| Archive - May 2008 New Style N Spinnerbaits for Bass FishingPosted May-31-08 18:39:07 PDT Updated Jun-20-08 10:04:24 PDT New Style N Spinnerbaits for Bass FishingStyle N. This is a super-concentrated form of spinnerbait. It has as much going on as a standard size spinnerbait - but the Style N packs it all down tighter together. It's a powerhouse of a spinnerbait., with a shorter nose arm and a shorter blade arm. Royal / Oklahoma Combo. The spacing used on these blades brings them in closer to the body of the bait. Both are short, stocky blades, adding to the overall compactness. These blades are not long, but they are quite wide, and stamped of thick stock. So these are heavy blades. This is a sweet combo you are not likely to see anywhere else. This blade configuration emits a nice, rapid vibration that you can feel in the rod tip and see in the way it shakes the spinnerbait head and skirt up and down like a bobblehead. The blades swim with a perky, lively appearance.
New Bluegill Thin Cut Skirts for Bass Fishing LuresPosted May-30-08 10:17:58 PDT Updated May-30-08 10:26:28 PDT New Bluegill Thin Cut Skirts for Bass Fishing LuresGive all your jigs, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits a fresh and exciting new look with these skirts!
This particular skirt is made of the same silicone rubber as standard skirts but in terms of the thickness of the material, it's made from a thinner or flatter diameter sheet of rubber to begin with. Then each stand is cut much thinner, and there are usually 60 thin cut strands per skirt. The length on this skirt is the same - 5" as a standard skirt. It is not shorter, but the strands are thinner and flatter, and more numerous (approx. 60 vs. 40 strands) than a standard skirt. Some anglers say the thinner strands have more action or movement. Whether that matters to fish, no one can prove. It's true these skirts are lighter and more airy than standard skirts. The main reason I use them at times is not because of any difference in action - but because of the difference in profile and water resistance.. The thinner strands are more streamlined, more fluid in the water, and many anglers like them for Wisconsin-style swimming jigs or for deep-running smaller profile spinnerbaits. Reason is, on a swimming jig, the thinner skirt lets the swimming jig balance more perfectly, the skirt profile is more sheer or finesse-like - and that's often what anglers seek in a swimming jig skirt - a sparser appearance and more subtle profile. The thin cut skirt provides that. On delicately-balanced swimming jigs, the perfect placement of each strand, plus the overall lighter, thinner skirt does not affect or influence the upright balance of a swimming jig as much as bulkier standard skirts that could make a swimming jig run lopsided. The same can be said for a fineese stlye spinnerbait or a deep-running spinnerbait. The streamlined skirt with thinner strands has a smaller overall look and less water resistance.
Hole-In-One Hub Technology. This may be a little confusing, but both the Bluegill Thin Cut and the full-size Bluegill Hole In One, they both have hole in one hub technology. So the Bluegill Thin Cut is a hole-in-one skirt too. Each strand is locked perfectly in place with a thin clear application of silicone adhesive sandwiched in between an inner core collar and outer band collar. It's hard to see there's any glue, but it's there, which is especially important to lock and keep the strands from getting pulled out of place. The inner collar is flanged on both ends to make the bloom-like flare you see where both sides of the strands flare off the collar. A lot of anglers favor this flared bloom to the skirt, feeling it gives more action as opposed to the traditional flat, straight banded skirt. Shallow Minnow Lures ~ Saltwater or FreshwaterPosted May-28-08 03:26:35 PDT Shallow Minnow Lures ~ Saltwater or FreshwaterEffective for almost every kind of fresh and saltwater gamefish, including the toothiest critters. Tough injection-molded hard plastic lure with loud fish-calling rattles inside. Thanks to the tough plastic construction, toothy fish can't easily sink their teeth into it. Works excellent in all types of waters. Works equally well in flat calm water or moving water whether there's current, tide, waves or flat calm, this lure works. This lure is equally productive when fished slowly at night as it is during the day. Shallow swimmer dives 1 to 2 feet deep. Just reel in. Has its own built-in action with an awesome body-rolling, side to side tail-wiggling action that throws off lots of belly flashing and vibrations like a disoriented, distressed baitfish. Has a slow rise when paused. It float at rest and is excellent to twitch on the surface for explosive strikes. The plastic lip is part of the lure's one-piece molded construction which make the lip more durable and perfectly-aligned for proper swimming action every time. It has none of the weaknesses of lures where the lip is glued-in or screwed on as a separate part. Note: These lures come with no hooks.
A Pleasant Variety of Fine New SpinnerbaitsPosted May-25-08 14:22:50 PDT A Pleasant Variety of Fine New Spinnerbaits
Chartreuse White Blend ~ Thin Cut Skirt. Who says you can't breath new life into the old standby colors? This pattern breaks up and blends your traditional chartreuse white skirt in a way you've probably not seen it before. Please enjoy! Double Oklahoma Blades. Two Oklahomas are seldom seen on a spinnerbait, but they are an excellent combo. These two blades have been custom paired and spaced "just right" by Bassdozer in order to maximize the very best blade action in this spinnerbait. Features a very fluid movement of both blades, appearing almost like fluid, rippling fish tail fins. Both blades move in perfect synch when pulsed or on stop-and-go retrieve. Creates pretty good vibration.
Fluted/Oklahoma Blades. It's unlikely you'll see this blade pair anywhere else, but these two go good together. The little wider spacing adds a lively illusion. Overall, it looks like two small baitfish swimming together.
Sexy Shad ~ Thin Cut Skirt. This skirt has well-defined, contrasting colors. The top half is smoke gray with black fish scales and pale blue glitter. The lower half is milky pearl blue. The belly is pale chartreuse with a pale blue sheen. This skirt is a great producer in stained water where the more defined contrast of this skirt helps bass zero in on it.
Herring Bone ~ Hole-In-One Skirt. This is a blueback herring pattern with a bone white belly. A great color for clear or lightly-stained water.
Plemmons ~ Hole-In-One Skirt. This skirt color is styled after a balsa crankbait color called Plemmons. It is most popular on crankbaits used in the mid-Atlanitc region of the USA, say from South Carolina and Tennessee and on up toward DC or so. Now Plemmons is available in a spinnerbait, buzzbait and jig skirt that's every bit as fancy and effective as the original balsa crankbait color pattern.
These spinnerbaits have heavy duty 5/0 hooks and .035 super wire arms.
Dark Alewife ~ Hole-In-One Skirt. This is one in a series of alewife skirt colors that are regional favorites of anglers from the Potomac River or Washington DC on down through the Virginia states, Kentucky, the Carolina states and Tennessee. It's also a universal baitfish color that will work swell anywhere you try it. There currently is or has been standard Alewife, Pale Alewife, Olive Alewife and now this Dark Alewife in the series so far. They are all basically the same productive pattern, with slight variations in the green back color. All produce as handsomely as they look.
Willow / Indiana Blades. It's rare to see this pair of blades, but it is one of the best blade combinations I use. This pair has three fantastic things that put it over the top:
Bluegill ~ Hole-In-One Skirt. The one that everyone's been asking for! This Hole-In-One skirt is patterned after our #1 selling EZ Skirt color - bluegill. Now in the Hole-In-One version everyone's been waiting for.
Bluegill ~ Hole-In-One Skirt. The one that everyone's been asking for! This Hole-In-One skirt is patterned after our #1 selling EZ Skirt color - bluegill. Now in the Hole-In-One version everyone's been waiting for. The spinnerbaits below have heavy duty 5/0 hooks and strong .040 super wire arms. They are ideal for big bass. 50/50 Gold/Nickel Blades. Both these premium blades are half gold finish and half nickel finish on both sides.
Herring Bone ~ Hole-In-One Skirt. This is a blueback herring pattern with a bone white belly. A great color for clear or lightly-stained water.
Solid Gold Shiner ~ Hole-In-One Skirt. Just a real solid gold shiner pattern. If you have not yet tried this color or our standard gold shiner skirt, you really should try them both. One is better than the other. Some say the solid gold shiner works better in darker water under cloudier skies whereas the standard gold shiner excels in clear water under sunny conditions. However, it's often the case that both may work quite well most any time you try them. Big Spinnerbaits for Big BassPosted May-25-08 13:36:41 PDT Updated May-25-08 13:38:30 PDT Big Spinnerbaits for Big BassThese spinnerbaits may look deceptively small in the photos, but don't let these photos fool you. These are bigger and stronger than most other spinnerbaits on the market. They have heavy duty 6/0 hooks. I think these are the biggest, longest, strongest stock spinnerbait hooks on the planet. They have extra large blades, bigger than usual. They are ideal for attracting the biggest bass anywhere.
The above spinnerbait has an extra heavy .045 super wire arm. White Bone Skirt. Take your classic 100% pure snow white skirt. Then splash the tail tips with a fish-attracting rusty orange dye that incites more strikes. Throw the white bone to bag the big dawgs.
The above spinnerbait has a heavy .040 super wire arm. The single-bladed baits shown here have the biggest stock Willow blades made.
The above spinnerbait has a heavy .040 wire arm. Solid Gold Shiner ~ Hole-In-One Skirt. Just a real solid gold shiner pattern. If you have not yet tried this color or our standard gold shiner skirt, you really should try them both. One is better than the other. Some say the solid gold shiner works better in darker water under cloudier skies whereas the standard gold shiner excels in clear water under sunny conditions. However, it's often the case that both may work quite well most any time you try them. Jackall Mikey California Trout Swimbait / WakebaitPosted May-25-08 03:19:10 PDT Jackall Mikey California Trout Swimbait / WakebaitThe Jackall Mikey is one of the best surface-swimming jointed big baits in the world. It's practically a standard or benchmark in that other big jointed baits often strive to be like or are compared to the Mikey.
The Mikey is not gigantic, but it's a fairly bulky 5-1/2 inch, three-piece jointed bait. It will create a big wake on the surface when fished with your rod tip held up. The best retrieve speed for waking is slowly. With the rod tip down, it will swim attractively barely beneath the surface. If you quicken the pace, the Mikey will dive a little deeper (no more than 3 feet) on a moderate speed retrieve. It's sometimes best to intersperse sudden stops that cause the triple-jointed body to react nicely (and trigger strikes) in between reeling. Even deadsticking on the surface, especially when there's a little wind drift, water movement or ripple to bounce the three body parts around, can be effective due to the disjointed nature of the three-piece body.
Designer Bill Smith Debuts Long-Awaited ima Shaker CrankbaitPosted May-24-08 04:58:24 PDT Updated May-24-08 05:28:15 PDT Designer Bill Smith Debuts Long-Awaited ima Shaker CrankbaitHello. It is BASSMASTER Elite Angler Bill Smith here and I am proud to say that I designed the ima Shaker for you. It is a small, flat-sided, shallow-diving crankbait with a thin computer board lip. At 2-3/4 inches long, the Shaker weighs 3/8 oz and runs 3 to 5 feet deep. With its internal weight transfer system, the Shaker let's one reach unprecedented casting distances with a crankbait of this kind. I designed the ima Shaker to improve upon and replace the flat-sided balsa crankbaits that are regional favorites in my section of the country, the southeast USA. I grew up fishing balsa crankbaits for over twenty years, and I know them well. I know what are balsa's merits as well as balsa's weaknesses. Since the Shaker is the latest improvement upon and replacement for balsa, I feel it is appropriate to first share a few words with you about the Shaker's predecessors - balsa crankbaits. So first, here is a bit of the interesting history of balsa cranks... A Little Background on Balsa CrankbaitsOriginally, going back over forty years, the Big O is one of the first milestones. The original Big O they say was whittled by hand out of balsa wood by Fred Young of Oak Ridge, Tennessee in the late 1960's - and they say that is the start of balsa crankbaits for bass in the USA. Mr. Young was not the only one whittling balsa crankbaits in the region 40 years ago, but the Big O is the one to achieve some sort of national fame and lasting historical significance. It really only did that because it was reproduced in hard plastic during the early 1970's by Cotton Cordell and quickly sold by the millions. But my point is that as far back as 40 years ago, hand-carved balsa crankbaits were popular and prized baits across the south even then. Other early and legendary names in balsa crankbaits include Jim Bagley, Lee Sisson and certainly Rapala. As I understand it, these were on the scene since the early to mid-1970's. Today, these names still have national and worldwide recognition. When it comes to balsa crankbaits, many bass anglers may be familiar with those names. What's not so well-known outside the region is the ongoing refinement of locally hand-crafted balsa crankbaits by lure builders across the region and states of Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and parts thereabouts. This is all considered balsa crankbait country. Especially within the last twenty years or so (since the mid-1980's), many of the locally-produced balsa crankbaits used across this region have been refined to a fine art. This is woodworking and furniture-manufacturing country, where whittling's a pastime and a handful of guys here have the modern toolshops and wherewithal to produce high quality balsa crankbaits. There was an old gentlemen from whom I remember my Dad would buy hand-crafted wood topwater lures. This fellow worked in a furniture factory, and made lures in his spare time. This old gentleman did not even fish, but he paid close attention to the constant feedback from the anglers who were his customers, like my Dad. He'd make the changes they suggested to him, thereby improving his topwater products. Both the anglers and the artisan took a sense of pride from this. Over time, he gained quite a local reputation and following for well-made, fish-catching topwater baits. Now take someone with that woodworking skill and love, with a little tool shop, who takes pride in their work and also likes to fish, and that's what's been happening for the past twenty years in this part of the country with regionally-produced balsa crankbaits. You can think of what's going on here as being similar to what's gone on with swimbaits on the west coast. For the longest time, swimbaits were a local phenomena, designed, developed, locally-made and used on the west coast as an effective way to catch the bass there. Of course, we see today that swimbaits work everywhere, not just California. Likewise, balsa crankbaits made in and used across the southeast, have been local favorites for the longest time. But as we've found with swimbaits, these balsa crankbaits (and now the ima Shaker) will also work everywhere, not just in the local region, but everywhere across the USA.
As a Bassmaster Elite Series pro, including all the places I've traveled, all the water I've fished across the country, 95% of the places I've been from coast to coast and border to border, these balsa crankbaits (and now the ima Shaker) have worked for me. And I can tell you that there isn't a Bassmaster Elite pro who I know who doesn't have a box full of flat-sided, hand-made custom balsa crankbaits on his boat, ready to use at every event across the country. These are baits that are hard to get, that have taken years for many of the pros to amass the boxfuls they've got. Every pro has them and knows that at any time or any place, flat-sided balsa crankbaits can prove effective. Introducing the ima ShakerNow that I've gotten you interested to try balsa crankbaits, let me tell you that the new ima Shaker is an improvement upon and replacement for a certain kind of balsa bait - the flat-sided crankbait. The flat-sided balsa bait gained a following in the Tennessee/Alabama market years ago. It's real strong on the Tennessee River chain, and also on Ohio River system, where they seriously refined the trend of the smaller flat-sided baits to imitate smaller shad so prevalent there. Over time, this flat-sided crank spread throughout the southeast market. The ima Shaker is the very latest flat-sided crank that matches this most common smaller size of shad. The Shaker has a very lifelike baitfish appearance. With the flat sides, the Shaker imitates more of a shad than the typical fat, bulbous, round-bodied crankbait. The flat-sided Shaker looks like a shad and has a more realistic profile. Yet it still has the characteristic wide wobble of a balsa bait. However, the ima Shaker is not balsa. The Shaker is a new injection-molded hard plastic bait with a computer board lip. The Shaker is designed to have all the merits but none of the weaknesses of balsa. Some of the big disadvantages of balsa crankbaits versus the ima Shaker are:
As you can see above, the Shaker is designed to imitate a balsa bait, and improve on it. The advantages of the Shaker over balsa are many - more durable, lasts longer and with its internal weight transfer system, is easier and more accurate to cast than balsa. Because a flat-sided balsa crank is such a poor casting lure, a lot of time you can only use one with 6-8 pound spinning gear to have any hope of casting a decent distance. Even then, you are probably talking about a 40 foot cast with a balsa crank on light line spinning gear versus a 60 foot cast with the ima Shaker on 10-15 pound baitcasting gear. That heavier grade of baitcasting gear could pull a balsa crank apart like it was cotton candy - if you could even cast a balsa bait on such gear (you really can't). So you're comparing 60 feet with the Shaker on a 10-15 pound baitcaster versus 40 feet for balsa on 6-8 lb spinning gear. That's 20 feet longer that the Shaker is in the water, attracting fish, on every cast. That's significant and equates to more fish caught due to the Shaker staying longer in the strike zone. So not only is the Shaker more durable, able to withstand the force of heavier tackle, but also casts much further (and accurately) and can be fished in dense cover that fish love. Color PatternsThe hard-plastic injection-molded nature of the ima Shaker is a radical new departure from balsa crankbaits - but the finishes and color patterns are not. The ima Shaker finishes make them look like they're balsa cranks. When painted and finished, it's hard to tell at first whether the Shaker is plastic or wood. We've tried to stay true to the well-known regional color patterns used on hand-made balsa cranks across the southeast, plus we've stayed with the unique names used for these regional color patterns. The guys in the southeast who throw balsa cranks will be familiar with these names and colors. They are derived from favorite colors of parochial balsa baits - like the color Plemmons is one of the most famous. That has been around for ages, and everyone in the region knows what color it is just from the name - Plemmons. Besides Plemmons, Coach Dog and Dolphin are probably the three most famous colors in the region.
Another unique color is named Hortin as well as Chartreuse Hortin. These are names that have never changed for ages. We felt a need to make the names and colors of the ima Shaker very familiar to the guys in the southeast in balsa bait country. At the same time, it's going to be a little education or learning experience for anglers in other parts of the country. But don't worry, you will get familiar with these colors quickly. When you catch a few fish on them, they'll become your favorites too. Another color is Lime Coach Dog. If you don't know what coach dog refers to, it is a Dalmatian. They were trained in days of yore to run alongside and accompany carriages or coaches on the road. So the Coach Dog lure color has Dalmatian spots all over it.
One thing that Lime Coach Dog, Matte Bluegill and Coach Dog (shown above) have in common is that they are early spring time colors. I feel why they work best then is that they really imitate bluegill that are the prevalent forage up shallow then. I could never figure out any rhyme nor reason why, but Coach Dog always seems to work better when the bass first come up shallow in the spring whereas Lime Coach Dog tends to hold up and lasts a little longer through the latter part of spring. Matte bluegill is always effective as long as small bluegill abound.
Plemmons and Rootbeer (shown above). These are two solid shad colors. They excel whenever there are lots of shad around. Now, root beer always seems to work fished right in the thick of the shad. You may wonder about that, because it does not resemble a shad color. In its case, you don't try to match the hatch. You try to stick out from the rest, and bass hone right in on it. Some of the other colors - Black Chartreuse for instance, are old familiar standbys. A few of the colors, such as White Shad and Alabama Shad, are simply solid, universal shad colors. Don't leave home without them. We talked about color choices above being based on certain seasons or prevalent baitfish. Color choice can also be based on water clarity:
Plemmons is probably the favorite color of many because Plemmons works in any water color. So always give Plemmons a try. Where and When to Use the ima ShakerThe ima Shaker is a shallow diver, running 3 to 5 feet deep. Therefore, where and when it works best is in shallow water, no more than eight feet deep. Simply, where you have bass in a water depth of five foot (less than 8 foot), that's the strike zone within which the Shaker is going to work.
For those who live up north in smallmouth country or wherever one bass species is more prevalent, you'll be glad to know the Shaker appeals equally to all three species of bass, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. The swimming action of the ima Shaker is very unique. It took a lot of time until I got the action perfect. With all that's written above, there's just no way I can truly describe how well this crankbait wiggles through the water. You really need to get one and go watch it swim to believe it. Once you see that, you'll want to use the Shaker all the time. You can really hit rocks, stumps, shallow structure and not get hung up. Usually, when a crankbait has a real wide wobble, the hooks swing out from side to side and grab everything - but that's not the case with the ima Shaker. You can go right through tree tops, stump fields and rock jumbles, and unless the bait gets wedged, just give a little slack, and it's going to float up and over most anything down there. Okay, here's one last good tip for when and where to use the Shaker that I'll tell you and then say goodbye. One thing I do a little different when shad are up on the surface away from the bank, over relatively deep water, the wide wobble of the Shaker swimming through the shad schools will break up the shad, cause the shad to flush, and that can provoke a strike. This little trick can work when bass are present, but not very aggressive on topwater lures. The fact that the Shaker's a few feet under the surface, and busting up the shad schools as it comes through them can be effective.
Super Deep Diving CrankbaitsPosted May-20-08 09:14:20 PDT Updated May-20-08 10:03:10 PDT Super Deep Diving CrankbaitsYou can pay much more, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll catch much more. These super deep diving crankbaits are not only very economical. They are very productive fish catchers too. They're built sturdily with heavy hook hanger eyes. The diving lip is an integrated part of the body. So the lip cannot loosen or break off. They cast well, for surprisingly long distances. You'll be pleased how far they cast, even when it is windy. Weight: 3/4 oz (without hooks) Note: Crankbait bodies come without hooks and without split rings. A few words about super deep diving depths. There are many, many brands and models of crankbaits on the market. The overwhelming majority are all shallow to medium divers. There are only a small handful of models on the market that are considered "Super Deep Divers." Super Deep Divers are often marketed as being able to reach 20 foot depths. Since achieving such depth is so rare, it is a big marketing point to be able to claim that, and it is technically true that under perfect wind and water conditions, with super thin line, super long distance casts, a long rod held with the tip under water while kneeling on the boat deck, with a perfectly true-running crank, one may (or may not) reach the 20 foot level even if only for a brief moment during a cast. Practically speaking, most super deep diving models spend most of their time on average in the 12 to 16 foot depths while casting, which is fine. This is still deeper than most all other crankbaits (and most all other lure types) can go. Most anglers rarely use super deep divers. Ninety-five percent of anglers never fish with this type of super deep diver. They are impractical for most shore anglers since they dive so deep, a shore angler would frequently snag and lose them. Yet many boat anglers are also unfamiliar with super deep diving crankbaits. Most bass anglers, even those who use crankbaits all the time, mainly stick to shallow or medium divers. So if you make an effort to learn how and where to use super deep divers, you will have a constant source of bass in relatively deeper water that few other crankbait anglers ever tap. Recommended hooks. You'll need to provide your own treble hooks and split rings for this lure. Most anglers prefer to put #2 trebles on this size crankbait. With most models of #2 hooks, the hooks are not able to marry each other. The front hook is usually not able to catch on the diving lip. So with the correct size #2 hooks, the hooks will rarely foul on each other or the lure body. That means more time fishing properly. Little or no time fishing with fouled hooks. Rattling. This crankbait has a couple of large, heavy rattles inside that produce more of a single knocker type sound, more like a drum beat than a chatter. Note: These lure bodies come WITHOUT hooks and without split rings as shown below.
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