With the darkness of winter comes anticipation for bass anglers. It’s the time of year when new product showcases grace the pages of our favorite magazines and websites, outlining all of the best new gear we can look forward to spending a fortune on.
Make no mistake: no matter what our finned opponents throw our way, there will never be a shortage of items, created by creative minds, to give us the upper hand. This year is no exception.
I reviewed numerous new product listings carefully, then, with an objective mind, jotted down a few notes. Let’s review a little of what’s going on inside the business of bass fishing and, more specifically, trends in tackle. I separated my thoughts into a few categories that should be easy to pick up on.
The Trenders
Today, the bass tackle world continues to focus on a few proven producers, expand on a newbie, and bring back a little vintage. Let’s start with the proven success of swimbaits. Hard and soft baits, bodies, heads and even monster swimbait-style plugs continue to be everywhere, and expanding. And rightfully so.
As the general population of bass in most popular waterways receive more educated fishing pressure, those fish are often becoming harder to catch. Enter the swimbait. I’ve always felt that, if ever mastered, nothing will compete on a daily basis with this style of lure. We’ve seen glimpses of that in recent tournament competition, and the possibilities seem limitless for expansion.
Our newly expanded category is that of swinghead-style jigs. Far more companies are putting this lure style in their line-up, or expanding on those already offered. In addition, many manufacturers are seeing the benefit of offering a type of “mod-kit” for these baits in a number of lure categories, allowing fishermen to create their own on the water. I, for one, have been blown away by the effectiveness of this technique in many places I would have never considered trying it, and feel the sky’s the limit.
Looking at vintage, it’s hard to ignore the new appeal of many lures we once wrote off. There are several variations of the tried-and-true Jitterbug-style topwater now available, including some sporting $20 price tags. The in-line spinner is back, and pros continue to tout the effectiveness of hand-carved wood crankbaits. What’s old is new again.
The Dead Horses
While I understand a little of the sales aspects behind continuing to push worn-out themes, my overall boredom leads to amazement at how some tackle companies seem to never get the memo. A few “new products” seems tired already. First and foremost, the umbrella rig phenomenon seems to have run its course, for the most part. Although a few companies continue to try to come up with a way around the rules of most major bass tournaments by devising a “many-lures-in-one” look, those same tournament rules seem to have halted much more progress for multi-wired monsters.
Punch baits are also getting old at this point. Like the days of Beaver copycats, nearly every company is now making a variation of a craw-style bait intended to blast through thick cover. And, while yours may have flappers and mine has flippers, I find it hard to believe any of this makes a difference with lures trailing a 2-ounce weight to the bottom. Manufacturers, however, continue to try to convince us otherwise.
Lastly, we don’t need any more hollow frogs. At this point, the frog movement has made its mark, nearly every competitive fisherman understands the appeal of frog fishing, and most still just use the same lure Dean Rojas does. Why argue with success?
Now I know there are always variations in everything we do, and the subtle tweaks are often what separate the best from the rest when it comes to tournament bass fishing. However, it’s nearly impossible for most recreational fishermen to go to the level that would be needed to become intimately familiar with most of the tackle offered in today’s world.
Square-billed crankbaits are a case in point. Just a few years ago, there were only a couple of good square-bills on the market. Now, there are likely 20 or more. Understanding the subtle differences of each lure – most of which dive to relatively the same depth and cover the same niche – can only really be reserved for anglers spending thousands of hours on the water.
But that’s what keeps us guessing.
The Pots of Gold
As we finish out our brief look into today’s tackle market, I must always make mention of the end of the rainbow. Out there, somewhere, are designers contemplating a few key ideas that could change tackle forever. These brains never rest.
First, when will we see a massive spoon, designed for offshore ledge fishing, that offers an acceptable hook-to-land ratio? I’ve seen a few stinger hooks on the market – borrowed from saltwater themes – but have yet to hear of evidence of a game-changer.
Next, mark my word: Within a few short years, we will see a company come up with a cheaper version of tungsten weights or a better alternative to lead. Eventually, bass anglers will realize that they are paying nearly 10 bucks for a sinker, a manufacturer will step up with a product that’s half the cost and blow the doors off the industry.
And, finally, will we ever see soft-plastics that truly don’t tear, yet fish identical to what we’re used to? I hope so.
It’s that time of year, again, to break out the credit cards. At first you’ll resist. But, in the end, we’re all fooled faster than the fish.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
