ICAST was fun as usual, great to see everyone in person again, maybe because it was in FL saw relatively few masks – meaning you get to see everyone smilin’.
The show and attendance this year was way smaller than normal. No surprise, tho most of the major bassin’ players were there. Somehow it was still impossible to see everyone and everything so sorry to the folks I missed.
In the next 2 BB issues I’ll shout-out some of the stuff I liked. But remember most of this stuff hasn’t been fished yet, let alone hard or over time, by regular fishermen including me. BUT all of it is tested big-time, usually by the pros who helped design it, so it’s not like they’re just ideas.
Gonna organize these 2 issues kinda like ICAST’s categories but not exactly. Meaning at ICAST, a jig was in the “hard baits” category – makes zero sense to me and I’m bettin’ to you.
Gotta add: Not as much new stuff this year because folks are having trouble fulfilling the orders they have, let alone crankin’ up new production – and some of the “new” stuff was announced last year or at the Classic…and a few deals I won’t count as new because it feels like it’s been out a while. But for sure still a lot new!
4 more things:
1. I might unintentionally leave some stuff out. Apologies if I do.
2. My personal feeling is this: If a pro designs it, or helps design it, I want to know about it and I’m sure it’s for real. I trust those guys…except Bobbly Lane running like 80 mph over what looked like sold dang ground on Toho with me white knucklin’ it lol! Dude’s got the fastest rig I think I’ve ever been in…or he drives it thataway = WIDE open mang!
3. Bassin’ biz peeps – If you don’t tell me you have something new, I might not know about it!
4. Part 2 (of 2) is comin’ Thursday. Will round this all out next week with my usual random stuff from around ICAST. Hope you dig it!
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Btw here’s Ott’s real garage:
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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.
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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
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Honorable mentionin’s
No particular order:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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7. SPRO Cyclone Prop 80 – Okay check this:
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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.
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Anything made outta soft plastic, includin’ frowgs…also no particular order:
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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:
> …hollow head section is soft enough to collapse during strikes and keep the bait swimming upright regardless of how it’s rigged.
> The tabs built into the tail section give the bait a remarkably lifelike motion in the water….
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.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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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″
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Honorable mentionin’s
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:
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2. 10,000 Fish Tataki Frog – Looks good, looks well-built and -designed, so…could be good! 2.5″ and 5/8-oz:
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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:
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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!
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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:
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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.”
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Okay maybe Ripley won’t fish it:
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9. Jackall Bounty Fish 158 – Lookit this deal!
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> Jackall designed the Bounty Fish 158 to allow anglers to fish cover with a walk-the-dog action in a way that is impossible with hard baits. The soft jerkbait-style lure features a heavily ribbed section that grabs water and slows the bait down…unique Net-Joint System…enables the tail portion to flutter even on a dead stick.
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!
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now…
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Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best and funniest (sometimes worst) stuff in bassin’, picked by me – Jay Kumar. I started BassFan.com, co-hosted Loudmouth Bass with Zona, was a B.A.S.S. senior writer and a bunch more in bassin’. The Blaster is the #2 daily read on any given day in the wide world o’ bass so thanks for readin’!
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