ICAST special issue and best stuff! part 1

Anything made out of hard plastics (duh!). Not really in any order.

1. Berkley Stunna jerkbait – Duh! Yep the same bait Hank Cherry won the Classic on, he co-designed it and might know more about jerkbaits and jerkbaitin’ than everyone, no-brainer, gotta try it.

2. Rapala DT8 – They had 4, 6 then 10, now they’ve got the DT8 – same body size of a DT6 but a bill more like a DT10. One of the best bass crank series ever for a reason, plus better colors now, no-brainer.

3. Strike King 6XD Hard Knock – Another no-brainer. Word is Xeith Dombs got so ticked they weren’t rolling out a knocker 5XD first he went outside the office and stomped on all the flowers. Someone ran him out a chart/blue back bait, then took him for wings and ice cream and it was all cool. 🤣 LOL just messin’ Keith!

4. Rapala OG Slim Tiny 4 – Ott DeFoe’s underground several layers beneath the earth garage is at it again, this time with a “finesse” version of the crank Rapala can’t keep in stock, the OG Slim. Semi-custom with the circuit board lip, #5 VMC Hybrid Trebles and 19 Ott colors. 2.25″ long, 5/16-oz and runs to about 4′. MSRP $9.99.

Btw here’s Ott’s real garage:

I was like, “Ott pretty sure only super villains have underground labs and stuff?” He was all, “What about Batman?” He stumped me man…🤔

5. Hardcore Bullet Crank 7+ – Looks very cool, like aerodynamic/hydrodynamic ordinance, and proven: BPTer Jason Lambert smashed the Chickamauga bass with ’em (“citrus shad”) and finished 3rd in that deal. If you’re a deep-cranker, gotta check ’em.

6. Bill Lewis MR12 – Mark Daniels Jr, who designed it, calls it the big brother of the MR6 (6-8′) – the MR-12 gets 12-15′ on 12-lb fluoro:

– Transfer weight for long-casting

– Comes over grass tops and through hard-cover real well

– Tight wiggle, heavy vibration, low-pitch knock

– Slow rise on pause

– Mustad Triple Grips right out the box

– Colors hand-picked by MDJ

– 3/4-oz, 2.5″

– $8.99 MSRP

No particular order:

1. Yo-Zuri Rattl’n Vibe One Knock – Great lipless, glad they got a knocker version, got ya the always-great Yo-Zuri colors, here’s “ghost pearl blue”:

2. Storm Deep Wiggle Wart – The original Wart hits around 7-9′, this one goes to 11-13′ ish. Been assured that everything else is the same includin’ the rattle and huntin’ action:

3. Shimano World Minnow 115SP jerkbait – Obviously Shimano’s not known for baits, but Bernie Schultz led a couple days at the St Lawrence Elite with it…which he couldn’t talk about at the time. Missed opportunity for Shimano, but whatever that’s the bait and the shimmering middle deal is cool. Here’s Bernie talkin’ ’bout how he fished there:

His gear:

4. Strike King Chick Magnet (“sexy shad 2.0” below) – Flatside, circuit board lip, won the hardest bait 😁 at ICAST, Andy Morgan co-designed (I believe), named after a much younger Andy 😆, runs 3-6′, 13 colors:

5. SPRO Fat Papa Walker – Talked to Russ Lane about this, he said you can walk it normally but also walk it slow (kinda like this Fluke video he did) and it will “bob” a little at the pause, and “you can also snap it like a Pop-R and it will spit.”

6. Heddon Super Spook Boyo – New, a little smaller than the Spook Jr – 3″ and 3/8-oz (the Jr is 3.5″ and 1/2-oz). Word is it can be cast pretty far with the right gear so…good for ponds and maybe small shad situations? Here’s a bad pic of it (sorry) vs the Jr:

7. SPRO Cyclone Prop 80 – Okay check this:

Why you’re looking at that weird deal here: Shin Fukae designed it. Shin knows stuff we don’t know man – and when you ask him about it, that’s when his English suddenly gets worse! 😁 Lol just kidding, his English is pretty dang good and he’s happy to share…unlike Takahiro Omori (lol Tak!).

Anyhow, this bait “will entice bass with its unique head shake as it moves through the water, while the rear metal blade emits a unique sound. Gamakatsu #4 trebles, MSRP $15.99.

8. Teckel Goodpecker – Hideki Maeda is a serial bait inventor, prolly best known for the Teckel Frog. Near as I can tell, this bait basically gives you a spook that clacks and flashes that can also function sorta as a wake bait. Check the YT vid here.

Anything made outta soft plastic, includin’ frowgs…also no particular order:

Ike Mikanelli’s been a one-man promo show for this bait because he had the idea and co-designed it. More coming in a future Blaster about this bait – which won the whole ICAST show – but some highlights:

Can be TX-rigged sideways, stuck on a jighead or weighted swimbait hook, or even a dropshot? Available in 90mm, 110mm and 130mm. $6.49/pack for standard colors, $7.49/pack for HD Tru Colors.

Should mention that so far Ike + Japan inspiration = good stuff, like the VMC Tokyo Rig for one.

No dang brainer for me. It’s 5.25″ which is good because a lotta times Lunkerhunt’s initial bait sizes are a little small. Has 2 frog-type hooks AND a 5/0 trailer = good. They make the funnest topwaters in the biz in my 2c. Check the YT vid, here’s a peek:

3. Missile Mini D Chunk – This thing looks pretty dang good in person. 3” long, chunk-style body, can be threaded or hung, kickin’ flappers. 10 colors, $3.99/pack, should be soon.

4. SPRO Flappin’ Frog – It’s a SPRO Frog but not a Dean Rojas Bronzeye…though Dean told me he likes it and there’s a new larger Bronzeye Pop 70), the feet flap, kinda looks like a cross between a frog and a toad, Gamakatsu hooks, 65mm, 11 colors, MSRP $10.99.

5. FishLab Slam-A-Mander – Gitcha mud puppy on! Big chunk o’ plastic but man it looks great! Saw it in person…comes in 4.5″, 6″ and 7″

1. Berkley Powerbait Speed Boss – I caught fish on it so it works! Okay way more importantly it was designed by Skeet Reese who occasionally does get stuff right (hahaha Skeet!). Anyhow, it’s obviously not like a Zoom UV Speed Worm and doesn’t feel the same but those tails do move fo sho:

2. 10,000 Fish Tataki Frog – Looks good, looks well-built and -designed, so…could be good! 2.5″ and 5/8-oz:

3. 10,000 Fish Zuchi Bug – Cool take on the creature bait, looks good, 10,000 Fish (one of the Catch Co brands) is quietly making some pretty cool stuff. Don’t know much about it yet but I liked it when I saw it:

4. Scottsboro Fatty Swimbait – Don’t really need to say anything except this is “a fatter and deeper-bellied version” because so many bass fishermen wanted a swimbait that looked more like them. HAHAHA! Bottom line: It’s a Scottsboro!

5. Z-Man Turbo Fattyz – Like I said, alternatives to the Zoom UV Speed Worm would/could be nice and here’s another new one, 6″ of ElaZtech:

6. Lunkerhunt HIVE Tandem Trailer – This is one of of Lunkerhunt’s new HIVE lineup of “Ultra Durable Soft Plastics” (like Elaztech). Floats, guide “nubs” for rigging it regular or “sideways” for swim ‘n bladed jigs, and looks like a TIE Interceptor from Star Wars:

7. Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect Frog 2.0 – Bobby Barrack knows frogs (western frogs anyhow 😁) and this’n has some updates including a “water evac system (“designed to naturally expel any water while the frog is being fished”), braid-secure line tie and “will walk-the-dog much more efficiently because we trimmed the portion of the bait that the rubber legs run through. This reduces the amount of plastic on the end of the bait for less resistance and less material to get in the way of setting the hook.”

8. Savage Gear Ned Salamander – 3″ long of a deal that looks like an alien from Alien movies…what’s not to like? 😁

Okay maybe Ripley won’t fish it:

9. Jackall Bounty Fish 158 – Lookit this deal!

10. Nikko Winnow 95 – I have zero knowledge about this company or these baits, but look at this color (“lunar”)…and 95mm = 3.7″:

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End of part 1 of 2!