line guide
- 6.98 oz. lightweight aluminum alloy frame
- 200-meter capacity of 12 # PE
- 11+1 double-sealed stainless ball bearings
- 40mm wide spool
MSRP: $299
Learn more about KastKing’s innovative new products by visiting Booth 5108 at ICAST 2023.
For more information about KastKing, contact Dena Vick at [email protected].
About KastKing:
Founded in 2013, KastKing had a vision of producing quality products designed by anglers for anglers and delivered directly to the consumer at affordable prices. True to that vision, KastKing products are developed through feedback from the fishing community and go straight to the manufacturing floor. This inverse of the traditional manufacturer-to-consumer formula introduces cutting-edge features into new products that anglers want and need. The brand has gained popularity among anglers by offering affordable innovation through in-house engineering, which allows KastKing to provide never before seen technology at truly remarkable prices.
Ten years later, KastKing products have been sold to consumers in more than 150 countries and regions across the globe through a variety of supply chains. Originally, KastKing’s products were only available online, but consumers can now find their favorite products in a growing number of retail locations. For more information about KastKing and KastKing products, please visit our website at kastking.com or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
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