Bass in deep waters will never hear what hit ’em with Bomber’s new silent Fat Free Shad. Every other aspect of this deep-diving fish catcher remains the same except for the lack of a rattle. This should work well on pressured or clear waters.
The Pond Magic spinnerbait isn’t the only thing getting more
realistic. XCalibur’s XCS series of silent, square-billed crankbaits are now available in XCalibur’s Real Gill finish, which look like one of three different panfish. The backward-swimming crawfish XCS cranks will receive the Real Craw touch, a matte finish that looks and feels like one of three colors of the ever-popular mudbug.
Booyah’s popular pint-sized Pond Magic spinnerbait has gotten even more realistic for 2012. With the addition of a Real Craw finish, these spinnerbaits not only look more like a real crawfish, the textured, crinkly finish gives the blades and head a craw feel as well.
Like the X-Rap Prop, the X-Rap Pop has X-Rap graphics, feathered VMC treble. But, the Pop has a triangular face that shoves the botom lip downward when retrieved making enticing chugging sounds when worked.
These Japanese baits haven’t reached American shores yet, but are built with the attention to detail and high-quality finishes that the Japanese are known for.
This hard blade bait has an ABS plastic compartment on the belly
that’s full of rattles, and also gives the lure a shimmy on the fall.
It weighs nearly a full ounce, so long casts are easy.
Florida pro Bernie Schultz knows his way around a prop bait, and now you can have his design. THe X-Rap Prop has the trademark feathered VMC treble hook, internal rattles, the X-Rap graphics and two prop blades that rotate in opposite directions. The bait is made to track straight and rattle the blades as it’s worked.
For this year ima has given the Flit several new colors. However, it retained the same action and weight transfer system.
Panther Martin has improved the design by adding exciting new color schemes, a concave mouth and giving it more flash than ever.
This deep-diving version of the popular Wiggle Wart has a tighter wobble thanks to its flat sides.
The crankbait gurus at Mann’s have put their spin on the shallow-running square-billed crankbait. The Baby “X” dives 1 1/2- 2 1/2 feet and bounces off of logs, rocks and stumps.
This 79-millimeter bait is now available in this new color for 2012.
The “M” in MTB represents the shape of the head of this buzzbait
that’s made to run as true as possible. The “TB” stand for turbulence
buzzbait.
This 70mm topwater popper creates explosive action and spray upon retrieve. Six colors are currently available.
This 3 1/2-inch jerkbait floats, but can dive down to 4 feet while
wobbling and shaking. Six colors are available. It also has a
hand-tied feather hook and lots of detail in the gills and scales.as
This spinnerbait is loaded with unique features from its free-dangling treble hook to its custom-painted head. The hook dangles free so that the chances of a fish throwing it are greatly reduced.
This topwater frog has a hard body and a pair of hooks that trail it. It’s designed to walk, spot and splash upon retrieve. Two wire weedguards ensure that the frog stays snag free.
This topwater walking bait looks just like a salamander, a delicacy for bass.
The Deps Spiral Minnow is a prop bait with a bill that dips and dives upon retrieve.
This year marks Rebel’s 50th anniversary. The FrogR is a short walking bait that has a deep “keel” in the front for highly responsive walking action.
This jointed swimbait was designed for a very natural swimming action, vibrant flashing, and range control through its weighting system.
This wide-bodied square bill has ideal rolling action built-in. Its 3-D paint schemes pop in the water.
This swim jig combines a spinnnerbait and a swimming jig. Its inventor noticed there weren’t many improvements to either swim jigs or spinnerbaits, so he decided to combine the two. The tandem blades swivel 360 degrees and provide spinnerbait-like action even at slow retrieve speeds. The chunk is tailor-made for the Swing Arm.
Blakemore has put its spin on an old standby, the Marabou jig. With the addition of the spinning blade underneath the leadhead, this Marabou has unparallelled action.
This lipped craw bait is ideal for probing rocky outcroppings and piles where crawfish frequent. Like all Live Target lures, the Crawfish crank features an ultra-realistic finish. Several models are available to reach different depths, from a shallow-diver to this deep-diving model.
Elite Series pro Mike McClelland’s popular stickbait is getting a makeover for 2011. It’s available in four new colors including McBone (the whitish one).
Russ Lane designed this crankbait with a fat body to give it a different look than most deep-diving crankbaits. It’s also silent, which Lane says is effective when fish have been pressured by the rigors of a long tournament day. It’s what he calls a “tournament bait.”
Hank Parker put his name on this swim jig because it has an excellent planing action
thanks to the head design. Plus, itâs quite weedless due to the stout but supple weedguard.
It also offers a wide color selection.
This hard-bodied frog was designed to be cast or trolled. When trolled, it’s reported to reach depths of 24-28 feet. the jointed body makes for a realistic kicking action regardless of how its worked.
This shad is ideal for light line and a slow-action spinning rod. Its action is said to accurately mimic a baitfish’s movements. The highly-detailed finishes look the part as well.
Matzuo America: Zen Binate Bait Series
The Binate features a mid-body, jointed section that creates a life-like swimming action when retrieved. The hinged joint allows for better tail movement and an overall stronger bait body.
Matzuo America: Toryu Shad
This floating shallow shad has a wide body and a short lip designed to create an enticing wobble motion. With its red eyes and a red front treble hook this bait mimics a panicked or injured baitfish.
Like other Koppers creations, this crankbait is super-realistic and a close approximation of a live crawfish. The hardbait features see-through areas to accentuate the shape of a crawfish. Itâs available in seven colors, two sizes and four diving depths.
Edwin Evers was instrumental in designing XCaliburâs latest jerkbait, the EEratic Shad (hence the double Es). Evers wanted a jerkbait that dives deeper than similar baits, doesnât âhelicopterâ when cast, and boasts first-class paint schemes. All of these criteria were taken into account when XCalibur created the EEratic Shad. The bait features two internal weights that act as a transfer system to weight the tail so it flies through the air like a spear when cast. The lip is also raked in such a way so that the bait dives deeper, faster. When worked, the EEratic Shad darts about in an erratic fashion.
A great choice when bass are suspended 8 to 10 feet down in midwinter, Sproâs new McRip 85 is a deep-diving, suspending jerkbait available in eight âcustomâ paint jobs. The 1/2-ounce hard bait is 3.3 inches long, not counting the diving bill, and it sports supersharp Gamakatsu trebles in size 4. The deep diver is part of a line of Spro jerkbaits named for Elite Series angler Mike McClelland that includes the McStick 110 traditional jerkbait.
ABT Lures designed the Banshee hard swimbait to be as lifelike and versatile as possible. This quad-jointed swimbait is described as a 3-in-1 lure: Swim it at any speed, wake it just below the surface, or work it like a jerkbait. The Banshee also has a photo-like ânatural image transferâ of the forage itâs imitating. Itâs part of ABTâs Next Generation of lifelike lures.
The biggest member of the 3D Minnow family, the Magnum is for the largest species in both fresh and salt water. “Attack Points” draw the fish’s attention to the Bleeding Ruby and UV Sapphire balanced weight inserts.
This popular bait is adding three new metallic finish colors to its lineup. The joint mechanism offers a natural fish swimming action.
New to this line of baits are three metallic finish colors. This lipless crankbait produces a high frequency rattle sound and features Yo-Zuri’s Sashimi Color Change technology, whereby the bait appears to change colors as it moves through the water.
At first glance, this appears to be a saltwater bait. However, Elite Series pros are already touting its crawfish mimicking ability. The Shrimp comes in two sizes (2 3/4- and 3 1/2-inch) and seven colors. Youâll want to work it like a jerkbait, and then let it slowly settle to the bottom.
This new flat sided crankbait is 2 ¾ inches long, has a super tight wiggle and dives to 7 feet, depending on line size. It also features the color changing Sashimi finish patented by Yo-Zuri and comes in six color patterns most popular with bass anglers.
The Yo-Zuri 3DS Minnow features a 3D prism finish, producing a distinctive shine. The lure is available in six colors, two of which utilize UV light by featuring true UV colors.
The X-2 sounds like a high-tech spy plane, but it’s actually a new deep-diving crankbait from ABT Lure Company. According to Bassmaster Elite Series pro Grant Goldbeck, it gets deep in a hurry, swims with a tight wobble and offers little resistance on the retrieve, making cranking all day less fatiguing.
This new line of crankbaits offers Sashimi Color Change Technology (which makes the bait appear to change colors as it moves) and Wave Motion Vibration (a patented rib surface that creates vibrations fish can detect from long distances and in dirty water).
Like the other Sashimi series baits, the Popper changes colors as it is manipulated along. This color-changing effect is reported to mimic a distressed baitfish, which in turn evokes ferocious strikes. The ribbed body is also said to emit a high-frequency pitch as the bait is worked along.
Well known as the maker of the original tube lure, Canyon has a new line of topwater baits coming out, featuring J’s Walking Gitzit. This lure is part topwater and part tube, offering a wagging action when retrieved at the surface and, when stopped momentarily, undulating tail action. It comes with interchangeable skirts.
The weedless spoon has been around a long time, but Persuader American Angling has added a new twist with its actual photo images of three baitfish species (shad, shiner and crappie) on the baits. The ultraviolet paint enhances the vision of fish in shaded or dark water.
The Whopper Plopper 130 is a big topwater bait with a revolving tail that can stir up a ruckus or gently rattle the beads inside, depending upon how fast you fish it. The tail is flexible, properly tuned out of the box and designed to stay that way.
It looks like a lot of other soft plastic topwater frogs, but the Dahlberg Diving Frog has a clear plastic collar that causes it to dive 2 to 2 1/2 feet on the retrieve. Fish it on the surface or pull it underneath, the “hook up” design keeps it free of hang ups.
Jackallâs Aska is its offering in the silent squarebill department. What sets it apart is its circuit-board bill, which is made to grab lots of water and give the bait a fast rolling action. Whatâs more, the front hook is designed to have minimal play so it doesnât get fouled on the rear hook or the bill. Gamakatsu hooks are standard.
There’s just something special about old-school wood baits, like the Ace-in-the-Hole. Cedar offers high flotation, and the counter-rotating blades create plenty of surface action.
One of the longtime standards in in-line spinners has gotten a makeover. The Rooster Tail now comes with hammered blades in silver, brass or copper that reflect light in all directions.
Designed with low level light and night fishing situations in mind, the Tour Grade Night spinnerbait has a short-arm VibraMax stainless steel wire and an oversized Colorado blade for more vibration so bass can more easily track it at night or in dirty water.
A heavy wire Gamakatsu hook gives this football jig a little extra muscle while the wide head offers more contact with the bottom for better feel. The flat eye line tie keeps the knots â and therefore the jig â in proper position throughout the retrieve.
Strike King: HC3XD
This small crankbait is the extra deep-diving version of Strike Kingâs Series 3. The curved bill creates a steep diving angle that helps this bait reach a depth of 8 feet on a long cast.
Sometimes referred to as the Stump Jumper, the new KVD Sexy Frog has a free-floating rattle and a fully sealed nose to minimize water entry. In addition, the rear of the frog has a self-draining channel that keeps you from having to squeeze out water. The KVD Sexy Frog comes in a wide variety of colors, including new colors designed especially for clear water fishing.
This deep-diving version of the Strike King Series 5 crankbait has a curved bill and special balance that lets it dive at a steeper angle than its predecessor. The new bill design allows it to track well even when it’s bouncing along the bottom. It can reach depths up to 12 feet.
The Hack Attack Spinnerbait is designed to catch big bass in heavy cover. The contoured head helps the lure deflect off cover while the long arm minimizes hang-ups and the extra strong Gamakatsu Siwash hook will not open up â even with braided line.
The D&S Crank was designed with conservation in mind: conservation of your lure and conservation of the resource – bass. Armed with a single hook ,the D&S Crank is ideal for pulling through thick cover that would snag treble hooks. Plus, when you do hook up with a bass, release is safe and easy for both bass and angler.
No one knows more about shallow cranking than 4-time Bassmaster Classic champion Rick Clunn. He’s hand-picked all the colors, sizes and shapes of these baits that get back to the basics of solid lure design.
This updated version of the Elite Pro-Series Spinnerbait offers seven new blade finishes. Baitfish images are printed on the trailing willowleaf blades.
Wordenâs Rooster Tail spinnerbaits are now available with hammered blades in copper, brass and silver. They come in 12 colors with sizes ranging from 1/16 to 3/8 ounce.
When fishing for smallmouth bass, the new Mini Mop Jig is a great alternative to its larger predecessor, the Mop Jig. With a light wire hook offering easier penetration, this lure is a great offering for finicky postspawn bass.
The JWill Flipping Jig was designed by Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jason Williamson and features a giant TroKar flipping hook for extra penetration. Buckeye Lures gave it a streamlined head for pitching and flipping into the heaviest cover a bass can find.
This revolutionary football-head jig has a separate hook and skirt that allows the head to slide up the line when you have a fish on, taking leverage away from the bass and improving your chances of catching the fish. This jig comes with a variety of weighted heads for maximum depth coverage and ease of use.
This deep-diving crankbait can reach depths up to 12 feet when fished on 10-pound line. The Little John Baby DD weighs in at 5/8-ounce and comes in seven color combinations.
The Beast Hunter is a 3/4-ounce crankbait that dives 12 to 14 feet. It joins the Roumba, Rock Nâ Vibe and ima Shaker lines of baits from the Japanese lure company.
What at first may look like a mangled spinnerbait arm is actually a strategically offset arm on the Death Shimmer 2. The manufacturer says the arm creates an enormous amount of drag as the lure comes through the water, causing a shimmer/vibration.
