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Year of the Crank Bait Review : Megabass Z Crank
Re-enter Megabass Japan and their incredible
series of wood baits, the Z-Cranks. These products first began to appear on
Internet pages and stores roughly two years ago. |
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Year of the Crank Bait Review: O.S.P.'s HPF Crank
So far, we’ve taken a look at
two baits from this manufacturer, the oversized Rudra jerkbait and the Blitz
crankbait. Their product has scored at opposite ends of the spectrum with us.
Today, we take a look at their take on the flat sided crank. Introducing the
O.S.P. HPF crankbait. |
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Presenting TackleTour's Deep Diving Crankbait Shootout!
Our Year of the Crank coverage would certainly not be complete without some type of shootout between actual crankbaits.
Of course, it’s difficult to objectively evaluate the number one factor of a
bait’s attractiveness to a bass without actually interviewing the fish
themselves. |
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PRODUCTTPREVIEW : Meet
the shrunken down Spro BBZ-1 Jr.
At ICAST 2008, Bill Siemental showed us the then prototype "mini-me" versions the 8" BBZ-1 swimbait. These new, six inch sized versions had been anticipated since the full size version debuted many years ago. |
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In The Mood ... For Jigs, 2009 Jig Roundup
Perhaps the
only thing that outnumbers the variety of jigs available today is the number of
manufacturers pouring, tying, or banding them. How is any bass fisherman
expected keep track? Well, how about through what is becoming an annual affair
here at TackleTour? Presenting our 2009 Jig Roundup! |
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Bass Jam '09 Preview : What's Cookin' with Rago Baits
Well, you know what happens when we get some exciting new product and are given free reigns to talk about it... that’s right, we share it with you. Here’s a sneak peak at what Jerry Rago has in store to debut for Bass Jam ’09. |
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An "easy" choice to fish, the Roboworm EZ Shad
Roboworm is a company well known for their catalog of Western Style, soft plastic finesse worms so when they announced their plans to enter the swimbait market earlier this year, there was little doubt what type of swimbait they would manufacture. Introducing the Roboworm EZ Shad Swimbait. |
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Year of the Crank Bait Review: Rapala's Clackin' Rap
The Rapala Clackin’ Rap is
a rather unique lipless crank that, instead using a series of brass rattles, has
one very large knocker in the middle of the bait that creates a very distinct
sound. Measuring a very common three and one eighth inch length, this bait
weighs a hefty seven eighths of an ounce! |
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Wake Up Shallow Water Bass With ima Japan's Shaker
The ima Shaker is a two and three quarter long, flat sided, plastic crank
featuring a circuit board diving bill and Owner ST-36 hooks. This bait feels
like wood, but is stacked right from the get go with current day, top end
components. |
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It's Not Just About Rods For Upstart Damiki
Damiki made a big splash with us at ICAST
2007 with the introduction of their exciting lineup of bass rods. What’s gotten
lost in the mix since that time is this new company from Korea is not just about
rods. |
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Mythical Creatures, Legendary Baits : The Return of Nezumma
Having only been introduced to the big bait scene between four to five years ago, there are a lot of baits that escaped my initial trawl because they were no longer in the market. During the course of my discussion with Terry that day, one such bait by 22nd Century came up: The Nezumma Rat. |
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Raising the Bar Once Again : Mattlures Hard Bait Bass Series
During ICAST 2008, Matt Servant announced his
intentions to enter the hard bait market by showing us a prototype bait that
promised to be the most realistic baby bass imitator yet. Now, almost a full year later, his hard bass series is finally ready for consumption by the general bassing population... |
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Still Not Sold on Big Baits? How About a Hybrid? : Deps Highsider
One of the few manufacturers in Japan
to get a good foothold in this big bait arms race has been Deps. Last year, we looked at their oversized shad imitator, the Realizer. Today, we look at the Realizer's longer, sleeker sibling, the Highsider. |
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Sometimes, You Just Have To Go Small : TyLure's Kicker Shad
The TyLure Kicker Shad is an interesting little
bait. First off, as with all TyLure products, each bait is hand made and hand
painted by Tyler Ream himself. Measuring in at five inches, the Kicker Shad is
part of his new series of baits that features a hook keeper system that holds
the hook as close... |
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Shimano Lucanus Jigs: Deadly and Just Plain Fun to Fish
Two seasons after the Shimano Lucanus jigging
system was first introduced we explore how the entire system has performed for
us in comparison to traditional techniques. We also take a closer look at the
actual jigs themselves and see just how they stack up over the long term. |
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Year of the Crank Bait Review: Rapala's DT Flat 9
The Year of the Crank has been a great opportunity to get back to basics here at TackleTour. Afterall, is there any more basic a technique in bass fishing? Through all this ebb and flow, one of these companies, Rapala, has been a personal favorite of mine... |
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PRODUCTTPREVIEW : The Punch Skirt by Paycheck Baits
Those familiar with the California Delta already know of this technique, but how many know how to do it effectively? What is this technique? It’s called “punching,” and Bub
knows when the heat is up on the Delta, the bass seek cover. He shows us his new
lures from Paycheck Baits designed for this application. |
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Concealed weapons courtesy
of the CL8 Bait 9” Swimbait
Rather than make
just another
“me-too” bait
Clayton Bryant
decided to draw on
his personal passion
for swimbait fishing
and big bait design
to create something
different. Armed
with an array of
hidden hooks the CL8
Bait is looking to
make a mark in the
premium big bait
market. |
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What's a Buzz with Reaction Innovations : Introducing the
Squeaky Dolphin
Today we take a look
at one of the more
progressive bait
companies in the
industry and their
take on this tried
and true favorite.
Introducing the
Reaction Innovations
Squeaky Dolphin Buzzbait. |
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Can O.S.P.'s Blitz Sack the Competition?
O.S.P. produces a shallow running crank that, in some circles, has been considered a great "secret" weapon for many years. We've been fishing this crank for over a year and a half now and are ready to bring to you, our review of O.S.P.'s Blitz. |
