ICAST 2023

Swimbaits of ICAST 2023

Posted on
Photography by
Kyle Jessie
Check out the swimbaits that our Bassmaster staff found while roaming the floors of ICAST 2023!
Bass Mafia 6” Loaded Version Daingerous Swimbait
Designed by Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chris Zaldain. This swimbait is perfectly symmetrical with a line-through harness and a magnet that holds a 5/0 flipping hook. There is a shallow version for six feet or less, and a deep water version for 15-20 feet.
Z-Man Mulletron
Z-Man’s first hyperrealistic line-through swimbait features another ElaZtech breakthrough: incredibly-detailed, photo-print baitfish patterning. Equipped with a reinforced top line-through harness, the Mulletron LT slides effortlessly up the line after a hookset, erasing the fish’s ability to leverage lure weight to throw hooks. The result is a livebait-like lure with impressive hookset and landing percentages. Rounded, wedge-shaped tail activates lure’s realistic swimming action at all retrieve speeds, including extra slow for sluggish fish. Custom, heavy-duty 3/0 and 5/0 black nickel, sickle hooks bolster strength, penetration and hookset-to-land ratio. Balanced, weighted lure harness combines with buoyant ElaZtech material combine to optimize lure’s natural upright posture while swimming or resting on bottom. Soft yet resilient ElaZtech greatly extends life of lure, even after repeated strikes from aggressive gamefish. Two sizes, a 4.5-inch (3/4-once) and 6-inch (1-3/4-ounce), each offer a moderately fast rate-of-fall. Available in six fine-tuned baitfish patterns for various water and light conditions.
Daiwa Bessie
The Bessie. Named after the mythical beasts that lurk within musky infested lakes, this lure was designed to tame these powerful monsters. With a 6.5″ length the oversized Spy-bait like design creates an enticing shimmy while a large flashing blade mid-body triggers vicious bites. The Bessie, designed in collaboration with NISHINE Lure Works, features the most quality components; a custom prop and blade, High strength 3X4/0 black nickel hooks, and a variety of forage imitating colors.
Spro Megalojohn 6”
The Megalojohn swimbait was designed in conjunction with Elite Series pro angler John Crews. This 6″ soft plastic swimbait has a great thumping action when retrieved. The plastic used in the Megalojohn is a special blend of soft plastic that is soft enough to allow a great swimming action while being durable enough to catch fish after fish. It swims great on slow retrieves and won’t blow out on fast retrieves. It is armed with a #2 Gamakatsu black nickel, round bend treble on the belly.
Berkley PowerBait Nessie
Skip it, slide it, and cast it where traditional glide baits have not been able to reach. An eye-catching soft bodied glide bait design with the added benefit of PowerBait flavor, this slow sinking bait features a mesh reinforced joint for durability while allowing for free range of motion, and stabilizing fins for consistent action. The hook retention clip keeps the Fusion19 treble hooks secured to the body. 10 custom painted forage matching finishes in 3 sizes.
Rapala CrushCity The Mayor
What sets it apart is a subtle, lifelike tail action with a steadily and natural swinging from side to side. Features a level of body roll that is noticeable but not too aggressive, while tracking true through and across cover. The salt- and scent-infused body moves realistically with the entire package designed for use all year, not just seasonally. Rapala’s exclusive Smart Injection Technology™ allows for custom combinations of color, flake, salt and scent that are added precisely where needed for the perfect presentation. Available in 3- and 4-inch sizes and 16 custom colors.
Shimano ARMAJOINT 190SS Flash Boost
Designed to solve the challenges of casting a big, jointed swimbait using Shimano’s proprietary ARMABOOST. That technology significantly increases casting distance and accuracy by reducing unnecessary air resistance and the chances of the lure spinning during flight. As the angler casts the lure, ARMABOOST technology facilitates the lure to disconnect from an internal magnet and forces the body to fold into its compact shape. Once the lure hits the water, the lure’s body reengages with the magnet to create a smooth and natural swimming action. The ARMAJOINT will normally swim in an S-pattern, but the bait will not flare out when stopped due to the fold in its body. Anglers can slow down the retrieve and pause the ARMAJOINT 190SS to capitalize on the lure’s natural slow-sinking action. ARMAJOINT also features Shimano’s proprietary FLASH BOOST technology that constantly emits a fish-attracting flash during the retrieve — even on the pause — by suspending reflective foil on micro springs to mimic the flashing behavior of an injured baitfish.

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