Shakey Jigs

A couple of customers had asked to try this color combo - watermelon green with chartreuse flake.

Some photos show the chartreuse better or worse, but it's there. It adds an overall chartreuse accent to the green. The chartreuse flake flickers more when it is held underwater than held in your hand.

5 Shakey Jigs ~ 3/16 oz ~ Watermelon Chartreuse

5 Shakey Jigs ~ 1/4 oz ~ Watermelon Chartreuse

3/16 (left) & 1/4 oz shakey jig heads.

The 3/16th and 1/4 shakey jigs are best used on 6 to 10 pound test spinning tackle.

Left to right: 3/16, 1/4 oz Shakey jigs. 1/2, 3/4 oz Football Jigs. These have the ability to stand up at times, even if momentarily, when they hit the bottom.

Left to right: 3/16, 1/4 oz Shakey jigs. 1/2, 3/4 oz Football Jigs. Even when they tip over, however, they perch in a "three point stance" which tends to keep the hook upright. The three points are the two tips of the sideways oblong head and the back end of the hook shank. So the hook point tends to be kept from falling over, which is how most snags happen with other jig styles that roll over and lay the point in the dirt. Then all you have is a grappling hook, and a good possibility of snagging. The three point stance on the shakey and football jigs here help prevent that.

A good idea is to put big bulky soft baits (with or without silicone skirts) on the flat football jigs. Put the more slender worms and Senkos on the shakey jigs.

No matter which you use, it's "flat" out too much fun!

Rigging Suggestions

Shakey jig rigged with legless reversed Gary Yamamoto Hula Grub. A good way to get twice as many fish from a single hula grub is to first use it on a football jig with baitcasting gear, until bass tear the legs off. Then put it on a spinning rod with a shakey jig as shown above.

Tex-Skin Rig. Another modified bait. This time the Yamamoto Medium Craw with an inch pinched off the body. Hook is Tex-skin rigged, meaning the point is tucked barely beneath the bait's skin. The point won't pick up weeds but it will pull out from under the plastic skin easily when a fish nips it.

Tex-Exposed Rigging. Kimami Swimming Senko Tex-exposed on shakey jig. The point here is not tucked back under the skin, but lays close on top for relatively open water.

Open Hook Rigging. Yamamoto 4" S-series Senko on shakey jig. In relatively snag-free areas, rig with hook exposed as shown. In snags, bury the hook or tex-expose it like in the Swimming Senko photo above.

Saltwater Ball Jig. This saltwater ball jig is the perfect complement for most any soft plastic tail you may care to dress it with, including shads. If there was only one saltwater jig head shape you had to limit yourself to, or one jig shape that does swell in general in any saltwater situation, this center-balanced ball head is it.  Do give it a try.

The eye placement is what's called "center-balanced" and that allows the jig head to develop a more lively and responsive action than if the eye was positioned in a "forward balance" point.

When fishing with these jig heads, it may help to carefully use a small drop of super glue or Zap A Gap on the jig collar before pushing the soft plastic tail into place. This will prevent the tail from falling down (fish don't like that) and helps prolong the overall life of the tail.

Mustad 91715D Hook. O'Shaughnessy. Forged. Extra Long Shank. Heavy Duty. Duratin. I think this is one of the best saltwater jig hook that's ever been made. The other is Mustad's 34184D. Really the only difference is the 34184 is a long shank whereas the 91715 is extra long. Both are exceptional saltwater jig hooks. In recent years, more and more round bend jig hooks like used for freshwater largemouth bass are being used in saltwater. Largemouth tend to hold onto jigs a long time, and round bends are good for that.  However, saltwater fish tend to be strikers, and the heavy duty, extra long shank O'Shaughnessy bend is absolutely best for saltwater strikers.

The hook size is 3/0 extra long.

3 Saltwater Jigs ~ 3/8 oz ~ Pink.

Saltwater Flats Jig. This flattened saltwater jig is highly popular used on tropical grass flats in warmer climates. Reason is the flat head rides high and skims across the bottom in shallow water. With the hook eye far forward, it sheds weeds fairly well in smaller sizes such as this. Most importantly, the stable head shape helps keep the hook upright (more so than other jig shapes) even when momentarily paused on the bottom.

Other jig shapes roll over easily when paused on the bottom. Then all you have is a grappling hook as the point snags in the marl and grass. On the other hand, the saltwater flats jig is shaped to resist tipping over and dragging the point on the bottom and in the grass. That's why it is so prized for light tackle flats fishing.

Although this head shape is not as popular in other regions, it will work great anywhere shallow water flats fishing is done worldwide. Do give it a try.

When fishing with these jig heads, it may help to carefully use a small drop of super glue or Zap A Gap on the jig collar before pushing the soft plastic tail into place. This will prevent the tail from falling down (fish don't like that) and helps prolong the overall life of the tail.

Mustad 34184D Hook. O'Shaughnessy. Forged. Long Shank. Heavy Duty. Duratin. I think this is the best saltwater jig hook that's ever been made. In recent years, more and more round bend jig hooks like used for freshwater largemouth bass are being used in saltwater. Largemouth tend to hold onto jigs a long time, and round bends are good for that.  However, saltwater fish tend to be strikers, and the heavy duty, long shank O'Shaughnessy bend is absolutely best for saltwater strikers.

The hook size is 3/0 long shank.

3 Saltwater Flats Jigs ~ 3/8 oz ~ Red.

Polishing the Rocks with Darter Jigs

A relatively lesser-known yet interesting and effective tactic is "polishing the rocks" as it's called with a darter jig head and soft plastic tail of your choice.

The darter jig became favored by a few Western aces in the mid-eighties. Today, there's still a fair degree of darter jigging practiced in California. But darter jigs have never been a mainstream tactic in other states or regions. They're just not used much outside of California.

That's not to say no one uses them. Californian anglers do, and that's a good indication that perhaps you should give them a try.

The nice thing about the darter jigs you see here is that they're versatile. They can be used with the point buried to be weedless (shown top) or with the point exposed (shown bottom).

One way to think of and use them is like a jerkbait on a jig, especially when dressed with long slanky worms like the 5-3/4" Gary Yamamoto Kut-Tail worm (shown top) or the 4" 9S-series Senko (shown bottom).

Usually a darter jig is kept moving, hence the term, "polishing the rocks".

A darter jig isn't made to drag across the bottom or drag through grass. It will get stuck or hung up that way.

It is balanced to hover and waver barely above bottom, which requires a degree of angler acumen. That's the same way it can be used over submerged grass beds - to keep it ticking occasionally across the tops of underwater grass. Practice makes perfect.

Worms like those shown above or soft plastic jerkbaits are probably the most popular types of dressings for darter jigs. It is also common to use single tail grubs, even hula grubs, small soft craws or you name it on darter jigs. Whatever kind of soft bait that you try, if it works, then it's the right thing to use on a darter jig. Keep in mind you often want it polishing the rocks or ticking through grass tops for example.

But the versatility doesn't end there. These same darter jig heads can be used inside or outside tube jigs as shown below with Gary Yamamoto's 3-1/2" tube bait.

The hook in it is second to none. It's the 5/0 Gamakatsu model #60415. Arguably the best freshwater bass jig hook in the world for applications such as darter jigs and tube jigs. Clip on the convenient and super-holding TruTurn HitchHiker wire coil clip and you'll be good to give this darter jig a go.

You may or may not have tried darter jigging before. In either case, the versatility of this darter jig head may warrant a try.

Please enjoy.

4 Pro Darter Jigs ~ 3/8 oz ~ Green Pumpkin

Customer Ray Gifford Shakey Jigs an Eight Pounder

Congratulations to customer Ray Gifford who shook up this fine bass!

Ray writes: "The fish pictured here is an 8 pounder. I was using one of your 1/2 oz flat shakey jigs, green pumpkin with red hook at Roosevelt Lake near Phoenix, Arizona. Love those jigs as they always fool the larger fish for me. Honestly, those flat shakey jigs have caught me better fish on San Carlos and Roosevelt. I just don't take the camera with me on tournaments as a jinx precaution. If I did I would have more photos of 6's and 7's on your jig. My partner has been upset with me more than I can remember because I spank him with this jig with regularity. My partner and I have a 2 day championship coming up in October so I am sure your shakey jig will be relied on there." - Ray Gifford, a satisfied customer from Arizona.

LARGER SIZE SHAKEY JIGS EQUAL LARGER BASS

In 2006 and 2007, we have watched the top BASS and FLW pros on TV in the process of learning to go deeper and heavier to tap into the last remaining unpressured bass residing deep on offshore ledges, humps and sunken rockpiles. With the increasing popularity of bass fishing overall and local tournament fishing in particular, these deep offshore bass are the last untapped goldmine, and heavier jigs like these are the ticket to catch them.

Therefore, this is a larger, heavier size shakey jig than normally seen. It's a 1/2 oz shakey jig with 6/0 hook

Shakey jigs are available in Bassdozer's Store in 3/16th (4/0), 1/4 oz (5/0) and 3/8th (5/0) sizes. Now, this is the latest and largest 1/2 oz size.

This 1/2 oz (6/0) size handles bigger, beefier, longer worms (7" to 10" worms) that appeal to better-than-average size bass that tend to not be interested in smaller finesse worms. You've seen the top BASS and FLW pros on TV using these bigger, beefier, longer type worms for kicker bass during the post-spawn this spring. It's almost an in-water cull tactic to appeal to these bigger bass that are spawned out. They're not making the effort to whack every little minnow that saunters by, but they will do what it takes to get a bigger meal.

Truly, it's not just post-spawn either, but all year, the truth is big worms and big shakey jigs like this tend to attract big fish. On the other hand, finesse worms and finesse-sized shakey jigs tend to attract smaller fish.

Jackall Dagored ~ Jointed Surface Prop Bait

The big bait craze and all the big California swimbaits hit Japan in the year 2000. These big kind of lures had never been seen there before but it didn't take long to realize that California size swimbaits were a little too big for Japanese bass fishing. So the bait manufacturers there designed and developed the little bit smaller swimbait sizes that suited them best, and that are honestly better-suited for the majority of North American anglers too. The Jackall Dagored is one of them. I guess you can say the Dagored is a big bait with a big surface swishing action - but it isn't overly huge.

This is really a niche or knack that's been perfected in Japan - slightly downsized swimbaits - and nobody makes them better. The Japanese swim baits are still a little bigger or bulkier than ordinary baits, but not nearly as big as "California" swimbait sizes that dominate the US swimbait market. How shall I describe the difference? Well, the California size swimbaits made in the USA are awesome to catch truly trophy-sized bass, and the closer you fish to the big bass belt that spans from Florida to Texas, Mexico and California, the better off you'll be to use big California swimbaits. For the majority of us fishing elsewhere, the downsized Japanese swimbaits will get us more of a bigger grade of bass on a consistent basis. The Jackall Dagored, Jackall Giron, Jackall Mikey and Mikey Jr. are perfect examples of downsized swimbaits from Japan.

The Jackall Dagored is a great surface-swishing lure. Although the Dagored is practically unknown in North America, it's available now in Bassdozer's Store because you really out to give it a try. You'll be impressed with the spectacular action and its uncanny ability to draw smashing strikes.

The prop is designed to hit the screw on the Dagored's tail top make more noise.

Brand new in box.

The New Giron ~ Ultra-Realism in a Jointed Jackall Sunfish Swimbait

The new Giron is Jackall's answer for anglers seeking an ultra-realistic sunfish imitating bait. The photos shown here do not capture the full beauty, coloration and realism of the Jackall Giron. You have to hold it in your hand to appreciate this work of art.

Bass dine on bluegill, sunfish, crappie and panfish everywhere. Sunfish are close cousins of bass. Actually, bass are sunfish themselves. Sunfish live in the same spots as bass, eat the same prey as bass and in turn are eaten by bass. When shad, shiners, other baitfish and even crawdads become scarce (and even when they're not scarce) bass eat sunfish as a staple in their diet. Why not get a Jackall Giron jointed sunfish swimbait today and try it?

Whereas the current crop of many other brands of sunfish swimbaits are overly big, the jointed Jackall Giron is not so big, but it is bulky at 4 inches long.

Most other ultra-realistic sunfish imitating swimbaits are much bigger, longer and deeper-bodied and weigh up to several ounces. That really makes most of the others too big for everyday use - but not the Giron. In fact, due to it's moderate size, it would be hard to say the Giron's even in the same class as other bigger sunfish swimbaits. It's really not.

The Giron is just about palm-sized and that's the prefect snack size for bass. The Giron weighs a good, solid 3/4 ounce. It's ruggedly constructed and can be used with a range of medium/heavy to heavy gear of your choice, depending on just how big the bass are, and how thick the cover they're in. The Giron can handle even heavier hooks than stock, on commensurately heavier gear.

As good as it loks in the photos or in one's hand, the swimming action in the water will simply blow you away. It has one of the most lifelike swimming motions you may ever see. There are some video clips of the Giron swimming, but you really have got to see it for yourself. The video clips hardly do it justice.

The Giron jointed sunfish is a slow sinking lure and versatile. It can be used with a wide variety of actions, twitches, short frantic bursts, dead stick falls, flops and gasps, and a full gamut of any retrieve speeds. Experiment and practice, and become a true master with the jointed Giron. Learn to make this productive panfish puppet perform it's deceptive sunfish dance with every pull of you, the puppet master's string.

Savvy Tournament Anglers Depend on deps Lures Worldwide

In 1992, Japanese angler Kazumasa Okumura started to gain much media attention by breaking the ten pound barrier several times in a row on Japan's famed bass water, Lake Biwa. He used an original design heavy weight spinnerbait, slow-rolling it deep along the bottom, a tactic not practiced much in Japan. However, the lure and technique started Kazumasa's career and legend as one of Japan's foremost big bass experts, and led to his founding of the deps lure company.

Kazumasa loved to fish with big spinnerbaits, and in 1997, at the age of 28, Kazumasa founded the deps company in order to make his now legendary spinnerbait available to other anglers. Kazumasa's habit of catching monster bass, especially when outdoor writers/photographers were fishing with him, helped establish the success of and the aura surrounding deps lures.

Kazumasa's spinnerbait, named the B-Custom, became an immediate sensation in Japan and still ranks as one of the best fish catching lures in Japan today.

But Kazumasa didn't stop there. Kazumasa and deps continued to test and release new products, focusing on big bass, adding up to a full line of hard, soft and hybrid lures, many of which are only available in Japan.

In 2000, swimbaits and the big bait boom got started throughout Japan. Kazumasa and deps began to test and manufacture various styles of big baits not seen before in Japan, or anywhere. Japanese bass anglers typically focused on finesse fishing and light tackle, but the ingenuity of deps new big bass baits grabbed the attention of anglers and bass across Japan.

Released in 2003, one radical new design was a big wake bait named the Buzzjet. It was voted the most popular lure in Japan for 2003 by Lure Magazine readers.

deps Buzzjet 96 and Buzzjet Jr.

In 2004, deps released the Basirisky, a hollow rubber frog with a crazy yet brilliant twist. Its unique back legs face forward so that it crawls on the surface creating a huge rollicking ripple behind it.

deps basirisky 60 (left) and bigger basirisky 70 (right).

deps Lures Debut in North America

In late 2005, deps lures started to become available in North America. It is really the deps Basirisky (two sizes) plus the deps Buzzjet (two sizes) that have captured the interest of North American anglers.

deps are relatively expensive lures. Nevertheless, across the USA, deps products are mainly being bought by tournament anglers or by otherwise expert anglers who have seen the product videos on the Internet and have been blown away by their unorthodox look and action.

Especially to tournament anglers, the higher price is offset by the hope to win tournaments with deps, and that has proven to be the case for some.

Regional Hot Spots

Currently, deps products are most widely used in both north and south California, all over the Potomac area (Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland), South Carolina and North Carolina. On the other hand, deps haven't caught on yet in many other regions, including much of the South as well as Texas and Florida. There's still a lot of water where a deps has never been wet in most states, Canada and Mexico.

An International Phenomena

What's an interesting phenomena and one other region (actually, continent) where many of the deps lures for sale in North America are going is overseas to tournament anglers in Europe, especially France, Italy and Spain. Many European tournament anglers are racking up high scores in competition by depending on deps basirisky and buzzjet lures. The Internet has helped sophisticated French, Spanish and Italian anglers to leapfrog smack dab onto the very cutting edge of new lures and very latest information on what's hot. They're tapping the latest and greatest bass tackle and tactics that have not yet made their way into slower-moving European tackle distribution chains or magazine articles there. Of course, these advanced anglers would like to keep it hush-hush because they're onto a good thing here. The instant Internet access to world class tackle and tactical knowledge can definitely be an advantage to them since they're getting items and information not used by many other anglers in Europe.

Getting back to the states, there's an element of hush-hush about deps too, yet it has been the eventual word of mouth praise that has been the key to deps' growing success in the states. Although guys try to keep it a secret, the deps products popularity grows because anglers share their positive experience with each other.

Captain Karl Bunch

One such angler who is willing to share his deps lure secrets with us is Capt. Karl Bunch. He operates Karl's Bassin' Adventures Guide Service (at karlsbassinadventures.com) on the Potomac River, the Upper Chesapeake Bay headwaters and the Susquehanna River flats.

Capt. Karl Bunch operates Karl's Bassin' Adventures Guide Service

Basirisky

"Several years ago I first heard rumors about the deps products from tournament anglers. Then in early spring 2006 the Basirisky was quickly becoming the whispering topic of tournament anglers on the Potomac River,: says Capt. Karl. "Word got out that finally here is a topwater lure that can be cast long distances back deep, deep into the thickest of grass beds and simply retrieved across the dense grass beds with great success at getting old bucket mouth to attack it. As I started using the Basirisky I found that several of my tournament angler clients who I was guiding, they would not talk about the Basirisky until I pulled one out for them to use. Yes, they were trying to keep the Basirisky a secret as the Basirisky was winning tournaments and anglers were cashing checks in tournaments using the Basirisky."

"But you can't keep a great lure a secret for long and by the summer of 2006 the Basirisky was the must have lure on the Potomac River and Upper Chesapeake Bay/Susquehanna Flats," says Karl.

"It got a little surreal, and a real worry to those who did not have any as tournament anglers were making early morning deals with their fellow anglers for the Basirisky prior to launch time at the tournaments."

"I have found that a good quality 6 foot 6inch to 7 foot medium-heavy fishing rod with 40 to 65 pound test braided line works best for fishing the Basirisky. Give the Basirisky a good long cast deep into the thick grass bed, hold your rod tip at the 10 o' clock position and give it a steady retrieve. As the Basirisky gets to within two feet from the edge of the grass bed, many times I will stop the Basirisky and work it as a popper, and just as the Basirisky clears the edge of the grass bed, I will without pause start the steady retrieve again. I have found this technique to be very effective even on the most reluctant bass with heavy fishing pressure." reveals Karl. "I prefer to use the smaller/lighter 60 series most of the time but on the breezy days when there is a slight chop on the water I will use the bigger/heavier 70 series Basirisky," advises Capt. Karl Bunch.

Buzzjet

"The Buzzjet is just getting it's due attention in the region in 2007. The popularity of the Basirisky has helped to get many anglers to give the Buzzjet a go, and this exciting topwater wake bait is rewarding anglers with great success. Recently, Mike Acord of Susquehanna Fishing Tackle in Lancaster, Pennsylvania won the B.A.S.S. Weekend Series Co-Angler side on the Potomac River using the Buzzjet Jr. as one of Mike's key lures during the tournament," says Karl.

"I have found that a good quality 6 foot 6 inch medium-heavy fishing rod with 20 to 40 pound test braided line to work best. Hold the rod tip at the 10 o' clock position with a steady retrieve. I prefer the Buzzjet Jr. on the waters of the Potomac River and Upper Chesapeake Bay as the smaller size more effectively matches our bait fish size. The Buzzjet Jr. is very effective when fished over submerged grass and retrieved parallel along side the edge of the grass beds," says Karl.

Capt. Karl Bunch uses the smaller sizes - Basiriky 60 and Buzzjet Jr. - most often.

"I hope these tips can help you to depend on deps lures for fishing success," concluded Capt. Karl Bunch. You can visit his site at karlsbassinadventures.com.

EZ Skirt Styles for Bass Fishing Lure Skirts

EZ Skirts. Have tried the EZ Skirt style yet? You should. It's good. These EZ skirts came onto the market in late 2005 and are still relatively hard to find, but are growing in popularity. These same skirts are used on several popular name brands of lures. The EZ Skirt manufacturer only offers a limited number of fixed color patterns. So you'll see many of these same EZ Skirt colors repeated on various lure brands.

EZ On. EZ Off. They are easy (hence the name "EZ Skirt") to get on or off a jig, spinnerbait or buzzbait. The skirts stay firmly in place. Striking fish really can't pull the skirts down easily (if at all) and the skirt strands are looked permanently and perfectly in position. So the appearance can't get wrecked. Strands layered in baitfish patterns can never get jumbled up or out of kilter.

Action. These have good action and lots of wiggle in the water. There's a good amount of shimmy, squiggle and breathing pulse the skirt displays on the retrieve. When paused, such as when a jig rests on bottom, the strands spring open like unfurling a picnic blanket, presenting the jig trailer in the middle.

Construction. The EZ Skirt style has 70 silicone strands (each 2-1/2" long) that all billow backward. It has a light, airy, "full yet sparse" look. The strands are locked permanently in place by a small rubber center hub that creates a perfect "umbrella" profile. Because the strands are locked in place, the different colors (fixed in five strand increments) do not move out of place or get mixed into each other. So if a skirt has different back, side and belly colors, the colors are permanently locked in position.

Appearance. The skirt looks square cut in the back, but when used on a jig or spinnerbait, the end of the skirt tips often come together when pulled through the water, into a point like the tapered tip of an artist's paintbrush. Because the "bloom" or bend where the strands come off the hub puffs out so much, it constantly flexes backward, making the strands wriggle actively. It's a very lively action skirt, and due to its sparse billowy appearance, it is ideal for clear water. There is a lot more see-through effect on this skirt style, which breaks it up more and blends more naturally into the background.

Which is Better? People often ask which skirt style do I like better - the standard skirt or the EZ skirt? I like them both. I like the standard skirt for a bulkier flipping jig for example. I like this new style for its sparse billowy appearance. It is ideal for clear water. There is a lot more see-through effect on this new type skirt, which breaks it up more and blends more naturally into the background.

Ideal Applications. A few of my favorite EZ Skirt applications are:

• The EZ Skirt goes nicely on a hidden head spinnerbait since fish get a great glimpse of the baitfish-shaped spinnerbait body hidden beneath the billowy skirt. This skirt lets fish more clearly view the attractive fish-shaped hidden weight belly.
• On a swimming jig or finesse jig in clear water with a soft plastic trailer, the sparseness of the EZ Skirt style really shows off the soft trailer body underneath, letting fish get a good peek-a-boo glimpse of the full trailer shape beneath the billowing skirt.
• I like buzzbaits dressed with an EZ Skirt. They present beautifully on buzzbaits and have an incredible wriggling action, plus the fact that bass can't easily pull them down. SA buzzbait needs to be cast a little different than and more forceful than a spinnerbait or jig. standard skirts can pull off the lead collar even just from casting a buzzbait with the standard skirt band. A standard style skirt, once you catch a couple fish on it, just does not stay in place on a hard cast or when a fish grabs at a buzzbait but misses, a standard skirt often gets pulled down the hook. On the other hand, the EZ Skirts stay in place.

Have tried the EZ Skirt style yet? You should. It's good.

Black Skirt. Basic black is always in fashion. even with fish!

Black Blue Fusion Skirt. This skirt is a fusion of black with reflective blue metallic foil print, black with blue glitter metal flake, and black with blue fire tip strands. Keep the landing net handy with this one. It's a favorite of big bass everywhere.

Black White Skirt. A great color that's one half snow white. The other half has a swatch of smoke with silver sparkle and another swatch of darker smoke on the shoulders with a black back. This color doesn't have the spiff and sparkle of some other fancier skirts, but it is a top producer of fish, and isn't that what it's all about?

Bleeding White Shad Skirt. Five blood red strands are laced in with swatches of white silver, clear silver and white silver hologram. Many anglers start fishing with the red strands positioned on the belly - or you can turn the skirt around and use the red swatch on top of the back. Bass slobber over it either way.

Blue Silver Hologram Skirt. Two different silver hologram sections (fifteen strands apiece) down each side. That's a total of sixty hologram strands, one slightly more silver, the other slightly more clear, but both hologram. Topped off with a blue back section (ten strands) with reflective blue metal foil print. The hologram finish refracts (separates) sunlight (or any ambient light) into the full spectrum of many individual colors. The colors being refracted constantly change and sparkle as the skirt moves through the water. The primary colors refracted are pale glimmers of purple, blue, green and chartreuse. The holographic colors reflect the present water and light conditions and also provide the illusion of excited baitfish that are "flushing" and emitting color signals.

Bright White Shad Skirt. Many spinnerbait vendors say a spinnerbait dressed in a simple white skirt their number one all-time seller. I wouldn't argue with that. There are many purists who wisely prefer plain, bright white skirts. This EZ Skirt version is dazzling bright snow white with subtle silver flakes.

Chameleon Craw Skirt. This bait color is nicknamed "dirt" in parts of Texas. It's five strands of dark brown with red and fine gold flake, alternate with 5 strands light brown with green and fine gold flake. There are seventy strands in all, in 14 alternating sections.

Chartreuse White Gold Skirt. Alternating swatches (five strands per swatch) radiate all the way around this skirt. Both the chartreuse and white are dusted with superfine metal flake. There are seven swatches of bright chartreuse with glistening gold dust alternated with seven swatches of bright white dusted with silver.

Chartreuse White Star Skirt. When it comes to spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, it's tough to do better than a chartreuse white skirt, and the color pattern you see here is one of the very latest and best. The seventy strands are super thin cut and so super soft. Alternating swatches (five strands per swatch) radiate all the way around this skirt. There are seven swatches of bright chartreuse alternated with seven swatches of bright white. Both the chartreuse and white are impregnated with superfine silver metal flake. Is this the best chartreuse white skirt ever built? Until someone shows me one better, I say this here skirt's pretty close to perfect.

Dark Chartreuse White. A traditional chartreuse white skirt, the most popular and productive spinnerbait and buzzbait skirt color ever, accentuated with a chartreuse black fish scale stripe to induce more aggressive and more focused strikes. This goes great especially in stained water, with the black/chartreuse stripe offering exceptional contrast against the white strands.

Fire Perch Skirt. A classic color with hot lime green shoulders and black back both with reflective green foil print on them. Fluorescent chartreuse sides and a fluorescent orange belly. This is probably the closest any silicone skirt has come so far to looking like a crankbait paint job. It's a bold, strike-provoking pattern to use anywhere, but especially across the northern states and lower Canada, where this skirt mimics young-of-year yellow perch - a favorite snack of northern bass.

Gold Hologram Skirt. Two different gold hologram patterns, one slightly more solid, the other slightly more clear, but both hologram alternate every quarter of this skirt in dark-light-dark-light hologram fourths to complete the full circle. The hologram finish refracts (separates) sunlight (or any ambient light) into the full spectrum of many individual colors. The colors being refracted constantly change and sparkle as the skirt moves through the water. The primary colors refracted are pale glimmers of purple, blue, green and chartreuse. The holographic colors reflect the present water and light conditions and also provide the illusion of excited baitfish that are "flushing" and emitting color signals.

Green Brown Pumpkin Skirt. Two of the best bass bait colors worldwide are green pumpkin and brown pumpkin. Many anglers may ponder the question, "Should I be using brown or green?" Well, ponder no more. With this skirt, you'll be using both green pumpkin AND brown pumpkin in the same bait at the same time. There are seventy strands in all, in four alternating quarters of green and brown pumpkin pepper. Try it with the green on top and bottom, or give the skirt a half-twist to try the brown on top and bottom. Either way, it works whenever bass prefer green OR brown, you've got it!

Green Pumpkin Pepper Skirt. The number one soft plastic bait color in the world, and it is every bit as productive as a skirt color. Seven swatches (five strands per swatch) of slightly darker green pumpkin pepper alternate with seven swatches of slightly lighter green pumpkin pepper for a perfect coloration all the way around this skirt.

June Bug Black. Seven bands of black (five strand per band) alternate with seven bands of june bug with emerald sparkle to complete this incredible skirt.

Silver Hologram Skirt. Two different silver hologram patterns, one slightly more silver, the other slightly more clear, but both hologram alternate every quarter of this skirt in dark-light-dark-light hologram fourths to complete the full circle. The hologram finish refracts (separates) sunlight (or any ambient light) into the full spectrum of many individual colors. The colors being refracted constantly change and sparkle as the skirt moves through the water. The primary colors refracted are pale glimmers of purple, blue, green and chartreuse. The holographic colors reflect the present water and light conditions and also provide the illusion of excited baitfish that are "flushing" and emitting color signals.

Smokey Shad Skirt. This is one of the latest skirt colors. It's barely yet on the market. Kevin VanDam may have designed this color. That's what the manufacturer's marketing claims, and it is probably true. If he did not make it, KVD certainly uses the Smokey Shad color in top tournament competition as KVD has been seen on TV using it and commenting about it. Especially in clear water or when fish won't hit standard colors, when fish want a subtle skirt color, that's when KVD goes to the Smokey Shad - and so should you. The back is smoke pepper, giving way to smoke with blue hologram sides, a clear white with fine silver glitter on the lower side sections, and a swatch of blood spotted strands for the belly.

Watermelon Flash Skirt. A broad swatch (twenty strands) of watermelon pepper, two side sections (twenty strands apiece) of greenish pumpkin with heavy green metal flake, all topped off with a swatch of pumpkin with bright green metal foil print. Turn the reflective green flash on top first. If need be, turn it 180 to put the green flash on bottom. This simple twist is so easy to do, and it can make a big difference in the number of solid strikes you get.

White Gold Hologram Skirt. Sections of pearl white, creamy pearl gold, clear with gold and a broad swatch of gold hologram are locked perfectly in place on this skirt. Turn the pearl white color on top first. If that's not superb, do a 180 to turn the gold hologram on top. Either way, it works as good as gold.

White Silver Skirt. This is your classic bright white skirt all aglisten with an elegant, thick frosting of fine silver sparkle all over.

F14 Tin Squids

F14 Tin Squids. These are called tins, the traditional name for this genre and style of surf casting lures. These are actually cast of babbitt and heavily chrome plated. Babbit is an alloy, mainly lead typically with 15% antimony and 5% tin for example that serves to substantially harden the lure.

Although they do not look like squids, this class of lures were called "tin squids" and the act of casting and retrieving them in the surf was called "squidding". These terms go back in time but its jargon that is still used today.

These look like jigging spoons but are actually casting spoons for surfcasters. They don't perform particularly well for vertical jigging like you'd use a diamond jig off a boat. These tin squids will tend to tangle often when vertically jigged.

When cast and retrieved so they swim back horizontally through the water, they won't ordinarily tangle. They are designed and have been perfected for one purpose only - long distance casting and retrieving in the surf from whatever kind of sandy or rocky shoreline. They swim, tracing an S-shaped wiggling path through the water, with action very much like a swimming baitfish when cast and retrieved with a feather-dressed tail hook (not included).

You get one each of:

1. Small F14  ~  1-3/8 oz  ~  3" long
2. Butterfish  ~  2 oz  ~  2-3/4" long
3. Large F14  ~  3-1/2 oz  ~  4-1/4" long

Please Note: The weights inscribed on the tins are incorrect. Those would be the weights if they were cast in tin metal. But they are not cast in tin. They are cast in heavier babbit which weighs more than the inscription.

Small F14. Correct weight (made of heavier babbit) is 1-3/8 oz.

Butterfish. Correct weight (made of heavier babbit) is 2 oz.

Large F14. Correct weight (made of heavier babbit) is 3-1/2 oz.

Bottom view. Large F14 (left). Butterfish (center). Small F14 (right).

Charlie Graves Tins ~ J6, J7, J8 Tin Squids ~ No hooks

Charlie Graves Tins. These are called tins, the traditional name for this genre and style of surf casting lures. These are actually cast of babbitt and heavily chrome plated. Babbit is an alloy, mainly lead typically with 15% antimony and 5% tin for example that serves to substantially harden the lure.

Although they do not look like squids, this class of lures were called "tin squids" and the act of casting and retrieving them in the surf was called "squidding". These terms go back in time but its jargon that is still used today.

These look like jigging spoons but are actually casting spoons for surfcasters. They don't perform particularly well for vertical jigging like you'd use a diamond jig off a boat. These Charlie Graves will tend to tangle often when vertically jigged.

When cast and retrieved so they swim back horizontally through the water, they won't ordinarily tangle. They are designed and have been perfected for one purpose only - long distance casting and retrieving in the surf from whatever kind of sandy or rocky shoreline. They swim, tracing an S-shaped wiggling path through the water, with action very much like a swimming baitfish when cast and retrieved with a feather-dressed tail hook (not included).

You get one each of:

1. Charlie Graves J6  ~  1-3/4 oz  ~  3" long
2. Charlie Graves J7  ~  2 oz  ~  3-1/4" long
3. Charlie Graves J8  ~  2-1/4 oz  ~  3-1/2" long

Please enjoy!

Charlie Graves Tin ~ J6.

Charlie Graves Tin ~ J7.

Charlie Graves Tin ~ J8.

Bottom view. Left to right: J8. J7. J6

Finesse Jig Skirts. Half-size skirts with the short fuzzy forward-facing stubble. These also have an inner core tube and an outer band, and colorless light glue. It's hard to see there's any glue, but it's there, which is especially important to lock and keep the short ends from slipping out. The outer band has ears to optionally accept plug-in rattles. Rattles not included.

You get five finesse jig skirts, one each color:

1. Black Blue Flash
2. Black Brown Craw
3. Watermelon Candy Sunfish
4. Peanut Butter Jelly
5. Brown Purple

Shown left to right: Brown purple; Watermelon candy sunfish; Peanut butter jelly; Black brown craw; and Black blue flash.

Gold Hologram Skirt. Two different gold hologram patterns, one slightly more solid color, the other slightly more clear, but both hologram alternate every quarter of this skirt in dark-light-dark-light hologram fourths to complete the full circle.

The hologram finish refracts (separates) sunlight (or any ambient light) into the full spectrum of many individual colors. The colors being refracted constantly change and sparkle as the skirt moves through the water. The primary colors refracted are pale glimmers of purple, blue, green and chartreuse. The holographic colors reflect the present water and light conditions and also provide the illusion of excited baitfish that are "flushing" and emitting color signals.

Black White Skirt. A great color that's one half snow white. The other half has a swatch of smoke with silver sparkle and another swatch of darker smoke on the shoulders with a black back. This color doesn't have the spiff and sparkle of some other fancier skirts, but it is a top producer of fish, and isn't that what it's all about?

Fire Perch Skirt. A classic color with a bold orange belly and bright chartreuse flanks. Hot lime green shoulders and black back both have reflective green foil print on them.
 

EZ Skirts. These first came out in late 2005 and continue to get more popular among anglers. These are also called "Perfect Skirts" by some vendors such as Strike King, and these same skirts are used on several other popular brands of lures. The EZ Skirt manufacturer only offers so many predefined color patterns, so Bassdozer's Store has many of the same EZ Skirt color patterns you see on various lure brands.

These have good action and lots of wiggle in the water. There's a good amount of shimmy, squiggle and breathing pulse the skirt displays on the retrieve. When paused, such as when a jig rests on bottom, the strands spring open like unfurling a picnic blanket, presenting the jig trailer in the middle.

The EZ Skirt style has 70 silicone strands (each 2-1/2" long) that all billow backward. It has a light, airy, "full yet sparse" look. The strands are locked permanently in place by a small rubber center hub that creates a perfect "umbrella" profile. Because the strands are locked in place, the different colors (fixed in five strand increments) do not move out of place or get mixed into each other. So if a skirt has different back, side and belly colors, the colors are permanently locked in position.

The skirt looks square cut in the back, but when used on a jig or spinnerbait, the end of the skirt tips often come together when pulled through the water, into a point like the tapered tip of an artist's paintbrush. Because the "bloom" or bend where the strands come off the hub puffs out so much, it constantly flexes backward, making the strands wriggle actively. It's a very lively action skirt, and due to its sparse billowy appearance, it is ideal for clear water. There is a lot more see-through effect on this skirt style, which breaks it up more and blends more naturally into the background.

The EZ Skirt goes nicely on a hidden head spinnerbait since fish get a great glimpse of the baitfish-shaped body hidden beneath the billowy skirt. This skirt lets fish more clearly view the attractive fish-shaped hidden weight belly.

On a swimming jig or any clear water or finesse type jig with a soft plastic trailer, the sparseness of the EZ Skirt style really shows off the soft trailer body underneath, letting fish get a good peek-a-boo glimpse of the full trailer shape beneath the billowing skirt.

You may not have tried this new EZ Skirt style yet, but you should. It's good.

Jackall Mikey Swimbait

The Mikey is a bulky three-piece jointed bait that has an excellent reputation among anglers who fish with big swimbaits for big bass. Many California big bass experts speak highly of the Mikey.

Although it isn't as gigantic as some other big jointed swimbaits, the Mikey is fairly bulky at 5-1/2 inches long and weighs 1-1/8 oz.

Jackall Mikey ~ Swimbait ~ Chartreuse Shad

Brand new in Box.

Jackall Mikey ~ Swimbait ~ Ghost Minnow

Brand new in Box.

Jackall Mikey Jr.

Compared to the bigger Mikey, the Mikey Jr. hasn't earned as good a reputation among big swimbait anglers. Probably because it's not really a big swimbait.

On the other hand, the Mikey Jr. is the size favored by anglers who fish for big smallmouth or spotted bass. These species don't grow as big - or go for as big a bait - as their largemouth cousins.

It's tough to call the Mikey Jr a big bait - but it is bulky for its 3-3/4 inch size and weighs 5/8 oz. So if you're not looking to land 10 to 20 pound largemouth, but you would like to bag some hefty 4 or 5 pound spots or smallies, the Mikey Jr. may be for you.

Jackall Mikey Jr. ~ Wakebait ~ Tennessee Shad

Brand new in Box.

Frog Fishing - It's Not Your Father's Topwater Any More

It's getting friggin' froggy on the water lately. Well-known grass fisheries like Lake Guntersville in Alabama, the Potomac River or the California Delta are frog fishing meccas but it doesn't end there. Frog fishing is a worldwide craze in bass fishing today. Not just in the USA, Canada and Mexico but anglers in all corners of the world, France, Italy, Spain, Latvia or anywhere there's a knotted tangle of lily pads, water chestnuts, tall reeds, or emergent weed beds, floating frogs and waking surface baits are all the rage today. Several of the best examples of these lure designs stem from Japan.

Compared to your more traditional topwater poppers and stickbaits used to walk the dog, the new breed of frogs and wakebaits are new styles of lures not seen before. They're not your father's topwater any more.Say Howdy to the Basirisky

Say Howdy to the Basirisky

The frog legs of the deps Basirisky below are a prime example of one such radical new design. The frog legs look more like the flukes on a pirate ship anchor. What they do is make the frog waddle side-to-side without any rod action required by the angler. With some of the very first Basirisky to get into US anglers hands not long ago, major tournaments were being won by fishermen who had never used a frog before. Due to the well-thought design, no prior experience nor frog expertise was required to be successful with the Basirisky.

Although made for the Potomac, the bubblegum color Basirisky (shown above) should work well worldwide wherever bass and grass abound. Deps custom-made this bubblegum color based on requests from anglers who fish the Potomac River and the Upper Chesapeake Bay headwaters. These grass-filled waters are a hotbed and testbed of the very latest frog lures from Japan, such as the deps Basirisky.

With success comes a price. The modern frog baits are pricey. but win a tournament with one, and you may feel they're well worth it, eh? Such expensive yet productive grass-fishing topwater lures have come to the forefront in major tournament fishing competitions on the hard-fished Potomac River. The highly-competitive chartered guide services there also rely on the modern frog lures to produce big catches for and equally big tips from well-to-do clients from nearby major cities.

Dep-end on deps Buzzjets

The newer high-end frog lures include not only the deps Basirisky (2 sizes). The Basirisky was just the first of this new generation.

Next came the deps Buzzjets (2 sizes). It wakes and shakes across the surface of grass beds too. It's an odd amalgamation of a crankbait lip, a propbait tail and a half frog / half porkchop body that looks like it shouldn't work. But it does. Big time.

The deps Buzzjet Jr. above breaks away from traditional lure body shapes. It has a crankbait lip, a propbait tail and a chunky frog-shaped body.

Just kidding around, but it isn't too far-fetched to say the big deps Buzzjet 96 (above) has a body shaped like a ham hock.

Enter the Optimums

Next of kin to emerge in terms of modern grass frogs and wake baits were Optimum's Furbit frogs (2 models) which were introduced in July, 2006. The Furbit won the US tackle trade industry's award for best new soft bait of the year.

One of the latest frogs to hop over here from Japan, Optimum's Furbit the Frog (above) has rabbit fur strips for legs and a spinner blade for vibration and flash.

This mouse-colored hollow rubber Optimum Poppin' Furbit above is a new, non-traditional popper than can go through thick grass where no popper has gone before.

Get Ready to Roumba! Ima-gine That

So new it's not released yet is a frog-shaped surface wakebait from Japan that is named after pro angler Fred Roumbanis who was instrumental in its design.

An exciting departure from traditional topwater shapes, the Ima Roumba above is so new, it has not been released yet. It's slated release date is late 2007. The Ima Roumba is shown above (top) with the deps Buzzjet Jr. (bottom). Both are about the same size. Both are topwater wakebaits. Both are high quality products. However they feature their own unique actions.

A surface wakebait, one great way to use the Roumba is to hold your rod tip high so it can't possibly dive under water. When the Roumba gets near floating grass clumps, the rod can be lifted to pull the Roumba onto its side or back, so it throws its hooks on top until it's skated over the grass clump. Once over without grabbing the grass, the retrieve can be resumed. There's a knack to pulling this maneuver, yet it isn't difficult. Astute buzzbait anglers also have a similar knack of pulling a buzzbait over a grass clump in order not to foul the buzzbait propeller or the hook.

However, other more traditional topwater lures like poppers, propbaits or stickbaits used to walk the dog can't really go through grass. As great as older, traditional shapes are in open water, they get stuck in grass. Their hooks are designed to hang down where they'll usually grab grass every time they contact a clump. This illustrates the subtle kinds of differences between older generation topwaters like poppers and cigar-shaped Spook or Sammy styles above versus the newer generation of topwater baits.

The ima Roumba is shown for size comparison with the Super Spook Jr.

Interested? Well, why not try a Basirisky or Buzzjet then? or a Furbit the Frog or Poppin' Furbit? Then again, maybe wait to try an Ima Roumba which will be out soon.

But whatever you fancy, try any one and you'll see. They're not your father's topwaters any more.

Length: 5" (130mm)   Weight: 3/8oz (12g)   Lure Type: Floating   Diving Depth:  6in-2ft (20cm-60cm)   Action: Rolling & Wobbling   Hooks: Owner ST-46 Size #3

You may not have heard of the ima lure company. Yet they are the number one saltwater lure brand in the island nation of Japan where ocean fishing is a favorite pastime and ima lures are the best and most popular lures.

The komomo SF-130 Slim is ima's most sensational product of all. It has the slender baitfish shape and action that made the Ima brand legendary among Japanese saltwater anglers. Now in the USA.

I was one of the first to use the ima saltwater lures in the USA last year. Please enjoy reading the following report that I provided back to the ima company:

The slim komomo is shaped like a baitfish and casts like an arrow. There's no protruding diving lip to ruin the natural appearance and rob precious distance on the cast.

The secret to its surprising long distance is not only the arrow-like shape, but there is a raceway engineered inside the komomo's body. That lets two dense tungsten ball weights roll down the raceway into the very tail tip of the komomo upon casting. Unlike other lures that have fixed weight systems, the Komomo can be much lighter yet still cast much farther because all the dense tungsten weight is in the tail on the cast. When fully armed with its three Owner hooks, the komomo weighs almost 1/2 ounce, but due to the shifting tungsten weights inside, the komomo goes the distance like a much heavier lure.

When it first splashes down, the heavily weighted tail causes the komomo to sit almost vertical, straight up and down in the water.

As soon as the retrieve is started, the pull of the fishing line causes the tungsten weights to roll back down the raceway and into the belly of the komomo where there is a baffle that holds the weights precisely at the center of balance for the duration of the retrieve. With the weights automatically repositioned and secured by the baffle mechanism, the komomo now sits perfectly horizontal in the water.

5" ima komomo Saltwater Lure ~ Black Blue Shad

5" ima komomo Saltwater Lure ~ Flashy Green

At 5-1/4 inches long, the slender body shape resembles many baitfish found in all bays and oceans. The swimming action imitates such long, slender baitfish too. The komomo action can be described as more of a roll. Once you see it, you will recognize the slender baitfish movement the komomo imitates so well.

Under normal conditions, the komomo maintains a consistent swimming depth about one foot or so below the surface.

Ideal action can be gotten on a slow retrieve and slow-moving water. Again, the action is more of a roll. As you slowly retrieve it, the komomo innately wants to stop and pause a lot if you let it, which is very natural and how a slender baitfish would act. The lifelike slow-rolling movement is a perfect visual attractant at such special moments as those calm daybreaks and serene sunsets when ocean gamefish cruise the sea surface looking for an easy meal.

The komomo can also be retrieved fast by the angler, or it can be cast into fast-moving water, and the komomo will still work as intended even in a fast current or on a fast retrieve. You will again notice the remarkable similarity of the action to long slender baitfish that must swim much harder, almost gyrating from side to side in a wide S-shaped arc in fast water. The komomo will closely mimic its natural baitfish counterparts as the komomo also arcs widely from side to side when moved quickly.

The three Owner ST-46 #3 hooks leave little excuse for a lunging predator to not get hooked, and the AB